The Benefactor of Judo The World Rusty Kanokogi Dreamed Of: "The Mother of Women's Judo" By Takayasu Ogura First Edition Published: May 20, 2012 Price: 1600 yen The signature appears to be from someone related to Ms. Kanokogi. Rusty Kanokogi was a Jewish-American female judoka who fought for the inclusion of women's judo in the Olympic Games. She holds a 7th dan in judo. It is said that if it weren't for her, women's judo would have been 20 years behind. "Don't be the nail, be the hammer." That was her catchphrase. In her childhood, she experienced discrimination and the depths of poverty, and as a young girl, she spent her days fighting in the streets. She also failed in a marriage where she gave up everything. It was "JUDO" that saved her. She started judo after being shown a technique by an acquaintance who was practicing judo. Eventually, she took on a fierce battle, staking her entire life and fortune for judo. She married Ryohei Kanokogi, a judoka from Kumamoto Prefecture, in 1959. Her daughter, Jean, is also a judoka. "While studying judo in Japan, I learned that there is such a thing as 'inner strength,' and I realized that being able to do something for others is true strength," she said. In 1959, at the YMCA Judo Championship team competition held in New York, she wrapped cloth around her chest to appear as a man and competed in place of an injured player, winning by ippon and leading her team to victory. However, at the time, there were hardly any female judo athletes in America, and this tournament was also considered a men's competition. Despite the fact that the rules of participation did not specify gender, only Kanokogi, who was found to be a woman after the match, had her gold medal stripped. Feeling frustrated by this, Kanokogi worked to promote women's judo and, as the organizing committee chair, oversaw the 1st World Women's Judo Championships held in 1980. She also negotiated with the International Olympic Committee, succeeding in making women's judo a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and an official event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She also served as the coach of the American women's judo team at the Seoul Games. In 1994, she was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2008, she received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette from Japan. In 2009, the YMCA returned the gold medal it had stripped 50 years earlier, honoring Kanokogi's achievements. This is a record of the life of an indomitable American female judoka who continued to fight alone for the sake of judo. This book is highly recommended. She passed away at the age of 74 on November 7, 2009.