Judo

Pushbutton destruction has made combat sports seem like pleasant anachronisms. However, such activities have a physical and some say a moral value. The Olympic combat sports are represented in these semi-postals by boxing, fencing and judo. Judo means "the gentle way". Its closest ancestor was ju-jitsu, which had roots in China, India and perhaps even Greece. Each ju-jitsu system boasted of its superiority in causing pain, fractures or death. Indeed, a Japanese dictionary claimed that the Chinese invented the art as a method of torture. Ju-jitsu declined when Japan westernized. Jigoro Kano did not want these systems to disappear. He thus created judo by combining ju-jitsu techniques with physical education and moral instruction. His new invention was a sport which could not be practised with maximum benefit and minimum risk. The founder set forth the purpose of his discipline as follows: "Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength. By training you in attacks and defences, it refines your body and your soul and helps you make the spiritual essence of Judo a part of your very being. In this way you are able to perfect yourself and contribute something of value to the world." Judo came to Canada around 1920 and expanded during the second World War and the recent martial arts craze. James Hill of Toronto designed these stamps.