in London is the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe. It was founded in 1918 by Gunji Koizumi and initially offered tuition in jujutsu, kendo, and other Japanese martial arts. but it is normally called the Budokwai. The name Budokwai was chosen by the society's founder Gunji Koizumi as a combination of the Japanese words bu (武) meaning military or martial, do (道) meaning the way or code, kwai (会) meaning public building or a society/club.
History
Gunji Koizumi created the Budokwai as a society to teach judo, kendo and other Japanese arts to members of the public. He founded a dojo at 15 Lower Grosvenor Place, Victoria, London SW1 and the club official opened on Saturday 26 January 1918 with 12 members, making it the oldest judo club in Europe. It is also the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe. Koizumi became the first president of the Budokwai and Yukio Tani the first chief judo instructor.
In July 1920, Dr. Jigoro Kano (the founder of judo) visited Britain and the Budokwai for the first time, he was accompanied by Hikoichi Aida who stayed in Britain and instructed at the Budokwai for two years.
In 1953 Teizo Kawamura, then a 6th Dan, came from the Kodokan in Japan to become chief instructor. After thirty-five years, the Budokwai moved to 4 Gilston Road, South Kensington, London, SW10 9SL.
Shotokan Karate is practiced five days a week at the Budokwai with both children's and adult classes. The chief karate instructor is Yoshinobu Ohta who holds a karate 8th Dan. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is run by Ray Stevens. Hontai Yōshin-ryū ju-jutsu takes place once a week with instructor Dr. Mike McClure 6th Dan.
Governance
The Budokwai is a democratic non-profit making organisation with full, associated and honorary members. Only full members have financial responsibility and voting rights in the club and there can only be 45 full members. Peter Blewett is the current Chairman of the Executive Committee.
Notable members
The budokwai's membership has included a number of notable individuals. In March 1936 Sarah Mayer became the first non-Japanese woman to gain a Dan grade (black belt) in Judo. She had started practicing judo at the Budokwai in the 1920s before traveling independently to Japan in 1934 with a letter of introduction from the Budokwai to train in judo. As of 2013 Olympian judoka Raymond Stevens and Winston Gordon are active members, other Olympian members have included Neil Adams, Brian Jacks, Angelo Parisi and John Jayne. Celebrity members have included musicians Kylie Minogue, Simon Le Bon and Mick Jagger. Sportsmen from other areas who have trained in judo at the Budokwai include Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Roger Gracie and Olympic runner Sebastian Coe. William Hague British politician and Foreign Secretary who regularly partnered Sebastian Coe for judo training at the Budokwai.
Journalist Mark Law began judo at the club in his fifties and wrote a book about his experiences in 2007 called The Pyjama Game, A Journey Into Judo.
Other notable members have included Valerie Singleton, Yasmin Le Bon and Guy Ritchie