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Mashu Baker graduates university, headed to the Japan Racing Association (JRA) Team

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2016 Rio Olympics – Judo – Men -90 kg Mashu Baker (JPN) of Japan poses with his medal.

Nikkan Sports News reported that Mashu Baker, gold medalist in the -90kg weight division at the 2016 Rio Olympics graduated from Tokai University (Kanagawa Prefecture) today and will continue his judo career on the trade team, Japan Racing association (JRA). JRA is the trade team of Rio Olympic teammate Hisayoshi Harasawa as well as Canadian olympian, Kyle Reyes, and former national team member Kaihan Takagi. The team is one of the best in Japan with a roster full of elite athletes. Baker stated to the press that he is set to become a “wandering judoka” as the company does not have a main dojo. He plans to train at various dojos, including his former university. He will live in the same dormitory as Harasawa and plans to train together at various locations.

Though he is the favorite to win next week’s All-Japan Weight Class Selection Championships (April 1・2), he suffered a pulled muscle in his left leg in February. He has said himself that compared to last summer’s olympic games that he is not in good condition but wants very much to qualify for an opportunity to win a world title, which he still does not have (roughly translated).

JRA’s judo team is one of the most decorated trade teams in Japan’s judo history. 2000 Sydney Olympic champion Makoto Takimoto and 4-time world champion, Naoya Ogawa both competed for this club. However, the training and work schedule is quite intense. According to the website of Token Corporation (All-Japan Judo Federation sponsor), athletes are all required to live in a dorm, begin training at 6:30am for about an hour before heading to the main office in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, where they work from 9:30am, to 3:00pm. After that, they train at various clubs around Tokyo. While judo has made great progress to establish itself as a commercial sport, the life of an elite Japanese judoka is still a far cry from more popular sports such as basketball and baseball.

Hopefully, this transition will prove to be a good fit for Baker in his run-up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

A Look Back: 1996 All Japan Weight Class Championships (Nomura, Koga, Yoshida, Nakamura Brothers and Ogawa)

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In a little over a week, the All-Japan Weight Class Selection Championships will be held, with nearly all of Japan’s top judo athletes participating in what will serve as the final tournament to select the team that will represent Japan at the  Budapest World Championships in August. The notable absences in this year’s edition are Shohei Ono, Misato Nakamura, Miku Tashiro and Masashi Ebinuma, but aside from them, nearly all of the heavy hitters in Japan’s judo scene will be present. The weight of this tournament and quality of the field makes it one of the most competitive tournaments in the world, I would say even on par with the Grand Slam events.

Today, I want to reflect on the 1996 edition of the tournament, which featured a whole slew of world champions and gold medalists, in what was one of the deepest fields imaginable for any era of judo. Though the present Japanese team is right up there with the best, this ’96 team would definitely give them a run for their money in terms of class and depth. The 1996 tournament determined the 1996 Atlanta Olympic team in all categories except for the +95kg category, which was decided at the All-Japan Open Weight Championships later in the month. Tadahiro Nomura came into the tournament as a dark horse for the spot on the olympic team, probably the last time he was ever an underdog in any tournament thereafter. We also saw two veterans hoping to defend their gold medals in Barcelona in Koga and Yoshida as well as one of the last times we got to see Naoya Ogawa as his time as the dominant heavyweight in Japan came to a close.

Another point worth mentioning is that the competitors in this tournament now make up a large portion of the top competitive coaches in Japan at the moment. Reading down the list is a who’s who of Japan’s current coaching staff:

Kazuhiko Tokuno  (1999 World Championships silver, 2001 Bronze) – Assistant manager of the Komatsu Women’s Judo team. Notable athletes: Ayumi Tanimoto, Haruna Asami, Nae Udaka, Miku Tashiro, and the list goes on forever.

Kenzo Nakamura (1996 Olympic champion, 1997 world champion) – Assistant coach of Japanese men’s national team.

Toshihiko Koga (No introduction necessary) – Head coach of International Pacific University, coach of semi-pro trade team OG Wellness and founder of Koga Dojo.

Ryuji Sonoda (1993 World Champion) – Unfortunately, a former women’s national team coach, who was at the center of a major scandal concerning abuse of the athletes. As a result, he was fired and now works on the coaching staff of the trade team, Park 24, managed by Hidehiko Yoshida. Notable athletes are Naohisa Takato and Masashi Ebinuma.

Michiaki Kamochi (1991 Asian Games Champion) – Coach of the Japan Racing Association team, whose top star is Hisayoshi Hirasawa. Other notable athletes from this team include Kaihan Takagi and Kyle Reyes of Canada.

Katsuyuki Masuchi (1994 Asian Games Champion) – Head Coach of Japanese Women’s National Team, and former coach of Tsukuba University, one of the greatest judo universities of all-time.

Yoshiharu Makishi (1997 World Championships silver) – If you have been to the Kodokan to train, you have probably seen him as he is one of the sensei there.

Shinichi Shinohara (2000 Olympic Silver, 2x World Champion) – Head coach of the Japanese Men’s National Team for the 2012 London Olympic cycle.

 

I’m sure I’m leaving a few others out, but it makes you realize that if you want to have a career as a coach in Japan, it is pretty difficult to do if you don’t have matching credentials as an athlete. Anyways, without any further ado, please enjoy the 1996 All-Japan Weight Class Selection Championships.

High school student qualifies to the 2017 All-Japan Open Weight Class Championships

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2017 Chugoku Region Representatives Akira Okushima (L) and Sosuke Matsumura (R)

Last month, I wrote about the 1st leg of qualification for the All-Japan Open Weight Class Championships, which will be held at the Nippon Budokan, in Tokyo on April 29th. On March 5th, regions all over Japan held their 2nd and final leg of qualification. The number of athletes chosen to represent their particular region varies by the area due to population of judo participants. Tokyo is allowed 10 athletes, while many of the smaller regions are granted 2 spots in the tournament.

In this year’s Chugoku region qualification round, 2nd year high school student, Sosuke Matsumura took first prize, and is set to become only the 8th high school student to qualify for the All-Japan Open Weight Class Championships since the first edition in 1948. His predecessors include Kosei Inoue and Yasuhiro Yamashita. Though Matsumura has yet to make a name for himself abroad, he holds the distinction of being the All Japan heavyweight champion as an elementary school student, as well as junior high school student. At last summer’s All-Japan Inter-High tournament, he finished 5th in the +100kg division. Here is his final match, where he defeats All-Japan veteran, Akira Okushima, who also qualified in the second spot for next month’s tournament.

At 17 years old, his chances to win seem to be a longshot. The Chugoku Region lacks top-class universities and trade teams, so the competition is sparse in comparison to the larger regions such as Tokyo. Additionally, while some of the lower weight classes have seen high school students get on the top step of the podium (Ryoko Tani comes to mind), the youngest competitor to ever win the open weight tournament was Satoshi Ishii, who won the 2006 edition at 19 years and 4 months. In Kosei Inoue’s debut, he lost in the second round to Michiaki Kamochi, the current coach of Hisayoshi Hirasawa. Here is a short clip of Inoue’s first round match in the 1996 edition of the tournament:

https://youtu.be/0ax6h5x9UFA?t=31m44s

Of the high school students, Yamashita had the best showing in his debut, finishing 3rd before losing to Haruki Uemura, gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. There is also limited footage of this tournament, but here is a clip of his quarter-final match:

Christa Deguchi leaves Japanese national team to represent Canada

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Last week, former Japanese national team member, Kaihan Takagi announced his aim to compete for Australia in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Yesterday, another national team member, Christa Deguchi announced her decision to resign from Japan’s national team in order to secure a spot on Canada’s olympic team. Unlike Takagi, Deguchi was a current member of the national team and thus, was required to formally submit her resignation to the All Japan Judo Federation, making the decision public and decisive.

A dual citizenship holder, Deguchi will be forced to relinquish her Japanese nationality before her 22nd birthday this upcoming October, which is the reason for the timing of the decision. Born to a Canadian father and Japanese mother, Deguchi told the press that she intends to continue competing for her university, Yamanashi Gakuin and her immediate aim is to lead her university to their fourth consecutive title at the All-Japan University Team Championships later this year. From there, she plans to continue her studies while competing for team Canada.

Unlike Takagi, whose best years have seemingly passed, Deguchi has posted consistent results since winning the silver medal at the junior world championships in 2014. Behind Olympic champion Kaori Matsumoto and world champion, Nae Udaka, Deguchi is one of Japan’s top competitors in the -57 category. Both Udaka (32yrs) and Matsumoto (29yrs) are nearing the end of their careers and it seemed Deguchi would be in prime position to take the number #1 spot on the Japanese team when the Olympics come to Tokyo in 2020. However, she stated to the press that, “I wavered between competing for Japan or Canada while pursuing my university studies, but I chose the route that gives me a slightly better chance. I want to represent Canada in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020” (rough translation: original quote here).

Here she is competing for her university in last year’s final of the All-Japan Students Team Championships where she displays a masterful transition from tachiwaza into newaza:

https://youtu.be/djiEe94oL3w?t=9m38s

 

Judofan.com would like to wish Christa Deguchi all the best in making her Olympic dream come true.