In the Games without an audience and without shouting, there is a place where volunteers vibrate and pay attention to what they see instead of what they ask. It is the Nippon Budokan, the temple of judo and karate. Here the judo was released as an Olympic discipline in 1964: only in the men's category and only in four weights: 68kg, 80kg, + 80kg and Open, which was considered the queen category because judokas of all weights could compete. And here they lived 9 minutes and 33 eternal seconds. With three Japanese golds in his backpack at 68, 80 and + 80kg, the Federation chose Akio Kaminaga, 107 kilos, to fight for the fourth gold against the Dutch Anton Geesink, a gigantic 1.98 over 111 kilos. That combat entered the history of Budokan and judo (Japan is the country with the most Olympic medals in this sport, 90;almost double that of France, which follows with 52).
Geesink immobilized Kaminaga for 30 seconds with a
kesa-gatame
technique
and the 15,000 spectators fell silent.
Then they got up to applaud.
Rafael Ortega, a pioneer of judo in Spain who invited the Dutch giant to present an innovative teaching project to Spanish teachers, said that after receiving a standing ovation from the public, Geesink told his team that he was not going to enter the tatami to celebrate the triumph .
With the applause from the pavilion he had had enough.
For Japan it was a national tragedy.
More information
In search of the new god
Caeleb Dressel wins gold in fastest free 100 final ever
Simone Biles, the courage to step aside
Because of these deeds like Geesink's, the Nippon Budokan is a magical, unique place. This is how Damián Quintero explains it, that next Friday (the finals start at 12.30) he will look for his first Olympic medal in kata here (Sandra Sánchez competes on Thursday, with the same schedule). “It is the sanctuary of martial arts, there is no better place to compete, it is like Wembley or like an Argentina-Brazil in Maracana. Whoever has the opportunity to compete here will always remember it ”. And here only judokas and karatecas compete. It is a sacred place for any Japanese because, explains one of the many volunteers, martial arts in Japan are taught even in school.
The path that leads to the Budokan is different from the one followed to reach most of the Tokyo 2020 venues, many of them located in industrial and commercial parks, or surrounded by highways and the infernal noise of trucks. The path that leads to what Quintero calls “the temple” is a spiritual walk in the middle of nature, with gardens full of trees, tables and stone seats. Far from the noise of the Tokyo traffic jams, you can hear cicadas and birds. Located next to the science museum, it has a hexagonal structure on the outside, but very vertical on the inside. It is half pavilion and half pagoda, with its dome reminiscent of Mount Fuji. It was built for the 1964 Games (the Beatles were the first to be exhibited here, in 1966).
The first Karate World Cup was also played at the Budokan and in a sense the circle will now be closed, since this sport, which makes its debut at these Games, will not be in Paris 2024. The fight for the medals will also be fought in a
A priori
duel
between Spanish and Japanese: Quintero and Ryo Kiyuna, in the male kata, and Sandra Sánchez and Kiyou Shimizu, in the female category.
The articles of the Budo Charter, at the entrance to the Nippon Budokan.
/ EG
The Budokan is so impressive the first time it is stepped on that to the Spanish karate fighter, for example, it seemed enormous. “It was on my first trip to Japan, for the 2008 World Cup. The feeling of being here is like something out of the ordinary, I remember how respectful the public was and even more so for us that we came from a lot of noise from European and World Championships. I was surprised. When I came back in 2019 for the Premier League I remembered it much bigger… that is that the first time it impacted me a lot. Two years ago I started visualizing myself here at the Games. This place is unique, it is the cradle of everything, the sanctuary of martial arts, the best place to enjoy and enjoy them ”, he says.
The first thing you come across at the entrance is the statue of Jigoro Kano, the inventor of judo. Beside him are the Budo tables, the precepts that all martial arts have in common. They are the principles, the code of the warriors, that has been transmitted and that has remained as something of obligatory compliance for every martial artist. Next to the tables are the commandments compiled by the so-called
Budo Charter
:
Budo Charter
and
Budo Charter for Young People
[budo charter for young people] that invites you to compete giving the best of yourself, respecting your rival, winning modestly. and gratefully accepting defeat.
The
dojo
, the space in which martial arts are practiced, is considered in Japan a school of life as well as a gymnasium.
It is a special place in which the spirit is trained as well as the physical, and it is asked to respect it and keep it clean.
The letter addressed to young people, on the other hand, insists that the techniques of martial arts - based on courage, justice and consideration for others - are the way to become someone useful to society.
“In martial arts the sense of respect and humility are felt much more than in any other sport.
They are like our commandments ”, concludes Quintero.
Subscribe here
to our special newsletter about the Tokyo Games