Judo at the All Japan High Grade championships , Kodokan 2014

All Japan high grade masters at the kodokan had the usual 1340 plus entrants including 30 eighth dans and it was all over by 5 pm, now that's organisation.
The high lite of the day had to be the 80 to 89 yr old 8th dans who are there every year without fail.
Matsumura Sensei 89 yrs fight with Takahashi Sensei 87 yrs lasted 30 seconds after a beautifully executed right ouchigari.
I'm sure they have shrunk as both would only be 160 cm tall and a living testimony to what judo is all about.
Takahashi Sensei it is said does a 1000 left ouchigari everyday threw with a right ouchigari.
As for myself I was not feeling the best due to the drugs was was taking for deep vein thrombosis.
Just going up four flights of steps to the main dojo twice left me breathless.
As I was the last of the 7th dans to fight it was a long day.
My opponent was a 7th dan from Sapporo Hokkaido whom I knew nothing about but admired for coming such a long way for just one fight.
Marcel Bennicourt a student of uni judo auckland had turned up for support became my camera man.
Hajime!
And it was all on, having been to this shiai from 5th dan to 7 th dan 28 times and being a gaijin foreigner it's bit hard to appear incognito.
First I tried my favourite standing tomoenage to arm bar which just failed as he had no doubt been forewarned , following up with a rolling turn over but he trapped my leg,stand up start again, udegaeshi , rolling arm bar , success,osaekomi, hold down,nose starts to bleed ,let go?no way,gets a better grip,more blood, mine!
Ippon ! I let go and nearly fainted from blood loss, at least 25 cc,said sorry, he said sorry, we both said sorry.Forgot to get a photo of him looking like he been in a bloody battle.
Bow off and get washed up my opponent comes to see me and say sorry again ,ha ha.
Later after watching the 30 8th dans fight is the presentation of Kodokan gongs for those who had enter 20 times without losing .
I,m there to get my certificate and badge.
Outstanding performance certificates
Jokingly I say to one of the senior Kodokan Sensei ,where,s mine ? I just gave a lot of blood to judo.
Sorry says Sensei , it's very hard to get a certificate from a newaza win.
What? That,s judo discrimination I said.
He laughed and said yes!
Went back to the hotel with the whanau (family) ,later we met up with Toshiro Miyamoto who was student of Okano Sensei and stayed in auckland in 1981. We were joined by Marcel and his pretty young wife for dinner and few beers at a local izakaya pub .
Talked a lot about old times and the present state of Japan and then went home.
Today is the all Japan judo open at the budokan .
Will go from 1pm when it will be near the end of the second round.
Rick littlewood