Judo Techniques and MMA – Part 4 Sakujiro Yokoyama and Kyuzo Mifune

1890 Sakujiro Yokoyama

Sakujiro Yokoyama was born in Nogata of Toyotama. It is not clear when exactly, but it was known, that very early he was a rather quarrelsome fellow and this got him quite often into trouble.

He weighed about 90 kg. (198 pounds), was quite tall and rather bulky. He particularly liked judo techniques such as the yoko sutemi wazas, ie. going on the ground sideways on purpose in order to throw the opponent. When he moved around, due to his weight and his big muscles, he resembled more a bear rather than a panther, but it was what made him successful when he performed his techniques: he really had an outstanding power.

He was a student of Heitaro Inoue of the School of Tenshin Shinyo Ryu. In 1886 (the 19th Year of the Meiji Era) he entered the Kodokan, but was not considered a full member even though he had the same skills as a 1^st dan of that time. He spent many years at the Kodokan and as one of the leading people there trained many young students.

Due to his quarrelsome behavior he liked to start fights and was quite often suspended by the Kodokan. He often got involved in street fights, the so called “mixed martial arts” experiences, which ended with the death of his opponents many times. Occasionally he got killed by one of his rivals.

1909 Yokoyama and Mifune

In 1913 Yokoyama tells about an episode concerning the Kodokan members. He went to the restaurant to have dinner with Kyuzo Mifune in January 1909. Mifune was 5^th dan then. While they were sitting at their table, there was a group of thirteen young people sitting in a corner talking under voice and glancing at them once in a while while they were drinking their sake.

Apparently the situation was perfectly calm, under control and there really was no hint that something nasty was going to happen. Yokoyama and Mifune were talking and drinking their sake, without taking too much notice of the youngsters in the corner.

At a certain point one of them got up, picked up Yokoyama’s coat and hat trying to leave. Of course Yokoyama blocked him, but the young fellow started to argue, that it was his coat and hat.

The discussion got out of hand and quite filled with tension. Within a few seconds the other twelve got up to help their friend. Mifune avoiding useless violence knocked half of them down within a few seconds with a rapid follow up of judo techniques.

The rest of the group faced Yokoyama, but he did the same as Mifune and knocked them all down. While all of them ran off, one was blocked and admitted, that their main objective was to rob their money.

The people that saw the entire scene were amazed, but at the same time “lucky” as they had the pleasure to see a “mixed martial arts” fight without having to pay a ticket.