Keiko Fukuda: Learn the Story of the Trailblazing Judoka

Keiko Fukuda: Learn the Story of the Trailblazing Japanese-American Female Judoka

By Regina Sienra on January 1, 2025

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Una publicación compartida por Judo Japao Curiosidades 柔道 (@judojapao)

The history of women in sports is populated with tales of trailblazers who challenged institutions and their fellow athletes. One such is the story of Keiko Fukuda, a Japanese-American martial artist who became the highest-ranked female judoka of all time. She was the first woman in history to obtain a 10th dan (rank) belt at age 97.

Born on April 12, 1913, Fukuda learned the trades meant for young women at the time, such as calligraphy and flower arrangement. Still, she had a unique connection to the martial arts—her grandfather was a samurai and an expert on the traditional school of Tenjin Shinyō-ryū jujutsu, having passed his knowledge to Kanō Jigorō, who would become a founder of judo.

The story came full circle when Fukuda went to a judo session with her mother and began training herself a few months later when, as a sign of respect for her late grandfather, Kanō invited her to study. While her mother and brother supported this idea—her father had died when she was very young—they thought this would lead to her eventually marrying a judoka. In 1937, after studying the discipline for two years, Fukuda became a judo instructor.

Fukuda traveled to California in 1953 upon an invitation by a judo club in Oakland. Having been recently promoted to 5th dan, the trip would be life-changing, inspiring her to settle in the Bay area for the rest of her life. At 4 feet 11 inches and weighing less than 100 lbs, she may have had a frail appearance for such a tough sport. Still, she was known for her strength and devotion to the sport, as well as for inspiring a growing number of women to practice this martial art.

But not everyone was ready to give her accolades—or belts. In 1972, Fukuda and her senpai (or senior) Masako Noritomi became the first women promoted to 6th dan by the Kodokan, headquarters of the worldwide judo community, following a campaign against a rule that didn't allow women from being promoted to anything higher than 5th dan.

With time, more people and organizations came to realize her trailblazing work. She was eventually promoted to 9th dan by the Kodokan Judo Institute, and 10th dan—the highest possible— by USA Judo and and from the United States Judo Federation (USJF). Despite her advanced age, she continued to teach this sport three times each week at a women’s dojo in Noe Valley. The USJF remembers her “giving notes from giving pointers from a fold-out chair, wearing her ki–and the red belt that signals her superior rank.”

Fukuda died at age 99 in 2013, leaving behind generations of judokas who saw her as an inspiration to begin their own journeys. Her personal motto continues to enlighten judokas of all ages—”Tsuyoku, Yasashiku, Utsukushiku,” which translates to, “Be strong, be gentle, be beautiful, in mind, body, and spirit.”