Select Page

Ryohei Kanokogi

Ryohei Kanokogi was an early pioneer for judo in the United States.

Personal life

Ryohei is the grandson of a samurai.[1] He had two children with Rusty Kanokogi,[2] plus a step-son, Christopher, from his wife's previous marriage.

Martial arts career

Ryohei was also the high school Judo champion of Japan.[1] Ryohei Kanokogi was former all-weights judo champion of southeastern Japan.[3] He was also a champion in karate.[2] Ryohei later attended Nichidai University as a member of the judo team.[1] He was featured in a number of Sports Illustrated articles including Confessions Of A Judo Roll-Out.[4]

Martial arts coaching career

He was known for his courtesy and expected good behavior from his students.[5] Along with his wife Rusty Kanokogi, he was influential in the establishment of women's judo. Ryohei was the judo coach for Japan during the Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics,[6][7] and later immigrated to the United States with the help of Jerome Mackey.[6] While in New York, he initially taught at Judo, Inc,[6] where he and his wife were featured in an article in Sports Illustrated.[6] He served as a coach for Olympic Bronze Medalist Allen Coage.[8] Later, Ryohei taught at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.[9] He later served as a US Olympic Team judo coach.[9]

Media

Kanokogi has appeared in commercials for Samsonite luggage and the after shave Hai Karate.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Black Belt. July 1965.
  2. ^ a b Sherrow, Victoria (1996). Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780874368260.
  3. ^ "CNN Sports provided by Bleacher Report - CNN.com". Archived from the original on September 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "CONFESSIONS OF A JUDO ROLL-OUT". SI.com.
  5. ^ THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SPORT. 1967.
  6. ^ a b c d Jeannette Bruce (1967-05-22). "Muggers beware. He woulThis white belt, possibly one of the - 05.22.67 - SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  7. ^ "'Mother of Judo' receives her gold 50 years on - Rediff.com Sports". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  8. ^ Black Belt. February 1977.
  9. ^ a b "About Phil". The Judo Club. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  10. ^ Osnos, Evan. "Thank You, Rusty Kanokogi". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  11. ^ "Ryohei Kanokogi". IMDb.