The judo event “DaiwaHouse presents 6th Nomura Dojo” produced by Tadahiro Nomura, a judoka who has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals, was held on August 10, 2022 at Yokohama Budokan. It was the first time in about three years since the first event was held in September 2019.
Mr. Ayumi Tanimoto, who has won two consecutive Olympic titles, will be the special lecturer, and Shohei Ono, who won the men’s 73 kg class gold medal and won the second consecutive victory at Tokyo 2020, will participate as a special guest. Many judo boys and girls received instruction on tatami mats.
An event for many judo fans
Small judo practitioners gathered one after another at the Yokohama Budokan. Many of them were accompanied by their guardians and carried backpacks containing judo uniforms. 167 participants. Not only the participants themselves, but also the parents, judo fans, and others who came to see the performances couldn’t hide their excitement because they could receive instruction directly from a legendary judo master.
In one corner of the large venue, the three gold medals that Mr. Nomura won and the judogi he wore at that time were displayed, and it was very exciting to be able to take a picture together.
In the dojo in another room, there is a different kind of tension. Crowdfunding was held prior to the 6th Nomura Dojo, and the people who supported it were waiting to receive a return.
The return is “the right to be thrown by Tadahiro Nomura”. Mr. Norihisa Fujii has acquired the valuable right to experience the world’s top seoi-nage. He is also a judoka himself, and is a genuine “Nomura believer” who watched Nomura’s gold medals at the Olympics three times.
While other crowdfunding supporters were watching, Mr. Fujii, who was still unfadingly sharp, said, “I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep last night (laughs). The moment we grappled, I couldn’t express it in words. I felt the pressure. It was only for a moment, but I can remember it like it was in slow motion.”
Other supporters also received a return for each support, such as taking a commemorative photo with Mr. Ayumi Tanimoto and Shohei Ono, and receiving an autographed T-shirt.
The important thing in judo is to “respect courtesy”
At the main venue, the time for the event to start was approaching. It was Donmai Kawabata who appeared there. A judo YouTuber who is very popular with children, and under his guidance, everyone does warm-up exercises.
Mr. Tadahiro Nomura, Mr. Ayumi Tanimoto, and Mr. Shohei Ohno will finally appear at the venue. Other guests included Mr. Nomura’s rival, former Austrian Judo representative and Beijing Olympic silver medalist Ludwig Peischer, and Sukima Switch’s Shintaro Tsuneda. Mr. Tsuneda is also a rank holder who played an active part in the judo club in high school.
The first thing Mr. Nomura taught me was “courtesy.” Looking back on the history of judo, we will reaffirm the important teachings of “energy good use” and “mutual prosperity”, as well as gratitude and etiquette. It seems that even small children understand the importance of bowing, as it seems that they are taught well at their dojo.
Once you’ve prepared your mind, move your body. After everyone worked hard at Nomura Dojo’s standard circuit training, which is also used in all-Japan training, it was time to take a break and get technical guidance.
Direct teaching of the special skills of gorgeous instructors
From here, you will be instructed directly by the instructors’ specialties that have won the world. First, learn Osotogari from Shohei Ono, an active player. From among the children, select a person who is good at Osotogari and actually try it against Mr. Ono. In response to that, Mr. Ohno instructed important points in Osotogari.
“If you don’t dare to throw the oosotogari, it’s easy to get it back. It’s important to hit your opponent vigorously and take a big step to cut your legs.” (Ohno)
Next, Ayumi Tanimoto’s inner thighs. He learns the secret of throwing a big foreign player brilliantly with a small body. His point is, first of all, the puller.
“The puller is to raise the opponent’s hand high. This will break the opponent’s stance. Then, turn your body over and dive into the empty bosom.” (Mr. Tanimoto)
From there, he jumps up and throws his opponent. The height of his legs and his good balance filled the audience with surprised expressions.
At the end, the legend Tadahiro Nomura gave instruction on seoi-nage. Parents watching in the audience also took pictures with their smartphones one after another. He was full of spirit not to miss the secret of seoi-nage that shook the world.
“Seoi-nage is the technique of ‘carrying’ the opponent. To do this, you have to put your hips below the opponent’s waist.
The teaching method is also unique, such as showing the child actually piggybacking so that it is easy for children to understand. Then, instead of just throwing the opponent yourself, let the children actually throw it, and teach them to remember the feeling with their bodies.
After the technical instruction, everyone moves on to randori (practical practice in which each other freely applies techniques). Mr. Nomura, Mr. Tanimoto, and Mr. Ohno also decide their opponents by lottery and participate in randori. By actually wrestling, it seems that they are able to share feelings that cannot be fully conveyed in words.
Learn the mindset of top athletes
After the practical instruction was over, the children asked serious questions during the question time. Mr. Ohno talked about weight control, and Mr. Tanimoto talked about the exercises he practiced when he was in elementary school. Each gave an honest answer based on their own experience.
Also, when all the instructors were asked a compelling question about what to do when they get nervous during a match, Mr. Nomura said,
“Everyone gets nervous. I was nervous too, but I tried to think of it as ‘natural’. I changed my way of thinking, and the important thing is to do my best regardless of whether I win or lose.” (Mr. Nomura)
And the tricks unique to the legend who has experienced many big stages were taught.
After the question time, there will also be a lottery corner with gifts and a game corner. In the game corner, the instructors give a ○× quiz, and the instructors and all the participants play rock-paper-scissors, and those who survive to the end can win gifts. Presents included T-shirts with the instructors’ autographs and hotel accommodation coupons provided by sponsor companies.
Finally, the lecturers sent messages to the participants.
Shohei Ono said, “There are times when it’s hard to continue training, but I want you to do your best. For those who couldn’t do randori today, let’s practice if we meet again somewhere.” Mr. Ayumi Tanimoto called out to everyone, “People who had fun, raise your hands!”
At the end, Mr. Tadahiro Nomura said, “It’s important to be strong, but first of all, I want you to enjoy judo. The feeling that you want to be like this will give you the strength to move forward. Your family and dojo teachers will help you. Please don’t forget to be grateful to us.I hope that your family will also praise you for your efforts.”
All the participants took a commemorative photo, and when they left, they left the venue with a good touch with the instructors.
After the event, I interviewed the participants.
“I received Osotogari instruction. It was tough, but it was a lot of fun. I’m happy to win!” (Muromoto Soushi, 1st grade)
“I’m good at uchimata, and Tanimoto-san’s advice on pulls was very helpful. I’d like to participate again, but this time I’d like you to teach me groundwork.”
The participants this time are from the 3rd grade of elementary school to the 3rd grade of junior high school. The two people who listened to the story were junior high school students, so it seems that the instruction of specific techniques was very helpful.
In addition, many voices have been received from the guardians of the participants.
“Thank you very much for giving me a valuable experience this time. I have not been able to practice for about two years due to the corona wreck, all the games have been canceled and the guardians have continued to lead, and I am the same as my favorite Nomura and Ohno. It was the best summer vacation since I was able to stand there.”
“A child who had been debating whether or not to continue judo in high school for a long time decided, ‘I will continue! Even as a child, he felt that we should never give up judo.”
“It was the first time she participated, but she said it was a lot of fun. My daughter, who participated by herself, immediately made friends and came back saying, ‘It was a lot of fun!’ I didn’t know! I’ve been using the wrong way to hang up until now!”
Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. was the main sponsor of this year’s Nomura Dojo. Mr. Daiki Uchida, Corporate Brand Promotion Office, General Advertising Department, told us the reason for supporting Nomura Dojo.
“I was in the same space at the Yokohama Budokan on the day, but I was happy to see the children working on judo looking at the instructor’s face with a lively expression.
I felt that Mr. Nomura’s explanations were accurate and easy to understand for the children. I believe that they were able to gain a real sense of what it is that Judo should be learned with a sense of gratitude, rather than simply focusing on getting stronger or winning or losing.
Our company is “to create together. As a group that co-creates value for people, communities, and lifestyles, we will continue to support Mr. Tadahiro Nomura, who teaches children who will lead the judo world in the future, and the Nomura Dojo. I’m going.” (Mr. Uchida)
Lastly, we asked Mr. Nomura, the head of the Dojo, about the future direction of Nomura Dojo.
“Although we are watching the spread of the new coronavirus, we would like to continue holding events as realistically as possible. I would like to provide an opportunity for adults who used to practice judo in the past but who have moved away from it to enjoy judo casually.
I would also like to work on various types of judo, such as judo for the visually impaired and judo for the intellectually impaired.” (Mr. Nomura)
Mr. Nomura and the children of the participants were filled with the feeling that they had been waiting for the real event since the first time. The experience of interacting with world-class top athletes in childhood will probably become a lifetime memory. And it must be a great motivation to continue the competition.
Sponsored: Nomura Dojo
