Masahiko Kimura
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Masahiko Kimura
Masahiko Kimura was born on 10 September 1917 in Japan. Widely regarded as the greatest judoka of all time—undefeated from 1936 to 1950 and a three-time consecutive All-Japan Judo Champion, a feat never achieved before or since.
His name is permanently embedded in martial arts through the “Kimura lock”—the reverse ude-garami arm lock named after his legendary 1951 submission victory over Hélio Gracie, co-founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. That fight, in which he broke Gracie’s arm after the Brazilian refused to tap, is one of the most famous contests in martial arts history.
Kimura trained with extraordinary dedication—reportedly eight hours a day—and his technical innovations influenced generations of judoka and grapplers worldwide. He later became one of Japan’s first professional wrestling stars before a controversial match with Rikidozan ended that chapter of his career.
His techniques and philosophy remain studied and practised by martial artists across every discipline.
At a glance
- Country
-
Japan
- Born
- 10-09-1917
- Weight class
- Heavyweight
Train eight hours a day, every day. Greatness has no shortcut.
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