| Shiro Saigo, a very small and light fellow, born in 1866 in | | | | The police arrested everybody and so Saigo, who still |
| the city Wakamatsu (Izu province), performed | | | | drunk insulted the policemen. Kano was informed on |
| outstanding judo techniques. He was lucky as quite | | | | the matter and of course helped his best student out |
| young he was faced with martial arts, being adopted | | | | of the prison, but at the same time banished him from |
| by a Shinto priest called Saigo Tanomo, who studied | | | | the Kodokan as he had infringed the rules. |
| and practised them as the last representative of the | | | | After this famous "mixed martial arts" episode Shiro |
| secret techniques of oshiki uchi of the Takeda clan. | | | | Saigo did not dedicate any time to judo techniques |
| In 1883 Shiro became a member of Kodokan Judo | | | | anymore and left for Nagasaki, where he became |
| when the headquarter was in its first location at the | | | | President of the local newspaper called "Nagasaki" |
| Eishoju Temple. When the dojo moved to the hangar | | | | and started to practice archery (Kyudo) becoming |
| of the Kobunkan, Saigo was the best student there | | | | within shortly a master. |
| and often taught most of the judo techniques, when | | | | On 23rd November 1926 (11th year of the Taisho Era) |
| Sensei Kano was absent. | | | | he died in the city of Onomichi, in the province of |
| Saigo had his first "mixed martial arts" experience in | | | | Hiroshima and shortly after his death Kano Sensei |
| 1891 (24th year of the Meiji Era). Of course at the | | | | decided to award him the 6th dan of Kodokan Judo. |
| beginning most of the Kodokan students would visit | | | | Shiro Saigo became a legend in Japan with the name |
| other martial arts schools in order to try their judo | | | | of "Sugata Sanshiro", which is also the title of the book |
| techniques. But Saigo, who besides judo was very | | | | written by Tsuneo Tomita (son of Tsunejiro Tomita), |
| fond of sake, preferred to go to the market place | | | | where the author describes the actions of Saigo. |
| while slightly drunk in order to challenge whoever was | | | | It tells about the tournament between the students of |
| out there. He was famous for starting fights. | | | | Kodokan Judo and the jujitsu students of the local |
| That day there were some sumo fighters. Araumi, | | | | police school: a mixed martial arts tournament, where |
| their captain, accepted Saigo's challenge and found | | | | the judo students totally whipped out the jujitsu ones. |
| himself very soon on the ground thrown by Saigo. | | | | Saigo's fight was the last of the day and with an |
| While on the ground he bit Saigo in the but and the | | | | outstanding judo technique signed a decisive victory |
| "mixed martial arts" fight degenerated into a street | | | | for Kodokan Judo becoming a legend. Up to today in |
| quarrel. | | | | Japan there are movies, that are inspired by him. |