The call for tradition

Following the throws and spectacular performances at the Kata World Championships on Friday 6 and Saturday 7, in the presence of IJF President, Mr. Marius Vizer, the IJF Kata Commission concluded their activities in Olbia, Italy, with a technical session on Sunday.

The day started with a Kodokan Judo Institute panel of experts providing a technical masterclass.

IJF Kata Commission Chairman and 10th Dan, Italy's Mr Franco Capelletti, and Mr. Uemura Haruki, Kodokan President, greeted the 200 practitioners which included 80 Italian judoka and 120 international judoka from around the world.

Both IJF Hall of Famer's said that the demand for a platform for Kata is evident and that above all the spirit of traditional practice was present in Olbia.

There have also been requests for verification of some agonistic kata interpretation errors. The focal point is that the jujitsu, wanted by the judo founder Jigoro Kano (1860-1938), named "Kodokan Judo", is composed of kata and randori. Just the randori, free exercise leads to battle which is today an important, if not primary, element of Olympic judo, but not substantial for the knowledge of the historical, cultural and technical aspects of the art of judo.

"Judo education" is born with the practice, the etiquette and the way of interpreting and applying the kata.

The kata, by the will of President Vizer and of the chairman, Mr. Franco Capelletti, has to become an instrument for improving club and dojo teaching in order to give new generations a structural technical bag that helps them grow in society will be their future.

The chairman, Mr Franco Capelletti, at the end of the stage led by the Japanese Kodokan Masters group -- Murata Naoki, Mukai Mikihiro, Uemura Haruki, Kato Hiroto, Kariya Chikara, Otsuji Hirofumi said: "I was impressed by the number of participants who guaranteed us a greater interest than we imagined.

We must be able to have the clearest ideas for the future to promote this kata spirit and its values that are the Kodokan Judo story and the grammar of a more than centenary practice."

Samurai Magazine, Gs Bertoletti

See also
Athlete Stories
Distria Krasniqi: I Don't See a Reason to Stop

09. Feb. 2026 / Distria Krasniqi (KOS) has claimed almost every medal ...

News
The IJF and Mongolia Sign for Four New Grand Slams

08. Feb. 2026 / As the Paris Grand Slam was drawing to a close, the ...

Paris GS 2026
A Spectacular Start to the Season in Paris

08. Feb. 2026 / The first tournament of the season has come to an end ...

Paris GS 2026
+100 kg: The Sun Rises Twice in Paris

08. Feb. 2026 / An all-Japanese final assigned the last medals of the ...

Paris GS 2026
+78 kg: Dicko Wins and Shows That Respect Always Comes First

08. Feb. 2026 / The last of the women’s categories to be contested ...

Paris GS 2026
-100 kg: Dota Arai Knocks it Out of the Park

08. Feb. 2026 / Dota Arai (JPN) and Anton Savytskiy (UKR) had been ...

Paris GS 2026
-78 kg: Bellandi is One of the Greats!

08. Feb. 2026 / Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE) vs Alice Bellandi (ITA) ...

Paris GS 2026
-90 kg: Tajima Throws to Take the Top Spot

08. Feb. 2026 / An all-Japanese final took centre-stage in Paris even ...

Paris GS 2026
-70 kg: The Top of the Podium Belongs to Szofi

08. Feb. 2026 / In the final of the lightest women’s category of ...

Paris GS 2026
-81 kg: Oino Knows How to Win

08. Feb. 2026 / Zelim Tckaev (AZE) enjoyed a smooth run to the final ...

Paris GS 2026
Preliminaries - Women, Day 2

08. Feb. 2026 / The second day of the Paris Grand Slam always gives ...

IJF Judo Awards
IJF Judo Awards 2025: Celebrating a Year of Excellence, Inspiration and Values

08. Feb. 2026 / Each year, the International Judo Federation honours ...

Paris GS 2026
Frédéric Lecanu, A Life Given to Judo

08. Feb. 2026 / For years, the voice filling the breaks of French judo ...

INTERVIEW EXPRESS
Shishime Ai (JPN)

08. Jun. 2018 / The next reigning world champion to be invited to answer ...

News
5 Key Takeaways from judo’s first Tokyo 2020 qualifier

06. Jun. 2018 / Highlights from Hohhot Grand Prix 2018

VIDEO
Judo for the World in Iran

07. Jun. 2018 / In April 2018, the International Judo Federation and ...

Meeting
JUDO: A Beneficial Cause

07. Jun. 2018 / 'Society should believe in sport as a beneficial cause ...