Shigeo Tashima Inducted 1993 After the war, the Norwalk dojo resumed in 1948. Mr. Shigeo Tashima, the head instructor at the Manzanar relocation center camp, and instructor at Gardena, San Gabriel and Hollywood Dojo, was soon to be selected Norwalk’s head instructor....

Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi Inducted 2010 Rusty is often called “the Mother of Women’s Judo”. She lived for judo. She was passionate about judo as a participant. Her entry into Judo was in 1959 when she disguised herself as a man to compete in the YMCA Judo Championships....

Ronda Rousey Inducted 2010 Born February 1, 1987 in Riverside County, California, Rousey qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the youngest competitor in those entire Games, at just 17. In that year she won a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Judo...

Sachio Ashida Inducted 1993 Dr. Sachio Ashida (Brockport, N.Y.) was an Olympic Coach at the 1976 Games in Montreal. Dr. Ashida served as a referee at the 1984 Olympic Games and was an A-Level kata judge. Born in Japan, Dr. Ashida began studying judo at the age of 12...

Ryozo Nakamura Inducted 1993 Ryozo Nakamura immigrated to the United States as an adult from Japan, in order to share his knowledge with the U.S. National Judo Team. It was in the States that he married and began his family. Ohio Judo's Hall of Fame has a posting of...

photo of Toshitaka Yamauchi from the West Clovis Dojo site Toshitaka Yamauchi Inducted 1993 Clovis Judo Club was started in the spring of 1956 by Professor Toshitaka Yamauchi, 7th Degree Black Belt from Japan (Later promoted to 8th Degree Black Belt). He started the...