Four Guardians of the Kōdōkan refers to the four notable judo competitors of the early Kōdōkan

Kodokan

, or the Kodokan Institute, is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. Literally, kō means "to lecture" or "to spread information," dō means "the way," and kan is "a public building or hall," together translating roughly as "a place for the study or promotion of the way." The Kodokan was...

: Tsunejiro Tomita

Tsunejiro Tomita

, born , was the earliest disciple of judo. His name appears in the first line of the enrollment book of the Kōdōkan. Tomita, together with Saigō Shirō, became first in history of judo to be awarded black belt grade by the founder of judo Kanō Jigorō, who established the ranking system...

, Yamashita Yoshiaki

Yamashita Yoshiaki

Yamashita Yoshitsugu , was the first person to have been awarded 10th degree red belt rank in Kodokan judo. He was also a pioneer of judo in the United States....

, Yokoyama Sakujiro

Yokoyama Sakujiro

, was one of the earliest disciples of Kanō Jigorō. Yokoyama was 22 when he entered the Kōdōkan dojo in April, 1886. Yokoyama further assisted Kano in establishing the Kōdōkan. He was awarded the seventh grade in October, 1904, which was the highest dan in judo at the time...

, and Saigō Shirō.

Four Guardians of the Kōdōkan

"Kōdōkan Shiten'nō" (講道館四天王) literally translates as Four Heavenly Kings of the Kōdōkan. Shiten'nō refers to four Devarajas, Hindu gods, historically adapted by the Japanese in Buddhism. Traditionally, the Four Heavenly Kings

Four Heavenly Kings

In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world.The Kings are collectively named as follows:...

 are the guardian gods that are worshipped as the protecting deities of Buddhist sanctuaries.

When Kanō Jigorō

Kano Jigoro

was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the...

 began to develop judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 from jujutsu

Jujutsu

Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....

, his efforts met with opposition from jujutsu practitioners. However, Kano drew a loyal following that included exceptional fighters. Hence the term "Four Guardians of the Kōdōkan" came into existence referring to Tsunejiro Tomita along with Yamashita Yoshiaki

Yamashita Yoshiaki

Yamashita Yoshitsugu , was the first person to have been awarded 10th degree red belt rank in Kodokan judo. He was also a pioneer of judo in the United States....

, Yokoyama Sakujiro

Yokoyama Sakujiro

, was one of the earliest disciples of Kanō Jigorō. Yokoyama was 22 when he entered the Kōdōkan dojo in April, 1886. Yokoyama further assisted Kano in establishing the Kōdōkan. He was awarded the seventh grade in October, 1904, which was the highest dan in judo at the time...

, and Saigō Shirō.