Shigetaka Sasaki
 Photo of Sasaki taken around 1930 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Steve |
| Born | 20 March 1903 Tottori, Japan |
| Died | 26 February 1993 (aged 89) Vancouver, Canada |
| Sport | |
| Country | Canada |
| Sport | Judo |
| Rank | Hachidan (8th dan) |
| Club |
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| Coached by |
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Shigetaka "Steve" Sasaki (20 March 1903 – 26 February 1993)[1][2] was a Japanese and Canadian judoka who founded the first judo club in Canada and is considered the 'Father of Canadian Judo'.[3] After establishing the Tai Iku Dojo in Vancouver in 1924, Sasaki and his students opened several branch schools in British Columbia. In 1941, however, all dojos were shut down by the government and their Japanese members forced into internment camps due to fears that Japanese-Canadians would act against Canada on behalf of Japan during the Second World War. After the War was over, the government encouraged internees to relocate, and many of Sasaski's students went on to establish their own dojos across Canada.[4] Sasaki was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 as a 'builder'.[5]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Sasaki, S (1986). "Outline of the Development of Judo in Canada". Judo B.C. Digest. 4 (2): 3–7.
- ^ "Father of judo in Canada dies at 89". The Province. Vancouver. 1 March 1993. p. A6.
- ^ Gill, Nicolas; Leyshon, Glynn (2019). Judoka: The History of Judo in Canada (Second ed.). Montreal: Marcel Broquet. p. 104-5.
- ^ "History of Judo in Canada". Vernon Judo Club Website. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame". Canadian Olympic Committee Website. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
External links[]
- Large collection of photographs of Sasaki and associates (Canadian Nikkei National Museum)
- Two photographs of Sasaki, including one with Jigoro Kano (UBC Library Digital Collection)
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- Canadian male judoka
- Canadian sportspeople of Japanese descent
- Japanese-Canadian internees
- Canadian judo biography stubs