Kimura Masahiko

The title of this article is ambiguous. For the Japanese soccer player, see Masahiko Kimura (soccer player) .

Kimura Masahiko with a trophy in the form of a Tanto

Neil Melanson shows the Kimura Armlock in a seminar (March 2012)

Kimura Masahiko ( Japanese 木村 政 彦 ; born September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto Prefecture ; † April 18, 1993 ) was a Japanese judoka who acquired the 7th dan at the age of 29.

Many refer to him as the greatest judoka who ever lived. He won the All-Japanese Championships three times in a row (1937-1939) and remained unbeaten from 1937 until his retirement in 1950. He also gained fame in martial arts circles through his victory over the co-founder of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Helio Gracie, in 1951. The arm lever he used in this fight, with which he was able to defeat Helio, has since been widely used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well in the field of mixed martial arts called Kimura Lock or just Kimura.

Web links

• Literature by and about Kimura Masahiko in the catalog of the German National Library
• Biography Masahiko Kimura by Jim Chen (English)

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Kimura is the family name, Masahiko the first name.