Hajime Isogai was an early student of judo and the second person to be promoted to 10th dan.
11 Facts About Hajime Isogai
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Hajime Isogai was considered to be a newaza expert, although was famed by his tachiwaza as well.
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Hajime Isogai was an early promoter of the kosen judo circuit.
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Hajime Isogai was the eldest son of Tsunehisa Isogai, hanshi of Sekiguchi-ryu jujutsu in Nobeoka.
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Hajime Isogai is often attributed the creation of the hane goshi throw, although the move can be actually traced back to Yamashita Yoshitsugu.
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Hajime Isogai was famous for his rivalry with Fusen-ryu master Mataemon Tanabe, who was known for defeating multiple judokas in challenge matches thanks to his ne-waza mastery.
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The second fight was specially notable, as Hajime Isogai, knowing the field of strength of his adversary, kept the fight standing and threatened him several times with his skill at hane goshi.
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Still, Hajime Isogai was left convinced of the importance of working on ne-waza in order to be a complete fighter.
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However, this time Isogai had perfected his ne-waza with Kaichiro Samura, a judoka expert in groundfighting who had come from Takeuchi Santo-ryu and worked as Hajime's assistant trainer at the Butoku Kai.
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Hajime Isogai was promoted to tenth dan, the highest rank in judo, on December 22,1937.
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Hajime Isogai was the second person to be awarded this grade and the first living person to be presented with it.