Founding of the Kodokan
When was the first Judo school and dojo founded?
Judo
In February 1882, Kano founded a school and dojo at the , a Buddhist temple in what was then the Shitaya ward of Tokyo (now the Higashi Ueno district of Taitō ward). Iikubo, Kano's "Kitō-ryū" instructor, attended the dojo three days a week to help teach and, although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name , and Kano had not yet received his in "Kitō-ryū", this is now regarded as the Kodokan founding. The "Eisho-ji" dojo was a relatively small affair, consisting of a twelve mat training area. Kano took in resident and non-resident students, the first two being Tsunejiro Tomita and Shiro Saigo. In August, the following year, the pair were granted grades, the first that had been awarded in any martial art.