In France, the 1955 “law regulat the professor of judo and jiu-jitsu and the regulation of opening dojo” was enacted.

In previous studies, this law has been positioned within the legal history of sports as one of the main processes of establishing a sports professor diploma. However, judo gained legal support soon after its introduction to France because it was encouraged by the French Judo and Jiu-jitsu Federation (FFJJ).

Judo professorships were formed by Mikinosuke Kawaishi in Paris, and were structured to play the role of promoting the FFJJ’s judo dissemination policy, as “fake instructors” were beginning to appear. Therefore, the FFJJ has urged authorities to establish a diploma to regulate judo leaders since 1948. The FFJJ tried to apply the current regulations centering on the Kawaishi Method of the FFJJ to the national diploma regulations, and also to continue to take the initiative by constituting the judging committee that consists mostly of representatives of the FFJJ.

Legislation deliberations progressed immediately after the death of a Vietnamese wrestling instructor, which occurred in June 1954. The revised bill at the Republic Council in December showed that the majority of the members of the judging committee consisted of representatives of government authorities, and members of the FFJJ. The FFJJ opposed the bill that strengthens the government’s intervention, and the National Union of Judo Professors was established to protect the interests of its members. Thus, the law of 1955 was established, and it was decided that judo cannot be taught without a professor diploma. The majority of the judging committee would also consist of representatives of government authorities.

The 1955 law can be said to have been established in France as a means of making a living for judo instructors. Although legislation was promoted by the FFJJ, the government intervention was eventually strengthened. It can be said that this fact fixed the framework to make a living by teaching judo and created the foundations of the present French judo instructor system.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify how complex relationships between judo organizations and
groups in France changed after World War II. This paper focuses on the correlations between the
internal situations of judo in France, and the tendencies outside of France.
<BR> The first judo federation in France was the FFJJ, which existed from 1946 to 1956. The number of
Judoka rapidly increased in France after WWII because of the Me´thode Kawaishi, an original judo
method invented by Mikinosuke Kawaishi. The Me´thode Kawaishi was adapted by the FFJJ as the
official method. The centralized governance system of this method can be credited for the successful
production of judo professors as well as the creation of judo clubs.
<BR> However, Shudokan Club and its professors were opposed to the FFJJ as they espoused the Kodokan Judo method by Ichiro Abe, rather than the Me´thode Kawaishi. Abe influenced the rise of adherents of Kodokan judo in France. They were called “tendence Kodokan”. They opposed the technical policy and the ethical characteristics of the FFJJ, and established their own federal organization
in 1954. This federation showed their confrontational attitude towards the FFJJ, which resulted in
the FFJJ attempting to exclude “tendence Kodokan” at first. This decisive conflict between the FFJJ
and Kodokan spread across the country. Ultimately, both groups concluded with an agreement for
their unification. A new federation, la Fe´de´ration Française de Judo et Disciplines Assimile´es（FFJDA） was established in 1956.
<BR> In the international scene, the International Judo Federation was established in 1951, with the
first World Judo Championship being held in 1956. Moreover, the movement by the IJF to include
judo into the Olympic program started immediately after WWII. Thus, the period of dynamic international changes surrounding judo, and the period from the end of WWII to the foundation of
FFJDA overlapped with each other.
<BR> The FFJJ actively worked to retain hegemony over international judo after WWII. In order to
take the initiative within the IJF, and to facilitate the inclusion of judo in the Olympic Games, the
FFJJ approached Japan despite the view against “tendence Kodokan” in France. The more actively
the FFJJ worked with the IJF, the more the differences between the national situation and the international attitude stood out. The FFJJ attempted to integrate with “tendence Kodokan” by making concessions in order to resolve the conflicting situation.