Yoshida and Gracie grapple for supremacy. (Jiji)

A style of fighting known as mixed martial arts is currently enjoying a boom in Japan. On August 28, 2002, at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Hidehiko Yoshida (site is Japanese only), who won a gold medal in judo's 78-kilogram class in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, made his professional debut in the sport. He took on the legendary Royce Gracie of Brazil in an event called "Dynamite," a collaborative event put together by Pride (a no-holds-barred type of fighting) and K-1 (a combination of karate, kickboxing, and kung fu). Before a record crowd of 90,000 and many more watching at home on pay-per-view, Yoshida defeated Gracie by technical knockout seven minutes into the bout. Although mixed martial arts is not yet recognized as an official sport, this event was taken up by much of the domestic media, even garnering some front-page stories in major newspapers.

Judo Versus Jujitsu
Before ending his career as an amateur this April, Yoshida took part in three consecutive Olympic Games beginning in 1992. Following his retirement he opened a gym in Tokyo that teaches judo, but he had always been interested in mixed martial arts. Yoshida's opponent for Dynamite was Royce Gracie, a legendary jujitsu fighter. Jujitsu is a form of judo that was brought to Brazil by Japanese immigrants in the Meiji era (1868-1912). It was actually developed there by the Gracie family, and it contains some techniques that are forbidden in judo for being too dangerous. Hoyce Gracie's distinguished jujitsu lineage and Yoshida's Olympic gold medal in judo led to their fight being billed as a contest between judo and jujitsu. The battle between two masters of different fighting styles attracted a great deal of attention in Japan, and the National Stadium was used for this mega-event. A total of 90,000 fans turned up, the largest crowd ever to attend a sporting event in Japan. Yoshida went on to win his debut fight, and he is looking forward to the next one, saying, "I'm happy for judo that I won. I want to continue using judo techniques in my fights."

Hard-Fought Bouts
During the 1950s, Japan was caught up in a pro-wrestling craze. The biggest star of that era, Rikidozan, captured the imagination of many Japanese with his bouts against foreign wrestlers. It is even said that his matches were the biggest factor in the spread of television in Japan. Afterwards, however, doubts began to arise about the competitiveness of pro wrestling, and the sport came to be watched only as a entertainment.

Japan is a country that boasts a rich history of martial arts, having been the birthplace of judo, karate, and sumo. This tradition is proving to be fertile ground for new styles of fighting, such as K-1 and the anything-goes style of Pride. These hybrid forms of mixed martial arts are growing in popularity, with many fans drawn to the clashes of different fighting styles that take place. Fans are usually treated to hard-fought matches.

Yoshida is not the first Japanese judoka to turn pro, however. Former world-champion in the unlimited weight class Naoya Ogawa (site is Japanese only) is now a star in the world of professional fighting. With Yoshida's appearance, though, the momentum behind mixed martial arts looks set to grow even stronger.