.jpg) Isao Inokuma at the 1964 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 4, 1938 Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Died | September 28, 2001 (aged 63) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | Judoka |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Japan |
| Sport | Judo |
| Weight class | +80 kg, Open |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic Games |  (1964) |
| World Champ. |  (1965) |
Medal record | |
| Profile at external databases | |
| IJF | 54636 |
| JudoInside.com | 5384 |
| Updated on June 25, 2023 | |
Isao Inokuma (猪熊 功,Inokuma Isao, February 4, 1938 – September 28, 2001) was a Japanesejudoka. He won a gold medal in theheavyweight division (above 80 kg) at the1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and aworld title in1965.[1]
Inokuma was born inYokosuka, Kanagawa, and took up judo at age 15. He entered the Tokyo University of Education (currentUniversity of Tsukuba) and won theAll-Japan Judo Championships in 1959 at only 21 years of age, to become the first student competitor to win the championship. He placed second in the All-Japan Championships in 1960 and 1961, both times losing to the future Olympic silver medalist and lifelong friendAkio Kaminaga.[2][3]
Inokuma won the 1963 All-Japan Championships, but placed 4th in the 1964 All-Japan Championships and ended up entering the1964 Summer Olympics in the +80 kg division (the heaviest weight category at the time excluding the open category). His main rivals there were CanadianDoug Rogers, who trained with Inokuma in Japan, and GeorgianAnzor Kiknadze, who nearly defeated Inokuma in 1961 usingsambo armlock techniques. Inokuma faced Kiknadze in the semifinals. He managed to avoid the armlocks and threw Kiknadze at the five minute to advance to the final against Rogers, who was about 30 kg heavier. In the final little happened in the first 10 minutes, and the referee,Charles Palmer threatened to disqualify both, with little effect. Inokuma was awarded the gold for a slightly higher activity.[4]
After graduating, Inokuma became a judo instructor forJuntendo University and theTokyo Metropolitan Police Department. In 1965, he entered the Open weight class of theWorld Judo Championships intending to wrestle Dutch judo championAnton Geesink, but Geesink went to the +80 kg division that year, and the two never faced off against one another. Both Geesink and Inokuma won gold medals in the competition, and Inokuma announced his retirement shortly afterwards, citing lack of motivation.[3]
In 1966, he resigned from his post at the Tokyo Police Department to become an executive at the Tokai Construction company (東海建設株式会社). He continued to work with judo as an advisor for theInternational Judo Federation, and as an instructor atTokai University, where he coached future Olympic gold medalistYasuhiro Yamashita. He also authored several books and manuals on judo. He became the CEO of Tokai Construction in 1993.
Inokumadied by suicide byseppuku in 2001, possibly due to financial losses suffered by his company.[3][5]
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