No Defense
SAIGO lived and thrived in the tumultuous era of Japan’s early modernization. Jigoro Kano’s Kodokan was emerging as an influential force in budo. This was a period when many martial arts schools were trying to adjust to the post-feudal changes that were shaking all of Japan.
The aristocratic samurai were gone. Budo — particularly those that dealt with swordsmanship and — struggled to attract students. Competition was fierce and lively. Kano’s judo, the “new kid,” was a target for many established jujitsu dojo. The challenges and a famous movie based loosely on the life of Saigo.
