Steveston Judo Club celebrates 70 years teaching discipline and citizenship

In 1953, 10 Japanese fishermen in Richmond, B.C., all of whom were also black belt judokas, built an athletic club, aiming to give the local kids something to do. 

The Steveston Judo Club, which has been the home club for judokas — people who practise judo — such as Olympian Alan Sakai and Emi Tasaka, was born. 

Isau Kuramoto's father was one of the black belts who formed the club 70 years ago. Now in his 80s, he is an instructor there and working to keep the spirit of the club alive. 

"Mostly disciplining and trying to be a good citizen and trying to give back to the club and to the community. I think that was the main focus," he told CBC's Steve Zhang. 

His son joined the club when he was nine years old, and now, Kuramoto's grandson has joined. 

"I like teaching him. Hopefully, he keeps continuing to be a good citizen."

Jim Kojima, now in his 80s, also joined the club at its inception. 

At the time, he says, access to judo attire was limited, and the training space was makeshift. 

"Our mothers made our pants out of 100-pound rice sacks, and our tops were made out of canvas," Kojima recalls. 

"We had sawdust on the floor, canvas on top, and that lasted for a couple of years. And then our senseis bought mats in Seattle, and that's when we had our first judo mats."

WATCH | Club founders teach judo:

Now, fully equipped with attire and gear, young athletes like 17-year-old Lola Shearer are continuing the tradition. 

She started judo when she was seven and says the sport has taught her about more than just martial arts. 

"It definitely taught me about confidence, how to manage pressure," she said. 

"I get really nervous before tests [at school] for some reason. Recently, we did classes about breathing techniques and all