Acknowledgments ix

1 Hajime! 1
2 Beginner’s Luck 8
3 To Walk the Talk 14
4 The Crucible 21
5 The Incredible Dr. Kano 30
6 Beauty and the Beast 41
7 How the West Was Won 49
8 The Renegade 59
9 The End of Supremacy 69
10 The Club 81
11 The Soviet Menace 94
12 The Emperor 102
13 The Arms Race 115
14 Zen and the Art of Uchimata Maintenance 122
15 Hell on a Very Hot Mat 133
16 How the Women Fought to Fight 145
17 How to Build a Fighting Machine 162
18 When Judo Goes into the Cage 180
19 The Little Empress 190
20 David the Goliath and Inoue the Prince 201
21 White-Collar Worker 213
22 The Tournament 223
23 What Do You Think of It So Far, Dr. Kano? 263

Notes 271