The judo moral code lists eight values. The first four are politeness, courage, sincerity and honor; the next four are modesty, respect, self-control and friendship. It was written in France in 1985 and is now posted on dojo walls in France and in many clubs abroad. It is not an official text of the Kodokan or the IJF. It is a teaching tool built on Jigoro Kano's ideas, and each value maps to specific behavior on the mat.
Where the judo values come from
Many judoka believe Jigoro Kano wrote these eight values. He did not. The moral code was put into this form in 1985 by the cultural commission of the French judo federation, under Bernard Midan. From France it spread to clubs in many other countries.
The text did not come from nowhere. It draws on three sources:
- Kano's teaching, above all his two principles, seiryoku zenyo (maximum efficiency) and jita kyoei (mutual welfare and benefit), which we explain in the meaning of judo as the gentle way;
- bushidō, the idealized ethics of the samurai;
- an older code of honor and morals promoted by France's national college of black belts, in particular by Jean-Lucien Jazarin.
That origin explains its tone. It is short, concrete and easy for a child to remember. It was designed for clubs, by people who saw judo as education first, which is exactly how Kano saw it. If your federation or dojo uses a different list of values, the logic is the same.
The 8 judo values, one by one
Here is each value with the usual definition, reworded, and what it means in class.
Politeness
Respect for others in everyday actions. In the dojo, it starts with the bow: when you step on the mat, at the start of class, before and after each randori. It also shows in less visible things, like arriving on time or keeping your nails short.
Courage
Doing what is right, even when it is uncomfortable. For a beginner, courage means accepting to be thrown in front of others. For a competitor, it means attacking when you are behind on the scoreboard instead of waiting for the clock to run out.
Sincerity
Saying what you think without disguising it. On the mat, that is the uke who does not fake a fall and the tori who does not claim a score that was not there. It is also the student who tells the coach they did not understand.
Honor
Keeping your word. In a club, that means honoring a commitment to the team or the coach. You show up for the session you promised to help with, and you own your absences.
Modesty
Talking about yourself without pride. A black belt who does uchi-komi with a yellow belt and takes the time to show a foot placement is modesty in action.
Respect
Without respect, there is no trust. Respect goes to your partner, the referee and the coach. It also goes to the equipment: no shoes on the tatami, no wet judogi left lying around.
Self-control
Keeping quiet when anger rises. This is the value most tested in competition. An unfair shido, an opponent with illegal grips, a decision in golden score: that is when you see who has absorbed the moral code and who only learned it by heart.
Friendship
Described as the purest of human feelings in the classic wording. Judo is practiced in pairs, and without a partner nobody improves. Friendship grows from all those hours spent throwing each other.
How the judo moral code lives in the dojo
| Value | Concrete situation | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Politeness | Bowing to your partner before randori | A rushed bow at the end of class |
| Courage | Attacking a stronger partner | Avoiding the "hard" randori partners |
| Sincerity | Falling cleanly in nage-komi | Stiffening up to avoid being thrown |
| Respect | Letting go the instant your partner taps | Holding a lock one second too long |
| Self-control | Staying calm after a referee's call | Sulking or gesturing at the edge of the mat |
The coaches who get the most out of the code never recite it. They quote it at the exact moment it applies. A child cheats in a game? Stop, talk about sincerity for ten seconds, start again. A poster on the wall will never do that job.
Do judo values hold up in competition?
Some people say the moral code does not fit with winning. We think the opposite. Self-control is a tactical advantage: a judoka who loses their temper makes mistakes, collects penalties and gets countered. The courage to attack keeps passivity shido away. Sincerity lets you analyze your judo fights honestly instead of blaming the referee.
The code also has limits. It says nothing about handling a conflict inside a club or responding to abuse. Those matters belong to federation rules and to the law, not to a poster.
Advice for coaches and parents
Pick one value per month and bring it to life in class, with one specific example per session. September is politeness, October is courage, and so on. For children, tie it to an observable action, like lining up their zoori or helping the smallest kid tie their belt. After one season, all eight values will have gone through the body, and that is the only way they stick.