

Judo Life
Sonny Chiba's first martial arts film, a partially fictionalized judo biopic based on prominent judoka Shiro Saigo (Chiba), the second student of judo founder Jigoro Kano (Naoki Sugiura). Akira Kurosawa’s Sanshiro Sugata is based on the same character and shares some scenes, but Judo for Life focuses more on the martial arts philosophy and training, including scenes depicting how the protagonist learned his famous cat-like landing, coined the term judo, and trained with Tsunejiro Tomita (Hideo Murata). There’s also a slight yakuza film influence. The port street ambush scene is found in both films, but in Judo for Life it’s not Kano but a travelling yakuza that jumps out of the rickshaw. Entertaining and beautifully old fashioned, one does however with there were more shades of gray between good and evil, and a stronger ninkyo-like moral / honour conflict.
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- Japanese
- judo
Top billed cast
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for Japan. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
Gallery

Release dates
JapanJP
- Theatrical21 Apr 1963
Frequently asked questions
- When was Judo Life released?
- Judo Life was released on 21 April 1963.
- Where can I watch Judo Life online?
- Judo Life is available on Toei On Demand Amazon Channel in JP. Use the Watch now links in the Where to watch section for official pages.
- Is there a Hindi trailer for Judo Life?
- No verified Hindi trailer for Judo Life is available yet. Only the original-language trailer is listed.
- What is the rating of Judo Life?
- Judo Life holds a 0.0/10 audience score from 0 votes.
- Who directed Judo Life?
- Judo Life (1963) was directed by Kiyoshi Saeki.
- How long is Judo Life?
- Judo Life runs for 1h 34m.



























