William Allen Word & Image

The Foundations of Judo, Grasset, 1954.

225 x 140mm. 22pp. Softback book with printed wraps. Illustrated in black and white throughout. Text in English (translated from the French by Ian Whittlesea). 1st English edition. First published in France by Grasset in 1954. Yves Klein studied judo in Japan before establishing his Judo Academy in Paris. At the time, he was the highest-grade black belt in Europe. The book is an instructional manual divided into 2 columns, with Klein pictured in both - one for tori (Klein does the kata technique - forms of throwing, groundwork, and defence) and one for uke (in which Klein has the technique performed on him). This innovative technique of displaying the katas side by side means the title is still a prime source for study today. Klein had planned a sequel title exploring Judo further which did not materialise due to the growing eminence of his art career. Following an injury studying Judo in Japan, Klein supported his training with calcium injections and amphetamines which was common in Japanese dojos at the time. The continued use of amphetamines has been suggested to contribute to his early passing from heart attacks at the age of 34. On the verso of the English translation of Klein’s treatise on judo, one quote from the artist and judo-master reads: ‘Judo is, in fact, the discovery by the human body of a spiritual space’. Techniques that exemplify this spiritual nature are in ‘ju no kata’ - form of suppleness (or gentleness), study of continuous motion and ‘itsustsu no kata’ - 5 unnamed principles which express the ebb and flow of water and of energy. Of course, we see the perfect ippon throw as a work of art. Thanks to Ian Whittlesea (translator into English of the manual in 2009 published by The Everyday Press) for his invaluable insights into the history of the book. 

£750