Joshiro Maruyama’s Swiss Chapter Takes Judo Beyond Competition

Joshiro Maruyama is bringing his experience as one of Japan’s leading judoka to a new setting in Switzerland. The double world champion, now living near Lake Geneva with his family, has become a key presence at Ecole Mont-Olivet and its judo-focused educational project.

Known across the World Judo Tour for his technical precision and outstanding Uchi-mata, Maruyama has chosen a path away from the most obvious elite coaching routes. At 33, the two-time world champion could have remained in the Tenri University system that shaped him or joined Japan’s national-team staff. Instead, he has joined a school environment where judo supports young people beyond the tatami.

During the first Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam, that role was clear at the school dojo in Vich. On Wednesday 26th August, Maruyama led a masterclass for pupils during a visit by the IJF President and Swiss Judo President. The children were training with a judoka who has won four world championship medals, a World Judo Masters title and numerous medals on the World Judo Tour.

But the session was not about creating distance between champion and student. Maruyama demonstrated techniques, watched closely, made corrections and encouraged the pupils. His approach reflected the school’s aim to use judo as a way to develop confidence, respect, discipline and perseverance alongside academic learning.

Maruyama’s new role puts the values of judo at the centre of everyday learning.

His decision also carries echoes of another figure from the Tenri tradition, Shinji Hosokawa. The Olympic champion from Los Angeles 1984 and world champion in 1985 spent a year in France in 1989 through a mission supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education and the Japanese Olympic Committee. That period gave Hosokawa the chance to teach, observe and learn outside Japan’s familiar high-performance environment.

Hosokawa later returned to play a major role in Japanese judo, especially through Tenri University, where he has helped develop generations of athletes and coaches. He remains active within both the All Japan Judo Federation and the International Judo Federation, and has also been one of the mentors guiding Maruyama’s journey.

For Maruyama, passing on knowledge does not seem to mean simply repeating what he already knows. In Switzerland, he has continued learning too, developing a growing command of French to communicate more directly with his pupils. That openness was also visible at the opening ceremony of the Ecole Mont-Olivet Lausanne Grand Slam.

There, Maruyama joined Croatia’s Petra Orešković for an inclusive kata demonstration at the Vaudoise Arena. Orešković, the first athlete with cerebral palsy who cannot walk to earn a black belt, shared the tatami with the Japanese champion in a presentation built on rhythm, trust and shared responsibility.

Their demonstration reflected the event’s message as elite athletes, adapted judoka and deaf judoka came together in the same arena. Maruyama’s career achievements remain remarkable, but his work in Switzerland shows another side of judo: a champion still learning, teaching and helping make the sport a place for everyone.

Source: IJF.org

Image source: IJF / International Judo Federation