By Austin Turner — Columnist
On a typical day at San Jose State, countless students pass through Yoshihiro Uchida Hall.
The walls are littered with the awards, photos and achievements of the building’s legendary namesake, who just celebrated his 100th birthday.
Born on April 1, 1920, Uchida’s 100 years have been packed to the brim. At the age of 10, while still residing in Southern California, Uchida strapped on a gi for the first time and began practicing judo, a martial art focused on taking down and submitting the opponent.
Uchida eventually moved up the California coast to study biology at San Jose State, where he participated in the school’s judo program.
In 1942, his education was interrupted.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, Uchida was drafted into the United States Army where he served as a medical technician.
As a Japanese-American fighting a war against the Japanese, Uchida was subjected to racism from his fellow-soldiers.
In a story told in a New York Times profile, Uchida used his judo skills to take down a white soldier who called him and other Japanese soldiers “Japs.”
Uchida served his country in its most adverse period, but his country did not return the favor. While he was in the military, Uchida’s parents and siblings were sent to internment camps.
The irony of the situation didn’t escape him.
“It was upsetting and confusing,” Uchida told The New York Times. “You’re an American citizen, drafted into the Army. You’re in basic training, and your parents are in an internment camp. You really did get angry.”
When the war ended, Uchida returned to SJSU and became the head coach of the university’s judo team in 1947 — a position he remarkably still holds 73 years later. The team now practices in Yoshihiro Uchida Hall, which served as an internment camp back when he was serving in the war.
Uchida helped pioneer judo as a sport. He developed rules for collegiate competition, and it became an Amateur Athletic Union sanctioned sport in 1953.
In 1963, thanks to him, the first National Collegiate Judo Championship was held. SJSU won its first national championship that year. Since then, he’s led Spartan judo to 44 more national championships.
His success and development of judo in America led to perhaps his grandest reward. Uchida served as the coach of the American team in the first Olympic Judo Tournament at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.
56 years later, the 2020 Summer Olympics were scheduled to be held in Tokyo for the first time since the 1964 games.
“I want to go,” he told The Undefeated in 2018. “This will be only the second time the games will be held in Tokyo.”
Due to concerns over the growing coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo games have been pushed back to 2021. Uchida will be 101 by the time they’ll be held. But age isn’t stopping the man.
“I’ve got to survive to enjoy the things that I have planned,” he told The Mercury News. “If I’m around for 101 I might as well do something.”
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