After a four-year hiatus, one of the largest judo tournaments in the state returned to Hilo with 350 athletes from 22 clubs.
Family and friends filled Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium and cheered on their loved ones with excitement during the Uemura Cup Judo Championships.
Hosted by Hilo’s Shudokan Judo Club, the Uemura Cup was the seventh tournament facilitated by the 50th State Judo Association this year. The event featured 434 matches within 96 different divisions, which are divided by gender, age, skill and weight class.
This year’s tournament was made even more special with the addition of one club, Uji Judokai, who traveled all the way from Kyoto, Japan, to compete with Hawaii Island, Oahu and Maui clubs.
The 50th SJA is made up of 39 clubs from six states and is dedicated to sponsoring tournaments for judo athletes of all ages and skill levels. The organization also hosts local clinics, seminars and other programs to aid in the development of judo officiants and instructors.
While judo is a modern Japanese combat sport, the attitude between athletes is very far from contentious or combative. After winning gold in the Female Intermediate Open age 10 and under, Sophie Delos Reyes pulled her peers in for a tight hug as they smiled together.
“I love Judo and seeing old friends and improving my skills at tournaments,” Delos Reyes said. “It’s the best way to become better and I get to travel a lot.”
Delos Reyes is an athlete with Hawaii Tenri Judo on Oahu and often travels to the mainland with her family for judo tournaments where she has won several medals in her age bracket. While the Uemura Cup is similar to any tournament, the Shudokan Judo Club works to create a balance between competing and using the event to spread the core principles of judo — ensuring mutual benefit, practicing maximum efficiency and continuing improvement at every level.
“The Uemura Cup was named in honor of Uemura Sensei, a Japanese language teacher at Hilo Hongwanji, who played a significant role in the beginning of our club,” Hayashi said. “Uemura Sensei helped give the Shudokan name a meaning — ‘the place to learn the way.’”
There are two more 50th SJA tournaments left this year with the Shobukan Judo Club Tournament set for Sunday, Oct. 20 and the Pearl City Kenshin Judo Club Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Results for the Uemura Cup are still available at tinyurl.com/uemura24. For more information on upcoming tournaments or to learn how to join a Judo club, visit 50statejudo.com/.
