King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Iaido vs Judo

Iaido and Judo side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.

IaidoJudo
Country of originJapanJapan
Created—1882
Founder—Kanō Jigorō
TypeKobudō and martial artscombat sport, martial arts and Olympic sport
Competition at the Olympics—Yes – 64 Olympic events recorded
Notable practitioners here13052
Top countries of practitionersFranceJapan, Russia and United States
Equipment and weaponsIaitō and katanajudogi and tatami
Belt ranks—Yes
Weight classes—Yes
Energy use (MET)—11.3 MET (Judo)

Iaido

Iaidō (居合道), abbreviated iai (居合), is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.

From the Wikipedia article Iaido (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Judo

Judo (Japanese: 柔道, Hepburn: Jūdō; lit. 'gentle way') is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), Paralympic sport (since 1988) and Commonwealth Games sport (since 1990). Judo is the most prominent form of Samurai throws and self-defense competed internationally. Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎) as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on "randori" (乱取り, lit. 'free sparring') instead of kata (形, kata; pre-arranged forms) alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. Judo rose to prominence for its dominance over established jujutsu schools in tournaments hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁武術大会, Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai), resulting in its adoption as the department's primary martial art. A judo practitioner is called a "judoka" (柔道家, jūdōka), and the judo uniform is called "judogi" (柔道着, jūdōgi; "judo attire").

From the Wikipedia article Judo (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q214410, Q11420. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.