Joshiro Maruyama, the fan favourite

Japanese judoka Joshiro Maruyama will always be remembered as one of the most spectacular technicians of his generation. The double world champion, who claimed gold in 2019 in Tokyo and again in 2021, built his reputation around one of judo’s most beautiful techniques: the uchimata. We consider him among the best specialists.

#	Top 10 best ever uchi-mata specialists	Country
1	Hidehiko Yoshida	JPN
2	Joshiro Maruyama	JPN
3	Kosei Inoue	JPN
4	Shohei Ono	JPN
5	Yasuhiro Yamashita	JPN
6	Hitoshi Saito	JPN
7	Hitoshi Sugai	JPN
8	Keiji Suzuki	JPN
9	Ryunosuke Haga	JPN
10	Ayumi Tanimoto	JPN

Maruyama’s uchimata became a signature weapon admired by fans around the world. His entries were explosive, his balance flawless and the height of his throws breathtaking. When Maruyama stepped into an arena, spectators often began clapping even before the first grip exchange, anticipating another moment of brilliance. His uchimata seemed to lift opponents as high as the roof, a perfect example of classical Japanese throwing judo.

A product of Tenri University, the same prestigious institution that produced Olympic champion Shohei Ono, Maruyama developed into one of Japan’s finest technicians in the U66kg category. His victories include the Grand Slam in Osaka in 2018, where he defeated Hifumi Abe, as well as gold at the Grand Slam in Tokyo in 2022 and Düsseldorf in 2019. He also captured the IJF Masters title in Guangzhou in 2018 and contributed to Japan’s mixed team world title in Tokyo in 2019.

Maruyama added world silver medals in Tashkent in 2022 and Doha in 2023. Although he never reached the Olympic Games, many believe he would have been a certain podium contender. His legacy remains clear: few athletes have ever thrown uchimata quite like Joshiro Maruyama.

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