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Harold Sharp
American judoka (1927–2021) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Harold "Hal" Sharp (1927 – March 21, 2021) was an American judoka and author of books on judo.
Personal life
Sharp was born in 1927.[1] Sharp was deployed with the army in 1945 to Japan and learned about martial arts.[2] He attended Los Angeles State College.[3]
Judo competition
He earned his first black belt from the Kodokan.[3] In Japan, he was assigned as being a body guard of Emperor Hirohito.[4] He was a student of Takahiko Ishikawa. He was the winner of the first Foreign Judo Championships in 1954.[2] He became captain of the 1955 US Goodwill Team.[5] Sharp though stated that the Captain was John Osaka and he was a member of the team.[6]
Author
He co-authored The Sport of Judo,[7] Boys' Judo: Sport, Defense,[8] and The Techniques of Judo (Tuttle Martial Arts). The Techniques of Judo, originally published by Tuttle in 1960, has been cited as one of the foundational English-language manuals on the art. It blends traditional Japanese instruction with modern explanations suitable for Western students.[9][10] These books sold over 250,000 copies.[1] He served as a technical advisor for "Mrs Judo", a movie about Keiko Fukuda.[11] He is a 10th dan in Judo, promoted by the Nanka Judo Yudanshakai on October 31, 2020. His final book was "The Road To Black Belt".
Judo career
Sharp had a number of Judo friends including that of Charles Palmer (judoka)[12] He also served as instructor for Star Trek's William Shatner.[12]
Honors
Sharp was inducted into the USA Judo Hall of Fame in 2019.[13] Sharp died on March 21, 2021.[1][14]
References
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