Let me start with a few quotes from Wikipedia:
“Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎, 28 October 1860 – 4 May 1938) was a Japanese educator and athlete, the founder of Judo.” “In January 1891, Kanō was appointed to a position at the Ministry of Education. In August 1891, he gave up this position to become a dean at the Fifth Higher Normal School (present-day Kumamoto University). One of the teachers at Fifth Higher between 1891 and 1893 was Lafcadio Hearn.” “Kanō was also a pioneer of international sports. Accomplishments included being the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (he served from 1909 until 1938); officially representing Japan at most Olympic Games held between 1912 and 1936; and serving as a leading spokesman for Japan’s bid for the 1940 Olympic Games.”
If you visit the campus of Kumamoto University, you may be able to find a small monument commemorating Kano’s contribution near the entrance to the gymnasium where Kumadai’s judo club practices. I met with a friend recently who pointed out to me that Kumamoto has largely ignored Kano’s connection to the community. Much has been said and written about Lafcadio Hearn’s and Natsume Soseki’s connections to Kumamoto but, by comparison, Kano Jigoro is hardly ever mentioned.
But there are some who have been trying to point out the importance of Kano’s time in Kumamoto. If you read Japanese, please check out the following page from the “Kumamoto Human Resources Network” (「熊本人財ネットワーク」 ）:
http://www.jinzai-brand.com/2016/11/柔道を「国際化」した教育者%E3%80%80嘉納治五郎/
– Kirk
P.S. The picture of Kano engaging in judo is from the second site, not Wikipedia.