Founding of the Kodokan

Eisho-ji temple, Tokyo.

In February 1882, Kano founded a school and dojo at the Eisho-ji (永昌寺^?), a Buddhist temple in what was then the Shitaya ward of Tokyo (now the Higashi Ueno district of Taitō ward).^[12] Iikubo, Kano's Kitō-ryū instructor, attended the dojo three days a week to help teach and, although two years would pass before the temple would be called by the name Kodokan (講道館, Kōdōkan^?, "place for expounding the way"), and Kano had not yet received his Menkyo (免許^?, certificate of mastery) in Kitō-ryū, this is now regarded as the Kodokan founding.

The Eisho-ji dojo was a relatively small affair, consisting of a twelve mat training area. Kano took in resident and non-resident students, the first two being Tsunejiro Tomita and Shiro Saigo.^[13] In August, the following year, the pair were granted shodan (初段^?, first rank) grades, the first that had been awarded in any martial art.^[14]