The British Judo Council was originally formed in 1958 by Mr. Kenshiro Abbe, 8th Dan Judo and a 6th or 7th Dan in many other Japanese martial arts. Mr. Abbe, the son of a Kendo master (Japanese Swordsman), trained at the Butokukai in Kyoto which, was the main rival of and usually the victor over, the Kodokan in Tokyo. He won the then equivalent of the Open Weight at the World Championship, the All Japan Championship, three times.

A story has it that when Mr. Abbe entered the Japanese army he was required to become a Dan grade (Black belt) at Kendo which he had never practised before as he did not want to be likened to his father. However during the first lesson he so overwhelmed the instructor who was a 5th Dan that he was removed from the class and awarded 6th Dan right away! His other skills were more that enough to make him an expert swordsman.

However after the Second World War the Allied Command felt that the Butokukai was too strong a link with the Japanese past and so closed it down forcing many senior martial artists, including Mr. Abbe, to look for work elsewhere.

At the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1964 the B.J.C. held what is probably still the biggest and most prestigious Judo event ever to be held in this country. Apart from a national competition with over 800 competitors many martial arts masters from all over Europe took part in demonstrations of Kendo, Aikido, Karate and Judo. One of the highlights was a demonstration of Nage-no-Kata (formal throws) by Mr Abbe and his colleague from the Butokukai, Mr. Haku Michigami who was by then living in France.

The B.J.C. (Martial Arts Circle) was founded in 1968 after Mr. Abbe had returned to Japan where he sadly died in 1978. The original founders, Nobby Clarke, John Hughes, Bob White, Vince Williams, Bill Wood and John Vine, actually signed a charter ensuring that the membership would always be put first; a tradition that continues up to the present day.

In 1969 the B.J.C. (M.A.C.) entered its first team into the European Judo Federation Championships which that year were held in Vienna, the scratch five man team took the gold, bringing home the Council's first European medals.

Throughout the 1970's the Council continued to dominate the European scene with their finest achievement coming in 1974 when not only did the Council take both men's and women's team titles but also 9 out of the 14 individual titles as well.

Since the early 1970's until his death in 2002, many B.J.C. (M.A.C.) members have benefited from attending the International Stage de Judo held each year in Bordeaux, France under the supervision of Mr. Haku Michigami. Mr. Michigami was the last remaining Judo graduate from the Butokukai and his logical approach and high skill level have helped make the Council the best technical judo organization in the country without compromising its competitive edge.

Today the B.J.C. (M.A.C.) is linked with many other like minded judo organisations both at home and abroad and runs courses, gradings and competitions throughout the country including the now famous B.J.C. Annual Summer School.

What the future holds is hard to predict but suffice to say that with the expertise available and a strong will to succeed the Council can look forward with confidence.