Gunji Koizumi , known affectionately by colleagues as G.K., was a Japanese master of judo who introduced this martial art to the United Kingdom, and came to be known as the 'Father of British Judo.' He was the founder of the Budokwai, a pioneering Japanese martial arts society in England. Koizumi helped establish the British Judo Association, and founded the European Judo Union. He held the rank of 8th dan in judo. Koizumi's apparent suicide in 1965 shocked the worldwide judo community.
Apart from teaching judo, Koizumi was also a consultant to the Victoria and Albert Museum on Oriental lacquerware
In the mid-1950s, Koizumi returned to the Tokyo area for the first time in half a century, finding a vastly different place than the farmlands he had left
The Budokwai (The Way of Knighthood Society) (武道会, Budōkai, Society of the Martial Way) in London is the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe. It was founded in 1918 by Gunji Koizumi and initially offered tuition in jujutsu, kendo, and other Japanese martial arts. It was the first judo club in Europe.
Exterior of the Budokwai