Takehide Nakatani

Takehide Nakatani is the kind of figure who doesn't need a flashy story — the life speaks for itself. Born in Hiroshima in 1941, he came of age in postwar Japan, which means he built everything from almost nothing, and he did it through judo. He went to Meiji University, one of the premier schools for martial arts in Japan, and dedicated himself to the sport at a time when dedication really meant something brutal and unglamorous. The藍綬褒章 — Japan's Blue Ribbon Medal for public service contributions — doesn't land in your hands by accident; someone in the establishment noticed sustained, serious work over decades. At 165 cm he was never the biggest guy on the mat, but judo has always rewarded leverage and patience over raw size, and that feels right for someone whose whole arc reads as slow, steady, and immovable. I respect the simplicity of it.

Takehide Nakatani is a Japanese judoka born on July 9, 1941, in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. He studied at Meiji University, where he developed his career in judo. He is a recipient of the Blue Ribbon Medal (Ranju Hosho), a Japanese government decoration awarded for contributions to public welfare and advancement in professional fields.

Name (English)

Takehide Nakatani

Name (Japanese)

中谷雄英

Reading

なかたに たけひで

Born

July 9, 1941 (age 85)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Cancer / Snake

Origin

Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Height

165 cm

Occupation

Judoka

University

Meiji University

Awards & achievements

• Blue Ribbon Medal (Ranju Hosho) — year unknown

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%AD%E8%B0%B7%E9%9B%84%E8%8B%B1
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2261010

Tags

• From Hiroshima Prefecture
• Judoka

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.