Yuki Nakai is the first Japanese born BJJ black belt and he has a Kosen Judo background. As a Judo black belt, Nakai competed at the Nanatei kosen judo championship, leading his university to the victory in 1992.

Kosen judo master Yuki Nakai visited the Japanese judo team’s National Training Centre in Tokyo, on Monday.

According to IJF, Nakai was invited invited to share his newaza expertise with members of Japan’s women’s team who were taking part in their first training camp of the year.

Nakai stated:

“I really enjoyed giving the session, the Japanese judoka have a very high skill level. Judo has a special place in my heart.”

This is not the first time that the Japanese national Judo team trains BJJ. Japan National coach Kosei Inoue regularly includes BJJ in his athlete’s crosstraining routine:

Kosei Inoue answered to a Japanese website nhk.or.jp:

“In order to respond to the new judo incorporating ethnic martial arts around the world, we had adopted the practice to cultivatethe ability to respond to a variety of martial arts such as performing a training camp of Okinawa sumo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In addition, the staff was invited to specialize in sports medicine, I had been honed by working the body making sure that there are no loses to foreign players over the Japanese traditional “be-all and end-all judo” approach.

While responding to a new judo, philosophy of coach Inoue many believed their judo will lead to victory and it was felt throughout the interviews.”

Japanese Coach Credits Crosstraining BJJ For Their Olympic Comeback

Nakai is the president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu. Naki is also famous for having fought and lost to Rickson Gracie at Japan Vale Tudo in 1995.

After retiring from MMA, Nakai became interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, not due to his own defeat to Rickson, but Noboru Asahi’s loss to Royler Gracie in 1996. He learned it from Enson Inoue, and a year later he participated in his first BJJ tournament, the Gracie Honolulu Open hosted by Relson Gracie. Nakai soon won the Pan American Championship on the brown belt category, and afterwards he was granted the black belt by Carlos Gracie Jr, becoming the first person from Japan to hold a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.  In 1997, Nakai opened the Paraestra Shooto Gym, and over time was appointed president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu.

Kosen Judo: Similarities & Differences with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

In this interview Nakai talks about the unusual way that he got Promoted in BJJ: