On southern Sakhalin on January 6, 1892, the illegitimate son of Oshchepkov, Vasily Sergeyevich, the future great athlete and founder of domestic judo, was born into the family of convicts. The boy was an outcast, and given the fact that at the age of 11 he became an orphan, one can only guess what fate awaited the child in the conditions of hard labor.
Life in hard labor and parents
The convicts had very different fates, among them there were not only criminals, but also “political” figures. Ordinary people who received such punishment for a minor crime could refer.
But everything was not so harsh and monotonous in the intellectual and educational atmosphere at that time on Sakhalin, as it might seem. In the time of Nicholas II there was an opportunity to get a good education, it was at that penitentiary that famous figures and scientists grew up:
- Antarctic researcher Dmitry Girev;
- Narodovolets and researcher Ainu Bronislaw Pilsudski;
- "Hard labor" received Daniel Harms.
Therefore, not everyone born in hard labor is doomed to mournful fate. In Japan, Vasily Oshchepkin falls at the age of 13 to the Archbishop Nikolai of Japan, here, in full support, the teenager receives a spiritual education and begins to practice judo.
Mom - Maria Semenovna - was born in 1851, died in 1904. When her son was 8 years old, Maria was transferred to exile, she survived 18 years of hard labor and 60 lashes for escaping from forced labor. Father - Sergey Zakharovich Plisak - a carpenter, died in 1902. Oshchepkin's parents lived in a civil marriage.
On New Year's Eve, Vasily Oshchepkov, the future sambo genius, was baptized by priest Alexander Uninsky. The godfather was the senior clerk of the Sakhalin Management Troops Georgy Pavlov-Smirnov. Godmother - Pelageya Yakovlevna Ivanovna.
Biography briefly
Oshchepkov Vasily Sergeevich - the most famous hardworking graduate of Tokyo Gymnasium. He arrived in Japan in August 1907. Then:
- successfully graduated from Kodokan school;
- became the first Russian and fourth European graduate who managed to comprehend the secrets of Japanese hand-to-hand combat;
- created a judo school in the USSR and promoted this sport;
- in 1917 the first judo competitions were held;
- in 1932, this sport was included in the TRP program;
- in 1937, Vasily Sergeyevich was arrested and killed.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian defensive doctrine needed qualified, trained in professional techniques employees. Emperor Nicholas II signed a decree in 1903 on the creation of a special counterintelligence service. For such purposes, Japanese experts or graduates of judo schools of the rising sun were brought to Europe. For Russia, such a luxury was unacceptable only because Japan preferred to work with Western states.
Educational institutions for self-defense classes were created secretly so as not to attract attention. The lessons were held under the roofs of various institutions, one of which was the theological seminary, where the Russian boy Vasily Oshchepkov got. Cadets could be teenagers whose parents died in the Russo-Japanese War.
Study and Achievements
In October 1911, on October 29, the young Oshchepkov entered the Kodokan school. He always had a craving for knowledge, he was hardworking and talented. The main requirement for the students was to memorize every word spoken by the mentor Jigaro Kano. If someone was distracted and did not look at the doctor, they did not take him.
Each applicant was under the strict supervision of a teacher. It was very difficult for a boy from Russia to learn to sit in Japanese. Vasya’s legs were numb, but he didn’t get up, showing respect to his mentor.
A year after the start of training, Oshchepkov received the first dan in judo and a little later - the second. He thoroughly studied discipline, honed all the technique of mastering it, and gained the right to be tied up with a black belt. Vasily Oshchepkov became the first Russian in history to qualify as a master. It was a moment of glory, he was respected, loved, admired, called a Russian bear, who achieved his goal.
In addition to judo, classes were held in the gymnasium where the young athlete studied:
- history of Japan and the Far East;
- literature
- grammar;
- reading letters;
- translation of newspaper articles;
- memorizing theological disciplines;
- Russian language.
Vasily successfully completed his studies in 1913. His certificate was filled with marks of the highest mark and several marks "good".
Creation of the first judo school in Russia
Vasily Oshchepkov returned to Russia in 1914 after graduation. He was assigned to the Zaamur Military District in Harbin as a translator in counterintelligence. Then he gets a job in the intelligence department of the Amur district. At the same time, he creates the first judo school in Russia.
This moment is significant in the history of Russian sports: the summer of 1914 is the date of birth of Russian judo. Then the Japanese wrestling was a real exotic, even for strong sports European powers. And in Russia in a small town there was a judo section, where Vasily Oshchepkov sambo and judo could teach anyone.
Young people could come to the section and engage with a professional trainer, more than 50 people were recruited. The trainings were held in the assignment of the Sport Sport City Society in Vladivostok, the construction has been preserved to this day and now the Pacific Fleet gymnasium. Since 2012, the children's and youth school in the city of Aleksandrovsk has been named after the famous master. In the lobby of the building there are photos of Vasily Oshchepkov.
There is a judo section on the basis of the school, with a staff of fifty. In memory of the master, two regional sambo tournaments were held here in 2014 and 2015.
In Moscow, Vasily Oshchepkov judo trained the KGB, police and Red Army soldiers in martial art.
During his professional career, Vasily Sergeyevich studied print publications and monitored the development of martial arts, by 1937 he had assembled a large library on various self-defense techniques, martial arts and judo.
According to information from the world encyclopedia created in England, the first judo competitions outside of Japan were held in 1919. But the Russian newspaper archives speak of Russian judo, competitions in which were held at least two years before the European debut.
In search of work, Vasily goes to Aleksandrovsk, to Sakhalin, where he was born and earns his living by showing films. In September 1923, Vasily Sergeyevich began fruitful cooperation with the government in the ranks of the Soviet army - in intelligence. Oshchepkov worked under the pseudonym "DD". In his films, he shared valuable intelligence, then he goes back to Japan.
Post-war years
Oshchepkov Vasily Sergeevich Sambo trains physical education instructors of the USSR. The teaching geography of Vasily expanded and since 1925, he worked in a police school in Novosibirsk . At the front, he received the profession of a military translator, so he could afford frequent trips abroad. Oshchepkov constantly improved in his enthusiasm, studied and mastered new techniques, developed his own technique for their implementation. So gradually another discipline appeared - sambo.
In the rules of the fight, a division was made by weight categories, the form of the participants changed:
- instead of the tatami was a wrestling carpet;
- Japanese kimonos were replaced by tight jackets;
- sports pants were used instead of judo pants;
- the wrestlers went to the duel in special shoes, not barefoot.
Significant changes were made not only by the rules of the struggle itself, but also by its organizational aspects, strict control was conducted over the state of health of the participants. A handshake was a must in every competition. Opponents shook hands with each other before and after the fight.
The development of the system of martial arts and students Oshchepkova
The Oshchepkovsky system developed and improved without the influence of foreign, including Japanese, schools of judo. Vasily Sergeyevich did not have a higher sports education, but his desire and approach to his work became truly scientific. The master constantly developed skills and made judo a unique sport, but he did not focus exclusively on this lesson.
Over time, the Japanese themselves appreciated the martial arts technique of sambo, saying that it is more perfect than judo. The style of struggle Oshchepkova is taken into service in higher educational institutions and military units. The master takes an active part in the development of the “Ready for Labor and Defense of the USSR” complex. Among the pupils of Vasily Sergeyevich there were such masters as:
- V.G. Kuzovlev;
- V.V. Sidorov;
- N.M. Galkovsky;
- I.V. Vasiliev;
- R.A. Schoolchildren;
- A.A. Kharlampiev and many other masters.
In the 30s, Oshchepkov was summoned to Moscow so that he could train Soviet soldiers in hand-to-hand combat based on judo.
Arrest and death
The end of the 30s became a gloomy period for judo - this sport was banned as an "activity alien to Soviet people." In the summer of 1937, Vasily Sergeyevich opened a specialization in judo at the Higher School of Trainers.
The creator of combat sambo, Vasily Oshchepkov, will be repressed for espionage in September 1937 and a month later he will die in prison. He became the founder of judo, but in favor of sambo he refused it, was betrayed by the interests of the Soviet special services, but according to one version he was shot right after his arrest, and according to another, he died of a heart attack.
In 1937, judo was expelled from the curriculum of higher educational institutions of physical education. In September of the same year, a decree was issued to prosecute citizen Oshchepkov for espionage in favor of Japan. At that time, nightly arrests were commonplace throughout the country. First of all, those who were abroad were under suspicion. Oshchepkov belonged, unfortunately, to this category of people.
Such a tragic account overtook many authoritative and ingenious people of that time. After 20 years, the arrest case will be reviewed and it turns out that Vasily Oshchepkov was taken into custody and indicted on unlawful grounds. He understood that judo in its present form would not solve all issues of self-defense.
Over time, a strict, restrained style of wrestling acquired the features of “free-style martial arts”, where all the techniques were perfected to perfection and taken from other international schools. So a new sport was born - sambo. And Vasily Oshchepkov began to teach combat sambo.
Personal life
Sambo founder Vasily Oshchepkov was married three times. After a divorce from her first wife, Ekaterina Zhuravleva, the heart of our hero was struck by a 17-year-old girl from Harbin. Masha then graduated from the last class of the gymnasium. It was mutual love at first sight, but Mary died of tuberculosis. His third wife - Anna Ivanovna Kazembek, Vasily found in Moscow.
Despite the fact that Oshchepkov’s life was closely related to sports, he did not differ in health. Even in training, he never took off his T-shirts and T-shirts, his students said that he was overcome by a skin disease. Even as a teenager he had hair problems, he shaved baldly because he was bald.
Judo Revival
In the Soviet Union, the revival of judo took place in the 60s, at the same time discipline was included in the Olympic Games. Restored the struggle on the basis of martial arts sambo.
There is one interesting point in the biography of Oshchepkov and the history of the development of sambo. In most domestic sources, it is he who is called the founder of this discipline. Of course, it is very pleasant to realize that one of the creators of such a popular sport is our compatriot. However, for the sake of justice, it must be said that there are opponents of this statement.
One more person appears in this dispute and quite thoroughly - Spiridonov Viktor Afanasevich, who is also considered a pioneer sambo wrestler. By the way, it was he who used the term “sambo” first. There were still some individuals who claimed the title of pioneer judo and sambo. Oshchepkov earned such a title by the fact that he processed uniquely famous martial arts, creating his own style.
The judo development system is based on Japanese martial arts Kodokan judo. This art was technically reworked and enriched with new techniques taken from many international systems of self-defense, hand-to-hand combat, wrestling, boxing. Over time, this discipline has become an ideal independent system.
The Oshchepkov judo system was fully formed by the beginning of the 30s. Leading USSR specialists in various martial arts, students and assistants helped to improve it.
The memory of the sambo genius
In memory of the founder of domestic judo in the 2000s, sambo tournaments were organized throughout Russia. In autumn 2012, a monument to the Sambo master was unveiled in Vladivostok. "Sports Judo Federation" in Sakhalin promotes the heritage of Oshchepkov. Regional authorities supported the proposal to name one of the new streets of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk named after V.S. Oshchepkova.
Oshchepkov created a unique, new martial art based on judo. Much attention was paid to percussion technique, and work without clothes, techniques taken from Chinese martial arts.
To summarize
One can hardly overestimate the contribution to the domestic sport of Vasily Sergeyevich, a USSR intelligence officer who worked for many years in Japan. The history of his life today is surrounded by legends, one thing is for sure: a unique personality is Vasily Oshchepkov. His biography does not leave indifferent researchers - enthusiasts who bit by bit collect information about his life.
The whole life of the master as the execution of an unusual sentence: he was born in a family of convicts, survived where everyone dies. Miraculously, he ended up in Japan under the supervision of Nicholas of Japan, studied at the Lyceum and was distinguished for his industriousness. He became a student of the founder of judo Kano Jigoro.
Civil war, endless riots in Primorye - Vasily Oshchepkov passed through all this. He was a scout on Sakhalin, worked in Japan, returned to the Soviet Union, devoted himself completely to sports, opened a judo section and developed this discipline.
He served in the Japanese army, collaborated with Tsarist counterintelligence, and lived for a long time in the land of the Rising Sun.
This outstanding sports figure passed away at the age of 44, at the peak of his creative abilities, he did not realize many of his bold plans.