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Judo affiliations & federations
Judo has no franchises — it has federations. Rather than a set of identical, centrally run clubs, judo organizes around bodies a dojo joins: it affiliates with a national governing body (USA Judo, USJA, or USJF) or trains under a traditional lineage (Kodokan, Tenri). Which body a dojo belongs to is genuinely useful to know — it shapes which tournaments its judoka can enter, how its members are insured, and how its kyu/dan (belt) ranks are certified and recognized elsewhere. We track 17 dojos that name one of the 3 affiliations below. What membership in a body does not tell you is whether a dojo is any good — it doesn't rank quality, plenty of dojos list none or more than one, and the affiliation is self- or site-stated. Every dojo is still its own room and its own sensei, so also browse dojos by program, see what other arts they teach, or find a dojo with a free trial to try a class.
Kodokan
The founding institute of judo, established by Jigoro Kano in Tokyo in 1882 — the traditional source of judo rank and technique; a lineage marker rather than a U.S. body.
USA Judo
The sport's U.S. national governing body — the USOPC-recognized Olympic body — focused on elite athletes and international and Olympic competition.
Tenri Judo
Tenri judo — a respected Japanese university and lineage tradition that some U.S. dojos trace back to.