Shokichi Natsui

Shokichi Natsui
Shokichi Natsui
Personal information
Born19 October 1925
Died13 September 2006 (2006-09-14) (aged 80)
OccupationJudoka
Sport
SportJudo
Medal record
Men's Judo
Representing  Japan
World Championships
1956 TokyoOpen
All-Japan Championships
1957Open
1955Open
1954Open
Profile at external databases
JudoInside.com5444

Shokichi Natsui (夏井 昇吉, Natsui Shōkichi; 10 October 1925 – 13 September 2006) was a Japanese judoka from the Akita Prefecture. He became the first world champion in judo, winning the title at the 1956 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, by beating Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final. As there were no weight classes in the world championships until 1965, Natsui was the only champion in 1956.