In 1882, Kano opened his Kodokan dojo in Tokyo, where he taught jujutsu to his first class of nine students. His choice of the name 'Kodokan' symbolizes precocity in one so young and is highly significant, for it means 'the institute where one is guided along the road to follow in life', that is to say, a road that one travels as a means of self-cultivation, which Kano regarded as the optimum way to live one's life. This cultivation, however, can only be attained following long years of training made with vigorous exertion in an effort to reach the ultimate goal: self-perfection.

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