Trevor Leggett

[5][7] Leggett helped introduce Japanese culture to the United Kingdom, and was honoured for this by being inducted into Japan's Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1984.

[1][2] Since his father did not approve of his interest in the martial arts, Leggett had to begin practising judo in secret.

[2] Sir Leslie Glass, recalling Leggett's account of his own youth, said that "Trevor was a tall, rather gangling figure.

[1] Leggett joined the Budokwai in London in 1932, training primarily under Yukio Tani, who would have a profound influence on the young man.

[1][2][4] Biographers Anthony Dunne and Richard Bowen (2003) relate that on one occasion, Leggett "looked in at the Budokwai, but, feeling a bit off colour and deciding not to train, walked away.

Responding to the five feet three-inch Tani, Leggett said, 'Well, you know, I thought I'd give the training a miss tonight.

[8] When World War II began in Europe, Leggett was attached to the British Embassy in Tokyo.

[1][2] Leggett joined the Ministry of Information and attended a Japanese language refresher course at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

[2] Leggett had begun teaching judo at the Budokwai in 1945, and the next year joined the external services of the BBC as Japanese editor of the Far Eastern section.

[4] Leggett's student, Syd Hoare (2000), claimed that "Virtually all the key figures of British judo graduated from this class.

[2][4] "[The Renshuden] was started in 1959 by Trevor Leggett, who saw the need for a dojo that would focus exclusively on people who were training for competition judo, which was then becoming increasingly important.

[2][4] He had apparently decided he had done enough in this sphere, and began writing books about judo, budo, Eastern philosophy, and Zen Buddhism.

[11][12][13] Dunne and Bowen (2003) assert that Leggett's greatest literary contribution was, however, the translation of a (then) newly discovered Sanskrit commentary from around AD 700.

[4][5] Leggett died of a stroke in the early morning on 2 August 2000 at St Mary's Hospital, London.