Vasili Oshchepkov

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Vasili Sergeyevich Oshchepkov (1893–1937) was a Russian martial arts expert who helped create Sambo, a Soviet fighting style, and was a pioneer of judo in Russia.

Early life: He was orphaned by age eight on Sakhalin Island. After South Sakhalin came under Japanese control in 1905, he moved to Japan with the Russian Orthodox Mission. He studied judo in Kyoto and joined the Kodokan in Tokyo in 1911. He earned a first-degree black belt (shodan) in 1913 and a second-degree (nidan) in 1917, becoming the first Russian and the third European to reach nidan.

Back in Russia: In 1914 he started Russia’s first judo school and organized the world’s first international judo competition in 1915 in Vladivostok. He taught judo to police in Vladivostok in 1918 and worked as a translator and counterintelligence officer in later years.

Sambo and teaching: Oshchepkov studied various fighting systems and blended them into a new sport, which became Sambo. He taught martial arts to military personnel and police, and at the Russian State University of Physical Education he helped develop programs for the Red Army. He published training guides and helped introduce self-defense and combat techniques into military curricula.

Arrest and death: During the Great Purge, he was arrested in 1937 and died in Butyrka prison, officially listed as a heart attack but widely believed to have been executed. He was posthumously exonerated in 1957.

Legacy: Oshchepkov influenced students who continued to develop Sambo, including Anatoly Kharlampiyev. Today there are many Sambo clubs and tournaments in his memory, and his life has been celebrated in various tributes and films.