Kickass Female Athletes Through The Ages

Keiko Fukuda cancelled her arranged marriage in order to fully commit herself to martial arts in the '50s. She reached the 5th-level black belt in Judo in 1953, and stayed frozen in that level for 20 years because of a rule that prohibited women from advancing further. 

Fukuda was the one who successfully petitioned the Kokodan to open up their practices, and was the first woman to be awarded the 6th level.