Mitsuyo Maeda, Father of Brazilian Jiujitsu

[cross_trainer]

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Career

[[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mitsuyo_Maeda&action=edit&section=6"]edit[/URL]] Europe

Before traveling to Europe, Maeda and Satake went to Cuba along with Akitaro Ono and Tokugoro Ito. All of them engaged in combats. It was during this time that Maeda defeated Adobamond, the "number one" fighter in Cuba.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei7"][21][/URL]
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On February 8, 1907, Maeda and Satake arrived in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool%2C_England"]Liverpool, England[/URL]. Apparently this was to join up with Akitaro Ono, who had gone to [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London%2C_England"]London[/URL] to wrestle for promoter William Bankier in London music halls.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-green"][4][/URL] In London, Maeda paid the rent mostly by wrestling professionally. On January 1908, he participated in a tournament at the Alhambra. Maeda was runner-up in the heavyweight division, losing to Austria's Henry Irslinger.[URL="***********.geocities.com/henryirslinger"][9][/URL]In February 1908, Maeda participated in another wrestling tournament. Again, he ended up runner-up, this time losing to Jimmy Esson.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-11"][22][/URL][URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-12"][23][/URL] However, in March 1908, Maeda beat Henry Irslinger in a match that Health & Strength magazine described as "one of the squarest, straightest which have been held in England in many years."[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-13"][24][/URL] Maeda also appears to have done some wrestling in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland"]Scotland[/URL] during September 1908, as several Japanese were reported giving demonstrations of judo and sumo at the Northern Games in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverness"]Inverness[/URL].[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-14"][25][/URL] In between, Maeda gave judo lessons. His students included a man named W.E. Steers. Steers was very enthusiastic about his lessons, even going to Japan to earn first-dan grading in 1912. In 1918, Steers was among the first non-Japanese to join the London jujutsu club known as the [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budokwai"]Budokwai[/URL], which in 1920 would join the Kodokan to become a Judo club.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-15"][26][/URL]
After the match with Henry Inslinger in March 1908, Maeda went to [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium"]Belgium[/URL]. He didn't like Belgium, so he soon returned to London, and in May 1908, he participated in a professional wrestling tournament at Hengler's Circus. Maeda and another Japanese, Tano Matsuda, entered as middleweights, and neither man reached the finals.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-green"][4][/URL] During January 1909, Matsuda became notorious for losing a mixed match to the African American boxer Sam McVey.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-16"][27][/URL]
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Maeda went to Spain in June 1908. He was accompanied by Fujisake, Ono, and Hirano. While in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona"]Barcelona[/URL], Maeda had matches with Sadakazu Uyenishi and Taro Miyake.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-17"][28][/URL] Phoebe Roberts, a Welsh woman who was advertised as the female judo champion of the world, was part of the entourage. Roberts subsequently married Hirano, and stayed in Portugal for the rest of her life.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-18"][29][/URL]

[[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mitsuyo_Maeda&action=edit&section=9"]edit[/URL]] Brazil

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Mitsuyo Maeda




According to a Maeda passport copy provided by Gotta Tsutsumi, head of [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%C3%A9m"]Belém[/URL]'s Associação Paramazônica Nipako, Maeda arrived in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_Alegre"]Porto Alegre[/URL] on November 14, 1914,[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-eros"][41][/URL] where his first exhibition in Brazil took place.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-bortole"][42][/URL] After that, one sees glimpses of Maeda and his companions throughout the country: on August 26, 1915, Maeda, Satake, Okura, Shimitsu, and Laku were at [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recife"]Recife[/URL]; during October 1915, they were in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%C3%A9m"]Belém[/URL], finally arriving in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaus"]Manaus[/URL] on December 18, 1915. Ito Tokugoro arrived sometime later.
On December 20, 1915 took place the first demonstration in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%C3%A9m"]Belém[/URL] at the Theatro Politheama. The O Tempo newspaper announced the event stating that Conde Koma would show the main jiu-jitsu techniques, discriminating the prohibited ones and would also demonstrate self-defense techniques; the troupe would be accepting challenges from the crowd, and there would happen the first sensational match of jiu-jitsu between Shimitsu (champion of Argentina) and Laku, Peruvian military professor.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei10"][43][/URL]
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On December 22, 1915 according to O Tempo, jiu-jitsu world champion Maeda, head of the Japanese troupe and Satake, New York champion, performed an enthusiastic and sensational jiu-jitsu match. In the same day, Nagib Assef, an Australian Greco-Roman champion of Turkish origin, challenged Maeda. On December 24, 1915 Maeda defeated in seconds boxer Barbadiano Adolpho Corbiniano who became one of his disciples. On January 03, 1916 at Theatro Politheama, Maeda finally fought Nagib Assef who was thrown out of the stage and pinned into submission by arm-lock.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei10"][43][/URL]

Maeda was still cherished by the local population and recognized as a great fighter. Maeda slowed down and only fought sporadically. Around 1918-1919 Maeda accepted the challenge from famous [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira"]Capoeirista[/URL] (Capoeira fighter) Pé de Bola. Maeda allowed Pé de Bola to use a knife in the fight. The Capoeirista was 1m 90cm tall and weighted 100kg. Maeda quickly finished the match.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei11"][45][/URL]
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In 1921 Maeda founded his first Judo academy at Clube Remo in a 4m x 4m shed. Later it was moved to the Fire Brigade headquarters and then to the church of N. S. de Aparecida. As of 1991 it's located in the SESI and run by sensei Alfredo Mendes Coimbra of the third generation of Conde Koma's descendants.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei11"][45][/URL]

His Influence on the Creation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

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Gastão Gracie had established business in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%A1"]Pará[/URL] eventually getting married in [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%C3%A9m"]Belém[/URL]. In 1917, his son [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Gracie"]Carlos Gracie[/URL], still a 14 years old boy, watched a demonstration by Maeda at the Teatro da Paz and decided to learn jiu-jitsu. Maeda accepted to teach Carlos who would become a great exponent of the art and ultimately, with his younger brother [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9lio_Gracie"]Hélio Gracie[/URL] would be the founder of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, modern [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu_Jitsu"]Brazilian Jiu Jitsu[/URL].[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei12"][50][/URL]
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In 1921, Gastão Gracie and his family moved to [URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro"]Rio de Janeiro[/URL]. Carlos, then 17 years old, passed Maeda's teachings on to his brothers Osvaldo, Gastão and Jorge. Hélio was too young and sick at that time to learn the art, and due to medical imposition was prohibited to take part in the training sessions. Despite that, Hélio learned jiu-jitsu by watching his brothers and eventually overcome his health problems and is now considered the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[URL="********en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda#_note-stanlei12"][50][/URL]

[sugarngold]

If he had landed in Mexico instead - would we all now be practicing Mexican jiujitsu?

[Nosbor]

Thanks for posting. That filled in several gaps of my understanding regarding the events/timeline.

[Kestrel]

Back in those days, that man probably kick everyone's ass in Brazil.

[Mazallan]

Great thread. Thanks.

[theHawtness]

the brazilians stole jujitsu from the japanese.

[rekcutnevets]

Posted by sugarngold
If he had landed in Mexico instead - would we all now be practicing Mexican jiujitsu?

I know you are only joking around, but no. The Gracie family, and particularly Helio, was the key. If not for the family's affluence, they may not have had the time to commit to their training. If not for little, probably asthmatic, Helio's desire to modify the techniques; the art probably would never evolved the way it did.