The History of Jiu-Jitsu: The Artful Journey - Part 3: Mitsuyo Maeda
The influence of Mitsuyo Maeda on the the Gracie Family and the development of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
From Judo to Jiu-Jitsu - Japan to Brazil
With the success of Kodokan Judo in Japan, Jigoro Kano sought to export Judo abroad in the early 1900s. Kano founded Kodokan Judo in 1882 (see Part 2, History of Jiu-Jitsu for more details about how Judo arose from the foundations of Ju-Jitsu) with an aim to create a martial art for self defense that emphasized a philosophy of personal development and mutual benefit in addition to combat skills. Kano was passionate about spreading Judo around the world as a vehicle to also instill valuable principles from Judo such as respect, discipline and mutual benefit. To do this, he sent delegates from Japan all over the world. Kano hoped that new judoka (practitioners of Judo) would come to Japan to deepen their understanding of both the martial art and its cultural roots. Kano envisioned greater global harmony through this exchange.
Judo Exhibitions Abroad
The primary objective of the Japanese Judo delegates was to introduce the martial art and its principles to other cultures as they traveled the world. To demonstrate the effectiveness of Judo, delegates would engage in local demonstrations, giving an audience a firsthand experience of Judo techniques, throws and groundwork.
Open Matches and Challenge Matches
To illustrate the practical applications of Judo, the delegates would also participate in open matches and challenge matches.
In open matches the delegates would compete against practitioners from other backgrounds to introduce Judo to a wider audience. Participants in open matches came from backgrounds that included boxing, wrestling, karate and other traditional martial arts. Engaging other fighting techniques allowed Judo to contrast striking and grappling techniques. Through this, Judo was able to highlight the effectiveness of its throws against traditional striking arts. Open matches allowed Judo to demonstrate its adaptability and effectiveness in different scenarios.
In challenge matches, Judo practitioners would receive challenges from other martial arts or artists specifically. Such challenges were also used to emphasize the versatility of Judo against other disciplines. These sorts of matches varied in intensity from friendly demonstrations to more serious contests of will. Regardless of the type of exhibition, the goal was to promote understanding and respect between different martial arts communities and highlight the principles and effectiveness of Judo. Through these international exhibitions, Judo gained global recognition as a martial art with practical applications.
Mitsuyo Maeda
One of the students Kano selected to be a delegate abroad was Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941). Maeda was to play a very pivotal role late on in the development of BrazilianJiu-Jitsu once he arrived in Brazil. Maeda was a highly ranked student of Judo with a background in Tenshin Shin’yo Ju-Jitsu. He would have been present for the shift, and perhaps part of the drive, in Kodokan Judo from standing only techniques to the addition of ground techniques or newaza. This change was a result of Kodokan’s defeat by the Fusen Ryu, who bested Kodokan’s throwing techniques by utilizing ground techniques, in the 1900s. This is an event which Maeda would have witnessed and also been influenced by. Later in the 20th century, Judo would emphasize standing and throwing over ground techniques as a means to create a more balanced and dynamic martial art.
Mitsuyo Maeda Travels the World
Maeda was sent to the East Coast of the United States by Jigoro Kano to promote Jiu-Jitsu worldwide in 1904. There, he participated in challenge matches and exhibitions for Judo. From here, he traveled around the world, making his way to Europe including, England, Belgium and Spain.
Maeda’s Fighting Style
During his real travels, Maeda’s fighting style began to evolve. Through his exhibition and challenge matches Maeda was exposed to a number of fighting styles and techniques. Because of this, he developed a pragmatic approach to fighting based on real life situations. This mindset allowed him to not only integrate ideas from other fighting styles, but to also effectively teach and share his knowledge to diverse audiences in different countries.
Phases of a Fight
Because Maeda was fighting opponents who were not in a gi and also striking at him, he needed to modify his techniques. In the standing phase of a fight, Maeda was more vulnerable to an attack by strikers because they were more skilled in this phase. Maeda learned to close the gap between himself and his opponent and go to the clinch (encircling an opponent at the waist). From there, he could take his opponent to the ground to where he was more skilled with grappling and ground techniques. By shifting the phase of the fight to one where he was more experienced allowed Maeda to leverage the fight in his favor. Modifying his techniques to real world situations also allowed Maeda to demonstrate the effectiveness of grappling and ground techniques against striking skills. By forcing opponents to a transition to a different phase of a fight, one where they were not adept, Maeda was able build up a considerable record of success.
Mitsuyo Maeda Moves to Brazil
In 1914, Maeda arrived in Brazil, moving there from from Europe as a part of a national emigration program by the Japanese government. It is unclear if he was sent to Brazil by Jigoro Kano or traveled there on his own. What is clear though, is that Maeda’s arrival in Brazil and his later interactions with the Gracie family are pivotal moments in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the evolution of the martial art. While there, Maeda advocated for Brazil as a place for Japanese to live. During his travels, Maeda had become quite rich from his fighting exhibitions and challenge matches. In Brazil he acquired the nickname Conde Koma as a sort of honorary title in recognition of his skills and contributions. Conde means Count in Portuguese. This nickname remains a part of Maeda’s legacy.
Judo vs Jiu-Jitsu
At the time of Maeda’s arrival in Brazil, the distinction between Judo and Ju-Jitsu was not as clear cut as it now is today. Judo, founded by Jigoro Kano, had evolved from traditional Ju-Jitsu and retained many of its techniques and principles. The Judo of this time included both standing techniques and throws as well as ground fighting techniques, which resembles what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is known for today.
Judo | Ju-Jitsu | Jiu-Jitsu | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Due to transliteration issues of spelling from Japanese kanji to Portuguese in Brazil, Ju-Jitsu took on the spelling of Jiu-Jitsu. As the art evolved and adapted to Brazilian culture this spelling became more prevalent and widely used. The Gracie Family also used this spelling which lead to its popularity. Over time, this spelling became the standard spelling for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Ju-Jitsu became the standard spelling when referring to traditional Japanese Ju-Jitsu.
Introduction to the Gracies
While looking for land to house Japanese immigrants to Brazil, Maeda became friends with Gastao Gracie. Gastao was a man of Scottish descent with local political connections. In 1917, in exchange for Gastao’s help in buying land, Maeda offered to teach his oldest son, Carlos, his way of fighting. Gastao and Maeda had a shared interest in professional fighting and Maeda was now somewhat of a legend in Brazil due to his renowned fighting skills. Carlos studied with Maeda from 15 years old to 21. Maeda taught Carlos Gracie a mix of classical Japanese Ju-Jitsu and Kodokan Judo as well as his own strategies and methods of fighting that he developed throughout his years of training.
Along with Kodokan Judo, Maeda emphasized live training using resisting opponents or randori. Ground techniques and submissions that were not a part of the standard Judo curriculum were included in his instruction. And he also incorporated holds from catch wrestling - holds he would have picked up during his catch wrestling competitions in England. Most of all, Maeda focused on how to shift a fight from one phase to another. Maeda had learned how to modify his techniques due to his exposure to the various fighting styles he encountered throughout his travels. The central tenet for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was already in the making: get the fight to the ground so you can better control and subdue your opponent.
After teaching Carlos, Maeda moved on, returning to Japan. In 1925, Carlos Gracie, now in his early 20s and having absorbed the teachings of Meada, opened his first school for Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracie Academy of Jiu-Jitsu (Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu, in Portuguese).
In Part 4 of The History of Jiu-Jitsu: Forging a Legacy - The Gracie Family we will look at the influence of the Gracie Family on the development Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Want to learn more about the history of Jiu-Jitsu? For a more detailed history of Jiu-Jitsu check out Mastering Jiu-Jitsuby Renzo Gracie and John Danaher.
Interested in learning more about Jiu-Jitsu? If you want to learn more about the principles behind the techniques, strategies and tactics of Jiu-Jitsu check out Part 1 and 2 of Embracing the 32 Principles of Jiu-Jitsu. To find out more about the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu check out Unlocking the Art: Delving into the Fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu.