Mitsuyo Maeda

,Virgílio, pp. 22–25
a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda (),Virgílio, p. 9
was a Japanese ''judōka'' (judo practitioner) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions, also being one of the first documented mixed martial artists of the modern era for he frequently challenged practitioners of other martial arts and combat sports. He was known as Count Combat or ''Conde Koma'' in Spanish and Portuguese, a nickname he picked up in Spain in 1908. Along with Antônio Soshihiro Satake (another naturalized Brazilian), he pioneered judo in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

Maeda was fundamental to the development of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, including through his teaching of Carlos Gracie and others of the Gracie family.Virgílio, p. 93 He was also a promoter of Japanese emigration to Brazil. Maeda won more than 2,000 professional fights in his career- though this claim has been disputed. His accomplishments led to him being called the "toughest man who ever lived" and being referred to as the father of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Biography

Maeda was born in Funazawa Village, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, on November 18, 1878. He attended Kenritsu Itiu high school (currently Hirokou—a Hirosaki school). As a child, he was known as Hideyo. He practiced sumo as a teenager, but lacked the ideal build for the sport. In 1894, at seventeen years of age, his parents sent him to Tokyo to enroll in Waseda University. He joined the Kodokan Judo Institute the following year.

Formative years at the Kodokan

Arriving in the Kodokan, Maeda, who was tall and weighed , was confused with a delivery boy due to his country manners and demeanor. He was spotted by judo's founder Kano Jigoro, and assigned to Tsunejiro Tomita (4th ''dan'' at the time), the smallest of the teachers of the Kodokan's "Four Heavenly Kings" ('' Shitennō''), to illustrate that in judo size is not important. Tomita was the first Kodokan judoka and a close friend of Kano. According to Koyasu Masao (9th ''dan''):

Although the weakest of Kodokan ''Shitennō'', Tomita was able to defeat the great jujutsu champion of that time, Hansuke Nakamura.

With Soishiro Satake, Maeda formed the head of the second generation of Kodokan judoka, which had replaced the first by the beginning of the 20th century.Virgílio, pp. 33–34 Satake, at 175 cm and 80 kg, was unmatched in amateur sumo but admitted that he himself was not able to match Maeda in judo. Satake would later travel to South America with Maeda and settle in Manaus, Amazonas State, while Maeda continued traveling. Satake would become the founder, in 1914, of the first historically registered judo academy in Brazil. He and Maeda are considered the pioneers of judo in Brazil.

At that time, there were few graduated Kodokan judoka. Maeda and Satake were the top graduated professors at Waseda University, both ''sandan'' (3rd ''dan''), along with Matsuhiro Ritaro (''nidan'' or 2nd ''dan'') and six other '' shodan'' (1st ''dan'').Virgílio, pp. 36–37 Kyuzo Mifune registered at the Kodokan in 1903 and attracted the attention of Maeda, who commented, "you are strong and competent, therefore, you will certainly leave your mark in the Kodokan ..." Mifune went to learn under Sakujiro Yokoyama and later, already a celebrated judoka, Mifune said that Maeda's words were a great incentive, as he regarded Maeda with the greatest admiration, even though Yokoyama was his ''sensei'' (instructor).

According to Mifune, in 1904 Maeda lost to Yoshitake Yoshio by hane goshi, after defeating three adversaries in succession, but in a following ''tsukinami-shiai'' defeated eight adversaries in a row and was awarded the rank of 4th ''dan'' (''yondan''). Mifune also states that Maeda was one of the most vigorous promoters of judo, although not by teaching the art, instead generating recognition of judo through his many combats with contenders from other disciplines. Maeda treated experienced and inexperienced students alike, throwing them as if in real combat. He reasoned that this behavior was a measure of respect towards his students, but it was often misunderstood and frightened many youngsters, who would abandon him in favor of other professors.

Prelude to Kodokan's expansion

In 1879, Ulysses S. Grant, the former president of the United States, visited Japan. While in Tokyo, he attended a jujutsu presentation at Shibusawa Eiichi's home in Asukayama. Kano Jigoro was one of the jujutsuka present.''Japan Times'', April 18, 1922, p. 5.Waterhouse, David. "Kanō Jigorō and the Beginnings of the Jūdō Movement," Toronto, symposium, 1982, pp. 169–178. At that time, jujutsu was just starting to become known in Europe and the Americas. Excepting literal circus acts, few non-Japanese had much chance of seeing or learning about the art. Even in Japan, judo and jujutsu were not considered separate disciplines at that time. Indeed, it was not until 1925 that there started to be clear differentiation of the names in Japan,Motomura, Kiyoto (2005). "Budō in the Physical Education Curriculum of Japanese Schools." In Alexander Bennett, ed., ''Budo Perspectives.'' Auckland: Kendo World. pp. 233–238. . and outside Japan, judo and jujutsu were not completely separated until the 1950s.Virgílio, pp. 39–41 However, as is the case today, due to Kano’s inherent dislike of newaza (ground-fighting), Kodokan jujutsu/judo contained far less newaza than what was typically taught in a traditional “Koryu” jujutsu school. It would take ground-master Mataemon Tanabe ‘s multiple victories over the Kodokan’s best fighters to force Kano into accepting newaza. For Judo’s official manual, the Kodokan initially used the Butokukai’s own manual for their newaza section- where Tanabe was a senior instructor alongside Hajime Isogai. Before newaza was fully integrated into the Kodokan however, Maeda had already left overseas. Out of necessity for dealing with Catch wrestlers, Maeda would only begin taking an interest in newaza while in London (he trained and toured with Yukio Tani as well as Tanabe/Seibukan students Taro Miyake and Sadakazu Uyenishi ).

In 1903, a senior Kodokan instructor named Yamashita Yoshitsugu traveled to the United States at the request of the Seattle businessman Sam Hill. In Washington, DC, Yamashita's students included Theodore Roosevelt and other prominent Americans. At Roosevelt's request, Yamashita also taught judo at the US Naval Academy. Capitalizing on the publicity, the Japanese Legation in the USA asked the Kodokan to send more judo teachers to America, providing continuity to Yamashita's work. Tomita reluctantly accepted the task; Maeda and Satake embraced the opportunity.

Career

United States

Tomita, Maeda, and Satake sailed from Yokohama on November 16, 1904 and arrived in New York City on December 8, 1904.

Early in 1905, Tomita and Maeda gave several public demonstrations of judo. On February 17, 1905, Tomita and Maeda gave a demonstration at Princeton University when Maeda threw N.B. Tooker, a Princeton football player, while Tomita threw Samuel Feagles, the Princeton gymnasium instructor. On February 21, 1905, they gave a judo demonstration at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where Tomita and Maeda performed '' kata'' (patterns)—nage-no, koshiki, ju-no, and so on. At the request of the crowd, Maeda wrestled a cadet and threw him easily. Because Tomita had been the thrower in the ''kata'', the cadets wanted to wrestle him too. Tomita threw the first (Charles Daly) without any trouble. However, Tomita twice failed to throw another football player named Tipton using Tomoe nage. Afterwards, the New York sportswriters claimed the victory for the cadets because Tomita was thrown, whereas the Japanese embassy staff proclaimed that Tomita had achieved a moral victory, on the grounds that he was a far smaller man.

A conflicting account provided by ''The New York Times'' on February 21, referring to Tomita as "Prof. Tomet," states that

In any event, later that year the US Military Academy hired a former world champion professional wrestler, Tom Jenkins, instead of a judo teacher, a job Jenkins kept until his retirement in 1942.

The Japanese experts did better at the New York Athletic Club on March 8, 1905: "Their best throw was a sort of flying cartwheel," said an article in ''The New York Times'', describing Maeda's match with John Naething, a 200 lb wrestler. "Because of the difference in methods the two men rolled about the mat like schoolboys in a rough-and-tumble fight. After fifteen minutes of wrestling, Maeda secured the first fall. Ultimately, however, Naething was awarded the match by pin fall." On March 21, 1905, Tomita and Maeda gave a "jiu-do" demonstration at Columbia University attended by about 200 people. Following introductions, Tomita demonstrated falls and throws, then Maeda threw the university's wrestling instructor. According to the student newspaper, "Another interesting feature was the exhibition of some of the obsolete jiu jitsu tricks for defense with a fan against an opponent armed with the curved Japanese sword." Translations were provided by chemist Jōkichi Takamine.

During April 1905, Tomita and Maeda started a judo club in a commercial space at 1947 Broadway in New York. Members of this club included Japanese expatriates, plus a European American woman named Wilma Berger.Gregory, O.H. & Tomita, Tsunejiro ''Judo: The Modern School of Jiu-Jitsu''. (Chicago: O.H. Gregory, no date but about 1906). On July 6, 1905, Tomita and Maeda gave a judo exhibition at the YMCA in Newport, Rhode Island. On September 30, 1905, they gave a demonstration at another YMCA in Lockport, New York. In Lockport, the local opponent was Mason Shimer, who wrestled Tomita unsuccessfully.

On November 6, 1905, Maeda was reported visiting professional wrestler Akitaro Ono in Asheville, North Carolina; after this, Maeda was no longer routinely associated with Tomita in the U.S. newspapers. On December 18, 1905, Maeda was in Atlanta, Georgia for a professional wrestling match with Sam Marburger. The contest was best of three, two falls with jackets and one without, and Maeda won the two with jackets and lost the one without. According to the Atlanta papers, Maeda listed his residence as the YMCA in Selma, Alabama. After the US, Maeda moved to London where he fought wrestlers on the stages of music halls alongside JuJitsu pioneers Yukio Tani of the Tenjin Shinyo ryu, Taro Miyake and Sadakazu Uyenishi both of Yataro Handa’s Senbukan in Osaka, known for its strong ground-fighting due to its close relationship with Mataemon Tanabe (whose protege ended up becoming head teacher at the Seinbukan).

Cuba, Mexico, and Central America

In 1908, toured Spain with Sadakazu Uyenishi. During November 1908, Maeda went to Paris, France, apparently to see his friend Akitaro Ono. From Paris, he went to Havana, arriving there on December 14, 1908, and his twice-a-day wrestling act quickly proved to be very popular. On July 23, 1909, Maeda left Havana for Mexico City. His debut in Mexico City took place at the Virginia Fabregas Theater on July 14, 1909. This show was a private demonstration for some military cadets. Shortly afterwards, Maeda began appearing at the Principal Theater. In a similar fashion to how the jujutsu pioneers in Europe did things, Maeda put on “all comers” matches against anyone willing to test their luck on stage. His standing offer was 100 pesos (US$50) to anyone he could not throw, and 500 pesos (US$250) to anyone who could throw him. The ''Mexican Herald'' did not record anyone taking his money.

During September 1909, a Japanese calling himself Nobu Taka arrived in Mexico City for the purpose of challenging Maeda for what the ''Mexican Herald'' said would be the world jujutsu championship. After several months of public wrangling, Taka and Maeda met at the Colon Theater on November 16, 1909; Taka won. There was an immediate rematch, and four days later, Maeda was pronounced the champion. It was later revealed that Taka was, in fact, Maeda's old friend, Soishiro Satake.

In January 1910, Maeda took part in a wrestling tournament in Mexico City. During the semifinals, Maeda drew with Hjalmar Lundin. This is a different result than Lundin recalled in his 1937 memoirs. Said Lundin, "Having been accustomed to handling the big Greco-Roman wrestlers with ease, the Jap thought he could do likewise with me, but in the first encounter I got the better of him, after which my confidence returned. I had no trouble then in winning the match. It was a surprise to the crowd and a set-back for Koma. He had been the hero all week, but as soon as he was beaten the fans, true to form, called him a bum."

In July 1910, Maeda returned to Cuba, where he tried to arrange matches with Frank Gotch and Jack Johnson. The Americans ignored him—there was no money to be made wrestling him, and much money to be lost if they lost to him.Green, Thomas A. and Svinth, Joseph R. (2003
"The Circle and the Octagon: Maeda's Judo and Gracie's Jiu-jitsu."
In Thomas A. Green and Joseph R. Svinth, eds. ''Martial Arts in the Modern World.'' Westport, Connecticut. pp. 61–70. . On August 23, 1910, Maeda wrestled Jack Connell in Havana; the result was a draw. During 1911, Maeda and Satake were joined in Cuba by Akitaro Ono and Tokugoro Ito. The four men were known as the 'Four Kings of Cuba.'Virgílio, p. 53

The Four Kings were very popular in Cuba, and the Japanese media were proud of the reputation they were bringing to judo and Japan. Consequently, on January 8, 1912, the Kodokan promoted Maeda to 5th ''dan''. There was some resistance to this decision because there were those in Japan who did not approve of his involvement in professional wrestling. In 1913, Tokugoro Ito stayed in Cuba while Maeda and Satake went to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In El Salvador, the president was assassinated while Maeda was there, and in Panama, the Americans tried to pay him to lose; in response, they kept moving south. In Peru they met Laku, a Japanese jujutsuka who taught the military, and invited him to join them. They were then joined by Okura in Chile, and by Shimitsu in Argentina. The troupe arrived in Brazil before September 1914.Virgílio, p. 67

Brazil

According to Correio Paulistano Newspaper Maeda did a Jiu- Jitsu demonstration at Teatro Variedades (Theatre) - Largo do Paissandu /Santos city at 24 September 1914. According to a copy of Maeda's passport provided by Gotta Tsutsumi, head of Belém's ''Associação Paramazônica Nipako'', Maeda arrived in Porto Alegre on November 14, 1914,

Bortole, Carlos (1997). "Muda a História. Após Longa Pequisa, o Amazonense Rildo Heroes Descobre a Verdadeira Versão Sobre a Chegada do Judô no Brasil." ''Judo Ippon I'', 12, pp. 10–11 After appearing in Porto Alegre, Maeda and his companions moved throughout the country: on August 26, 1915, Maeda, Satake, Okura, Shimitsu, and Laku were at Recife; during October 1915, they were in Belém, finally arriving in Manaus on December 18, 1915. Tokugoro Ito arrived some time later.

On December 20, 1915, the first demonstration in Belém took place at the Theatro Politheama. The ''O Tempo'' newspaper announced the event, stating that Conde Koma would show the main ''jiu-jitsu'' techniques, excepting the prohibited ones. He also would demonstrate self-defense techniques. After that, the troupe would be accepting challenges from the crowd, and there would be the first sensational match of ''jiu-jitsu'' between Shimitsu (champion of Argentina) and Laku (Peruvian military professor).Virgílio, pp. 69–73 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. On the same day, Nagib Assef, an Australian Greco-Roman wrestling champion of Turkish origin, challenged Maeda. On December 24, 1915, Maeda defeated in seconds the boxer Barbadiano Adolpho Corbiniano, who became one of his disciples. On January 3, 1916, at Theatro Politheama, Maeda finally fought Nagib Assef, who was thrown off the stage and pinned into submission by arm-lock. On January 8, 1916, Maeda, Okura, and Shimitsu boarded the SS ''Antony'' and left for Liverpool. Tokugoro Ito went to Los Angeles. Satake and Laku stayed in Manaus teaching, according to ''O Tempo'', ''jiu-jitsu''. After 15 years together, Maeda and Satake had finally split up. Of this last trip, little is known.

Maeda was still popular in Brazil, and recognized as a great fighter, although he only fought sporadically after his return. Around 1918–1919, Maeda accepted a challenge from the famous capoeirista Pé de Bola. Maeda allowed Pé de Bola to use a knife in the fight. The capoeirista was 190 cm tall and weighed 100 kg. Maeda won the match quickly.Virgílio, p. 79 In 1921, Maeda founded his first judo academy in Brazil. It was called Clube Remo' and its building was a 4m x 4m shed. Later, it was moved to the Fire Brigade headquarters and then to the church of ''N.S. de Aparecida''. In 1991, the Academy was located in the SESI and was run by Alfredo Mendes Coimbra, of the third generation of Conde Koma's descendants.

On September 18, 1921, Maeda, Satake, and Okura were briefly in New York City. They were aboard the Booth Line steamship SS ''Polycarp''. All three men listed their occupations as professors of "juitso". After leaving New York, the three men went to the Caribbean, where they stayed from September to December 1921. At some point in this trip, Maeda was joined by his wife. In Havana, Satake and Maeda took part in some contests. Their opponents included Paul Alvarez, who wrestled as Espanol Icognito. Alvarez defeated Satake and Yako Okura—the latter being billed as a former instructor at the Chilean Naval Academy—before being himself beaten by Maeda. Maeda also defeated a Cuban boxer called Jose Ibarra, and a French wrestler called Fournier. The Havana papers attributed Maeda with a Cuban student called Conde Chenard.

Later years

In 1925, Maeda became involved with helping settle Japanese immigrants near Tome-açú, a Japanese-owned company town in Pará, Brazil. This was part of a large tract in the Amazon forest set aside for Japanese settlement by the Brazilian government. The crops grown by the Japanese were not popular with the Brazilians, and the Japanese investors eventually gave up on the project. Maeda also continued teaching judo, now mostly to the children of Japanese immigrants. Consequently, in 1929, the Kodokan promoted him to 6th ''dan'', and on November 27, 1941, to 7th ''dan''. Maeda never knew of this final promotion, because he died in Belém on November 28, 1941. The cause of death was kidney disease.

In May 1956, a memorial to Maeda was erected in Hirosaki City, Japan. The dedication ceremony was attended by Risei Kano and Kaichiro Samura.

Influence on the creation of Brazilian jiu jitsu

Gastão Gracie was a business partner of the American Circus in Belém. In 1916, Italian-Argentine circus Queirolo Brothers staged shows there and presented Maeda. In 1917, Carlos Gracie, the 14‑year-old son of Gastão Gracie, watched a demonstration by Maeda at the Da Paz Theatre and decided to learn judo. Maeda accepted Gracie and Luiz França as students,Luiz França
/ref> and the youth became a great exponent of the art and ultimately, with his younger brother Hélio Gracie, founded Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, modern Brazilian jiu-jitsu.Virgílio, pp. 93–104 In 1921, Gastão Gracie and his family moved to Rio de Janeiro. Carlos, then 17 years old, passed Maeda's teachings on to his brothers Osvaldo, Gastão, and Jorge. Carlos and Hélio are considered the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Maeda's philosophy of combat

According to Renzo Gracie's book ''Mastering Jujitsu'',

Maeda not only taught the art of jujutsu/judo to Carlos Gracie, but also taught a particular philosophy about the nature of combat based on his travels competing and training alongside Newaza specialized jujutsukas like Sadakazu Uyenishi, Taro Miyake, catch-wrestlers, boxers, savate fighters, and various other martial artists. The book details Maeda's theory - one common amongst the jujutsu pioneers in London and also common in boxing vs grappling matches that were popular in the 1800s- that physical combat could be broken down into distinct phases, such as the striking phase, the grappling phase, the ground phase, and so on. Thus, it was a smart fighter's task to keep the fight located in the phase of combat that best suited his own strengths. The book further states that this theory was a fundamental influence on the Gracie approach to combat. The approach included armed versus armed, armed versus unarmed, unarmed, standing ( tachiwaza, 立ち技), kneeling ( suwariwaza, 座技), and ground work (newaza, 寝技), close quarters (hakuheijugi, 白兵主義), and other forms of combat. It was employed by other proponents of judo ("Kano-ryu jiu-jutsu") who, like Maeda, engaged in challenge matches fighting overseas as JuJitsu spread internationally (e.g., Yukio Tani Taro Miyake in the United Kingdom from 1900/1904, Mikonosuke Kawaishi in France, and others).

References

Cited sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, Mitsuyo
1878 births
1941 deaths
Japanese male judoka
Japanese jujutsuka
Japanese catch wrestlers
Sportspeople from Aomori Prefecture
Naturalized citizens of Brazil
Deaths from kidney disease
Brazilian male mixed martial artists
Japanese male mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
Mixed martial artists utilizing jujutsu
Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling
Brazilian male judoka
Brazilian jujutsuka
Brazilian catch wrestlers
Japanese emigrants to Brazil
Martial arts school founders