Mitsuyo Maeda - Count Koma
Jiu Jitsu History
THE VARIOUS THEORIES
Like many other subjects of history, it would be impossible to accurately describe the origin of Jiu-Jitsu. However there is no lack of hypotheses. Every culture has shown to have some form of hand-to-hand combat in its history. Weaponless combat usually appears in the form of wrestling and sometimes boxing. Looking at a fighting timeline, it is possible that the wrestling techniques of Jiu-Jitsu could have been influenced by Ancient Greece. The Olympic Games were one of the Greek's traditions. In fact one of its most popular sports, Pankration was a sport that involved both boxing and wrestling techniques and became more popular to the Greeks than each one of them individually. During Alexander the Great's conquests (356 - 323 B.C.), he brought the Greek culture to the areas he conquered. His conquests stretched all the way to India, where he introduced the customs and ideals of Greek culture to the people of that area where Jiu-Jitsu's foundation was likely to have been born.
The general idea embraced by most historians is that systemized martial arts techniques came from India along with Buddhism (Dharma). The concept here is that the Shaolin temple was built in the center of China and this is where Dharma introduced Buddhism and Boxing. Buddhist Monks in northern India are said to have greatly contributed to the early development of Jiu-Jitsu. Bandits constantly assaulted the monks during their long journeys through the interior of India. Buddhist religious and moral values did not encourage the use of weapons so they were forced to develop an empty hand system of self-defense.
These Monks were men of great wisdom who possessed a perfect knowledge of the human body. Consequently, they applied laws of physics such as leverage, momentum, balance, center of gravity, friction, weight transmission and manipulation of the human anatomy’s vital points in order to create a scientific art of self-defense.
Another version supports the idea of Jiu-Jitsu coming from China around the time of the fall of the Ming Dynasty. When a Chinese monk named Chin Gen Pinh came to Japan, accompanied with his knowledge and experience of Kempo, known as the “China Hand.” Another theory says that there were practitioners of Chikura Karube, a wrestling sport developed around 200 B.C. It is said that Chikura Karube later became Jiu-jitsu in Japan.
One thing is certain about these stories, and that is that the Japanese were responsible for refining a grappling art into a very sophisticated grappling system called Jiu-Jitsu which was developed in Japan during the Feudal period.
THE ART OF THE SAMURAI
The period of Japanese history between the 8th and 16th centuries was covered with constant civil war and many systems of Jiu-Jitsu were utilized, practiced and perfected on the battlefield. This training was used to conquer armored and armed opponents.
It was originally an art designed for warfare, but after the abolition of the Feudal system in Japan, certain modifications needed to be made to the art in order to make it suitable for practice. During Feudal times, Jiu-Jitsu was also known as Yawara, Hakuda, Kogusoko, and an assortment of other names.
The earliest recorded use of the word "Jiu-Jitsu" happens in 1532 and is coined by Hisamori Tenenuchi when he officially established the first school of Jiu-Jitsu in Japan. The history of the art during this time is uncertain because teachers kept everything secret to give their art a feeling of importance and then would change the stories of their art to suit their own needs.
In approximately 1603, Japan came to a fairly peaceful period following the formation of the Tokugawa military government by Tokugawa Ieyasu. During this time (1603-1868), the feudal civil wars that had plagued Japan for centuries started to disappear. However, following the adage "living in peace, but remembering war," the traditions of classical budo (martial arts) required that everyone should learn a method of self-defense for those situations where weapons could not be used and the practice of Jiu-Jitsu continued to spread. Forms and techniques displaying weapons skills of fighting began to yield to weaponless styles which incorporated many of the grappling ground fighting techniques of the older styles.
After the Feudal period in Japan ended (Jiu-Jitsu was no longer needed on the battlefield), a way to practice the art realistically was needed, which is why Jigoro Kano (1860-1938), an educated man and member of the Cultural department and a practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu, developed his own version of Jiu-Jitsu in the late 1800s, called Judo. Judo was helpful because it allowed practitioners the ability to try the art safely and realistically at the same time.
After a match-up between older styles of Jiu-Jitsu and Judo at the Tokyo police headquarters, Judo was named the national martial art in Japan. It was the official art used by law enforcement in the late 1800s, and continues to be popular to this day.
Because of the sportive outlet (rules that made practice safe), students of Jiu-Jitsu from Kano's school were able to practice more frequently due to the fact that they were not always recovering from injuries. This multiplies the amount of training time for students of Kano's school and drastically increased their abilities. Judo (Kano's version of Jiu-Jitsu) was watered down from the complete form of Jiu-Jitsu, but still contained enough techniques to preserve its realistic effectiveness. He named it Kodokan Judo. The one problem that occurred was, in Kano's opinion, ground work was not as important as achieving the throw or take down, therefore ground fighting was not emphasized in Judo.
There is a theory that claims that Judo was developed with the purpose of hiding the realistic effectiveness of Jiu-Jitsu from the western world. During World War II, many U.S. soldiers were exposed to the art of Judo and brought it back to America with them.
Carlos Gracie
THE GRACIE CONNECTION
When the days of the Samurai came to an end, the gun replaced the sword, and new sportive ways to practice martial arts were developed. Eventually, in Japan many different variations of Jiu-Jitsu took shape, including Karate, Aikido, and Judo. But these arts were missing essential pieces of what the complete art of Jiu-Jitsu originally held.
This lack of reality created years of confusion in the martial arts community, a confusion that legendary Bruce Lee would later refer to as the 'classical mess'. Bruce Lee was actually a student of Judo and did many studies on grappling while he was alive. He criticized traditional martial arts as being ineffective. The more traditional combat schools were simply practicing techniques no longer suitable for modern day combat, and with no way to safely test them, practicing these arts became like swimming without water.
It wasn't until the sport art of Judo and the combat art of Jiu-Jitsu were introduced to the Gracie family in Brazil that the real art of Jiu-Jitsu would be brought to life again. Japanese Jiu-Jitsu (practiced as Judo) was introduced to the Gracie family in Brazil around 1914 by Esai Maeda, who was also known as Conde Koma. Maeda was a champion of Jiu-Jitsu and a direct student of Kano, at the Kodokan in Japan. He was born in 1878, and became a student of Judo (Kano’s Jiu-Jitsu) in 1897.
In 1914, Maeda was given the opportunity to travel to Brazil as part of a large Japanese immigration colony. In Brazil, in the northern state of Para, he befriended Gastão Gracie, an influential businessman, who helped Maeda get established. To show his gratitude, Maeda offered to teach traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu to Gastão's oldest son, Carlos Gracie. Carlos learned for a few years and eventually passed his knowledge to his brothers.
Helio Gracie, the youngest son of Gastão and Cesalina Gracie's eight children (three were girls), was always a very physically frail child. He would run up a flight of stairs and have fainting spells, and no one could figure out why.
At age fourteen, he moved in with his older brothers who lived and taught Jiu-Jitsu in a house in Botafogo, a borough of Rio de Janeiro. Following doctor’s recommendations, Helio would spend the next few years limited to only watching his brothers teach.
One day, when Helio was 16 years old, a student showed up for class when Carlos was not around. Helio, who had memorized all the techniques from watching his brothers teach, offered to start the class. When the class was over, Carlos showed up and apologized for his delay. The student answered, "No problem. I enjoyed the class with Helio very much and, if you don't mind, I'd like to continue learning from him." Carlos agreed, and Helio became an instructor.
THE BIRTH OF GRACIE JIU-JITSU
Helio soon realized that due to his frail physique, most of the techniques he had learned from watching Carlos teach were particularly difficult for him to execute. Eager to make the techniques work for him, he began modifying them to accommodate his weak body. Emphasizing the use of leverage and timing over strength and speed, Helio modified virtually all of the techniques and, through trial and error, created Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
In order to prove the effectiveness of his new system, Helio openly challenged all the reputable martial artists in Brazil. He fought 18 times, including matches against onetime world heavyweight wrestling champion, Wladek Zbyszko and the #2-ranked Judoka in the world at the time, Kato, whom Helio choked unconscious in six minutes. His victory against Kato qualified him to enter the ring with the world champion, Masahiko Kimura, the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter Japan has ever produced, and who outweighed Helio by almost 80 pounds. Kimura won the match but was so impressed with Helio’s techniques that he asked Helio to go teach in Japan claiming the techniques Helio presented during their bout did not exist in Japan. It was the recognition by the world’s best to Helio’s dedication to the refinement of the art.
At 43 years old, Helio and former student, Waldemar Santana, set the world record for the longest uninterrupted no-holds-barred fight in history when they fought for an incredible 3 hours and 40 minutes!
Widely regarded as the first sports hero in Brazilian history, Helio also challenged boxing icons Primo Carnera, Joe Louis, and Ezzard Charles. They all declined.
A dedicated family man who exemplified a healthy life-style he was the epitome of courage, discipline, determination, and an inspiration to people everywhere. A modern-day legend, Helio Gracie gained international acclaim for his dedication to the dissemination of the art and is recognized as the creator of Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Oswaldo Fadda. He was born on Jan. 15, 1921 in an area known as Bento Ribiero (suburban area of Rio de Janerio), Brazil. He didn’t begin studying BJJ until he met Luis França who was a black belt under the famous Mitsuyo Maeda (a black belt master in Judo).
As time went on Fadda consistently trained with França and earned his black belt.
During this time Gracie Jiu Jitsu exploded and became sport for the rich because of the high tuition costs. Fadda believed that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was to be shared with the all since it had such an impact on the betterment of his life. At the expense of his own wellbeing began teaching all over Brazil without a tuition cost. This meant people from poorer areas such as “favela” (translation shanty town) could train. Brazilians with disabilities such as: mental instability, physical deformation, and many other issues could partake in learning BJJ! Anyone that trains or has trained knows that you become a better person and everything in life becomes enhanced, Fadda knew this.
As time went on, Fadda was able to create his own school and began specializing his students in a style of Jiu Jitsu which was often ignored by the Gracie family, foot locks. After rigorously training his students, Fadda then became confident enough to challenge the Gracie family to a tournament. The famous quote from Fadda himself was “We wish to challenge the Gracie’s, we respect them like the formidable adversaries they are but we do not fear them. We have 20 pupils ready for the dispute”
Many who know this history have their own view, but my view has always been the classic David vs Goliath.
The challenge was brought forth to the Grand-master himself, Hélio Gracie who accepted without hesitation. The tournament was to be held at the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janerio. Fadda’s team emerged victorious with the foot lock specialization practiced day in and day out. Fadda also became the first person in history to defeat Hélio Gracie himself.
During a post interview with the Brazilian press Fadda noted how he was able to win “We finished with the Gracie’s taboo” (foot locks).
Further into the interview, Fadda also stated the following showing his respect to the Gracie, “I want to make clear that I have no intention to diminish in any way the Gracie. I refer only to the” myth “that they and their students are invincible.”
Hélio Gracie was also interviewed that day and showed his respects to Fadda and his team, “All you need is one Fadda to show that Jiu-Jitsu is not the Gracie’s privilege”.
After this challenge, it was shown through the tournament and even Hélio Gracie’s quote that Jiu Jitsu was no longer made for just the upper class, the privileged, or the Gracie’s, it was made for everyone. If it wasn’t for Oswaldo Fadda, who knows where BJJ would be. Would we have access to it as we do now? How would it be taught or practiced? Would it have ever come to the US? On Apr. 1, 2005, Fadda passed away from bacterial pneumonia aggravated from Alzheimer’s. His legacy continues through many. Can you guess why the history of Fadda is so important? GF Team is a part of this lineage, and we are now a part of this lineage.
MITSUYO MAEDA’S FIRST BRAZILIAN STUDENTS – AMONGST THEM:
LUIZ FRANÇA FILHO
Mitsuyo Maeda’s first Brazilian students – amongst them: Luiz França Filho
Luiz França Filho along with Carlos Gracie and his brothers (Osvaldo, Gastão Gracie Jr, Jorge and Hélio) -all of them 10th Degree Red Belts- are founders of the art that would become today’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Luiz França Filho’s lineage is the most prominent NON-Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lineage in the world that continues -to this day- to produce Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA world champions via Nova União (home of ‘The Prodigy’ BJ Penn – the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), GFTeam (home to multiple Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champions) and others.
Luiz França Filho was the teacher of the respected and beloved Oswaldo Baptista Fadda.
Teams like Deo Jiu-Jitsu (Deoclecio Paulo) and Equipe Wilson Jiu-Jitsu (Wilson Pereira Mattos) also trace the same lineage.
Luiz França Filho was a Brazilian martial artist and one of the primary founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. França was a student of Soshihiro Satake, Geo Omori, and Mitsuyo Maeda, from whom he learned pre-World War II Kodokan Judo (no; this was not today’s Olympic Judo) and Ne-Waza techniques of that time found in the Kodokan curriculum (techniques later developed into ‘Kosen Judo’ in Japan) – or simply ‘Jiu-Jitsu’.
*Jigoro Kano’s Kodokan Judo was sometimes known -prior to 1925- as ‘Kano Jiu-Jitsu’.
Biography
In 1916, França began training in Judo/Jiu-Jitsu under Soshihiro Satake at his school Atletico Clube Rio Negro in the city of Manaus. França would remain in Manaus for a year before moving to the city of Belem.
It was in Belem that França would begin training under Mitsuyo Maeda at the same time as Carlos Gracie, Donato Pires, Jacinto Ferro, and many others. After his time with Maeda, França moved to Sao Paulo where he continued his training under Geo Omori (who would later draw against Carlos Gracie in a grappling match).
After his stay in Sao Paulo, França would finally settle in outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, where he would begin teaching what he had learned to police officers, military servicemen, and especially the poor in the favelas. One of those men was a young Marine named Oswaldo Fadda, who would continue França’s ideology of teaching Jiu-Jitsu to the poor, instead of only the middle and upper class of society.
° Full name: Luiz França Filho
° Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo
° Teacher(s): Mitsuyo Maeda, Soshihiro Satake, Geo Omori
° Rank: 10th degree Red Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
° Notable students: Oswaldo Baptista Fadda
GFTeam History
It all began at the Universidade Gama Filho, a University in Rio de Janeiro famous for its Physical Education course and its sporting teams. One of the post graduate students of the University, who was also a physical education coach, Fernando Guimarães, made his monograph about the insertion of Jiu Jitsu into the University curriculum in 1978. Guimarães (also known as “Pinduka”) was a Carlson Gracie black belt and a believer in the academic benefits that BJJ tuition would bring to the school, unfortunately the request was denied by a board strongly dominated by a Judo lobby. The request was handed 3 more times (1988, 1990 and 1992) until the director of the school (Pedro Gama Filho, who was a Judo and BJJ black belt himself), helped push Jiu Jitsu into the University program (1993).
After the necessary logistics, in 1996 the academy was finally up and running at the Taquara Campus in the Northern area of Rio de Janeiro. Pedro Gama Filho and Paulo Jardim coached at the University for a short while before handing the job in the capable hands of Master Júlio César, Marcus Bello and Alexandre Baraúna who took the project from there on, Gama Filho and Jardim stayed behind the team giving financial support.
The team’s growth was immense from the get-go and soon the camp had to be shifted to a better facility at Campus Piedade, another UGF address. Other branches of the team also started opening in places like Bairro Vila da Penha and Aracaju (capital of the state of Sergipe) with Coach Marcus Bello.
With the passing of the instrumental Pedro Gama Filho in 2004, the team lost the sponsorship of the University having to move their Head Quarters from the famous Campus Piedade to Bairro do Méier, though keeping the Gama Filho name. In 2007, however, due to some of their competitors having transitioned to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), UGF had to change their name since the University did not want to be in any way connected with the sport of MMA, thus giving birth to the name Grappling Fight Team (GF Team).
Julio Cesar Pereira, Samurai Master
Established in late 2007, GF Team rose from the ashes of the UGF academy with Master Julio Cesar Pereira leading his troops into the unknown. Within just a little over 2 years the talented army drew their first blood at the biggest stage of our sport, the IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu Championships, with one silver and two bronze medals in 2010.
The following year Rodolfo Vieira broke out into the scene, turning all eyes to the team. This included the stare of many in the sport’s international media, and even the commentators of the World Championship live stream, who at the time were not familiar with the humbling work being performed at Arquias Cordeiro street, number 478 – Meier, Rio de Janeiro by Master Julio and his students.
Like the unstoppable gallop of Bucephalus, GFT kept returning to the tournament stronger with each year that past, always improving on previous marks with beautiful “no nonsense” jiu jitsu. Soon Rodolfo was not the only team flag bearer as Igor Silva, Ricardo Evangelista, Vanessa Oliveira, Jaime Canuto, Vitor Silverio and countless others helped raise the standard with each year that passed.
At the very core of this formidable team is one man: The aforementioned Master Julio Cesar Pereira, a true leader who has dealt with the academy’s ascendancy by himself, for the most part, unlike the majority of the high level teams in the international circuit who have several leaders.
This year, days before the World Championship, the IBJJF honoured Master Pereira with his coral belt. 7th degree in jiu jitsu, for time served as a black belt (31 years). An incredible achievement even for such an accomplished competitor and coach as is Julio Cesar. The promotion seemed to galvanize GFT’s warriors, who broke all previous records in the tournament, earning 35 podium spots in 2016 and placing on the top 3 adult male and female divisions. Squashing last year’s best of 20 medals, and pouring an incredible quantity of new talent into the jiu jitsu stream.
For us at BJJ Heroes, it is truly inspirational to see a coral belt with the integrity and the drive shown by Master Julio Cesar Pereira, and we could not let this go by unnoticed to our readers.
Congratulations Master Julio Cesar.
Congratulations GF Team.
