How Jiu Jitsu and Judo Got to the West

 

 

This is a brief chronology I made of what I could find about how jiu jitsu and judo came to America, England and Brazil. (Not authoratative by any means. Just find it interesting.) 

Players:

Jigoro Kano (founder of Kodokan Judo in Tokyo)

Yoshiaki Yamashita

Tomita Tsunejiro

Mitsuyo Maeda

Soshihiro Satake

Yataro Handa (Founder of Handa dojo in Osaka, Japan)

Mataemon Tanabe

Yukio Tani

Sadakazu Uyenishi

Taro Miyake

 

1854 Matthew Perry sailed war ships into Tokyo Harbor. He played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.

1860 Birth of Jigoro Kano

(Very little seems to be known about life and death of Yataro Handa)

1869 Birth of Mataemon Tanabe

1879 U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant visits Japan, watches martial arts exhibition

1881 Birth of Yukio Tani

1882 Kano starts Kodokan Judo

1889 Kano gives public talk with several Americans present

1889 A Professor Ladd from Yale University trains in Kodokan Judo for 10 years

1891 Jujitsuka Mataemon Tanabe beats Kodokan judoka Takisaburo Tobari in challenge match winning by juji jime

1892-1900 Tanabe wins challenge matches against Kodokan Judo. Tanabe is then reported to have been solicited by Kano to teach his ground grappling for use by the Kodokan. Tanabe is said to never officially join the Kodokan.

1895 Maeda joins Kodokan Judo

1895- 1898 E.W. Barton Wright studies ju jitsu and Kodokan judo in Tokyo

1897-1902 American businessman Sam Hill visits Japan several times

1897 Reported opening of Handa dojo in Osaka under Yutaro Handa

1897-1900 (?) Yukio Tani studies at Handa dojo. Tani’s father and grandfather are said to be friends with Mataemon Tanabe.

1898 Barton Wright returns to England

1900 Barton Wright starts Bartitsu school

1900 Barton Wright  brings Yukio Tani, his brother Kaneo and a fellow jujutsuka Seizo Yamamoto travelled to London. Barton Wright is reported to have asked Kano for instructors and Kano recommended the jujitsukas.

1900 Barton Wright brings Sadakazu Uyenishi to London to join Tani. Uyenishi is reported to have trained at Handa dojo.

1900 Tani competes in challenge matches

1902 Bartitsu school closes

1903 Uyenishi opens his School of Japanese Self Defense in London

1903 Sam Hill invites Kodokan judoka Yoshiaki Yamashita (Four Guardians of Kokokan Judo) to Seattle to teach his son Judo

1904 Yamashita demonstrates Judo to President Teddy Roosevelt in Washington D.C.

1904 Taro Miyake a student of Mataemon Tanabe at Handa dojo gets fired from his police job for getting in fight and moves to London

1904 Tani and Miyake open School of Ju Jitsu in London

1903-4 Japanese League asks Kano to send more Judoka to America

1904 Kodokan judoka Tsunejiro Tomita (Four Guardians of Kodokan Judo -- Kano’s first student)  -- along with Mitsuyo Maeda and Soshihiro Satake -- move to New York City

1905 Tomita and Maeda open judo club in NYC

1904(5)-7 Maeda and Satake compete in mixed style challenge matches in America

1905 Yamashita is hired as judo coach at U.S. Naval Academy

1905 Uyenishi writes Textbook of Ju Jitsu

1906 Tani and Miyake write Game of Ju Jitsu

1907 Maeda leaves America for London (reportedly because of racism)

1907 Maeda performs demonstration with Tani in London

1908 Maeda tours Europe with Miyake and Uyenishi competing in challenge matches

1909-1914 Maeda and Satake travel to Cuba, Mexico, Latin America competing in challenge matches

1908 (?) Uyenishi dies

1909 Kodokan judoka Geo Omori opens first judo school in Brazil

1914 Maeda goes to Brazil

1914 Miyake moves to Seattle

1921 Maeda opens academy in Brazil

1935 Miyake dies (in America?)

1935 Yamashita dies

1937 Tomita dies

1938 Kano dies at sea while traveling on ocean liner

1938 Omori dies in Brazil

1941 Maeda dies in Brazil

1942 Tanabe dies in Osaka

1950 Tani dies in England

1951 Edward Barton-Wright dies in England

(Date of death of Satake is unknown)

 

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ttt

Cool.

Maeda was very popular in the states due to speaking english, and he lived primarily in the south by choice. Where'd the racist sjw stuff come from.

Raku died in the early 30's, he was fighting in spain at the Bilbao circus theatre in 1908.

centre with the handlebar.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Miyake lived in london, last i recall seeing it mentioned was 1919. He remarked at all the japs in california as compared to his home in england.

My question is that people suggest that Carlos did not train with maeda but with one of his students. If he was alive until the 40s and died in Brazil wouldn’t someone have asked him about it since they were fairly famous? I mean they had fucking commercials and their fights were in the local media. Did no one ask him about them or did they not claim to be his student until after he passed?

Sorry if I just missed this bus on one of the other routes here in the past

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De braco, I read that about Maeda here:

https://sites.google.com/site/mixedmartialartsrankings/home/mixed-martial-arts-hall-of-fame/mitsuyo-count-koma-maeda---the-man-who-taught-the-gracies

no idea of it is true

vegard -

De braco, I read that about Maeda here:

https://sites.google.com/site/mixedmartialartsrankings/home/mixed-martial-arts-hall-of-fame/mitsuyo-count-koma-maeda---the-man-who-taught-the-gracies

no idea of it is true

That's bullshit.

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/forums/BJJ/Gentleman-Jim-Corbett-vs-Kan-Inoue-1900-11-7:2517206-1

Not sure what to look at there, de braco. 

Do you have idea why Maeda left America? 

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There's a dozen or so clippings of Maeda in the U.S in the first few pages, N.Y,D.C,Ashville,Atlanta. Read his comments and the coverage of him, he was very popular and the darling of the media due to speaking English. I have a lot more on Maeda i'll upload at some point. Not sure why he left, possibly to follow Ono, they were operating an academy in london that was in competition with Tani and Miyake. Maeda had the academy in Ashville with Ono. Things went a little downhill there after Ono lost the fight with Olsen, which was no shame considering Olsen was quite likely the #1 p4p guy in the world at the time. Olsen had at various times killed at least two people in the ring. Won't hijack your thread anymore : )

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There’s no mention of Vasili Oschepkov, who was one of the founders of Sambo and contributed to it by going to Japan and getting a black belt from the Kodokan.

things to see people to do - My question is that people suggest that Carlos did not train with maeda but with one of his students. If he was alive until the 40s and died in Brazil wouldn't someone have asked him about it since they were fairly famous? I mean they had fucking commercials and their fights were in the local media. Did no one ask him about them or did they not claim to be his student until after he passed?

Sorry if I just missed this bus on one of the other routes here in the past

There is no record of my Maeda ever saying anything about any of the Gracie brothers. Before he died I think they had some notoriety but I don’t think they were nearly as popular at that time as the Gracie family wants us to believe. I think the 1950s is when things start to pick up for them.

2 Likes
JoejitsuMD - 
things to see people to do - My question is that people suggest that Carlos did not train with maeda but with one of his students. If he was alive until the 40s and died in Brazil wouldn't someone have asked him about it since they were fairly famous? I mean they had fucking commercials and their fights were in the local media. Did no one ask him about them or did they not claim to be his student until after he passed?

Sorry if I just missed this bus on one of the other routes here in the past

There is no record of my Maeda ever saying anything about any of the Gracie brothers. Before he died I think they had some notoriety but I don’t think they were nearly as popular at that time as the Gracie family wants us to believe. I think the 1950s is when things start to pick up for them.

I think you are correct. I think they were known by people in know, and they did get some media spotlight mainly because Carlos pursued the media. I think in some areas the public knew them, but Brazil was a BIG, populous country.

Even in the early 2000s (2004-ish) I worked with Brazilians exchange students, and only one had heard of the Gracies (he was from Rio). The other from Sao Paulo and other cities had no clue who they were.

My other experience was with a visiting couple from Rio who I was introduced to. I mentioned I did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and they looked awkward and he said “Jiu-Jitsu”? They became a bit distant, and I find out later that when they heard I did Jiu-Jitsu they assumed I must be a criminal or a thug. lol

All in all, I think Royce Gracie was known by more people here than in Brazil.

HotSteppa -
JoejitsuMD - 
things to see people to do - My question is that people suggest that Carlos did not train with maeda but with one of his students. If he was alive until the 40s and died in Brazil wouldn't someone have asked him about it since they were fairly famous? I mean they had fucking commercials and their fights were in the local media. Did no one ask him about them or did they not claim to be his student until after he passed?

Sorry if I just missed this bus on one of the other routes here in the past

There is no record of my Maeda ever saying anything about any of the Gracie brothers. Before he died I think they had some notoriety but I don’t think they were nearly as popular at that time as the Gracie family wants us to believe. I think the 1950s is when things start to pick up for them.

I think you are correct. I think they were known by people in know, and they did get some media spotlight mainly because Carlos pursued the media. I think in some areas the public knew them, but Brazil was a BIG, populous country.

Even in the early 2000s (2004-ish) I worked with Brazilians exchange students, and only one had heard of the Gracies (he was from Rio). The other from Sao Paulo and other cities had no clue who they were.

My other experience was with a visiting couple from Rio who I was introduced to. I mentioned I did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and they looked awkward and he said “Jiu-Jitsu”? They became a bit distant, and I find out later that when they heard I did Jiu-Jitsu they assumed I must be a criminal or a thug. lol

All in all, I think Royce Gracie was known by more people here than in Brazil.

This is true, I have a lot of friends from various parts of Brazil and only 10 percent of them either trained jiujitsu or had any idea what it was.  Capoeira is way more popular as well as judo and karate. 

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In

These are the threads that need to be preserved for future butt floppers.

Great stuff

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Necromancy

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In your timeline where 1904- I had read “someplace” Maeda and Tomita gave a demo to the president. Meade was supposed to do all the techniques and Tomita was to talk since Meada didn’t speak english well. Tomita was put on the spot by an American wrestler who asked for a match/challenge. Should have gone to Meada, the better of the two of course, but Tomita took it and lost. That is why Jiu-jitsu didn’t take off in America. Then Meada went to Brazil.
–do you find any truth to that story?

That’s the infamous West Point showdown, in which Bull Tipton military pressed tomita, maeda tried to talk him out of tangling with Tipton, but as tomita held the highest rank, he felt he was obligated. Maeda spoke English fluently, he was constantly on the go between his base in Asheville N.C and NYC/DC translating for tomita and other Japanese.

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Another important part of the story…

Japan and the West | National Library of Australia.

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Shima I presume?

Much can be revealed to the sincere martial arts enthusiast by investigating the identity and ongoing travels of the first Christian missionaries to Japan.

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