Tapa: Slap, open-hand strike.
Xulipa: Same as Chulipa.
How Matches Could End
Abandonar o ring: Leaving the ring or refusing to fight.
Desistencia: Desisting, giving up, tapping out.
Perda dos sentidos: Losing consciousness.
Empate: No decision, no definite winner or loser, draw.
Other Vocabulary
Below are the noun forms of the words that were used most frequently in the period 1856-1949 to refer to ring (and other athletic) contests. Most had more general, or more localized meanings. Luta could be any type of struggle. “Match” was used with quotation marks, to emphasize the Anglo-American-ness of the sport. Jogo meant game (but more often used to describe the art than a match). Poule (a French word) was used almost exclusively for luta romana. Assalto originally referred to a simulated fight with blades (i.e, fencing), later extended to describe savate demonstrations, and later to describe the segments of a match that was divided up for dramatic purposes, like acts in a play, in which case it meant “round” (which was also used, with “quotation marks, for the same reason that “match” was). Many have cognates in languages that developed from Latin, or borrowed from languages that did. Examples were choque (shock, collision) assalto (assault), batalha (battle), combate (combat), confronto (confrontation), contenda (contention), encontro (encounter), disputa (dispute), pugna (pugnacious, pugilism), prova (proof), and so on. Sports writers could invent new phrases, or translate from English if they wanted to be creative. Fighters would subir ao ring [climb into the ring], subir ao quadriletero [climb into the rectangle], or medir forces [measure forces], medir-se [contend], bater-se [grapple], or (in the cases of boxers) cruzar luvas (cross gloves). Writers had to use their imagination to fill up space describing activities that were often incomprehensible to the typical reader.
Assalto
Batalha
Certame
Choque
Combate
Confronto
Contenda
Jogo
Cotejo
Desafio
Desempenho
Disputa
Embate
Encontro
Luta (lucta)
Match
Partida
Peleja
Poule
Pugna
Prova
Reunião
Other Relevant Expressions
Abalar: To shake.
Adiamento: Postponement.
Antagonista: Opponent.
Apanhar: Grab, catch.
Armadilha: A Trap.
Arrastar: Crawl, creep, drag.
Arremeter: Attack.
Atordoado: Dazed.
Atropelar: Knock down.
Ase: Ace, expert.
Bengala: Walking stick.
Cacete: Stick, club, blunt weapon.
Cacetada: A blunt weapon strike.
Cacetear: To bluedgeon.
Campo: Field.
Canivete: Pocket-knife.
Canivetada: A stab from a canivete.
Carioca: Someone from Rio.
Cilada: Ambush, trap.
Cognomiado: Nicknamed.
Combate de mentira: Worked fight
Combate simulada: Worked fight.
Combate de fundo: Main event.
Conchavos: Agreement to work a fight.
Conchavar: To collude.
Craque (crack, crac): Expert, very skilled.
Desempate: Tie-breaker.
Desempate a morte: Tie-breaker of inconclusive tie-breaker.
Despedida: Retiring, closing the show, leaving.
Embate-desforra: Rubber-match, the third in a best 2 out of 3 series.
Embusteiro: Swindler.
Estonteado: To be stunned.
Estontear: To stun.
Estraçalhada: Pulled into pieces.
Esfaçelada: torn apart.
Esmagar: Crush, smash.
Exame medico: Pre-fight medical check
Foi batido: Was beaten, lost.
Foi vencido: Was defeated, lost..
Faixa negra: Black belt.
Faixa preta: Black belt.
Folêgo: Stamina, wind, cardio.
Gaucho: From Rio Grande do Sul.
Habil: Skillful, able, capable
Habilidade: Skill.
Levar a melhor: To win.
Luta combinada: Worked fight.
Luta no tapete: Ground fight.
Luta simulada: Worked fight.
Mão tempo: Bad weather, rain.
Marmelada: Fake fight.
Match de fundo: Main event.
Nacional: National, Brazilian.
Navalha: Razor, knife.
Negra: Rematch.
Nosso patricio: The Brazilian fighter.
Palpate: A guess, hunch.
Pau: Stick.
Paulista: From São Paulo
Pelaja de fundo: Main event.
Pesagem: Weigh-in
Pôr fóra de combate: Defeat
Progroação: Over-time period, extension.
Refrega: Melee.
Renhida: Close (fight).
Renhidissima: Very close (fight).
Repto: Challenge.
Sine-die: Postponed indefinitely, cancelled.
Sobrado: Floor.
Soló: Ground, floor.
Sparring: Training partner.
Tablado: Ring, competition area.
Tamanho: Size.
Tapeação: A fraud, swindle, treachery.
Tapeadores: Swindlers, cheaters.
Tapear: Slap, strike, deceive, fake, trick.
Tapete: Ground, floor, carpet.
Tolice: Fool.
Traiçoeira: Cheater.
Transferido: Rescheduled or relocated.
Truque (truc): Trick, ploy, technique.
Revanche: Return match.
Revez: Set-back, loss, reversal.
Vencer: To win, to defeat, to beat.
Vencedor: Winner, victor.
Vulgo: To be called.
Xadrez: Chess, jail.
Nicknames (alcunas, apelidos) ring-names, and other commonly used descriptions for fighters. The two most famousnicknames belonged to Mitsuyo Maeda, and Sadakazu Uenishi, who were far better known as Conde Koma and Raku, respectively. Some Brazilian professional fighters had nicknames as well. Like their North American counterparts, they were generally the invention of publicists and sports writers who needed to fill up space.
Some examples were:
Rei das Quedas: Takeo Yano
Demonio Oriental: Takeo Yano
Caçula: Helio Gracie
Caxinga: Helio Gracie
Caxinguetê: Helio Gracie
Chic-Chic: Othelo Queirolo
Espingarda: Simon Munich
Barata: Miranda Neto
Major: Jorge Saldanha
Oninho: Naoiti Ono
Ono II: Naoiti Ono
Noqueador: Dante Carvalho
Indigesto: Albino da Costa
Gato Ruivo: George Gracie
Gato Louro: George Gracie
Demolidor de Gigantes: George Gracie
Matador de Gigantes: George Gracie
Panthera Paulista: Rogerio
Carioca: Assumpção
Some of the Catchers were exclusively known by their ring names. Their real names appeared only in legal documents. Capoeiras all had nicknames as a convention of their art. When luta romana wrestler and sportsman Agenor Moreira Sampaio decided to reconstruct a modern version of capoeiragem, the first thing he did was adopt a new name, and he became better known as Sinhôzinho than by his legal name. Note that almost all, if not all, Brazilians had multiple names and a variety of ways to write them. For example, Simon or Sanson could also be written Simão and Samsão. Simon Munich was more often referred to by his nickname Espingarda. Sanson probably was not Sanson’s real name but was created to suggest supernatural power of Biblical proportions. Benedicto Peres dos Campos could be written
Benedicto Peres, Benedicto Peres Campos. Some were seldom used, some were optional, some used for special occasions, and so on. Some fighters had nicknames piled on top of other nicknames, and some were publicly known only by their ring names.
Some examples were:
Caipira: Pedro
O Homem Borracha: Ceará
Coronel: Eduardo Jose Sant’ Maria
Cyriaco: Francisco da Silva
Dentinho: Otavio Alvaro Alves de Catumby
Dudú: Orlando Americo da Silva
Gato Selvagem: Tavares Crespo
Gigante de Memel: Stefano Zicek
Gorila: Eugenio Jose Gonsalvez
Homem de Borracha: Charles Ulsemer
Homem Montanha: Leon Finklestein
Kid I: Jose Santos Cardoso
King Kong: Anibal Fortunato Segovia
Mané: Manoel Tito Ferreira
Moraisinho: Adalgido Morais
Norki: Andres Taranovack
Nick the Policeman: Nicholas Blazza Ellich
Onça Loura: Ervin Klausner
Rei dos Fouls: Jack Russell
Rollinha: Jayme Martins Ferriera
Tarzan: Luiz Fazio
Tarzan Argentino: Hector Fare
Tatú: Euclides Hattem
Touro de Copacabana: Tico Soledade
Some are obvious even without translation, and some are obvious with a dictionary: Tatú is armadillo, rei is king, touro is bull, onça is jaguar, gato is cat, louro/a is blond, borracha is rubber, homem is man, caipira is hillbilly, caçula is youngest sibling (or kid brother), espingarda is shotgun, -inho is a suffix that means small). Chic-Chic is a type of plant.
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Appendix 4 Notes
Chapter Notes
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Dates are written Day-Month-Year. For example, O Paiz 24-4-35 means the reference is to the newspaper O Paiz April 24, 1935.
..。
Preface
1. The importance of not relying excessively on a single individual’s testimony or memory is highlighted by the examples of three otherwise valuable academic dissertations. Souza (2010, p. 59), citing various sources including Jose Yamashiro and Stanlei Virgilio, mentions the names of several early Japanese visitors who might have initiated the spread of jiu-jitsu in Brazil, such as Takezo Mamizuka and “Sakuzo Miura”. Unfortunately, from the subsequent discussion it is clear that “Sakuzo Miura” must have been Sada Miyako. The sources of this confusion might have been thinking of Fumio Miura, a Japanese diplomat (secretario da Embaixado Imperial do Japão) in 1935 who on several occasions was quoted in the press about the subject of judo, and was accordingly associated with jiu-jitsu and Conde Koma (Diario de Noticias 24-11-35). Thus, additional assertions about “Miura”, all unsourced, can only be taken as speculative at best (since it isn’t clear exactly who the referenced individual is).
According to Nunes (2011, p. 54) Carlos Gracie was taught by Conde Koma’s student Jacyntho Ferro. Jacyntho Ferro was indeed a student of Conde Koma, but it has not been established when he began. Jose Cairus’ 2010 dissertation provides some useful information about Maeda, and some about Jacyntho Ferro. Ferro gave an interview in 1920 where he recalled beginning his “long acquaintance” with Maeda in October of 1915 (Cairus, 2010, p. 90, citing an April 8, 1920 interview in Folha do Norte, Belém). As to whether Carlos Gracie actually studied with Conde Koma, Cairus trusts Carlos Gracie’s own testimony (Cairus 2010, p. 112). Similarly, Carlos’ instruction at the hands of Jacyntho Ferro is speculation, based on “Gracie family sources” namely Reila Gracie’s (2008) book, specifically the one unsupported reference to Ferro on page 39. Reila Gracie in turn relied on what Carlos told his children and journalist Jose Geraldo (in 1958) about his childhood―or rather what they recalled him telling them (Gracie 2008, p. 25).
2. Diario de Noticias 10-3-40.
3. Diario de Noticias 24-3-40.
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Chapter 1
1856-1899
Mandell 1984 chp. 7. Different “schools” of physical culture arose in the various European countries, each with its own set of desiderata and objectives. Lopes (2000) points out that the first clubs in Brazil were organized, by foreigners and foreign educated Brazilian elites, around cricket and rowing. Football was not at the time regarded as sufficiently “masculine.” Brazilian adoption of one or another “fight” as sports or genres of physical culture followed European and North American trends.
Mandell 1984, chp. 8; Hargreaves 1986.
Correio Mercantil 14-12-1856. [“Este divertimento sendo para recreio das familias, não admittirá pessoa alguma que não esteja decentemente vestida”].
Conrad 1983.
Correio Paulistano 13-10-1863.
6. Gazeta de Noticias 1-11-68.
7. Also written lucta romana, luta (or lucta) Greco-romana, and grego-romana.
8. According to Le Floc’hmoan 1965, cited in Gutiérrez & Esparteiro 2004.
9. Correio Mercantil 14-12-1856.
10. Correio Mercantil 2-12-1857.
11. Assalto originally referred to the entire match, but later came to mean distinct periods within the match, analogous to the acts in a play. (Mandell 1984 pp. 148) comments that the people who watched the first variety show and circus fights were theater patrons, and expected a performance to be broken up into sections, heightening the dramatic tension. Breaks between rounds also served to lengthen the performance.
12. Diario do Rio de Janeiro 7-6-1862.
13. Correio Paulistano 13-10-1863.
14. Correio Mercantil 31-1-1864.
15. Correio Mercantil 1-11-1864. [“a Grande e Extraordinario Assalto de Armas , pelos artistas Francezes, Hespanholes, e Portuguezes. Haveá jogo de florete, espada, savate, luta romana, jogo de savate por M. Felippe e um amador, jogo de socco, e finalmente irá o grande jogo de pao portuguez. From 2:30 se não chover. Espectaculo variado: equestre, gymnastico, acrobatico, deslocacoes, equilibrios, dansas”].
16. Correio do Brasil 17-12-1872.
17. Gazeta de Noticias 6-9-1879. [“o qual desde já desafia ao homem mais forte, dando lhe, se o vencer, 400$ Inscreveram-se para competir com elle este noite os afamados Hercules Henrique o Grego, e Carlos Donadei”].
18. Gazeta de Noticias 7-9-1879.
19. Gazeta de Noticias 15-9-1879.
20. Gazeta de Noticias 18-9-1879.
21. Gazeta de Noticias 19-10-1879.
22. Publicador Maranhense 24-12-1879.
23. Gazete de Tarde 4-8-1881.
24. Gazeta de Noticias 12-11-1881.
25. Pharol 20-5-1882.
26. Pharol 28-5-1882.
27. Gazeta de Noticias 15-4-1882.
28. Diario do Brazil 28-9-84.
29. Gazeta de Noticias 24-8-1887.
30. Gazeta de Noticias 20-4-1890.
31. Gazeta de Noticias 23-5-1890. [“convida alguem homem de força ou lutador do proffisão a medir-se com elle em luta, dando-Ihe en grande premio se o deitar por terra, Segundo a regra da luta romana.” F. Cantoni was the director and owner of the circus [director propriatario do circo]. C. da Silva was the promoter [emprezario].
32. Diario do Commercio 11-6-1890; Gazete de Noticias 13-6-1890.
33. O Paiz 13-6-1890; 15-6-1890; Gazeta de Noticias 15-6-1890. Otto’s family name was also written as Schönhew and Schonherr.
34. Gazeta de Noticias 25-6-1890.
35. In North America in 1903, “nearly 100 circuses roamed the nation” (Davis, 2008, p. 168). They traveled by rail and ship. South American cities such as Buenas Aires, Montevideo, and Rio, any large coastal city for that matter, were highly accessible by sea.
36. O Paiz 15-9-1891; Novidades 18-9-1891; 26-9-1891; O Paiz19-9-1891.
37. O Paiz 4-12-1894.
38. The challenger’s name was written Mac Sham in a news item, Mac Lhmam [sic] in an advertisement, both in O Paiz 17-12-1894, and Max Lehmam in Diario de Noticias 18-12-1894.
39. Correio da Tarde 12-2-1895; 23-2-95. [“comidas frias, leite de minas, vinhos Italianos,
chocolate, and mingau, o que poderá haver de bom em café de 1st ordem”].
40. Gazete de Tarde 13-9-97.
41. Hampton 1970.
42. Gazete da Tarde 5-10-97.
43. Gazete da Tarde 18-1-98. 26-1-98.
44. Gazete da Tarde 3-3-98.
45. Gazeta da Tarde 3-9-98.
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Chapter 2
1900-1908
1. O Paiz 28-4-01; Gazeta de Noticias 9-5-01.
2. O Paiz 1-5-01; Gazete da Tarde 1-5-01.
3. O Paiz (2-5-01) described the cause of death as “syncope cardiaca”. O Paiz (6-5-01) described it as “uma lesão cardiaca”. Whatever the official cause of death was, it was related to his heart and he died quickly. By coincidence, Loriot was the editor and caricaturist of the newspaper L’Italia and had been selected by Paschoal Segreto to take over the direction of café chantant de Santos. He was also known as an excellent fencer (Gazeta de Noticias 2-5-01).
4. O Paiz 7-5-01.
5. O Seculo 5-10-06.
6. O Paiz 13-8-07.
7. O Paiz 15-8-07.
8. O Paiz 21-8-07.
9. Cairus 2011, p. 117, notes that “there are accounts about a certain Takezawa Manji, a Japanese martial artist hired to instruct the imperial guard of Brazil’s last emperor Pedro II”. Information about Takezawa Manji is non longer available at the source Cairus cited, but in any case, it does not seem that jiu-jitsu became popular in Brazil as a result. Takezawa Manji may be the same person referred to by Souza (2010, p. 59) as Takezo Mamizuka.
10. Cortazzi 1987; Huffman 2003.
11. The Brazilian Review 9-4-01; Correia da Manhã 3-7-03.
12. Correio da Manhã 1-8-03. Oliveira Lima also served in Washington D.C., London, Berlin, and Venezuela.
13. Olivera Lima’s reference to jiu-jitsu is cited in Cairus 2011, p. 105.
14. Norman 1905.
15. Hancock 1903, 1904-a, 1904-b; Hancock 1905; Hancock & Higashi 1906; Norman 1905, O’Brien 1905; Skinner 1904.
16. Okada 2010.
17. Correio do Norte 22-6-06; 24-6-06; 27-6-06; 29-6-06.
18. Hancock (1903, p. 2) incorrectly translated “jiu-jitsu” as muscle breaking”. (Juu-Jutsu (in Japanese),柔術can be literally translated in a number of ways.柔and術are bound morphemes, meaning that they occur only in combinations (when they are pronounced as “juu” and “jutsu” respectively). Separately,柔is pronounced “yawa” as in “yawarakaii” (柔らかい) and means “flexible, not firm, not stiff”.術(waza) means technique, method, a way to do something, a skill. Together they are pronounced juu-jutsu (vowel length is phonemic in Japanese; “uu” indicates that the “u” sound is held twice as long. Any word can have any meaning as long as the people using it agree on what it is, but in Japan柔術has never meant “muscle breaking”.
Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856-1949 (Volume 1) Page 49