26. Correio Paulistano 7-11-26.
27. O Imparcial 19-1-24.
28. O Imparcial 28-1-24.
29. Correio Paulistano 2-10-23.
30. Correio Paulistano 21-10-26; 7-11-26.
31. Jornal do Brasil 5-4-27.
32. O Paiz 11-3-27. Later, in 1930 the Club Carioca de Box was established on rua do Rosario, 133, 2nd floor, in Rio. The club played a role in the evolution of jiu-jitsu in Rio.
33. O Imparcial 19-1-21.
34. O Paiz 7-11-26 . Scherer’s article was titled “Importante estudo da maneira de desviar as golpes directos ao rosto”.
35. Also Brazilians were generally physically unhealthy by European and North American standards; see McCann 1995. It was not coincidental that most boxers were foreigners.
36. January 1922, No. 56-8o pp. 22-23 and 79.
37. Eu Sei Tudo, December 1922, n. 67, pp. 55-58.
38. Correio da Manhã and O Imparcial, 5-10-23 [“Alias é desnecessario dizer-se que Sessue Hayakawa é bom patriota, como japonez legitimito, cultiva com ardor os jogos da sua terra. Elle é mesmo um eximo jogador de jiu-jitsu e tem prostrado ao solo concorrentes muito superiores em força e corpulencia”].
39. Nogueira 2000, Reichl 1995, Tsuda 2001.
40. Cairus 2010, citing Folha da Norte 3-7-20.
41. Jornal de Recife 17-7-24 [“O campeão mundial do jiu-jitsu, conde Koma, reside ha alguns annos no Pará, onde tem numerosos discipulos, de que o mais notavel é o athleta regional, Jacintho Ferro”]. Ferro died on either December 31, 1928 or January 1, 1929 (O Imparcial 2-1-29; Gazeta de Noticias 3-1-29. O Paiz 2/3-1-29). Ferro fought and defeated the luta romana champion Victorio Segato in July of 1920, according to sources cited by Cairus 2010.
42. Masuda 2011, p. 102.
43. A Capital 6-8-17. Both fighters were black―”ambos de cor preto”. This gives us some idea what the word “race” [raça] meant to Brazilians at that time. Also, “playing by the rules” was a very English concept, and in a way revolutionary. The concept of not using every possible advantage to win but rather creating a “level playing field” was uniquely British. Undeveloped, backward countries felt themselves to be on the modernizing track when they adopted this particular British custom in the form of another British invention, that of “sport” (Mandell 1984 for insightful discussion).
44. A Capital 9-8-17.
45. A Capital 12-5-18.
46. Masuda 2011, p. 102.
47. Masuda 2011, p. 335.
.
Chapter 8
1928
1. Correio Paulistano 21-6-21.
2. Correio Paulistano 9-10-26.
3. Correio Paulistano 13-6-26.
4. Diario Nacional 11-9-28. Omori probably joined in August, as earlier would have been months and later would have been days.
5. Diario Nacional 9-10-28.
6. Diario Nacional 19-10-28 [“emocionante luta ‘capoeira contra jiu-jitsu’”].
7. O Imparcial 4-7-35; 5-1-35; 12-2-38. In Japanese the family name comes first; Jyoji was not an unusual Japanese male name at that time. Omori’s first name was written as “Geo” and “Géo” (with diacritic over the letter “e”) in the press.
8. Unger 1987, pp. 83-108.
9. Omori’s story is based on his own four-part series of articles in 1932, interviews conducted between 1928 and 1938, and especially obituary notices (see chapter 1938 for references).
10. Kohyama 1997.
11. Cetuko was also spelled Kotuko, Kotuke, and Kimika as Kimiko, and Kinka, among other variants.
12. Diario Nacional 12-9-28 [“o publico que frequenta a nossa casa não tem prazer em apreciar muitas vezes a mesma luta”].
13. Information about Jack Marin comes from O Paiz 20-1-22; Correio Paulistano 11-7-28; A Noite 25-5-28.
14. Diario Carioca 18-9-28.
15. Diario Nacional 18-9-28.
16. Diario Nacional 23-9-28.
17. September 24, 1928, Vol. 12, issue 13, page 26.
18. Diario Nacional 19-10 1928.
19. A general vocabulary of fight techniques was lacking. Reporters made up their own terminology. Rabo de arraio referred to a spinning back kick supported by the hands, rastiera meant crawling, but also was used to refer to crouching positions or foot sweeps, trips, and leg kicks. A rabo de frente may have been a spin kick aimed at Omori’s front. A pulo de passarinho seems from context to be a ground position, most likely hopping from a crouching position rather than lying or sitting (as suggested by the avian metaphor). In short, the only way to know what was meant by a term for a technique would be to see a picture. Fortunately, there were many (confirming that usage was inconsistent).
20. Diario Nacional 21-10-28.
21. Diario Nacional 23-10-28.
22. Diario Nacional 25-10-28.
23. Diario Nacional 18-10-28.
24. Pacotilha 5-1-28. On Tuesday January 10, Letone lost in a luta romana contest to Manoel Stringhuiny, of the Circo Stringhuiny, then appearing in São Luis.
25. A Manhã 16-11-28.
26. Diario Nacional 11-11-28.
27. Diario Nacional 14-12-28 [“Acceitam qualquer desafio de qualquer amador ou professional para fazeram uma luta livre de Jiu-Jitsu contra luta livre. Dando um premio de 500$000 ao vencedor”].
28. Diario Nacional 15-11-28.
29. Diario Nacional 21-10-28.
30. Diario Nacional 23-10-28.
31. Diario Nacional; 24-10-28.
32. Diario Nacional 25-10-28.
33. As an obvious example, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is now often called BJJ. Conversely, publishers can use the longer variants when they need to fill up space and writers are free to say almost anything in order to make what they are describing seem more significant than it is. Accordingly there are many words for “fight” in the sense of an athletic contest (see glossary for examples). Writers need to be creative when what they are describing is two men punching each other, or the equivalent in grappling.
34. Diario Nacional 20-12-28.
.
Chapter 9
1929
1. Correio Paulistano 2-1-29.
2. Dete was Jose Detti, the “arabe” jiu-jitsu champion. Klausner was the boxer Ervin Klausner, who fought a jiu-jitsu match with Helio Gracie in 1937. Goto might have been the Goto (who fought M. de Abreu in 1928), or Yakuro Goto (who fought Detti in 1935), or the two Gotos may have been the same person.
3. Diario Nacional January 13, 1929.
4. Diario Nacional 6-1-28.
5. Diario Nacional, 8-1-29.
6. Diario Carioca, 10-1-29; 16-1-29 [“Omori pretende vir ao Rio, em busca de novos adversaries”].
7. Correio da da Manhã 15-1-29.
8. Correio da Manhã 15-1-29.
9. Diario Nacional 15-1-29.
10. Klausner (85 kilos) and Haki (85 kilos) engaged in a straight boxing match just a week before, January 5, 1929. Klausner won by decision (Diario Carioca 9-1-29).
11. Correio Paulistano 17-1-29.
12. Diario Nacional 17-1-29; Correio Paulistano 18-1-29.
13. O Paiz 4-7-26.
14. Correio Paulistano 2-1-29.
15. Correio Paulistano 25-1-29 [“ha muito que essa luta é esperada, pois, Klausner desafiou por tres vezes ao campeão nipponico. Esta lucta deverá ser renhida, pois Klausner é o mais perigoso adversario que Omori pode enfrenta”].
16. Diario Nacional, 3-2-29; 17-2-29.
17. Diario de Noticias 26-8-31.
18. Diario de Noticias 9-9-31.
19. Correio Paulistano 8-3-29 [“A forte luctador Austriaco, inesperadamente, e com surpresa geral, venceu o japonez Omori no Segundo assalto. Foi um acontecimento sensacional, que para muitos parecia um sonho, e para outros uma [combinação]. O facto e que Omoir permaneceu desacordado, e Ritter recebeu as honras de ser o primeiro a vencer o ate então invicto nipponico”]. Ritter was probably Francisco Ritter from Germany. Ritter weighed 72 kilos in a luta romana match against Hungarian Jose Magasarsky on Sunday Januar
y 24, 1932 in São Paulo and was probably not much heavier than Omori in 1929 (Diario Nacional 23-1-32).
20. Correio Paulistano 8-3-29.
21. Diario Nacional 23-3-29.
22. Correio Paulistano 18-4-29. Results are not available.
23. Carlos’ initial appearance in the pages of the Rio newspapers concerned business and legal matters. In 1924, he was seeking official permission to undertake various “projects” (Jornal do Brasil 3-6-24, 4-6-24, 5-6-24, 22-6-24, 16-7-24-, and 24-8-24). In 1925, with his father, he had gotten into illegal gambling [jogos prohibidos] at house of “diversões” called Ideal Prado, and was court-ordered to desist (Gazeta de Noticias 13-5-25). Other legal disputes followed (Gazeta de Noticias 29-11-25; 20-1-26). In 1927 he was evicted from a house owned by Fredrico A. Liberalli on rua General Severiano, n. 219. (O Paiz 14-9-27). The reason was not specified, but failing to pay the rent is one of the more common.
24. The article was reprinted in Diario Nacional 3-3-29.
25. Diario Nacional 3-3-29.
26. Diario Nacional 26-4-29.
27. See chapter 1932.
28. See chapter 1932.
29. Correio Paulistano 26-4-29.
30. Diario Nacional 27-4-29.
31. Diario Nacional 2-5-29.
32. Gracie 2008.
33. Correio Paulistano 26-4-29 [“com alguns eforços, consegui me destacar, creando, verdaderio gosto pela educação physica, e que me animou a diffundir esse meio de defesa e desenvolvimento corporal em minha patria”].
34. Correio Paulistano 26-4-29.
35. Gracie 2008 pp. 38-41. Carlos told journalist Jose Geraldo in 1958 that Conde Koma predicted that he (Carlos) was going to be a “grande campeão”.
36. The interview can be found in Kakutou Striking Spirit, May 1, 2002. An English translation is available at Global-Training-Report.com/helio.htm.
37. Gracie 2008, p. 39, p. 90.
38. Information about Jacyntho Ferro comes from Diario Carioca 8-1-29, and Diario Nacional 7-2-29; 23-2-29.
39. See chapters 10 and 19 for more about Donato Pires dos Reis.
40. Pacotilha 8-7-22.
41. O Paiz 10-9-29. According to Almanak Administrativo, Mercantil e Industrial do Rio de Janeiro - 1891 a 1940, Koma’s address was at av. São Jeronymo, 120.
42. O Paiz 15-8-29; Diario Carioca 17-8-29. The president of Companha Nipponica de Plantação do Brasil was the noted industrialist Henrique Hachiro Fukuhara.
.
Chapter 10
1930
1. A Batalha 3-1-30 [“não encontrando ainda, em sua carreira de lutador, um adversario que o subjugasse. Como elle, ainda não vencido no ‘jiu-jitsu’ e o seu adversario na luta de domingo proximo”].
2. A Batalha 3-1-30 [“perfeito conhecedor daquelle arte e o unico brasileiro que fez cursos de tres annos….”].
3. Boxers were a partial exception. From about 1922, records were maintained (Roberts, 2003, p. 142). But in the interest of marketing fights, exaggeration and fabrication were not uncommon. Obviously, once a boxer became well-known and his fights reported in the press, it was more difficult to falsify his record.
4. Diario Nacional 3-1-30 [“De sua performance, nada se pôde affirmer. A não ser que vem com credenciaes que diz bem alto do seu valor, de sua technica. De sua maneira de lutar, tambem pouco se conhece”].
5. Diario Nacional 2-1-30; A Batalha 3-1-30; Diario Nacional 3-1-30.
6. George’s boxer opponent may have been Gabriel Pena. Arthur may have been Omori’s student Arthur Riquetto.
7. Diario Nacional 10-1-30 [“ha alguns annos, quando obteve certa voga entre nós o esporte nacional do Japão. Geo Omori derrotava com facilidade todos os homens que eram postos na frente”].
8. Diario Nacional 10-1-30 [“O sr. Gracie demonstrou que a conhece perfeitamente o jiu-jitsu e esta em condições de enfrentar qualquer adversario”].
9. Correio Paulistano 10-1-30; Diario Nacional 11-1-30. Toon was also spelled as Toom, Tose (Correio Paulistano 15-1-30), Toow (Correio Paulistano 18-1-30). His first name was also written as Johanav, Joannes, Johanes, and Jacques. According to Correio de S. Paulo 14-4-34 he was North American.
10. Diario Nacional 11-1-30; 15-1-30.
11. Jornal do Brasil 15-1-30. [“Em sua residencia, a rua Paysandú n. 31, falleceu, ante-hontem, a Sra. Maria Pinheiro Gracie, viuva ao commendador Pedro Gracie”].
12. Correio Paulistano 15-1-30.
13. Correio Paulistano 19-1-30.
14. Correio Paulistano 19-1-30.
15. Correio Paulistano 19-1-30. Correio Paulistano 18-1-30 said the rounds were 3 minutes.
16. The other reasons included prohibitions by official agencies and disputes over money or rules.
17. A bit later in 1930, George Gracie mentioned that he fought and beat a boxer in São Paulo. However, it seems more likely that the boxer was Gabriel than Toon, since the former was part of the January 5 program that is known to have taken place.
18. Correio Paulistano 18-5-30.
19. Diario Paulistano 10-1-30.
20. Gracie 2008. p. 65 [“Se você quer ter sua face esmurrada e arrebentada, seu traseiro chutado e seus braços quebrados, entre em contato com Carlos Gracie neste endereço”].
21. Caçula [kid brother] was one of Helio’s nicknames. He was also occasionally called “Caxinga” and “Caxinguetê” (Diario de Noticias 11-9-32).
22. Correio da Manhã 21-1-30.
23. Gazeta de Noticias 9-2-30.
24. Gracie, 2006, Gracie 2008, chp. 8. Magarian, 2001.
25. Diario da Noite 1-4-30.
26. Diario Carioca 15-8-30.
27. Correio da Manhã 6-9-30 [“Para a demonstração previa da efficiencia da technica desse luta de defesa pessoal, o sr. Donato Pires solicita uma pessoa que pretenda provar a superioridade de qualquer outro meio de luta corporal em confronto com o jiu-jitsu”].
28. Diario de Noticias 7-9-30 [“O Mais admiravel meio de defesa pessoal-O Jiu-Jitsu. O ensinamento scientifico desse sport Japoneze feito pela ‘Academia de Jiu-Jitsu’”].
29. [“No final de uma serie de instrucções de jiu-jiasu [sic] o alumno obterá as seguintes vantagens: mais forte, mais agil, maior rapidez reflexo sensitivo sensorial, maior golpe de vista, augmento de capacidade das grandes funcções (circulação e respiração) alliadas a tranquilidade absoluta, resulante da confiança propria que os golpes de jiu-jitsu nós proporcionam”].
30. Gracie 2008 p. 56-57.
31. Gracie 2008, p. 76 [“Carlos venceu o Campeonato Brasileiro de Amadores na categoria meio-médios e George foi o vice-campeão”]. No sources or specifics are provided. It appears that Reila was relying on Carlos’ interview.
32. Correio da Manhã 15-1-24; O Imparcial 19-1-24.
33. A Noite 5-4-27; Jornal do Brasil 5-4-27.
34. A Noite 11-4-27 From subsequent match ups, it appears that Donato lost to Alexi; Alexi continued to fight, while Donato did not.
35. A Noite 28-3-27; Diario Desportivo 1-4-27; O Imparcial 1-4-27.
36. A Noite 4-4-27.
37. The following year a young man named Luiz França competed as a lighteweight [peso penna]. França later became a student of Geo Omori, and still later taught Oswaldo Fadda, according to Eduardo Pereira, 1998, p. 11 (assuming that it was the same Luiz França). Another participant in the 1928 campeonato was Elias Jose de Amorim (peso meio medio), who was probably the same Jose Amorim who fought, and some observers thought, defeated George Gracie in 1936 (A Esquerda 17-8-28).
38. Correio da Manhã 9-9-30. A Noite 8-9-30 described the same sparring match the precious day, September 8.
39. Diario da Noite 12-3-31 [“O unico homem no Brasil que possue um diploma de professor de jiu-jitsu passado pelo Conde de Koma”]. Evidence that Donato studied with Conde Koma and received a diploma from him consisted of Donato’s own testimony.
40. Gracie 2008, p. 54.
41. O Imparcial 5-4-28.
42. Correio da Manhã 12-6-30. For example, on June 12, 1930, he r
eturned to Rio, landing in the Guanabara Bay, from Victoria in Espirito Santo on board the sea-plane [hydro-avião] “Rio de Janeiro.” Additional information about Donato Pires is available in chapter 19.
43. Correio da Manhã 11-8-45.
44. The incorrect translation of jiu-jutsu as “muscle breaking” [quebrar-musculos] obviously derived from Santos Porto and Radler de Aquino’s 1906 translation of Irving Hancock’s 1904 book Jiu-Jitsu: Japanese Physical Training. See chapter 2 for details.
45. Diario de Noticias 27-12-30.
46. Diario de Noitcias 5-6-32; 12-6-32 [“Graça ao ‘jiu-jitsu’, os japonezes são un dos povos mais fortes, mais sadios e mais calmos do mundo. A victoria dos nippõoes sobre os slavos devem aqueles, diz Ph. Tissié, o successo de genero de luta que possuem—o jiu-jtsu, tão antigo que a sua origem precede a historia authenticada do japão”].
47. July 24, August 8, August 23, and August 31 (all 1932)
48. There were more than 170 different “styles” or “schools” (or ryu) of jiu-jitsu during the Tokugawa period (Mandell 1984, p. 99, citing Sasajima, p. 197). According to Hoare (citing Nippon Budo Zenshu), there were 179 ryu.
49. Diario de Noticias 24-7-35.
.
Chapter 11
1931
1. Diario de Noticias 26-2-31; 28-2-31.
2. Biographical information about Roberto Ruhmann comes primarily from Diario de Noticias 18-4-31; 14-2-32; Diario da Noite 12-2-32; A Noite Supplemento 21-12-32 n. 142; and Correio Paulistano 19-4-36.
3. There is no record of Robert Ruhmann medalling in the 1924 Paris Olympics, at any weight in either Greco-Roman or Freestyle wrestling, according to www.databaseolympics.com and www.olympic.org.
4. Given the inconsistent spelling and type-setting of the time, Blank Perzel and Prailt Bert may have been the same individual.
5. Diario Carioca, 21-2-32; 1-5-32.
6. A Noite 28-5-31.
7. A Noite 28-5-31.
8. Diario de Noticias 11-6-31.
9. A Noite 23-12-30.
Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856-1949 (Volume 1) Page 52