Helio Gracie interview from 1997 on Google Video

**Lefty** · Posted On: 9/09/2006 8:12pm

Try to reference on this forum if you can (MA history project rules). A few different possible explanations of why Maeda called his judo juijitsu can be found on wikipedia:

"It is not clearly known why Maeda chose to call his style of judo, Jujutsu. Perhaps he was dissatisfied with the treatment given to him by the Kodokan. However, it could be argued that Judo wasn't so popular at those times and the ancient, general and estabilished term for defining Japanese martial-art schools was Jujutsu (in Brazil it adopted the slightly different spelling Jiu-Jitsu). Another possible explanation is that Maeda's fighting style--which incorporated an arguably groundbreaking philosophy regarding so-called phases of combat--had simply grown into something other than judo, something which Maeda felt more comfortable referring to as jujutsu."

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda

Judo is jujutsu plus aliveness. So I suppose it's semantics. Also I wonder how people refered to techniques at the Kodokan when the amalgamation of jujutsu schools during the "newaza revolution" was happening (which is when Maeda was there).

**Lefty** · Posted On: 9/09/2006 8:28pm

"In 1904 Mitsuyo Maeda,judo master, was sent to America to spread the word of judo. He finally arrived in Brazil by 1915 and taught judo newaza to Carlos Gracie. Hélio Gracie learned the techniques from watching his brother Carlos, and adapted them to his own slim and weak body. This way Brazilian jiu-jitsu can be regarded as a direct descendant from judo newaza, and by extension from Kodokan Judo as it was taught before World War II. There is a major misconception that techniques such as turtle positions, double leg locks (closed-guard) and half-guard were developed by the Gracies in Brazil, while in fact they were extensively researched by the Kosen masters before the 1925 change of competition rules of judo."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosen_judo

**lovegod** · Posted On: 9/16/2006 11:15am

Well, now we all know the truth, the truth you ignored many years ago, lol. I am glad I read the past comments posted here.

**Draven** · Posted On: 9/16/2006 4:42pm

A Gracie talking out of his ass? No way!

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 9/16/2006 4:52pm

Well, I don't think the kodankan of his day gave Maeda a lot of love, so if I was him I might return the favor. . .

**Lefty** · Posted On: 9/18/2006 7:23am

I read on:
http://www.bjj.org/interviews/maeda.html
(Before it was taken down) that there was a rumour Maeda heard that he had been kicked out of the Kodokan. However the researcher of that book could find no evidence of this and came to the conclusion that it was untrue. Apparently Maeda lamented that this may have been the case however, but he never returned to Japan to find out.

However, on the bio of Maeda on wikipedia they say his name was taken off the Kodokan registry in later years, so I'm not sure. The two sources conflicted there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Maeda

Maybe its time to invest in some books...

**Sir Ocelot** · Posted On: 9/18/2006 9:18am

Here's a discussion of the Kodokan's attitude toward Maeda and Kimura:

http://judoinfo.com/discuss/lofivers...php/t7263.html

Check the post near the end by Joseph Svinth for some information indicating that the Kodokan never disowned Maeda.

(Side note: The more I use wikipedia, the more annoyed I get by it. Everyone can edit, so everyone does -- including those who have no evidence for what they say and no writing ability to help them say it coherently.)