Conde Koma

Conde Koma
	Name Conde Koma Real name Mitsuyo Maeda Nicknames Conde Koma, Count Koma, Mitsuyo Maeda, Otávio Mitsuyo Maeda, Professor Maeda Name history Conde Koma Family Maestro(s) Kano Jigoro, Tsunejiro Tomita Birth date, location 18 de noviembre de 1878 - Hirosaki, Aomori (Japan) Obituary date Debut, location Lost mask to Height Weight Signature moves Titles: World Jiu Jitsu Title

Profile

Mitsuyo Maeda born November 18, 1878 in Funazawa village, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan (November 28, 1941), a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda, was a Japanese judōka (judo expert) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions. He was also known as Count Combat or Conde Koma in Spanish and Portuguese, a nickname he picked up in Spain in 1908. Along with Antônio Soshihiro Satake (another naturalized Brazilian), he pioneered judo in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

Maeda was fundamental to the development of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, including through his teaching of Carlos Gracie and others of the Gracie family. He was also a promoter of Japanese emigration to Brazil. Maeda won more than 2,000 professional fights in his career. His accomplishments led to him being called the "toughest man who ever lived" and being referred to as the father of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

He attended Kenritsu Itiu high school (currently Hirokou - a Hirosaki school). As a child, he was known as Hideyo. He practiced sumo as a teenager, but lacked the ideal build for the sport. Because of the interest generated by stories about the success of judo at contests between judo and jujutsu that were occurring at the time, he changed to judo. In 1894, at seventeen years of age, his parents sent him to Tokyo to enroll in Waseda University. He took up Kodokan judo the following year.

Arriving in the Kodokan, Maeda, who was 164cm tall and weighted 64 kg, was confused with a delivery boy due to his country manners and demeanor. He was spotted by Judo's founder Kano Jigoro, and assigned to Tsunejiro Tomita (4th dan), the smallest of the teachers of the Kodokan's shiten-no, to illustrate that in judo size is not important. Tomita was the first Kodokan judoka and a close friend of Kano Jigoro. According to Koyassu Massao (9th dan): “ Among the four Kodokan shiten-no, it was Tomita who received the greatest amount of teachings from Kano Jigoro sensei [...] as a fighter he wasn't so successful as Saigo, Yamashita and Yokoyama, but was exceptional in applied studies and was also fluent in the English language [...] ”

Although the weakest of Kodokan shinte-no, Tomita was able to defeat the great jujutsu champion of that time, Hansuke Nakamura, from the Tenjin Shinyo Ryu style.

With Soishiro Satake, Mitsuyo Maeda formed the head of the second generation of Kodokan judoka, which had replaced the first by the beginning of the 20th century. Satake, at 175 cm and 80 kg, had no match in amateur sumo but admitted that he himself was not able to match to Maeda in judo. Satake would later travel to South America with Maeda and settle in Manaus, Amazonas State, while Maeda continued traveling. Satake would become the founder, in 1914, of the first historically registered judo academy in Brazil. He and Maeda are considered the pioneers of judo in Brazil.

At that time, there were few graduated Kodokan judoka. Maeda and Satake were the top graduated professors at Waseda University, both sandan, along with Matsuhiro Ritaro (nidan) and six other shodan. Kyuzo Mifune registered at the Kodokan in 1903 and attracted the attention of Maeda, who commented, "you are strong and competent, therefore, you will certainly leave your mark in the Kodokan...". Mifune went to learn under Sakujiro Yokoyama and later, already a celebrated judoka, Mifune said that Maeda's words were a great incentive, as he regarded Maeda with the greatest admiration, even though Yokoyama was his sensei. According to Mifune, in 1904 Maeda lost to Yoshitake Yoshio by Hane Goshi, after defeating three adversaries in succession, but in a following tsukinami-shiai defeated eight adversaries in a row and was awarded the 4th dan (yondan). Mifune also states that Maeda was one of the most vigorous promoters of judo, although not by teaching Judo, instead generating recognition of Judo through his many combats with contenders from other disciplines. Maeda treated experienced and inexperienced students alike, throwing them as if in real combat. He reasoned that this behavior was a measure of respect towards his students, but it was often misunderstood and frightened many youngsters, who would abandon him in favor of other professors.

In 1903, a senior Kodokan instructor named Yoshiaki Yamashita traveled to the United States at the request of the Seattle businessman Sam Hill. In Washington, D.C., Yamashita's students included Theodore Roosevelt and other prominent Americans. At Roosevelt's request, Yamashita also taught judo at the U.S. Naval Academy. Capitalizing on the publicity, the Japanese Legation in the USA asked the Kodokan to send more judo teachers to America, providing continuity to Yamashita's work. Tomita reluctantly accepted the task; Maeda and Satake embraced the opportunity.

Tomita, Maeda and Satake sailed from Yokohama on November 16, 1904, and arrived in New York City on December 8, 1904.

Early in 1905, Tomita and Maeda gave several public demonstrations of judo. On February 21, 1905, they gave a judo demonstration at the United States Military Academy at West Point: Tomita and Maeda performed kata -- nage-no, koshiki, ju-no, etc. At the request of the crowd, Maeda wrestled a cadet and threw him easily. Because Tomita had been the thrower in the kata, the cadets wanted to wrestle him too. Tomita threw the first (Charles Daly) without any trouble. However, Tomita twice failed to throw another football player named Tipton using tomoe-nage (stomach throw). Tomita was much smaller, so the Japanese claimed a moral victory.

During November 1908, Maeda went to Paris, France, apparently to see his friend Akitaro Ono. From Paris, he went to Havana, arriving there on December 14, 1908, and his twice-a-day wrestling act quickly proved to be very popular. On July 23, 1909, Maeda left Havana for Mexico City.

In tat time (the early 1900s), professional wrestling was mostly a regional phenomenon in Mexico. Maeda debut in Mexico City took place at the Virginia Fabregas Theater on July 14, 1909. This show was a private demonstration for some military cadets. Shortly afterwards, Maeda began appearing at the Principal Theater. His standing offer was 100 pesos (US $50) to anyone he could not throw, and 500 pesos (US $250) to anyone who could throw him.

During September 1909, a Japanese calling himself 'Nobu Taka' arrived in Mexico City for the purpose of challenging Conde Koma for what El heraldo de Mexico (the Mexican Herald) said would be the world jiujiutsu championship. The match was a splendid business for the promoters.

After several months of public wrangling, Taka and Maeda met at the Colon Theater on November 16, 1909; Taka won. There was an immediate rematch, and four days later, Maeda was pronounced the champion. It was later revealed that Taka was, in fact, Maeda's old friend, Soishiro Satake.

In January 1910, Maeda took part in a wrestling tournament in Mexico City. During the semifinals, Maeda drew with Hjalmar Lundin. This is a different result than Lundin recalled in his 1937 memoirs. Said Lundin, "Having been accustomed to handling the big Greco-Roman wrestlers with ease, the Jap thought he could do likewise with me, but in the first encounter I got the better of him, after which my confidence returned. I had no trouble then in winning the match. It was a surprise to the crowd and a set-back for Koma. He had been the hero all week, but as soon as he was beaten the fans, true to form, called him a bum."

In July 1910, Maeda returned to Cuba, where he tried to arrange matches with Frank Gotch and Jack Johnson. The Americans ignored him-there was no money to be made wrestling him, and much money to be lost if they lost to him. On August 23, 1910, Maeda wrestled Jack Connell in Havana; the result was a draw.During 1911, Maeda and Satake were joined in Cuba by Akitaro Ono and Tokugoro Ito. The four men were known as the 'Four Kings of Cuba.'

The Four Kings were very popular in Cuba, and the Japanese media were proud of the reputation they were bringing to judo and Japan. Consequently, on January 8, 1912, the Kodokan promoted Maeda to 5th dan. There was some resistance to this decision because there were those in Japan who did not approve of his involvement in professional wrestling.

In 1913, Tokugoro Ito stayed in Cuba while Maeda and Satake went to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In El Salvador, the president was assassinated while Maeda was there, and in Panama, the Americans tried to pay him to lose; in response, they kept moving south. In Peru they met Laku, a Japanese jujutsuka who taught the military, and invited him to join them. They were then joined by Okura in Chile, and by Shimitsu in Argentina. The troupe arrived in Brazil on November 14, 1914