Global
Training Report

Presents
"Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro"
by Eduardo Pereira, Mestre 8 grau de Jiu-Jitsu
From Boletim da Federação
de Jiu-Jitsu
Ano 1, No. 1, Setembro 1998
Translated by Roberto Pedreira
At the beginning of the 1950's,
there was the academy of George Gracie, a great teacher who, in the
decade before, thrilled Brazil with his fights and victories over
opponents who were infinitely larger and stronger than him, and did as
much as his brother Hélio to elevate the name of the "gentle
art" [jiu-jitsu] as the most perfect form of fighting. It was
George who taught us, his students, but being excessively modest and
introverted, he did not become as famous as his brother Helio. He
transformed us into great fighters and also produced a great number of
teachers who in turn disseminated the knowledge they had acquired from
him. To mention some of his outstanding students:
Almir
Ribeiro
Milton Pereira
Nahum Luiz
Luiz "Frankenstein"
Carlos
José Pinto
Zoroastro Neves
and many others. He also taught Guanair
Vial, who was become one of the greatest vale tudo fighters
in Brazil. There came about to be a difference of opinion between George
and his brothers Carlos and Hélio, the owners of the largest
academy during the decades of the 50's and the 80's, where there were
such fabulous fighters and teachers as:
Pedro Hemetério
Armando Wriedt
João Alberto Barreto
Hèlio Vigio
Moacir Ferraz
Algênio de Barros
and many others, among them their own sons Carlson,
Robson, Rolls, and Reyson.
It is a pity that the young people
today do not know the facts about George Gracie, due to the negligence
of the press, in print and on television, to the advantage of his famous
brother Hélio, who really was a giant as a teacher, fighter, and
spreader of the art. The memory of the people is, unfortunately, chaotic
and short, and George is being forgotten. I agree that it was the Gracie
family that gave jiu-jitsu the dimensions that it has today. Without
their tenacity, we would still be crawling like babies, without the
knowledge that makes jiu-jitsu the greatest self defense art that exists
in the world. But I don't agree when it is said that Gracie Jiu-jitsu
was created by Hélio Gracie, as his son Rorion would have us
believe from his video and book "The Saga of the Gracie
Family".
In the first place, I want to
clarify that jiu-jitsu arrived in Brazil before, much before, Conda Koma,
the teacher of Carlos Gracie who in turn transmitted his knowledge to
his brothers Gastão, Oswaldo, George, and Hélio.
According to Moises
Muradi, a fighter named Miura
arrived here in Brazil from Japan in 1903 and began teaching his art to
his fellow Japanese and to Brazilians. Moises Muradi said that in 1908
Japanese colonists arrived in the port of Santos on the ship "Kasato
Maru" and began to give jiu-jitsu classes. Conde Konda, whose full
name is still virtually unknown, was said by some to be named Mitsuyo
Maeda, said by others to be Yomuto Maeda, and still later by Rorion, who
cited his name as Conde Koma Esai Maeda, arrived in Brazil in 1913 or
1914, and in the city of Pará gave lessons to Carlos Gracie. [1]
It is clear that jiu-jitsu was
being taught in Brazil and even more clear that in Brazil from 1925, another Japanese champion, Geo
Omori, had opened an academy in São Paulo and whose
students included my father, Carlos Pereira
and França, who later in the
40's would teach Oswaldo Fadda, who
would become a notable teacher himself, producing many great fighters
and a good number of new teachers [2]. This makes me take issue with the
name Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, seeing that, with the passage of time, with the
numerous disputes, and insults that were introduced. It is unfair to
call it Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. It would be better to call it Jiu-jitsu
Brasileiro, the best in the world, thanks to the tenacity of Carlos, Hélio,
and George, with help from their brothers Gastão and Oswaldo.
One could praise Rorion's
commitment to making many books and videos, but it would be much more
correct to say that in his egocentricity he has exalted only his father
and brothers and has forgotten his uncles and cousins, Carlson, Robson,
and Rolls, who were the fantastic fighters of their time. How can his
three cousins not be included in his video? Why doesn't he mention
them in his book? Is Rorion trying to erase this part of the family's
past? Here is my testimony: Carlson Gracie in his time was virtually
unbeatable, and would fight on an equal level with the best fighters in
the world today. Robson, despite being a "mignon" [half pint;
squirt, shorty] weighing less than 60 kilos [132 lbs.] defeated everyone
at his weight, and I include myself in that category. Rolls was expected
by the family to succeed Carlson when death took him from us. Therefore
I appeal to Rorion and others who wish to tell the truth about this
popular family: Include the names of Carlos, Gastão, Oswaldo,
George, Carlson, Robson, Rolls, and Reyson in your writings!
終
For more about the history of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil,
Mitsuyo Maeda, Geo Omori, Carlos Pereira,
George Gracie, Oswaldo Fadda, Guanair Vial, Almir Ribeiro, Milton Pereira,
Nahum Luiz, Luiz "Frankenstein"
Carlos, Zoroastro Neves, Pedro Hemetério,
Armando Wriedt, João Alberto Barreto, Hèlio Vigio, Moacir Ferraz,
Algênio de Barros, and other legends of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, check
out
Jiu-Jitsu
in the South Zone,
1997-2008 , especially the chapters on George Mehdi, Master
Jiu-Jitsu, Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, Corpo Quatro, and 151 Rio Branco.
And
the three Choque Volumes, collectively covering the period 1856
to 1999. (Click below or on icons in right side bar for ordering information).
Notes
1.
Readers should be aware that Moises Muradi's account of jiu-jitsu
history is mistaken on several points in this paragraph. Consult Choque
1 for correct details. Moises Muradi was a young jiu-jitsu teacher
in São Paulo, not a historian.
2.
Readers should be aware that Eduardo Pereira's account of jiu-jitsu
history is mistaken on several points in this paragraph, possibly
including his father's connection to Geo Omori. Carlos Pereira cited
Carlos Gracie as his teacher, not Geo Omori. He may have learned from
Geo Omori as well, but it was Carlos that he gave credit to for his
jiu-jitsu education. Consult Choque 1 for correct details.

Revised June 6, 2015 (misspellings
of some names corrected).
Revised April 12, 2016. One minor
grammatical error corrected and notes added.
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