History of Jiu-Jitsu - How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Started

Approximatively 500 B.C., a new fighting style emerged.  This style did not involve violence or the use of weapons and was known as Jiu-Jitsu (The Gentle Art).  It is considered the oldest martial art and the most perfect form of self-defense.

The origin of Jiu-Jitsu can be traced back to India and the Buddhist Monks.  The Buddhist Monks were men of great wisdom with great knowledge of human anatomy.  Their spiritual values did not allow them to use weapons, so they were forced to develop an empty hand system of self-defense to defend themselves from barbarian invaders and bandits.

These Monks developed a new system of defense not based on striking, but on throws, joint locks and chokes.  It was a scientific art, relying on balance, pressure points, leverage and the center of gravity to defend the practitioner with minimal effort.  These techniques allowed them to immobilize opponents without causing any damage to them.

In the following centuries, Jiu-Jitsu spread throughout Asia and eventually into Japan (around 230 A.C.) where it continued to evolve into more than 700 styles which were used by the samurai.  This became a powerful weapon of self-defense and became to be also known in Japan as Ju-Jitsu, Ju-Jutsu and Ju-Jitso.

It is from these traditional Jiu-Jitsu systems that many modern martial arts have been developed, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In 1914, Mitsuyo Esai Maeda (also known as Count Koma), a Japanese politician and world renowned Jiu-Jitsu master, arrived in northern Brazil - in Belém do Pará - to help establish a Japanese immigration colony.  To accomplish his objectives, Maeda befriended Gastão Gracie, a successful businessman with strong political ties.

Gastão assisted Maeda in with his objectives and in return, Maeda taught Jiu-Jitsu to Gastão's oldest son, Carlos Gracie.  Carlos Gracie started studying Jiu-Jitsu in 1917, when he was 15 years old, and continued learning from Maeda for several years.   Eventually he taught the art to his younger brothers Oswaldo, Gastão, George and Hélio.

In 1922, the Gracie family have moved to Rio de Janeiro, which was the capital of Brazil at the time, and in 1925 they established the first Jiu-Jitsu Academy there.  They then dedicated their lives to study and to develop the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, beginning the tradition of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which the Gracie family continuously evolved over the years.

Today the art and effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the contribution of the Gracie family to martial arts, is known all over the world.