SELF-DEFENSE OR JIU-JITSU

As an unpublished work in English, we present to the public an essential document from the history of modern martial arts, the book Self-defense or Jiu-jitsu achievable by everyone, by Mitsuyo Maeda (1878 - 1941), the famous Conde Koma, a legendary Japanese fighter. Conde Koma learned the soft way at the Kodokan, with a teacher directly appointed by Jigoro Kano, the inventor of Judo. in 1889, he earned his black belt. Five years later he left Japan to travel the world demonstrating the efficiency of Judo and Jiu-jitsu. After traveling through Europe, the United States and Central America, he settled in Brazil in 1917, where he married and taught the rules of the "soft way". Not only was he one of the first to introduce judo in Brazil, but he also taught Carlos Gracie, brother of Hélio Gracie, in Belém do Pará, which would later give birth to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. This book, written during his trip through El Salvador in 1913, contains descriptions and photographs of various techniques: locks, chokeholds, takedowns, and self-defense techniques, but also teachings about healthy habits that he advocated.