Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856-1949 (Volume 1) (9 page)

A partial solution was mixed styles matches.
A few were offered.

Jiu-Jitsu versus
Luta Romana

Jiu-jitsu champion of Mexico Raku faced luta romana representative Goldbach Tuesday May 4 at
10:30 p.m.
23
Conde Koma was the referee. This was the first opportunity the public had to witness a style versus style fight, one newspaper commented.
24

Jiu-jitsu prevailed but the fight may not have live up to expectations in terms of excitement. Raku did nothing during the first two rounds, feeling out his opponent. Apparently Goldbach did nothing as well.

In the third round Raku launched an unrelenting and ferocious attack. In the fifth round he applied a
chave de pescoço
[necklock] or
gravata
[guillotine choke], and Goldbach conceded defeat
.25

Another style versus style confrontation was scheduled for Wednesday May 5, the Cossack luta romana representative Matuchevich versus
New York jiu-jitsu champion Satake.

However the match was not precisely style versus style, but rather stylist versus stylist. The crowd was intrigued by the clear disparity in size between the fighters. It seemed that it would be a contest between force and brute size [
força
,
massa bruta
], and agility [
agilidade
]. Reports did not indicate whether Matuchevich wore a kimono, but the fact that it was described as a jiu-jitsu match [“
poule
” de jiu-jitsu], suggests that he did.

Matuchevich weighed 90 kilos. Satake may have had difficulty taking him to the ground
, but when he finally did, he sank a choke [
chave auto-collar
] in and to the shock of the fans, won the fight. Presumably, Matuchevich tapped out.
26

Apparently more such mixed fights were planned. An ad in one newspaper promised sensational encounters between luta Greco-romana champions and jiu-jitsu fighters.
27

Few or none actually took place. Paschoal Segreto became the most successful promoter in
Brazil by giving the public what it wanted at affordable prices. It is possible that the wrestlers or jiu-jitsu men didn’t want to engage in these mixed styles fights, or possibly demanded excessive additional compensation. But the most likely reason there weren’t more fights was that the public didn’t want to see them enough to pay for them.

Thursday through Sunday May 6 to
May 9, 1915, some luta romana fighters and member of the Conde Koma troupe, including Koma himself, performed at Cinema-Rio, Paschoal Segreto theater in Nichteroy. Conde Koma, Satake, Shimizu, Raku, Okura were the jiu-jitsu representatives. The luta romana representatives included Umberto, Lobmayer, Jose Floriano Peixoto, Kormandy, Tigre, and Gonzales and Goldbach, who fought a luta livre match on May 9. The fights ended at 11:00.
28

On May 8, Raku defeated Okura 7 minutes into the
second round with a
chave de perna
[leglock]. Conde Koma was scheduled to face Okura the next day.
29

The final matches [
Ultimas Poules
] of the Grande Campeonato de Lucta Greco-Romana were scheduled to take place soon and the fighters would be departing [
Despedida des luctadores que se enscreveram no Grande Campeonato de Lucta Greco-Romana
].

Although the current luta romana tournament would conclude, there would continue to be luta romana matches and some of the competitors in the
campeonato
would likely be among the fighters. They could also participate in luta livre, as many already had done. Conde Koma and his troupe would be staying.
30

On Sunday May 9, Satake and
Shimizu met to break their drawn match on Thursday May 6. This time Satake came out on top of his agile and courageous opponent, who succumbed to a “vigorous” leglock in the fourth round. Satake won, but not without considerable difficulty. One observer felt that if it had not been for that unfortunate leglock, Shimizu would have emerged as the victor.
31

The first challenge matches between jiu-jitsu amateurs and Conde Koma were scheduled to began Monday May 10, 1915.
32
It was not specified that the jiu-jitsu amateurs actually had any jiu-jitsu background, which in any case would not have been easy to obtain in Brazil at that time, but simply that they were willing to compete under the jiu-jitsu rules in force during the matches.

That evening (Monday May 10), Paulo Jeolas
33
stepped up to challenge Conde Koma in a jiu-jitsu match. He would be trying to survive 15 minutes and thereby win 500 francs.
34

Jeolas went home empty-handed. He was easily defeated.
35

According to one observer, Jeolas was “a mosquito” who only managed to survive the first minute thanks to Koma’s gentlemanly attitude.
36

Jeolas nevertheless could truthfully say that he fought Conde Koma. There is no evidence that he ever opened up a jiu-jitsu academy but if he did, he might have inflated that story a bit as other people sometimes did. Perhaps in the Jeolas family the fight was remembered as a moral or some other sort of victory.

Meanwhile, at popular request, the theatre’s management promised to continue the lucta romana campeonato with Youssouff, Chevallier, Gallant, and Lobmayer.
37

On Tuesday May 11 Raku applied a footlock [
chave de pé
] to submit Okura in the fourth round of a hotly disputed [
bastante disputada
] fight. Conde Koma was scheduled to face Shimizu in the next day’s match.
38

After his humbling experience at the hands of Conde Koma, Paulo Jeolas must have believed that he would fare better a second time. He was matched with Raku next, who was smaller than Koma. The fight was
set for Saturday May 15.

In the mean time. Koma faced “o Lisboeta” (Joaquim Gaudencio Alves) on Thursday May 13.
39
O Lisboeta did not have any better luck than Paulo Jeolas. A footlock in the second round was his downfall.
40

On Friday May 14, Satake defeated Okura by armlock [
chave de braço
] in the fourth round.
41

Tuesday May 18 was announced as the last night of the lucta Greco-Romana campeonato. The message was ambiguous however. The troupe was leaving [
despedida
] but some of the individual fighters would be staying (indeed some never left) and taking part in luta romana and other types of matches. Sunday (May 16) and Monday (May 17) were also both advertised as the final night of luta romana matches [
ultimas Poules, ultimata noite
].
42

Family entertainment would not come to a stand-still. English ballerina Miss Coktail [written “Miss Captail” in later editions] was debuting. Aldon and Lopez, and La Muse were also performing. The campeonato of jiu-jitsu with Conde Koma and his troupe of Japanese fighters continued.
43

Jiu-Jitsu versus Capoeiragem

Rapheal Golthus was a capoeira, believed by some to be a worthy exponent of the national game. On Saturday May 15, Conde Koma, knowing that Golthus was in the audience, deviated from the script and directly challenged him. Golthus accepted, but asked for eight days to prepare.

A curious writer wondered if Golthus was another Cyriaco.
44

Perhaps eight days was not enough for Golthus after all. There was no report of the fight happening, and the Koma troupe departed soon after.

On Monday May 17 or Tuesday May 18, Chemisura [
sic
, Shimizu] defeated Raku in the third round by armlock [
chave de braço
].
45

Cops

On Wednesday, May 19, 1915 Conde Koma gave a demonstration of jiu-jitsu self-defense to the Rio civil guards. The visit was covered by
A Noite
,
Correio da Manhã
, and
A Epocha
.
A Noite
included a photograph of Koma demonstrating an armlock on the ground, (with both legs over the opponent’s neck).

Chief of Police Dr. Aurelino Leal and
seven or eight (presumably) civil guards were shown standing, observing. All but one (probably Dr. Leal) was wearing kimono tops, dark belts, and dark pants, suggesting that they participated.

According to the report, the class was impressive, and jiu-jitsu training was going to be made mandatory for the civil guards [
“
jiu-jitsu
”
vae ser obrigatorio para os guardas civis
]. Classes would take place mornings in the patio of the Central Police Building [
Edificio da Policia Central
]. Officers were satisfied with the demonstration class, but insisted that the lessons take place during their service hours [
tempo de serviço
] and not on their own time [
horas da folga
].
46

A Epoca
pointed out for those who hadn’t already heard, that “jiu-jitsu is a game by which the weak can use the force of the adversary to easily defeat him” [“
O ‘jiu-jitsu’ é um jogo que facilita ao mais fraco utilisar-se das força do adversario e vencel-o facilmente”
].

The techniques were of the traditional self-defense variety. Whether the secrets of “real fighting” were covered was not mentioned. Conde Koma taught the police finger locks [
torsão dos dedos
] and defenses against knife [
faca
], club [
páo
], punch [
soco
], thug chokes [
gravata de um ‘apache
’] and techniques for arresting a person “without fear that they would escape”.

But the class was not limited to self-defense techniques. Koma sparred with some guards and defeated them easily [
conde de Koma lutou com alguns guardas, vencendo-os facilmente
]. No doubt this aspect of the class was less a lesson and more a demonstration of credibility.

The reporter mentioned that jiu-jitsu was not entirely unknown among Cariocas. Various troupes of “players” [
jogadores
] of this sport had already visited Rio to entertain the people. However the fame of one troupe was shattered after the leader was knocked out in a few minutes by a capoeira using a “sting ray tail kick” [
rabo de arraia
]. The writer was alluding to the Cyriaco versus Sada Miyako challenge match in 1909. But, he added, Cyriaco died and other capoeiras didn’t want to fight in public, which allowed jiu-jitsu to come back.
47

On
Friday May 21, 1915 the amateur Benjamin Constant Azevedo accepted Koma’s challenge, promising his friends that he would spring a surprise [
engazopar
]
on Koma. Moreover, he would not let Koma grab him. As others have learned, that is easier said than done.

Azevedo’s actual performance was disappointing. Reporting on the contest the next day,
Gazeta de Noticias
commented, “so far, a great number of amateurs at have shown up at Theatro Carlos Gomes seeking the prize offered by Conde Koma. These matches have not been interesting. So far, none of these amateurs have been able to last very long. They haven’t served as an example to those who want to challenge the world champion of the Japanese sport. Yesterday, Benjamin Constant Azevedo showed up at the theater to fight Conde Koma. Despite telling various people that he would surprise Koma and wouldn’t let himself be grabbed, he didn’t last even four minutes. He wasn’t able to apply a single technique during this short period of time, demonstrating that he didn’t have any idea about jiu-jitsu”.
48

Having taken a detour to administer a lesson to the brash challenger, Koma’s previously scheduled meeting with Satake was shelved. Instead, Okura fought Satake (May 21).

Satake won the match with an armlock in the fifth round.
49

Sunday May 23 was the last news item or ad related to Koma and the troupe’s engagement at Theatro Carlos Gomes. According to
O Paiz
, he and his troupe would be performing that day, along with the final appearances of Miss Coktail, and Aldon and Lopez. The coming week Theatro Carlos Gomes would be presenting Japanese fencing [
esgrima japonez
].
50

Conde Koma and his troupe disappeared from the local news after May 23, until June 5 when a brief notice appeared in
O Paiz
stating that the fighters would be leaving the following evening (Sunday June 6, 1915) for Bello Horizonte. There they would be performing at the Theatro Cassino.
51

The troupe’s subsequent movements can be roughly reconstructed from the following news reports.
O Pharol
reported that they performed Thursday June 24 at the Polytheama, in Juiz de
Fó
ra, São Paulo state.
52