Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History

Jiu-Jitsu was originally created in Japan and made its way to Brazil in the early 1900's, after Japanese Jiu-Jitsu champion Mitsuyo Maeda immigrated there.
Because of his Jiu-Jitsu exploits, he had been awarded a government position by Prince Hirohito to oversee Japanese immigration to Brazil. His efforts were largely aided by Gastão Gracie, a Brazilian politician and scholar of Scottish descent.
Maeda was so grateful that in return he decided to go against the Japanese tradition and, in 1918, began teaching real Jiu-Jitsu to a non-Japanese, Gastão's oldest son, Carlos Gracie. Carlos taught Maeda's techniques to his four brothers: Oswaldo, Gastão, Jorge and Helio and in 1925 they opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy in Brazil.
Carlos and his brothers, particularly Helio, changed the original art by adapting the techniques of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu so that they depended mostly upon leverage, rather than strength. They experimented, modified and perfected simple techniques that would be effective regardless of stature.
Consequently, they broke away from the traditional Japanese style and began the development of a more efficient and complete ground fighting system, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was passed on to later generations of the Gracie family, their martial art style became increasingly popular in Brazil. Today, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is widely practiced throughout the world.