BJJ club in Saint-Tropez

Maeda was born in 1878 in Aomori Prefecture. As a child, he already practised ju-jitsu at the Tenshin Shinyo school, where Jigoro Kano had previously studied. At 18, he joined the first great judo school, the Kodokan. He was a highly motivated fighter who gave opponents little chance, despite his small build: 1.65 m and 70 kg. He soon became the Kodokan’s most promising judoka.

In 1904, at 26, Mitsuo Maeda received his 4th Dan and took the opportunity to travel to America. His demonstrations initially met with setbacks, and he had limited success teaching judo in the United States. He therefore accepted a challenge that violated the Kodokan’s moral code: a free fight against a practitioner of another discipline. He defeated the New York wrestler and collected the prize. This marked the start of his professional fighting career.