Five Facts about the 1879 Encounter Between Ulysses S. Grant and Kano Jigoro

 

What do the English sources say about Ulysses S. Grant's encounter with professor Kano Jigoro in Japan? 

Introduction 

General and President Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) and judo founder Kano Jigoro (1860-1938) are my top two favorite historical figures. Imagine my surprise when I first learned that the two men had an encounter in Japan in 1879!

Kano biographers will often tell the reader that Grant witnessed a jūjutsu demonstration in which Kano was a participant. I've wanted to know more about this event, so I researched a variety of resources, drawing on my experience with each man's life.

This post will list five facts derived from English sources. Some of those English references are based on Japanese sources. This is the best I can manage at this time. I lack the Japanese sources and the ability to read Japanese. I invite readers who have both Japanese sources and the requisite language skills to add to the discussion!

1. Professor Kano offers a brief but primary account of the event.

Judo Memoirs of Jigoro Kano, Kano Jigoro and Brian Watson, 2008, Kindle Edition

As recounted in Brian Watson's book Judo Memoirs of Jigoro Kano, professor Kano said the following of this event:

"Perhaps the most memorable event of my days at the Fukuda [Hachinosuke (1828-1879)] dojo occurred in 1879 when U.S. President Ulysses Simpson [sic] Grant visited Japan on his world tour.

The noted industrialist and philanthropist Eiichi Shibusawa, who later became an associate of mine, wish to entertain the president and his entourage with a demonstration of jujutsu.

Shibusawa contacted Masatomo Iso [1819-1881), Kano's future Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū instructor, following the death of Fukuda) and other jujutsu masters and invited them to his summer residence in Asuyama in order to stage a display in honor of the president's visit.

Godai [Ryusaku, Kano's fellow Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū student under Fukuda] and I were called upon to give an exhibition of randori.

The well-known U.S. columnist, Julian Street, wrote an account of our demonstration which later appeared in the press."

This left many questions: when did this take place? What happened? Some of these questions can be answered.

Kano Biography: The Legacy of Jigoro Kano

For example, I found the following in a book titled The Legacy of Jigoro Kano (2020), which I reviewed for Martial Journal:

"In 1879, former United States President Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th United States president, in office from 1869 to 1877, was on his way to Japan as part of a lengthy World Tour. 

Noted industrialist and philanthropist  Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931) wanted to entertain Grant and the rest of the delegation, so he contacted members of prominent families -- jujutsu Masters Iso Masatomo (1819-81) and Fukuda Hachinosuke among them --  to come to his Villa in Asukayam, Tokyo,  and show his distinguished guests what the art of jujutsu was like. 

On hand to assist Fukuda were Kano and fellow student Godai Ryusaku. They put together a randori  demonstration. Kano, just 20 years old [by Japanese reckoning; 19 by Western methods] at the time, helped showcase jujutsu --  an asset of traditional Japanese culture --  for the former United States president.”

It's tough to say if this is just a repeat of Kano's writing, but the book is a translation of a Japanese title which was based on Japanese sources.

Kano Biographies: A History of Judo

Similarly, the late Syd Hoare's 2009 rare, out-of-print book A History of Judo says the following about the event on pages 47-48:

"Perhaps because of interest expressed by U.S. President Ulysses Grant in some of the old martial arts, or perhaps because the Japanese wanted to show off their martial skills, jujitsu experts including Iso Masatomo and Fukuda Hachinosuke and students Fukushima and Kano Jigoro, were invited by industrialist and senior government official Shibusawa Eiichi to perform a demonstration of jujitsu before the former president and the Shogun when Grant visited Japan in 1879… 

The demonstration was performed at the Shibusawa residence at Mount Asuka. Kano assisted with the randori exhibition and was perhaps an obvious choice since he could explain to Grant in English what it was all about.”

The mention of Fukushima is new, as is the theory that perhaps Kano attended because he could speak English -- presumably after performing randori? 

If Kano had indeed narrated or at least spoken to the former president, I expect he would have said as much in his own words.

Kano Biographies: The Way of Judo

John Steven's 2013 book The Way of Judo is my favorite English-language Kano biography. Stevens described the event in these terms:

"In May 1879, Fukuda and Kano were among a select group of martial artists chosen to stage a demonstration for former United States president U.S. Grant when he visited Japan. The demonstrations, which included Kenjutsu (swordsmanship) as well as jujutsu, were given in the home of businessman Eiichi Shibusawa, likely the richest private citizen in Japan at the time.

The jujutsu demonstration consisted of kata forms (techniques practiced in arranged patterns) and randori. The demonstration was favorably received by General Grant and his party, and widely reported in the American press."

First, the event did not occur in May 1879. Perhaps Kano was chosen in May? 

Second, I could not find the "wide reports in the American press" cited here. For example, the August 13, 1879 issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune contains details on General Grant's visit, but nothing about the jujutsu demonstration. The same goes for the August 15, 1879 issue of the New York Herald. These stories appear to be based on the reporting by Russell Young (see below).

If I decide to pay for access to the New York Times, I might try to see what they have written, as they have a few articles mentioning the visit. With free access, I was limited to what was available in Chronicling America, which is still quite a bit!

Even so, it would be helpful to see a source for Stevens' claim. It's clear that Grant's overall visit and activities in Japan were widely reported. There do not appear to be any descriptions of the jujutsu demonstration in the American press.

2. Julian's Street's "account" is from Kano.

Mysterious Japan, Julian Street, 1921, p. 194

When I read that "The well-known U.S. columnist, Julian Street, wrote an account of our demonstration which later appeared in the press," I tried to find it. Perhaps he was a witness? Unfortunately, Mr. Street was born in 1879, so he was not present.

I could not find any press accounts as mentioned by professor Kano, but Mr. Street's 1921 book Mysterious Japan contained the following:

"I was interested to hear from Mr. Kano that, as a young man, he gave an exhibition of jiu-jitsu before General Grant, at Viscount Shibusawa's house in Tokyo."

Therefore, whatever detail may appear in an account by Mr. Street, it traces back to professor Kano.

3. The Shibusawa lead confirms August 5, 1879 as the date of the event.

Next I pursued the Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931) detail. This led me to an entry in the August 12, 1879 The Japan Mail which included the following:

"On the 5th instant, General Grant and suite visited the Paper Manufactory at Oji, and Mr. Shibusawa entertained them in his house, which is situated in the neighborhood."

Unfortunately, we do not have any details other than the location and date.

4. The event appears to have made no impression on anyone in Grant's party.

Meeting the Emperor in the summer house, Around the World with General Grant Volume 2, John Russell Young, 187, p. 565

There is no mention of this demonstration in either the Papers of Ulysses S. Grant or in Around the World with General Grant. 

The former is a 32 volume collection containing most every document generated by General Grant during his life. I searched the pertinent title, Volume 29, but did not discovered anything by Grant, nor did I find any footnotes about the visit.  

The latter is the most famous book about General Grant's world tour, which lasted about two years (1877-1879). The author was a reporter, John Russell Young (1840-1899), who accompanied Grant and wrote about what he saw. He does not mention the event at all.

Grant's memoirs are not helpful in this case, as they do not cover his presidency or life thereafter. The Grant biographies I checked, such as those by Ron Chernow, Ronald C. White, and Jean Edward Smith, talked about Grant in Japan but gave no details on jujutsu.

5. The best brief resource on Grant's visit to Japan is a 1969 paper by Richard Chang.

General Grant's 1879 Visit to Japan, Richard T. Chang, 1969

If you'd like to know more about General Grant's visit to Japan and what it meant in the wider context, I recommend the 1969 paper by Richard T. Chang titled General Grant's 1879 Visit to Japan. Mr. Chang explains the role played by Shibusawa Eiichi, and does say that he invited Grant to his "simple villa." A footnote also includes this detail:

"For Grant's own testimonials on the lavishness of the Japanese reception of him, see Shibusawa Eiichi Denki Shiryo Kanko-kai, comp., Shibusawa Eiichi denki shiryo, Tokyo, 1955-64, XXV, pp. 502, 538 (hereafter cited as SDS)."

Some of the SDS is available online, but it is mostly Japanese.

Conclusion

Notes in Ulysses S. Grant and Meiji Japan, 1869-1885, indicating Mr. Chang's paper as the source 

There is an "account" of a meeting between Grant and Kano in Brian Watson's 2000 book The Father of Judo. However, as I noted in my Martial Journal review, most, if not all, of the dialogue in the book is fabricated, so there is no point in using it as a source.

There are two other books which include content on Grant's visit to Japan: Ulysses S. Grant and Meiji Japan, 1869-1885 and Citizen of a Wider Commonwealth: Ulysses S. Grant's Postpresidential Diplomacy. 

The Google preview of the former notes Mr. Shibusawa at least, but doesn't appear to have any real leads. 

The Google preview of the latter doesn't mention Mr. Shibusawa at all, nor anything else related to the story at hand.

It appears we have to wait for someone with access to Japanese sources to say more about any meeting between General Grant and professor Kano.

If anyone would like to contribute to the Martial History Team research library, I started an Amazon Wish List. It currently has an entry for Tommy Gong's book. I have a print edition already, but it would be easier to search a Kindle version.

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Notes:

The image at the top of the post is from one of three books produced in Japan to commemorate Grant's visit. They are available here. This thread is a short overview.

I originally wanted to publish this in August, to commemorate the August 5th demonstration date. However, I wanted to track down one of the citations listed at Wikipedia for the demonstration, namely "Waterhouse, David (1982). "Symposium". Kanō Jigorō and the Beginnings of the Jūdō Movement. Toronto. pp. 169–178." I obtained a copy of this paper after several months via inter-library loan. Here is what it said: "By 1879 Kano was sufficiently advanced to take part in a demonstration arranged for the visit of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to Japan; but the same year Fukuda died." So much for that resource, although it has other merits.

That leaves an April 18, 1922 Japan Times article as the only other citation for the details. Given how sketchy most Wikipedia citations are, I doubt it's really the origin. The likely source is one of the English language books listed in this post.