Martial History Team

  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 pri...

Ulysses S. Grant, 1865, Ohio History Collection, https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/11433  Introduction In my post Ulysses S. Grant, the Patient Fighter , I dispelled the myth that Grant was a wrestler. I started reading Ron Chernow's biography Grant with the goal of finishing it before the History Channel mini-series starts on May 25. In this brief post I'd like to share two stories I've encountered that demonstrate Grant stood up to bullies, either against himself or others. Both are from Chernow's book . As a Boy "Such a tame boy inevitably became the butt of mockery, and Grant grew sensitive to public humiliation. Never one to initiate a fight, he refused to back down when bullied. He was roused to fury if sadistic boys tormented an innocent child or a defenseless horse, and smaller boys embraced him as their steadfast protector. On one occasion, Grant saw a big, oafish boy named Slifer picking on a much smaller boy....

US Grant at Cold Harbor, May 1864; Photo by Mathew Brady, colorized by @madsmadsen.ch from Battlefield Trust collection,  https://www.instagram.com/p/BymcJKIBYvn/ Introduction Today, 27 April 2020, is the 198th birthday of Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant, 18th president of the United States and commanding general of Union forces in the US Civil War. To celebrate his birthday, I will take a look at one of the myths surrounding Grant, his so-called "wrestling career." Grant is sometimes listed as one of the "Presidential wrestlers," alongside Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and others. As we will see in this post, Grant there is no evidence that Grant was a wrestler, at least against other men, but there is evidence he was a family man and a patient fighter. Grant as Wrestler, Online If one visits the National Wrestling Hall of Fame web site , one finds the following: "Lincoln certainly did not achieve any national fame as a wrestl...