Mitsuyo Maeda
Gastão Gracie from Rio de Janeiro, the grandson of George Gracie through his son Pedro married Cesarina Pessoa Vasconcellos, the daughter of a wealthy Ceará family, in 1901 and decided to settle in Belém do Pará. Gastão Gracie became a business partner of the American Circus in Belém. In 1916, the Italian Argentine Queirolo Brothers staged circus shows there and presented Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese "judoka" and prize fighter. Gastão Gracie also was responsible for helping Maeda establishing a Japanese community in Brazil. In 1917, Carlos Gracie, the eldest son of Gastão Gracie, watched a demonstration by Mitsuyo Maeda at the Da Paz Theatre and decided to learn judo. Mitsuyo Maeda, also known as Conde Koma thus accepted to teach Gastão's son Carlos as a thank you to Gastão for helping him get settled. In 1921, however, following financial hardship and his own father Pedro's demise, Gastão Gracie returned to Rio de Janeiro with his family.