Santel Wrestles Professor Ito
Ad Santel, one of the most talented submission wrestlers of the 1910s and 1920s, built his reputation in contests with judo and jiu-jitsu experts. Santel wrestled one of these contests on Saturday, February 5, 1916, at the Dreamland Rink in San Francisco, California.
Santel wrestled Professor Tokugoro Ito, a 5th-degree black belt in judo, who started wrestling challenge matches in 1909. Ito opened a judo school in Seattle, Washington in the fall of 1909. Ito located his school in the basement of a Japanese church.
Professor Ito, on the the left, throwing his training partner (Public Domain)
Like many judo and jiu-jitsu practitioners, who traveled to the United States to spread their art, Ito participated in legitimate contests with professional wrestlers and boxers to spread his style of martial arts. Martial arts instruction did not provide a living for most instructors, so the challenge matches also generated another stream of income.
Ito helped establish judo schools around the world including schools in the United States, Cuba, and Brazil. Professor Ito specialized in shoulder throws. In 1916, Ito grappled with Santel, who jumped at the chance to wrestle mixed matches with judo and jiu-jitsu practitioners.
The men agreed to grapple for three twenty-minute rounds. As often happens in a contest, Santel and Ito stalemated each other during the first round of a boring exchange.
During the second round, Santel applied the leg scissors around Ito’s neck. Ito refused to give up, so Santel chocked Ito unconscious. After Ito’s seconds revived Ito, Ito could not continue. The referee awarded Santel the match on Ito’s withdrawal.
Ad Santel, skilled shooter and hooker, defeated many judo and jujitsu black belts (Public Domain)
Santel continued to be a tough match for judo and jiu-jitsu practitioners. Based on his success in challenge matches during the 1910s, Santel toured Japan in early 1921. Santel wrestled a handful of Kodokan judo black belts before Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, started punishing the black belts taking part in the matches. Santel could not find challengers and returned to the United States.
Professor Ito continued grappling in challenge matches and teach judo until Professor Ito died in 1939 at 60 or 61 years of age. Ito founded a Los Angeles dojo, which produced high ranking United States black belts.
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Sources: The Seattle Star (Seattle, WA) November 6, 1909, p.2 and San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA), February 6, 1916, p. 42