Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“Ju-Jitsu Corps”: A Novel Venture Which Has The Official Sanction (1914)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 19th November 2017 This little-known initiative was widely publicised during December of 1914 and January of 1915: A new corps has just been formed with the unusual title of the “Ju-Jitsu Corps.” … Continue reading

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Vigny Cane Vs. Doble Bastón

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 25th November 2017 In this experimental sparring match, Chilean Andres Morales (in the fencing mask with the white trim) employs the Vigny cane style opposed to the doble bastón (double stick) sub-system … Continue reading

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“The Umbrella: A Dangerous Weapon” (1900)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 26th November 2017 This article from the Bristol Mercury of May 14, 1900 is typical of many hundreds of newspaper reports illustrating the deadly potential of umbrella thrusts, whether delivered accidentally or deliberately. In days … Continue reading

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“Ju-Jitsu For The Police: Its Possibilities”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 17th December 2017 Cartoonist Ralph Cleaver imagines the ways in which jiujitsu might transform the policeman’s lot, and that of wider Edwardian society, in this series of cartoons for The Sketch.

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“Miyake, the Champion of Japan: an Interesting Interview” (1907)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 17th December 2017 This interview from the Midland Daily Telegraph of  August 1,  1907 offers some further details on the life and career of Taro Miyake.  A prominent member of the “second generation” … Continue reading

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“A Sort of Collective Santa Claus”: Sir C. Arthur Pearson and the Poor Children’s Yuletide Association

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 20th December 2017 This holiday-season article offers a departure from our usual focus on Edwardian-era martial arts and combat sports to briefly illuminate a much kinder and, therefore, more important endeavour from … Continue reading

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“Professor Re-nie” Instructs the Parisian Police (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 24th December 2017 These photos from The Bystander of November 15th, 1905 portray a self-defence class taught by Ernest Regnier, a.k.a. “Re-Nie”, for senior members of the Parisian police force. Regnier had been a … Continue reading

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Pugilistic Sparring at BartitsuCon 2018

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 16th November 2018 Instructor Tommy Joe Moore (in the white shirt and then the black singlet) and a sparring partner engage in the noble art of fisticuffs during the recent BartitsuCon event:

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Sparring: Vigny Cane Vs. Multiple Opponents

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 27th December 2018 Chilean instructor Andres Morales experiments with the Vigny style against not one, not two, but three stick-wielding opponents in this new video: The experimental sparring match is reminiscent of … Continue reading

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Sadakazu Uyenishi Saves a Drowning Man (?) in Belfast (1906)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 10th January 2019 After the Bartitsu Club closed in mid-1902, most of the instructors continued independent careers as instructors and combat sport athletes.  Although Sadakazu Uyenishi was better-known as an instructor than as a … Continue reading

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