Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“The Art of Self Defence” (1909)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 18th March 2018 The following article by N. Tegan Lewis was originally published in the Women’s Freedom League newspaper of April 22, 1909, following the jiujitsu self-defence displays by Edith Garrud at … Continue reading

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“Stick Fighting in Trinidad” (Diss Express – 14 March, 1919)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 18th March 2018 The following short article is notable for its reference to the Trinidadian stick fighting style of “playing bois”, which is closely cognate to the Grenadian bois stick style that … Continue reading

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“A Ju-jitsu Festival in Kyoto, Japan” (1909)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 27th March 2018 Sketch artist Tom Brown recorded his impressions of a “ju-jitsu festival” taking place in Kyoto for the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News of November 13, 1909.  He noted that he admired … Continue reading

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Jujitsu at Glen Parva Barracks (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 14th April 2018 Although he had been brought to London to partner Yukio Tani in teaching and demonstrating Japanese unarmed combat via the Bartitsu Club, Sadakazu “Raku” Uyenishi went his own way … Continue reading

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Sergeant George Wheeldon’s Police Self-Defence (circa 1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 17th April 2018 The City of London police history blog Plodd in the Square Mile offers this short but informative article on Sergeant George Wheeldon, who essentially pioneered the systematic practice of unarmed self-defence within … Continue reading

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In Memoriam: Master-at-Arms John Waller

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 22nd April 2018 The international historical European martial arts and stage combat communities mourn the recent passing of John Waller, who was a modern pioneer in both fields. Possessed of a life-long … Continue reading

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Arturo Bonafont’s 1930 Cane Defence Book Now Translated and Available!

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 24th April 2018 The first decades of the 20th century saw a marked shift in approaches to the use of the walking stick as a weapon of self-defence. Whereas cane manuals had … Continue reading

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“Bartitsu in the American Context”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 24th April 2018 The excellent Kung Fu Tea blog offers this well-researched post towards answering a question posed by Dr. Emelyne Godfrey in reviewing Wendy Rouse’s book Her Own Hero: The Origins of the Women’s Self Defense Movement. … Continue reading

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“Wrestlers in Court: Labourer who Wanted to Use his Fists” (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 28th April 2018 This article from the  Leicester Daily Post of October 7, 1905, details a court case involving former Bartitsu Club instructor Yukio Tani.  Partly at issue was the practice of pre-arranging the results … Continue reading

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The Bonafont Cane Style in Action

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 1st May 2018 The prolific and talented Andres Morales of Chile demonstrates the Bonafont cane fighting style of 1920s and ’30s Argentina.

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