Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“A New Uniform Inspired by Uko-Tani”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 21st January 2018 The notion of London bobbies studying the newfangled Japanese art of self-defence clearly intrigued Edwardian cartoonists.  The Penny Illustrated Paper of March 4, 1905 imagined that a new police uniform inspired … Continue reading

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“… an athletic class for people of good standing …”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 4th December 2010 By mid-1899, E.W. Barton-Wright was busy attracting support for his novel venture; a Club dedicated to the instruction of physical culture and self defence. Late-Victorian London was already home … Continue reading

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Jujitsuffragette interview on BBC World Service Radio Show

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 29th August 2012 Click here to listen to Tony Wolf’s interview about the Jujitsuffragette Bodyguards with reporter Julian Bedford for the BBC World Service.

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Yukio Tani vs. the Masked Wrestler (April, 1909)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 10th November 2018 Still popular today in Mexican and Japanese pro-wrestling circles, the “masked wrestler” gimmick originated in Paris during the year 1867.  The original “Lutteur Masqué” was rumoured to be an … Continue reading

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“Getting the Short End of the Stick” in Vigny Stick Fighting

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 14th February 2019 I noticed that the stick itself was held about eight inches from the end, so that after a crashing blow has been delivered it was quickly followed up by … Continue reading

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“Ju-Jitsu Vs. Boxing”: Yukio Tani takes on “Young Joseph” (From The Sporting Life, 13 April 1908)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on February 10th, 2017 In a 1950 interview conducted by jiujitsu sensei Gunji Koizumi, Bartitsu founder E.W. Barton-Wright reminisced about trying to teach Yukio Tani to box, noting that Tani had “no aptitude for … Continue reading

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Inside Edith Garrud’s dojo (1910-11)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 1st January 2017 By March of 1910,  jiujitsu instructor Edith Garrud was becoming increasingly involved with the radical women’s rights movement, teaching her “Suffragettes Self-Defence” classes at Leighton Lodge in Edwardes Square, Kensington and performing politically … Continue reading

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The “Great Anglo-Japanese Tournament” at the Adelphi Theatre in Liverpool

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on November 6th, 2018 The “last hurrah” of the Bartitsu Club as a corporate entity was the ambitious and largely successful “Great Anglo-Japanese Tournament” tour during early-mid 1902.   We’ve previously detailed these provincial Bartitsu … Continue reading

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The “Dwarf of Blood” on Bartitsu (June-October, 1900)

The following accounts were written for the Sporting Times by a journalist styling himself as “The Dwarf of Blood”.  Many Sporting Times columnists used similarly colourful pseudonyms – “The Pitcher”, “The Shifter”, “The Master”, et al. The author of these articles was … Continue reading

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“What To Do When A Thug Attacks You”: Still More on the Latson Method of Self-Defense

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 21st November 2016 The following article dated July 16, 1911 serves as a further explication of the curious “Latson Method of Self Defence”.  Aside from its clear parallels with Bartitsu, as a … Continue reading

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