Category Archives: Humour

“The Ballad of Tarro Myake” (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 19th May 2017 The following poetic tribute to the skill of jiujitsuka Taro Miyake was first published in Punch Magazine of June 7, 1905.  Miyake’s name was frequently rendered as “Tarro Myake” … Continue reading

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The Story of the Jujitsuffragettes, Courtesy of “Drunk History UK”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 17th July 2017 In these excerpts from a recent episode of “Drunk History UK”, inebriated comedienne Luisa Omielan attempts to relate the history of the jujitsu-trained suffragette Bodyguard team: Bonus points for … Continue reading

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Personally, I would have tried to keep a hold of the stick …

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 3rd August 2017

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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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“To Defy the Hooligan: Advice to Ladies” (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 6th January 2018 A satirical self-defence article from the Bristol Magpie of February 2, 1905: NOTWITHSTANDING there are already numberless systems of self defence extensively advertised and practiced, Magpie hopes to be … Continue reading

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“Now Then, Move On There!” (1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 9th February 2018 This cartoon from the Penny Illustrated Paper of March 4, 1905 proposes a novel method for police constables to “move on” ne’er-do-wells in the streets of London.  The technique is a … Continue reading

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“Drunk History” (US) Tells the Story of the Suffragette Bodyguards

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 21st February 2018 The Comedy Channel’s hit series Drunk History, in which interesting past events are related by inebriated comedians, has followed in the footsteps of the UK version of the show by featuring the … Continue reading

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“I Look Forward to the Debate, Sir!” – a Bartitsuesque Fight Scene from “Q.E.D.” (1982)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 19th January 2016 Readers of a certain age may fondly recall the short-lived TV series Q.E.D. (also titled The Mastermind), which screened during the early 1980s. The show featured Sam Waterston as the eccentric former Ivy … Continue reading

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“Le Jiu-jitsu” (11 November, 1905)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 3rd August 2017 A gallery of cartoons from the Parisian magazine Le Rire, imagining the impact of jiu-jitsu upon French society in the wake of jiujitsuka Ernest Regnier’s victory over savateur Georges Dubois.

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“The Gentle Art of Self Defence: A Strange and Mysterious Set of Manoeuvres Calculated to Upset the Mental Balance of Your Adversary” (1899)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on June 3rd, 2017 The anonymous author of this March 15, 1899 To-Day Magazine satire wittily skewers E.W Barton-Wright’s “New Art of Self Defence” series for Pearson’s Magazine. ONE of the monthly magazines which … Continue reading

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