- Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 5th November 2012
Those with an interest in the international expansion of Japanese martial arts during the early 20th century should read this excellent article on the early history of Australian jiujitsu:
According to the ringmaster, it was to be competed under “jiu-jitsu rules”, which according to him, meant that each of the men would be allowed, “To hit, scratch, bite, pull by the hair, kick sideways, gouge, or strangle. Practically the only forbidden action was a straight kick.” There would be no pinfalls and one man yielding to the other would only decide the match. It would be Mr. M. P. Adams of Melbourne’s job to keep the order as referee, which would prove to be no small task.