Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

The Umbrella: a Misunderstood Weapon

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 17th May 2009 This humourous article, written and illustrated by J.F. Sullivan, originally appeared in “The Ludgate Monthly” of 1897,  just a few years before E.W. Barton-Wright introduced Bartitsu to London. No … Continue reading

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The Redoubtable Baron Desborough (July 17, 1909)

William Henry Grenfell, the 1st Baron Desborough, poses with a statuette of himself as a fencer in this Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News photo. The effigy was presented by Captain Alfred Hutton during early July of 1909, on behalf of … Continue reading

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The Oldest Gym in America?

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 21st April 2009  Among the interests of the Bartitsu Society is the study of 19th century physical culture; the panoply of diverse exercise systems that were practiced in public and private gymnasia throughout … Continue reading

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The Mystery of the “Japanised Englishman”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Friday, 13th August 2010 Pieter M.C. Toepoel was, in a sense, the E.W. Barton-Wright of the Netherlands. A boxing and physical culture teacher and something of a free-thinker, attracted to novelties, Toepoel was … Continue reading

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The Mysteries of the Embok Kwai (1900-1902)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 4th March 2017 “… he was initiated into the Order of the Embok Kwai, the sole purpose of which is to teach, perpetuate and protect the secrets of jiu-jitsu.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1st … Continue reading

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The Gentlemanly Art of Bartitsu

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Tuesday, 20th October 2009 In 2008 the popular Art of Manliness website featured an extensive article on Bartitsu. An expanded version of that article appears in the new Art of Manliness book, available from Amazon.com. Generation X … Continue reading

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The Eccentric Evolution of Boxing Armour

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 14th June 2010 The first patented suit of boxing armour was registered with the US Patent Office in 1895. Joseph Donovan’s invention offered protection to the most vulnerable parts of the boxer’s … Continue reading

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The E.W. Barton-Wright Memorial Project

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site Saturday, 23rd August 2008 E.W. Barton-Wright, the founder of Bartitsu, died in 1951 at the age of ninety and was buried in what the late martial arts historian Richard Bowen described as a “pauper’s … Continue reading

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The Case of the Imaginary Sensei

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 29th May 2010 Eager would-be students of jiujitsu in early Edwardian England had limited options to learn the mysterious Japanese art of self defence. During the period 1899-1902 they might have trained … Continue reading

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The Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 8th November 2010 Located in the town of Belfast, New York, the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame is situated in the training barns in which William Muldoon trained the great John L. Sullivan for his epic 75-round World … Continue reading

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