Author Archives: BartitsuSociety

“Self Defence with a Walking Stick, Revisited”

Posted on September 21, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

Click here to read jujutsuka/researcher David Brough’s peer-reviewed article for Issue #11 of Martial Arts Studies, tracing the development of walking stick self defence back into the early 19th century, through Pierre Vigny’s innovations at the Bartitsu Club circa 1900 … Continue reading →

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Pierre Vigny Strikes a Pugilistic Pose (June 7th, 1899)

Posted on September 17, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

Bartitsu Club savate and stick fighting instructor Pierre Vigny is pictured striking a classic boxing stance in this promotional photo, which was originally published in the Boxing World and Mirror of Life, a popular London sporting journal at the very … Continue reading →

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An Update on the Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III

Posted on September 17, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

As announced in January, work has begun on the production of the third volume of the Bartitsu Compendium, a series that began with the publication of Volume 1 in 2005 and continued with Volume II in 2008. After that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Antagonistics, Biography, Canonical Bartitsu, E. W. Barton-Wright, Editorial, Edwardiana | Comments Off on An Update on the Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III

Early 20th Century French Self Defence Manuals Translated by M.P. Lynch

Posted on July 30, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

A heads-up that a number of rare French antagonistics manuals, most dating from the period immediately following the brief Bartitsu Club era, are now available in English translation via Amazon, courtesy of M.P. Lynch. All the translations are available for … Continue reading →

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“Moving Pictures” of Savate and la Canne

Posted on July 20, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

If Bartitsu Club instructor Pierre Vigny had seen this film footage, he’d probably have shaken his head at much of it. At the turn of the 20th century, Vigny was among a minority of savate instructors advocating for a reformation … Continue reading →

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The Bartitsu and Suffrajitsu Stories as Rendered by Teenagers

Posted on July 12, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

It’s satisfying to see the torches of interest in Bartitsu and Suffrajitsu being taken up by (much) younger enthusiasts. Here are three recent video documents on aspects of Edwardian-era antagonistics, by researcher/presenters who had yet to be born when the … Continue reading →

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The Soft Art: Ju-Jitsu (The Sketch, March 22 1905)

Posted on July 10, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

Edwardian journalists, handicapped by the lack of standardised spelling of Japanese words in English, did the best they could via phonetics. “Tarro Myaki’s” name is properly rendered at Taro Miyake, and he was prominent among the second wave of Japanese … Continue reading →

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E.W. Barton-Wright’s Bartitsu in the Sherlock Holmes Collection

Posted on June 17, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

Originally posted on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 30th June 2012 On Thursday, June 28th, 2012 a wall display commemorating Bartitsu founder E.W. Barton-Wright was unveiled as part of the Sherlock Holmes Collection at Marylebone Library in London. The display consists of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Baritsu, E. W. Barton-Wright, Exhibitions, Fiction, Pop-culture, Sherlock Holmes | Comments Off on E.W. Barton-Wright’s Bartitsu in the Sherlock Holmes Collection

Self-Defence with a Cane (1928)

Posted on June 6, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

This short article from the Motherwell Times of July 27th, 1928 remarks upon a visit to London by Herbert Gordon Lang, who perpetuated and modified the Vigny method of stick fighting. Lang had originally learned the art from former Bartitsu … Continue reading →

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“The King’s Man” Trailer Promises a Melange of Gentlemanly Mayhem

Posted on June 5, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

Delayed several times due to the pandemic, The King’s Man – a prequel to the popular Kingsman series – is currently set for release in December of 2021. As this trailer demonstrates, alongside copious sword, knife and gun-play, the suave … Continue reading →

Posted in Antagonistics, Fencing, Fiction, Pop-culture | Comments Off on “The King’s Man” Trailer Promises a Melange of Gentlemanly Mayhem