Click the link below to read Liam Hannan’s thesis on Victorian “cultures of violence”, including an analysis of six canonical Bartitsu jiujitsu kata and stick-fighting set-plays:
French music hall star Gaby Deslys – famous for her “Jiujitsu Waltz” – is shown throwing Sorekichi Eida in this 1907 publicity photo.
Note that the term “Jap” held no pejorative meaning in Edwardian English, being more in the nature of a simple abbreviation like “Brit” for British.
Fans of Victorian-era action/adventure are looking forward to the October 23 release of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, which will feature “Bartitsu” as a special achievement. The achievement award will be unlocked if players master all of co-lead character Jacob Frye’s fighting skills:
Noting that Jacob’s primary weapon is a sword-cane …
Bartitsu has been both parodied and showcased on the FX Network’s popular comedy series, The League, which concerns the misadventures of a group of fantasy football league players.
In the recent episode “Draft of Innocence”, insufferable “sapiosexual” couple Andre and Meegan announce a Gilded Age-themed draft party and extol the many virtues of Bartitsu, which Andre has been studying. Their friends are highly skeptical and decide that Andre is somewhere between a Kung Fool and a Tae Kwon Douche.
Later, however, in full Victorian garb, Andre tests his Bartitsu mastery in fending off a group of back-alley thugs:
… and does astoundingly well, employing his cane and snuffbox as well as Meegan’s parasol to take down all four enemies with panache. In fact, this is an excellent fight scene that manages to refer to real Bartitsu techniques as well as deliver a funny and spectacular action climax.
The complete episode is available for purchase on Amazon Prime and is strongly recommended to Bartitsu enthusiasts.
Alongside Edith Garrud and Emily Diana Watts, Phoebe Roberts (1887-1955) must be accounted as one of the first female jiujitsu instructors in the Western world. She was certainly the youngest; Miss Roberts began training at the tender age of fifteen, circa 1904. Within a year or two she had started to teach classes at the Japanese School of Jujitsu in Oxford Street, which was operated by former Bartitsu Club instructor Yukio Tani and his colleague, Taro Miyake.
A Welshwoman from Blaina, Monmouthshire, her name is also given as Phoebe Laughton Parry, and “Phoebe Roberts” appears to have been a professional pseudonym for her work as a jiujitsu instructress and athlete.
Miss Roberts also participated in numerous jiujitsu exhibitions circa 1906-08, demonstrating with many of the senior jiujitsuka active in the UK at that time, including Tani and Miyake, Akitaro Ono, Sadakazu Uyenishi and Yuzo Hirano. She was frequently billed as the “Champion Lady Ju-Jitsu Wrestler of the World”.
Phoebe Roberts and Yuzo Hirano were married during 1907. In January of 1910 they arrived in Lisbon, Portugal in the company of Sadakazu Uyenishi; there they performed demonstrations and offered classes. Hirano seems to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances during 1915. Phoebe later remarried and remained in the city of Lisbon until she died in 1936.
Suddenly conceived, hurriedly organized, there was every excuse if the Assault-at-Arms in the Gymnasium on the 16th inst. had been a failure. When, therefore, we can describe it as a complete success, there is every reason to congratulate the prime movers in the entertainment on the result of their labours. The programme comprised boxing, gymnastic and fencing competitions, and last, but not least, an exposition of “Bartitsu” under the direction of Mr. Barton-Wright, and a display of Elizabethan sword play by pupils of Captain Hutton.
The preliminary rounds in the boxing competition had been decided on the previous evening, and only the final tie was included in the programme, and the committee very wisely arranged that this event should be fought out at the beginning of the evening somewhat before the advertised time of commencement. Soon after eight o’clock Dr. Pavy took the chair at the judges’ table, and his arrival was the signal for a hearty demonstration by the audience in appreciation of the lively interest which Dr. Pavy takes in everything connected with the hospital.
A persistent rumour had been abroad that Dr. Taylor and Dr. Savage were to give an exhibition of modern foiling, and the arrival of Dr. and Mrs Taylor certainly seemed to lend colour to this view. But rumour lied, and we were not permitted to see what would undoubtedly have been the most popular item of the display.
Of the boxing we can do no more than quote the familiar sporting phrase that “both were likely lads and fought to win.” Perhaps it was significant that at the prize distribution afterwards the winner appeared with both wrists in strapping, while the loser did not appear at all!
The gymnastic display was not good. With one or two notable exceptions the men did not show anything like the form that is expected at these occasions, and the set pieces showed a lack of rehearsal which was no doubt due to the paucity of time at the disposal of the instructor. One item, however, gained rather than lost by this rawness; it was intensely funny to see and hear the surprise and indignation of one of the pair of men who should have “circled” head to foot, when his partner attempted to go round the wrong way.
The fencers gave a much better show, although the hits were rather soft and generally of the “lay on” type. Then M. Vigny and Mr. Collard, two of Mr. Barton-Wright’s instructors, gave an exhibition of “Bartitsu” walking-stick play. Everybody has heard of this new defence and offence, but it was a revelation to the audience to see the splendid development, the dexterity and quickness, and even grace, of the exponents of this really wonderful science.
A striking feature of the training is that in all the exercises the pupil must become ambidextrous; in fact, the rapid transference of the walking-stick from one hand to the other was, to the uninitiated at least, one of the most powerful factors in offence and defence, and one likely to prove most puzzling to the opponent.
After another round in the fencing competition, Captain Hutton brought forward two of the “Bartitsu” Club fencing instructors, Messrs. Collard and Rolt, who gave a display of Elizabethan fencing, using first of all sword and buckler, and then, the more stately rapier and dagger.
The two styles were essentially different in all but attitude. Neither man came “on guard” with the stilted style of modern foil play. Crouching at either end of the ring, they crept towards one another like tigers, and sprang in and out, thrusting and guarding with lightning rapidity. From a spectacular point of view these contests were superb; but it was unpleasantly obvious that “an affair of honour” in Raleigh’s time was not a matter to be entered upon lightly, and certainly not a matter from which either party could hope to escape unscathed.
With these events the programme ended, and after a short speech of thanks from the Chairman to Captain Hutton and Mr. Barton-Wright, and the gentlemen who had judged and given displays that evening, Mr. Cross proposed a vote of thanks to Dr. Pavy for taking the Chair, and for presenting and giving the prizes. With cheers for Dr. Pavy and Captain Hutton, the proceedings terminated.
Programme :—
Final Tie Of the Boxing Competition. — Mr. Pern beat Mr. Palmer. Referee: Mr. Godtschalk (Mirror of Life). Timekeeper: Mr. Griffin.
Gymnastic Display. — Winners Squad B (Messrs. Robinson, Steele-Perkins and Beattie). Judges: Mr. L. A. Dunn and Colour-Sergeant Young.
Fencing (Final Heat). — Mr. Jenson beat Mr. Roper. Referee: Captain Hutton. Judges: Mr. Clay and Mr. Norbury.
“Bartitsu” Display. — Messrs. Vigny and Collard. Judge: Mr. Barton Wright.
Sword Play. — Sword and Buckler, Rapier and Dagger.—Messrs. Collard and Rolt. Judge: Captain Hutton.
The Bartitsu Club: Isle of Wight has been featured in Tweed Magazine, a German-language periodical of the Anglophile lifestyle.
James Garvey will be offering a comprehensive 6-week introductory Bartitsu course via London’s Idler Academy. The course will cover a progression of the Bartitsu skill-sets of jiujitsu, fisticuffs/atemiwaza and cane fighting, finishing with an “applied” session in which trainees’ skills will be put to the test.
Email Roberta@idler.co.uk and quote ‘idle hands’ to receive a 10% discount, applicable to the whole course.
N.B. that the first session is available for just £10 as a taster class.
Place The Idler Academy, 81 Westbourne Park Road, W2 5QH
Starting date 2013-10-23
Course dates Wednesday 23rd October to Wednesday 27th November
Time 7pm – 9pm
Duration 6 weeks
Cost £165 / £148.50 Fellows. Taster session £10.
On Tuesday night, in London, Professor Vigny gave a striking exhibition the possibilities of self-defence afforded by simple walking-stick. Holding his malacca cane by one hand at each end, the Professor calmly awaited the onslaught of a skilled opponent armed with a similar stick. The spectators never knew which hand was to deal the blow, the released end moving with lightning speed.
Then came an exhibition of stick swinging by which every part the body was protected on all sides. With perpetual loud hum the cane made circles, front and behind, that no one could reach within the guard without instantly receiving blew that would splinter any bone to pieces.
And then, with the amateur heavy-weight champion, he showed his skill in boxing, and the French system of boxing with both hands and feet, “la savate.”
With a sprinkling of people about who had learned Vigny’s system, remarks our correspondent, the Hooligan would find his occupation gone.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Crowens of the Bartitsu Club of New York City, whose article Bartitsu: Reviving the “Mixed” Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes appears in the October/November 2013 issue of Black Belt Magazine.
