Early Japanese martial arts in Great Britain.

Reviews, Videos, and Everything Else Bullshido.ORG Martial Arts Encyclopedia Discussion
1

http://www.budokwai.org/budokwaiframepg.htm
Gunji Koizumi, founder of the Budokai

2

Good timing! I’ve just posted a review of the Bartitsu Compendium, a new book that goes into great detail re. the adventures of Yukio Tani, Sadekazu Uyenishi and other self defense pioneers in London. They were all teachers at E.W. Barton-Wright’s Bartitsu Club who went on to start their own dojos and to compete in MMA-style wrestling tournaments throughout Europe. The book review is at http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php?name=Reviews&file=viewreview&op=newreview&id=185

3

On this note there was an excellent article published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts about two years ago on the Music Hall Challenge tours that Japanese fighters went on in the late 1800’s. Unfortunately my library is in storage, but I’ll see if I can dig out that reference.

  • Matt
4

That sounds like Graham Nobles’ article on “Early Jiujitsu: the Challenges”, which is now available online - http://seinenkai.com/articles/noble/noble-jujutsu1.html and http://seinenkai.com/articles/noble/noble-jujutsu2.html .

5

I am only third rate." Tani

Graham also wrote The Odyssey of Yukio Tani, http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Noble_1000.htm.

“I tried once more, but as I seized Tani’s canvas jacket he fell backwards, a foot was applied to my abdomen and I sailed through the air as he hit the mat with his back. Again I had no chance of getting away, and again those sinewy feet held me by the neck and more strongly than any man’s hands could! This time only fifteen seconds had elapsed before I was choking and tapping the mat with both hands [i.e., signalling submission] as fast as I could. As I walked off with my arms over the shoulders of the little ‘Yellow Peril’ I asked him if he really was the Japanese champion. ‘No, no,’ came the reply. ‘That is only publicity talk. In Japan I am only third rate. The great champions are amateurs and they never give public shows of our art. To the masters of ju-jutsu, our science is almost a religion.’”

6

Is that a Hitler-esque moustache?Or what?

7

Actually I believe it was:

Wingard, G. “Sport, industrialism, and the Japanese “gentle way”: Judo in late Victorian England” 12(2) JAMA

  • MAtt