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Jeff Bristol
23rd March 2001, 00:53
I have been rereading my Sherlock Holmes of late, and in the Adventure of the Empty house when he explaines to Watson how he escaped being shoved off the cliff by prof. Moriarty he says it was because he had "some experience with baritsu, or japanese wrestling." My question is, what is baritsu, is it another name for jujutsu, judo, or maybe some jujutsu ryu?


Jeff Bristol

CMM
23rd March 2001, 03:27
Someone will correct my mistakes, I am sure, but here's the gist: in the late 1800's (?) a man named James Barton (?) went to Japan and learned some jujutsu(?). He brought it back to London and advertised it pretty heavily, founding a self-defense school that eventually taught his jujutsu system along with French cane and sword fighting. He called his system "Bartitsu." Doyle's "baritsu," while seemingly more "Japanese," is presumably either a misprint (my copies have that, too) or some kind of copyright protection bid'ness. Journal of Asian Martial Arts had a write-up about this maybe a year ago-good article. Sorry I can't remember it better!

Joseph Svinth
23rd March 2001, 07:40
The article described is Graham Noble, "An Introduction to W. Barton-Wright (1860-1951) and the Eclectic Art of Bartitsu," Journal of Asian Martial Arts, 8:2, 1999; reprinted at http://ejmas.com/jmanly/jaltart_noble_0301.htm

Also see:

Barton-Wright, E. W. "Ju-jitsu and Ju-dô," Transactions and Proceedings of the Japan Society, 5, 1902

-----. "Self-defence with a Walking-stick: The Different Methods of Defending Oneself with a Walking-Stick or Umbrella when Attacked under Unequal Conditions," Pearson’s Magazine, 11 (January 1901); reprinted at http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0200.htm

-----. "Self-defence with a Walking-stick, Part II." Pearson’s Magazine, 11 (February 1901); reprinted at http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0400.htm

The most detailed discussion that I've seen is Richard Bowen, "Further Lessons in Baritsu," The Ritual (Bi-annual Review of the Northern Musgraves Sherlock Holmes Society), 20, Autumn 1997. However, these people also have information (or so their book blurb says): http://www.nextchurch.org/resources/shj/shjindex.html

See also http://www.evo.org/sherlock/asia/japan.html and http://www.trussel.com/detfic/shbib.htm#C16510 ; the latter are postage stamps.

As for the exact passage, it comes from "The Adventure of the Empty House," published in *Strand Magazine* in October 1903. In it, the Great Detective told Dr. Watson that, on the brink of a Swiss waterfall in 1894, the evil Moriarty "rushed at me and threw his arms around me. He knew that his own game was up, and was only anxious to revenge himself upon me. We tottered together on the brink of the fall. I have some knowledge, however, of baritsu [sic], or the Japanese system of wrestling, which has more than once been very useful to me. I slipped through his grip, and he with a horrible scream kicked madly for a few seconds and clawed the air with both his hands. But for all his efforts he could not get his balance, and over he went."

Cady Goldfield
24th March 2001, 22:17
As an investitured member of the Cornish Horrors, a scion of the Baker Street Irregulars (my given investiture titile is "Drawing a Cover"), I concur with the findings of Mr. Svinth. Also, Barton-Wright did call "his" art "Bartitsu," but apparently Conan Doyle either inadvertantly or intentionally dropped the second "t." Perhaps he didn't want the word to evoke thoughts of female appendages?

Cady "Drawing a Cover" Goldfield, CH/scion BSI

Jeff Bristol
26th March 2001, 02:11
Thanks guys, it's good to know that there's always a place to ask an ma quetion and get a good answer.


Jeff Bristol