The Bartitsu Club of Arms and Physical Culture, founded by E.W. Barton-Wright in 1899, closed its doors in London’s Soho around 1902. But the closure was far from the end of the story. It served as a launchpad for the principal masters and their associates, who went on to spread their respective arts—Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and cane fighting—across Britain and Europe, shaping the early 20th-century martial arts landscape.
The legacy of Bartitsu wasn’t just the club itself, but the decentralized propagation of its core disciplines by these pioneering instructors.
1. Yukio Tani: From Bartitsu to the Budokwai
Yukio Tani was perhaps the most visible and widely known of the Bartitsu masters following the club’s dissolution.
- Pioneer of Professional Challenge Wrestling: After parting ways with Barton-Wright, Tani teamed up with promoter William Bankier (“Apollo”). He became a star on the British music hall circuit as a professional challenge wrestler, accepting bouts under Jiu-Jitsu rules against opponents from various backgrounds [Source 1].
- The Father of British Judo: Tani’s most enduring legacy came later. In 1918, he became the first professional instructor at the London Budokwai, initially teaching Ju-Jitsu, it most likely became the first dojo in Europe dedicated to teaching Kodokan Judo [Source 1].
- Known Publications: Tani co-authored several key instructional books that popularized the art in Britain:
- The Game of Ju-Jitsu (1906, co-authored with R. K. Harrison)
- Textbook of Ju-Jitsu (1906, co-authored with Sadakazu Uyenishi, though Uyenishi’s role is primary)
3. Armand Cherpillod: Bridging Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu
The Bartitsu Club’s wrestling expert was the Swiss champion, Armand Cherpillod.
- Cross-Training Pioneer: Cherpillod provided expertise in European wrestling but crucially cross-trained with the Japanese masters, incorporating Jiu-Jitsu into his technique [Source 3].
- Pioneer on the Continent and for Women: Returning to the continent, Cherpillod became instrumental in teaching Japanese martial arts in Europe.
- Known Publications: Cherpillod is notable for authoring early continental European manuals, including:
- Je me défends toute seule: Le Jiu-Jitsu pour la femme (1906, I Defend Myself Alone: Jiu-Jitsu for the Woman)
- La Défense dans la Rue (1912, Defense in the Street)
3. Armand Cherpillod: Bridging Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu
The Bartitsu Club’s wrestling expert was the Swiss champion, Armand Cherpillod.
- Cross-Training Pioneer: Cherpillod provided expertise in European wrestling but crucially cross-trained with the Japanese masters, incorporating Jiu-Jitsu into his technique [Source 3].
- Pioneer on the Continent and for Women: Returning to the continent, Cherpillod became instrumental in teaching Japanese martial arts in Europe.
- Known Publications: Cherpillod is notable for authoring early continental European manuals, including:
- Je me défends toute seule! : Quelques coups du Jiu-Jitsu japonais à l’usage des dames (1906, I Defend Myself Alone: Jiu-Jitsu for the Woman)
- Manuel de Jiu-Jitsu. Coups usuels à l’usage des sociétés de gymnastique, de l’armée et du public en général (1906, iu-Jitsu Manual. Customary Blows for the Use of Gymnastic Societies, the Army and the General Public)
4. Pierre Vigny: Codifying the Cane
Pierre Vigny, the Swiss master-at-arms, provided the crucial cane fighting component (la canne).
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- Enduring System of La Canne: Vigny left to open his own self-defence academy in London in 1903, continuing to teach his system of self-defense with an ordinary walking stick [Source 4].
- Military and Police Influence: Vigny’s distinctive methodology was later recorded and adapted by his student’s student, Superintendent H.G. Lang, in the 1923 book, The Walking Stick Method of Self-Defence, which was used to train police and military personnel [Source 4].
- Known Publications: Vigny’s direct publications are scarce, but his system was the subject of:
- The Walking Stick Method of Self Defense by H.G. Lang, not Vigny’s own book but a great source for his methods.
5. Captain Alfred Hutton: The Historian and Advocate
Captain Alfred Hutton was a crucial figure, providing academic and historical legitimacy.
- Pioneer of Historical Fencing: Hutton was one of the most respected English fencing masters of his era, specializing in the revival of older European swordplay [Source 5].
- Cross-Discipline Advocate: Committed to the Bartitsu philosophy, Hutton learned Jiu-Jitsu techniques from Tani and Uyenishi. He later used this knowledge to advocate for the art’s benefits [Source 5].
- Known Publications: Hutton’s extensive work covers both historical and modern self-defence:
- Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre (1889)
- Old Sword Play (1892)
- Ju Jitsu, or Japanese Wrestling, for Schoolboys (1906)
💡 Conclusion: The Enduring Echoes of Bartitsu
The legacy of the Bartitsu Club was never confined to the four years it operated in Soho. The closure of the school in 1902 merely signaled the start of a diaspora, scattering its eclectic methods and philosophy across the globe through the efforts of its instructors and their direct students.
The Direct Lineage: From Soho to Self-Defense
The influence of Bartitsu’s masters established crucial martial arts institutions and movements:
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The Jiu-Jitsuffragettes: The most direct and famous line comes from Sadakazu Uyenishi to Edith Garrud. Garrud used the Jiu-Jitsu she learned at the Bartitsu Club and Uyenishi’s later school to train the Suffragette Bodyguard unit.
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The Judo Foundation: Yukio Tani became central to the Budokwai, the first Kodokan-sanctioned Judo institution in Europe.
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Défense de la Rue (Street Defense): The methods of Pierre Vigny and Armand Cherpillod strongly influenced the rise of continental European street self-defense systems.
The Enduring Question: Did the Philosophy Survive?
While the departure of the masters led to a massive benefit for the spread of individual martial arts across Europe, it posed a critical question: Did the masters forget E.W. Barton-Wright’s pragmatic and scientific philosophy?
Bartitsu itself provided a different outlook—one which was pragmatic and scientific in its approach, a genuine amalgamation of Eastern and Western systems, ultimately utilizing a very British, philosophy and mindset.
While Tani and Uyenishi largely returned to the codified structures of Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, the core principles of Bartitsu—focusing on non-lethal self-defense against a contemporary street attack using whatever means necessary—clearly survived with the Western masters (Vigny and Cherpillod) and later found expression in 20th-century systems:
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World War II Combatives: Systems like those taught by W.E. Fairbairn during WWII, emphasizing simplicity and maximum effect, share Bartitsu’s initial premise.
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Krav Maga: The modern Israeli system of Krav Maga is philosophically a direct successor, emphasizing a pragmatic, eclectic, and non-sporting approach to survival, mirroring the ethos Barton-Wright championed decades earlier.
The Last Student: Barton-Wright’s Final Bow
Finally, the founder, Edward William Barton-Wright, appears to have remained connected to the martial arts world long after his club closed. A 1950s British Judo Association magazine article confirms he was an attendee at Judo events and may have continued coaching or training privately well into the 1950s.
The ultimate legacy of the Bartitsu masters is not just the preservation of their techniques, but the validation of Barton-Wright’s core concept: that effective self-defense lies not in rigid adherence to one style, but in the intelligent, scientific synthesis of multiple disciplines tailored for real-world application.
Source List
- Yukio Tani – Wikipedia
- Sadakazu Uyenishi – Wikipedia
- Un champion du monde de Ju-jitsu vaudois
- Start Bartitsu by learning the stick fighting guards! (Mentions Vigny’s system and Lang’s manual for police self-defence)
- Captain Alfred Hutton Writes About his Friends at the London Bartitsu Club (Primary source quotes on Hutton’s views and actions)
- Edith Garrud – Wikipedia
Learn More About Bartitsu
If you’re interested in learning more, the Bartitsu club webpage seeks to preserve, extend and promote the art of Bartitsu. Below we have included some useful links on our website.