Edward William Barton-Wright

Edward William Barton-Wright C.E., M.J.S. (member of the Japan Society) (1860-1951) was a British entrepreneur specialising in both self defence training and physical therapy. He is remembered today as one of the first Europeans to teach Japanese martial arts and as a pioneer of the concept of hybrid martial arts.

Early life

He was born with the name Edward William Wright in Bangalore, India. He was the third of six children of railway engineer William Barton Wright and his wife Jorrie [http://www.businesspme.com/uk/articles/production/93/Edward-William-Barton-Wright.html] . After returning to England with his family during the 1880s, Barton-Wright was educated in France and Germany. Following matriculation, he worked as a railway clerk before embarking on a career as a civil engineer and surveyor. As a civil engineer, he worked for railway and mining companies in countries including Portugal, the Straits Settlements and Japan. In April 1892 he legally assumed the name Edward William Barton-Wright.Noble, Graham. "The Master of Bartitsu," "Journal of Asian Martial Arts," 1999, v. 8:2, pp. 50-61. [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_noble_0301.htm] ] Wolf, Tony (ed.) "The Bartitsu Compendium." Lulu Publications, 2005.]

Establishing Bartitsu

In a 1950 interview Barton-Wright professed to having had a "lifelong interest in the arts of self defence". While in Japan (circa 1893-1897), Barton-Wright studied jujutsu in at least two styles, including the Shinden Fudo Ryū in Kobe and Kodokan judo in Tokyo.Wolf, Tony (ed.) "The Bartitsu Compendium." Lulu Publications, 2005.]

Upon returning to England (c.1898), Barton-Wright combined these martial arts to form his own style of self defence training, which he called Bartitsu. Over the next two years, he also added elements of British boxing, French savate and the la canne (stick fighting) style of Swiss master Pierre Vigny. [Barton-Wright, E.W. "Ju-jitsu and judo." "Transactions of the Japan Society," 1902, v. 5, pp. 261-264.]

In 1899, Barton-Wright wrote an article titled "How to Pose as a Strong Man", detailing the mechanical and leverage principles employed in performing various feats of strength. [Barton-Wright, E.W. "How to Pose as a Strong Man," "Pearson's Magazine", v. 7, pp. 59-66.] He also produced a two-part essay entitled "the New Art of Self Defence" which was published in both the English and American editions of "Pearson's Magazine". [Barton-Wright, E.W. "The New Art of Self-defence: How a Man May Defend Himself against Every Form of Attack," "Pearson's Magazine", March 1899, v. 7, pp. Later the same year, he produced another two-part article series for "Pearson's", on the subject of "Self Defence with a Walking Stick".268-275. [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2002/jmanlyart_Barton-Wrighta_1202.htm] ] [Barton-Wright, E.W. "The New Art of Self-defence," "Pearson's Magazine", April 1899, v. 7, pp. 402-410. [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2002/jmanlyart_Barton-Wrightb_1202.htm] ] . An excerpt was re-printed in the Boston Times newspaper.

Barton-Wright summarised the principles of Bartitsu as: [ [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_noble_0301.htm JManly: Intro to Barton-Wright: Noble ] ]
# To disturb the equilibrium of your assailant.
# To surprise him before he has time to regain his balance and use his strength.
# If necessary, to subject the joints of any parts of his body, whether neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, back, knee, ankle, etc. to strains that they are anatomically and mechanically unable to resist.

In 1900, Barton-Wright established the Bartitsu School of Arms and Physical Culture at 67b Shaftesbury Avenue in London's Soho district. The school offered classes in a range of self defence disciplines and combat sports as well as various physical therapies involving the electrical application of heat, light, vibration, and radiation. During the next few years, Barton-Wright organised numerous exhibitions of self defence techniques and also promoted tournament competitions at venues throughout London. [Wolf, Tony and Marwood, James. (2006) "The Bartitsu Club." [http://www.bartitsu.org/club.html] ]

In 1901, Barton-Wright published additional articles that detailed the Bartitsu method of fighting with a walking stick or umbrella. [Barton-Wright, E.W. "Self-defence with a Walking Stick," "Pearson's Magazine", February 1901, v. 11, pp. 130-139. [http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0400.htm] ]

Later life

By 1903, the Bartitsu Club had closed down. Subsequently, Barton-Wright mostly abandoned self defence instruction in favour of his interests in physical therapy,Wolf, Tony (ed.) "The Bartitsu Compendium." Lulu Publications, 2005.] which he pursued, establishing various clinics throughout London, for the remainder of his career.

Comparatively little is known about Barton-Wright's life during the period 1914-1950. His therapeutic business, specialising in the use of various electrical appliances to treat the pain of gout and rheumatism, was subject to bankruptcy proceedings on several occasions during the first three decades of the 20th century. He was not included in his father's last will and testament, although he did execute a portion of the will on behalf of one of his brothers, who was named as a beneficiary, in 1915. From 1938 onwards, Barton-Wright's medical clinic was in his own home, at #50 Surbiton Road, Surbiton, which he shared with a woman named Rosalie Helen Hibbett.

In 1950, Barton-Wright was interviewed by Gunji Koizumi, the founder of the London Budokwai judo club, and he was presented to an audience at a Budokwai gathering later that year. [Koizumi, Gunji. "Facts and History," "Budokwai Quarterly Bulletin", July 1950, pp. 17-19.] He died in 1951, aged ninety and under circumstances of some poverty, and he was buried in an unmarked grave at Kingston Cemetery in Surrey, England.

In 2004, members of the Bartitsu Society initiated a fund-raising project towards creating a memorial grave marker for Barton-Wright, in honour of his pioneering work in the martial arts.Noble, Graham. "The Master of Bartitsu," "Journal of Asian Martial Arts," 1999, v. 8:2, pp. 50-61. [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_noble_0301.htm] ] ["Barton-Wright's Grave Site," February 7, 2007. [http://www.bartitsu.org/news.html] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.bartitsu.org The Bartitsu Society]