Bartitsu has been discussed on and off at STMA over the years, and we have referenced it in various threads, particularly the Sherlock Holmes ones
Bartitsu was incorrectly spelt as Baritsu by Conan Doyle when he used it in the Holmes books, and he refers to it as "Japanese wrestling " so is only referring to the Jujutsu element
The system was invented at the turn of 20th Century by Barton Wright
He had studied London Boxing of the time and Savate, as we'll as being a a fencer, was trained in La Canne, the use of the walking stick
An engineer by trade, he spent three years in Japan and studied Jujutsu at the Kodokan - this was before the term Judo was being used
On returning to London around 1900, he opened a studio to teach his new system which he called Bartitsu, as in Barton Jujitsu
This school taught Boxing, Savate, Stick Canne, Fencing and Jujutsu
Barton invited some Kodokan instructors over to teach more advanced classes in Judo and Jujutsu, being the first place in the UK this was done
Barton was also experienced in the western wrestling of the time, though no reference is made to him actually teaching it, or it having a direct influence on Bartitsu
The school went into decline and closed, while Jujutsu schools and then Judo schools started opening independently over London, then the rest of the UK
Barton and Bartitsu would probably have been forgotten if it were not for Doyle using the reference in the Holmes books. However, what he is referring to is the new Jujitsu itself
While Barton was truly one of the first, if not the first, people to practice and teach cross training of MA in the UK, everything he was using is found in JKD and STMA to a greater degree, and a higher level, due to much higher access to master instructors in modern times
Many Barton advocates point out he pre emptied the JKD theories of Bruce Lee
You cannot really study Baritsu these days, as it was never passed on as a system, if it ever really was a complete, comprehensive system, however you can, and many do, practice the elements and root arts, with a view to modern Street Self Defence
In many ways, Bartitsu and Mr Barton Wright are ancestors of British Shiro Tora
