Edward William Barton-Wright
Encyclopedia
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
.
, India
. He was the third of six children of railway engineer William Barton Wright
and his wife Janet. 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 locations including Egypt
, Portugal
and the Straits Settlements
(modern day Malaysia and Singapore). In April 1892 he legally assumed the name Edward William Barton-Wright.
smelting
specialist for the E.H. Hunter Company in Kobe
, Japan
(c. 1895-1898), Barton-Wright studied jujutsu
in at least two styles, including the Shinden Fudo Ryū in Kobe
and Kodokan judo
in Tokyo
.
Upon returning to England
in early 1898, Barton-Wright combined these martial arts to form his own method 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
.
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. 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
. An excerpt was re-printed in the Boston Times newspaper.
Barton-Wright summarised the principles of Bartitsu as:
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
. Club members included soldiers, athletes, actors, politicians and some aristocrats. During the next few years, Barton-Wright organised numerous exhibitions of self defence techniques and also promoted tournament
competitions at music halls throughout London
, in which his Bartitsu Club champions were challenged by wrestlers in various European styles.
In 1901, Barton-Wright published additional articles that detailed the Bartitsu method of fighting with a walking stick or umbrella.
, although he was rumoured to have continued to develop and teach Bartitsu privately into the 1920s. Barton-Wright established a series of clinics at various locations throughout London, and continued to work as a physical therapist for the remainder of his career.
His therapeutic business, specialising in the use of various electrical appliances to treat the pain of gout
and rheumatism
, was viewed with suspicion by the London medical establishment and was subject to bankruptcy
proceedings on several occasions during the first three decades of the 20th century. These included a damaging and acrimonious suit brought about by Wilson Rae, a former employee who had become a business rival. Barton-Wright's financial problems were compounded by a series of investments in unsuccessful inventions and other ventures.
E.W. Barton-Wright 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.
Comparatively little is known about Barton-Wright's life during the period 1930-1950. From 1938 onwards, his medical clinic was in his own home, at #50 Surbiton Road, Surbiton
.
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. Barton-Wright 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 commemorating E.W. Barton-Wright, in honour of his pioneering work in the martial arts.
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, M.J.S. (member of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Society) (1860–1951) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
specialising in both self defence training and physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
. He is remembered today as one of the first Europeans to teach Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. At least three Japanese terms are often used interchangeably with the English phrase "Japanese martial arts": , literally meaning "martial way", , which has no perfect translation but means something like science,...
and as a pioneer of the concept of hybrid martial arts
Hybrid martial arts
Hybrid martial arts refer to martial arts or fighting systems that incorporate techniques and theories from several particular martial arts...
.
Early life
He was born Edward William Wright on November 8, 1860 in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the third of six children of railway engineer William Barton Wright
William Barton Wright
William Barton Wright was a British mechanical engineer and Locomotive Superintendent of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.-Family:His son Edward William Barton-Wright was a promoter of martial arts: see Bartitsu....
and his wife Janet. After returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his family during the 1880s, Barton-Wright was educated in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. 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 locations including Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and the Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
(modern day Malaysia and Singapore). In April 1892 he legally assumed the name Edward William Barton-Wright.
Establishing Bartitsu
In a 1950 interview Barton-Wright professed to having had a "lifelong interest in the arts of self defence" and earlier interviews indicated that he had studied various fighting systems during his travels as a young man. While working as an antimonyAntimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
specialist for the E.H. Hunter Company in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(c. 1895-1898), Barton-Wright studied jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
in at least two styles, including the Shinden Fudo Ryū in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
and Kodokan judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Upon returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in early 1898, Barton-Wright combined these martial arts to form his own method of self defence training, which he called Bartitsu
Bartitsu
Bartitsu is an eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England during the years 1898–1902. In 1901 it was immortalised by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories...
. Over the next two years, he also added elements of British boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, French savate
Savate
Savate , also known as boxe française, French boxing, French kickboxing or French footfighting, is a French martial art which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay...
and the la canne (stick fighting
Stick fighting
Stick fighting is a generic term for martial arts which use simple long slender, blunt, hand-held, generally wooden 'sticks' for fighting such as a staff, cane, walking stick, baton or similar....
) style of Swiss master Pierre Vigny
Pierre Vigny
Pierre Vigny was a French master-at-arms who was active during the late 19th century and early 20th century. He specialised in the French savate style of martial arts and in the art of stick fighting known as La canne which he heavily modified to better suit his theories of effective self...
.
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. 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
Pearson's Magazine
Pearson's Magazine was an influential publication which first appeared in Britain in 1896. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contributors included Upton Sinclair, George Bernard Shaw, Maxim Gorky and H. G...
. An excerpt was re-printed in the Boston Times newspaper.
Barton-Wright summarised the principles of Bartitsu as:
- 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
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
in London's Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
district. The school offered classes in a range of self defence disciplines and combat sports as well as various physical therapies
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
involving the electrical application of heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
, light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, vibration
Vibration
Vibration refers to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point. The oscillations may be periodic such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road.Vibration is occasionally "desirable"...
, and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
. Club members included soldiers, athletes, actors, politicians and some aristocrats. During the next few years, Barton-Wright organised numerous exhibitions of self defence techniques and also promoted tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
competitions at music halls throughout London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in which his Bartitsu Club champions were challenged by wrestlers in various European styles.
In 1901, Barton-Wright published additional articles that detailed the Bartitsu method of fighting with a walking stick or umbrella.
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 therapyPhysical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
, although he was rumoured to have continued to develop and teach Bartitsu privately into the 1920s. Barton-Wright established a series of clinics at various locations throughout London, and continued to work as a physical therapist for the remainder of his career.
His therapeutic business, specialising in the use of various electrical appliances to treat the pain of gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
and rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
, was viewed with suspicion by the London medical establishment and was subject to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
proceedings on several occasions during the first three decades of the 20th century. These included a damaging and acrimonious suit brought about by Wilson Rae, a former employee who had become a business rival. Barton-Wright's financial problems were compounded by a series of investments in unsuccessful inventions and other ventures.
E.W. Barton-Wright 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.
Comparatively little is known about Barton-Wright's life during the period 1930-1950. From 1938 onwards, his medical clinic was in his own home, at #50 Surbiton Road, Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
.
In 1950, Barton-Wright was interviewed by Gunji Koizumi
Gunji Koizumi
, known affectionately by colleagues as G.K., was a Japanese master of judo who introduced this martial art to the United Kingdom, and came to be known as the 'Father of British Judo.' He was the founder of the Budokwai, a pioneering Japanese martial arts society in England. Koizumi helped...
, the founder of the London Budokwai
Budokwai
is the oldest Japanese martial arts club in Europe. It was founded in 1918 by Gunji Koizumi and initially offered tuition in jujutsu, kendo, and other Japanese arts. It was the first Judo club in Europe with membership open to the general public.-History:...
judo club, and he was presented to an audience at a Budokwai gathering later that year. Barton-Wright died in 1951, aged ninety and under circumstances of some poverty, and he was buried in an unmarked grave at Kingston
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
Cemetery in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England.
In 2004, members of the Bartitsu Society initiated a fund-raising project towards commemorating E.W. Barton-Wright, in honour of his pioneering work in the martial arts.