Japanese Martial Arts in Britain
著者 Kawanari To
出版者 法政大学体育研究センター
journal or
publication title
法政大学体育研究センター紀要
volume 13
page range 19‑24
year 1995‑03‑31
URL http://doi.org/10.15002/00009014
ToKAWANARI
lnthefirstplacelamgoingtointroduceyoutoJapanesemartialarts・
GenerallyspeakingJapanesemartialartsarefortunatelyknownalmostallovertheworld,
butintheircapacitiesassportsmatchesandcombatsportsorsportsactivities、For exampleJudoisoneeventattheOlympicGames,andSumomatchescanbewatchedon TVinBritainandGermany,buttheseareonlytheveryfamousSumowrestler'smatches suchasthethreehighestranks,orSanyakuandthegrandchampion,orYokozuna、
InspiteoftheevidentfactthatKarate,orKaratedooriginatedinChinaandhasbeen dividedintomanyschoolsi、Japanwhichwecall“ryu",Karateisrecognizedasthe mostfamousJapanesemartialartsKendo,ortraditionalJapanesebamboofencingisalsoknown considerably,Bythewaythe4thKendoWorldChampionshipofthisyearwasheldinApril inTokyo,andtheJapaneseteamgainedtheworldchampionship
AnywayitisagreatdelightthatJapanesematerialartshavespreadtosuchanextent asIhavejustexplained
Howeverlshouldliketotellyouafewwordsaboutaspecialtermwhichisusedin BritainandSpainthatIhappenedtoseeveryrecently、ItisthetermBujitsu・
ThetermBujitsuisonethatlhavescarcelyseenandheardinJapanexceptinthe moviesandstories,whichdescribethearchaictimes,fromthelatel2centuryonwards,
andbythelatel9century,ThetermBujitsuwasusedasageneraltermtoexpress variousworrior'sartsratherthanmartialarts・Thenumberofitsschoolswassaidto amounttoabout9000
IntheEdoerawhichcontinuedforabouttwohundredandsixtyyears,thereweremany feudaldomainscontrolledbythelocalwarlords,orDaimiyos・Theyhadtheirownspecial Bujitsukeptinstrictsecrecyinordertodefendtheirterritoriesfromotherwarlords
AftertheEdoera,intheTokugawaShogun,splacetheMeijiEmperaruledJapan、The Meijinewgovernmentwantedtobuildamodernwesternizednationwhichwasconcentrated andpowerfulFromthepointofviewoftheMeijiGovernment,theabove-mentioned Bujitsuwasregardedasbeingnolongervalidandrepresentiveoftheformerandold- fashionedandbarbarictimes、Andfurthermoretheintroductionoffirearmshadradically changedtheroleofBujitsu、DuetothissituationthetraditionalBujitsuwasenforced toexperiencemanyhardshipsandthendoomedtodeclineanddisappear、
BeforelongBudo,orwhatweknowasJapanesemartialartswerebomBujitsuhasits
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法政大学体育研究センター紀要
ounlonghistory,inotherwords,BujitsuissaidtobeoneoftheancestorofBudq
AsforthetermBuiitsu,strangetosay,nowadaysthetermBujitsuisusedinChina、
ButincaseofChina,Ithinktheuseofthetermhasitsownreason・Oneofthegreatest ChinesephilosophersLeo-tsewassaidtoinsiststrongly‘thewaycannotorshouldnotbe discussed,,soinChinatheymayusethetermBujitsutoexpressChinesemartialarts・
Iguesstheydon'tliketousethetermway,or“do,,inJapaneseespeciallyexpressing themartialartsinJapan・
Wellasltoldyou,IhaveseenthetermBujitsuusedinBritainandSpain.InCambridge Inoticedpostersrecruitingnewmembersinseveralcolleges,andobservedtheir Bujitsupractice・Itwasjustaslimagedfromtheillustratedposters・SomehowBritish styleBujitsumightbeverysimilartotheoldJudowhichwascalledJujitsu,becausethey didnotusearmslikethewoodenknifeandswordorso・ButinSpainasthey usedthearmstheirBujitsuwasverysimilartothearchaicBujitsuwhichlusedtowatch
inthemovies、
AnywaylshouldrecognizedthatbothinBritainandSpaintheyhavetheoldterminology aswellastheoldformofJapanesemartialarts.
※※※
HoweverthoughJapanesemartialartshadalreadydisappeared,whyBritishstyleBujitsu stillalive?ThoughIamfarfromconcludingit,IcancertainlyassertthattheirBujitsu hadhadadeeprelationwithJujitsuintroducedtoBritaininthelatel9century・
Forexample,accordingtothemagazineTノzeノtZノウα〃SMcjiノ(Vol、1.,1893)1,Tetsujiro ShidachwhowasafamousJujitsuinstructorfromTokyoreadtheLectureon“Ju-jitsu,
theAncientArtofSelf-DefencebySleightofBody,,atthelnauguralMeetingofthe JapanSociety,andafterhislecturehegavepracticaldemonstrationsineveningdress withDaigoroGohwhowassecretaryoftheJapanSociety・Shidachi'slectureandtheir Jujitsudemonstrationsweretreatedasatopicinmanypressesandmagazines,especially themostnotablecommentwasanarticleentitle“Ju-jitsu”in7肋Stz〃γzIhZyRc此z(ノ2 ofMay7th,1892.
Andinl918,theBudokuwaiwasfoundedinLondonundertheleadershipofGunji KoizumiandYukioTani3whowereboth3rddanofblackbeltltspurposewastotrain JujitsuandKendo,andfosterthespiritofBushido,itsmemberswereaboutl50,
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includingllBritishwhowerealllstdanofblackbelt・
That,swhyJujitsuhadhootedinBritain,andduringaboutonecentury,Ithinkitmight havemixedBujitsu
AnywayformostJapaneseitisverydifficulttomakeacleardistinctionbetween JujitsuandBujitsu,becauseasltoldyouwehavenosuchaactualmodelofmartial artsanylonger、
Nowlfearlhaveindulgedintoomuchnomenclature,soIintendtomentionon JapanesemartialartsinBritain.
※※※
BythewayitiswellknownthatSherlockHolmespracticedJapanesemartialarts,For example,aftertwoyearsdisappearanceHolmessuddenlyshowedupinfrontofDr・Watson,
andexplained.'..、WhenIreachedtheendIstoodatbay・Hedrewnoweapon,buthe rushedatmeandthrewhislongarmsaroundme・Heknewthathisowngamewasup,
andwasonlyanxioustorevengehimselfuponmeWetotteredtogetheruponthebrink ofthefallIhavesomeknowledge,however,ofba冗馴,ortheJapanesesystemof wrestling,whichhasmorethanoncebeenveryusefultomelslippedthroughhisgrip,
andhewithahorriblescreamkickedmadlyforafewsecondsandclawedtheairwith bothhishands,Butforallhiseffortshecouldnotgethisbalance,andoverhewent、
Withmyfaceoverthebrinklsawhimfallforalongway,Thenhestruckarock,
boundedoffandsplashedintothewater・'4
Butwhatis6czがM?FortunatelywehavetwoJapanesetranslatedversionsofit・One isJapanesemartialarts5,anotherisJujitsu6
Asfor6a冗剛,Iwouldliketointroduce,aninterestingepisode・AgainstShidachi,s Jujitsu,slectureonthe“Ju-jitsu,,anEnglishgentlemanwhosenamewasEW、Barton- WrightrefutedBarton-WrighthadinvestigatedJujitsuandinventedhisownmartialart andnameditasBtzγ-ノノM・UnderBtzγ-〃tszU,hecomprised‘boxing,ortheuseofthefist asahittingmedium,theuseofthefeetbothinanoffensiveanddefensivesense,theuse ofthewalking-stickasameansofself-defenceinsuchawayastomakeitpractically impossibletobehituponthefingers、'7AccordingtoBarton-Wright,‘Ju-doandJu-jitsu werenotdesignedasprimarymeansofattackanddefenceagainstaboxeroramanwho kicksyou,butwereonlysupportedtobeusedaftercomingtoclosequarters,andin
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法政大学体育研究センター紀要
ordertogettoclosequartersitwasabsolutelynecessarytounderstandboxingandthe useoffoot、Ju-doandJu-jitsu,however,wereveryreliablemeansofself-defence againstJapaneseandallforeignerswhodidnotunderstandthescientificuseofthefist
orfoot・'8
Hzγ-/jMseemedtobemorepracticalandaggressivethanJapanesemartialartsin respectofself-defence,becausetheyfirstandforemostusetheirownstickagainstthe enemyltiseasytoguessthat6αγ-ノノ応z‘mighthavespreadamonggentlemeninBritain、
But6αγ-㎡MwasverydifficultfortheEnglishtopronounce,solguessthemiddleof spell`t'mightbedropped,6αγ-/iMbecame6αγjM・
Inmyopinion,ArthurConanDoylemusthaveadopted,andusedtheterm,not6”-
titsu,but6αγ/だ〃asself-defencemartialart、Nowadaysldon'tknowwhether6αガムs〃is incommonuseornot,becauseIhaveneverseeniL
Butlcan'thelpwonderingwhyBujitsuoroldJapanesemartialartorJapaneseworror,s artwhichhaddisappearedaboutonehundredandthirtyyearagoinJapanarenowactive
inBritain.
Notes
*ThislecturewasreadattheForthChiba-WarwickSymposiumintheUniversityof WarwickinEnglandonlSeptember1994.
1.TetsujiroShidach;“Ju-jitsu,TheAncientArtofSelf-DefencebySleightofBody,,
T/be〃Pα〃SmClbノ,vol1.,London,1893,pp、4-21.
2.T/jeStztzzγz/buy他zノノcz(ノ(May7th,1892)
“Ju-jitsu,theAncientArtofSelf-DefencebySleightofBody,,,wasthesubjectchosen forthelectureatthe“InauguralMeetingoftheJapanSociety'’1astweekItwas possiblyindeferencetothetastesofanathleticpeoplethatMr.T、Shidachi,LLB.,
ofTokio,wasaskedtolectureonthiscomparativelyunintellectualsubjectinthenot verycongenialatmosphereofthehalloftheSocietyofArts・Mr・Shidachiexplained thathehadtranslated“Ju-jitsu”asthe“ArtofSelf-DefencebySleightofBody,,,or evenas“ArtofGainingtheVictorybyYielding,,,becausebythesephrases,whichhe candidlyallowedareofthenatureofcircumlocutions,canalonebegiventhefullforce ofJu-jitsu、Afterseeinghispracticaldemonstrations,wecan,however,assureMr,
ShidachithatthegoodoldEnglishword“wrestling,,translatesittoperfection・These practicaldemonstrationswerethemoreagreeablebecauseMr・Shidachiandhisfriend,
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Mr・DaigoroGohwhoaroseandplayedfortheinstructionoftheaudience,werein eveningdress,whichgaveanewcharmtothethrows、Mr、DaigoroGoh,who explainedwithmuchhumourthathewasignorantofJu-jitsu,andthathesacrificed himselfforthegoodoftheSociety,ofwhichheissecretary,wasfatedtobealways thrown・Heperformedhispartwithasmilinggoodhumour,andatotalabsenceof anythinglikeself-consciousness,whichwerebeyondpraise、AnEnglishmancouldhardly haveescapedlookingmoreorlessawkward,whereasnothingdisturbedeithertheself- possessionortheshirtfrontofMr,DaigoroGohAsforthewrestling,betterhasbeen seenattheJapaneseVillage,amongotherplaces,andalsoworse・Mr,Shidachiis,we havenodoubt,afairamateurwrestler,andquiteamatchforaEuropeanofhisweight・
Asalecturerhewasmistakeninthinkingthatthereisanythingnewtous,oreven veryOrientaLinJu-jitsu,unlessitbethis-thattheartofwrestlinginJapanincludes stranglin9,andrecoveringpersonswhohavenotbeenstrangledtoomuchThewrestling throwswerecommonenoughOnewhichMr・Shidachiseemedtothinkparticularly Japanesehecalled“straightbodythrowing・'’1tconsistsinputtingyourfootagainst the“abdomen',ofanopponentwithwhomyouareengagedinthecommonarmgrip,
andthenthrowingyourselfviolentlybackonthegroundThetrick-foritisnomore
-iswellknowntoEuropeanwrestlersof-tobefrank-alowstamp、Triedagainsta veryrawandslowantagonist,itmightendinyourtossingyourenemyoveryourhead,
totheimminentperilofthisneck,Mr・DaigoroGoh、Butagainstathird-rateWest- countrywrestlerwhowasonthewatch,itwouldmostassuredlyendinthe“straight throwing,,ofthebodyofthewrongperson・FromMr・Shidachi'slecturewegathered withsomedifficulty-forthoughhisEnglishwasidiomatic,histonguewouldtoofrequently revoltpatrioticallybacktoapronunciationwhichwetakeitwasJapanese-thatJu-
jitsuhasagooddealofhistory、Thereareschools,andtheyhavesecretswhich areonlyrevealedto“theperfect',underthesanctionofblood-curdlingoathS・Mr・
Shidachihintedthatthesecretsaremostlybosh,writteninastylewhichisbarely intelligible-wherein,ongeneralprinciples,wethinkhemustberight・Theprevailing schoolseemstohavebeenformedbytheallianceoftwofamousfamiliesofhereditary wrestlingmasters、Itseems-wespeakagainwithreserveandasundercorrection-to includeageneralathletictrainingingyrnnastics,swimming,&c、,the‘`sleightofbody,,
beingonlytaughtwhenthebodyhadbeenwelltrainedWehaveheardofmuchmore foolishsystemsthanthis,andwehopethattheschoolofMr・Shindachi'shonoured
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法政大学体育研究センター紀要
masterwilllongflourish'’
3.NoboruKoyama;“TheJapanesesinLondon-PeopleandOrganizationsbeforetheWorld Warll,,LjM〃s,nq7,(Decemberl992),KashiwaShobou、
4.ArthurConnanDoyle,T/ze砒加”Cl/S/DC加chHM9oes,PenguinBooks,p・’3.
5.TokyoSogenSha(translatedbyTomojiAbe)p、17.
6.ShinchoSha(translatedbyKenNobehara)p、15.
7.EW-Barton-WriEht:‘`Ju-iitsuandTu-do''.Z~ルルカα〃Sbc池/v、voLV.、London.7.EW・Barton-Wright; "Ju-jitsuandJu-do',,T/zcノヒZpcz〃 SbcjClly, V、, London,
1902,p26L 8.16〃.
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