Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-23
SCIENCE OF JUJUTSU
Cause Of the Physical Vigor
Of the Japanese.
SKILL VS.. STRENGTH
HOW A DRUNKEN, BURLY SAILOR
WAS PUNISHED.
Schools for Teaching the Sport Scat
tered Throughout the Empire-At
an Athletic Tournament.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS:
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.

oAO VI tHC SiuCI ACdSoAS AOA SAC o0SSOSS
of the Japanese in battle, for their nerve
and endurance, for the remarkable physical
vigor of the nation, for the low death rate,
and their material progress, may be found
in the athletic exercises which are required
life by large proportion Of the population.
Jujutsu, the noble science of self-defense
C'the soft art" to translate the word liter
ally), may be called the national sport,
and has been of incalculable advantage to
Japan. Everybody, from the emperor down
to the humblest coOlie, is educated in it,
and, as In everything else, there are those
who excel. 1t is as much a part of the
education Of a soldier as the handling of a
gun. No man can obtain a place on the
police force until he Is proficient in 1t, and
II the same requirement were made in the
United States the efficiency of our police
would be immensely increased.
Inc Japanese police, like the rest of the
race, are comparatively of diminutive stat
ure. The burly Russian mules derided
their opponents at the beginning of the
war by comparing them to monkeys, but
tney nave discovered by contact that stat
ure does not make a soldier, and those who
nave had experience with the police here
have the highest appreciation of their eff
cheney.
Small, but Powerful.
Inc other evening a drunken English
sailor came around in front of the Grand
Hotel at Yokohama and made a disagree
able disturbance with foul and profane Ian
guage and his desire to fight somebody. He
was monstrous, burly fellow with a knife
IN MS belt, and drunk enough to be reckless
ana desperate. His demonstrations soon at
tracted natty little policeman in a suit of
spotless linen duck, who was Just about
half the the size Of the sailor. The latter
n ~ h iy,, cit
GUS names and promised to eat him if he
did not clear out, but the officer did not pay
the slightest attention to the jeers and to
the astonishment of every foreign spectator
TOOK MIN boldly by the arm and tried to
iead him away from the terrace of the
hotel which was filled with the guests sip
ping their after-dinner coffee.
The sailor jerked away, and, shaking a
INST as big as ham at the pygmy police
man, warned him not lay hands upon free
Briton or he would regret it. Then ne made
vicious assault
In less time than I can tell it the sailor
was fiat upon his back in the road only
half conscious, and the little officer was
tying his shaggy wrists with a cord he mad
coolly taken from his pocket l have never
seen pair of handouts in Japan Then
blowing a whistle, he calmly awaited the
arrival of assistance to take the sailor to
the station house Before help came The
giant seemed to recover his senses and at
tempted to struggle. What happened to him
l could not see, and do not know, but the
officer was equal to the occasion. and ulti-
mately led his prisoner away without the
slightest show of concern or excitement.
When went back to seats old
resident remarked
That was very pretty exhibition of
jujutsu."
"Jujutsu?" half dozen people exclaimed.
Yes, jujutsu, Japanese wrestng-by
which a small man can do large man in
an instant without losing his breath or
quickening his pulse beats. It's science
oh, hoo 10 tr,r,, l. tr
onist's strength and fury against himself;
it's brains against muscle You saw it
done, as l have seen 1t forty times. The
native police are trained for it, In the old
days it a secret of the samurai,
knighthood, but today it is taught in every
public school in Japan, to girls as we'll as
to boys. There are hundreds of special
schools at which it is taught, and 1 see
that President Roosevelt has been learning
it from the japanese naval attache at
Washington.
Proposed Introduction in This Country.
1 have visited several of the schools
where jujutsu is taught, and have heard
that the authorities of the Northwestern
University at Evanston are in correspond
ence with DR.. Kano, one of their alumni
in Tokyo. about sending them competent
instructor, and that Col. Wood, the United
States military attache, is ordered to make
a report on the subject for the benefit of
the West Point Military Academy. 1t is
said that instruction Is already being given
to the midshpmen at Annapolis. The po-
lice force of every city in the country would
increase their efficiency by including jul
jutsu among their drills. 1t should be in
troduced into our schools, and certainly into
every gymnasium In the country. It's a
science, however, and requires careful
training, like boxing and fencing, and an
instructor is necessary. Anyone who cares
to inquire further can write to Professor
Masujiro Honda, Higher Normal School,
Tokyo, Japan, who is expert and has
taught 1t for several years.
Jujutsu is not new thing, however. In
Japan it Is as common as eating or walk
ing, and has been taught in the schools for
generations. According to the traditions
the science evolved by a thoughtful
samurai QInighD. having been suggested to
him by seeing two kittens at play. He was
the first teacher, and up to the restoration
every soldier was compelled to practice It,
After the restoration. with the craze for
foreign ideas and methods, 1t fell into in
nocuoCs deSuetude, and was practically OBJ
solete outside of the army and the police
but about 1895, when the triumphs of the
japanese army in China revived the ma
tional spirit and pride, national athletic
association was organized under the patron
age of the emperor for the purpose of Gull
tivating jujutsu, wrestling, fencing, arch
cry, lance fighting and other ancient sports
Prince Kan-in, cousin of the mikado, is
the active president, all the young men of
the imperial family take a prominent part
and altogether there are low SS4 ,645 active
members throughout Japan.
Temple Of Sports.
The headquarters of the association are
in Kyoto, where it has erected a beautiful
temple, dedicated to the god of sports. 1t
is called Tai-kyo-ku-den, and is a repro
duction Of the ancient palace Of the en-
peror that once occupied the spot on which
it stands. Adjoining the temple is splen-
did pavilion, where, every spring and fall,
| tournaments are held. and local cham
pions in all the different sports come in
| from the country to compete with each
| other for the championships of the en-
| pire The association has subordinate Or
| CARNATIONS in every province and minor
| organizations in every county. village and
| city ward, and each has its little temple,
| club house and instructors and each its
| ambitious candidates for distinction who
| go up to Kyoto to the imperial meets twice
| year. There are minor tournaments at
stated dates in all the provinces and coun-
| ties. so that during the months when the
! weather is favorable something is doing
| all over the empire. Representatives of
| the emperor are always present to pre-
| side and make the announcements and pre-