Yukio Tani

From The Martial Arts Encyclopedia

Yukio Tani (1881-1950) was among the first generation of Japanese professional jujitsu instructors and prize-fighters to be based outside of Japan.

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1 Arrival in London
2 Jujitsu in the Music Halls
3 The Japanese School of Jujitsu
4 The London Budokwai
5 Sources

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Arrival in London

In late 1899, Edward William Barton-Wright, the founder of Bartitsu, corresponded with Professor Jigoro Kano, who was the founder of judo (originally called Kano-ryu jujitsu) and arranged for two young Japanese instructors to travel to London and work at Barton-Wright's Bartitsu Club. Kano responded by sending Yukio Tani and a colleague, Sadekazu Uyenishi.

As well as teaching jujitsu classes for the membership of the Bartitsu Club, Tani appeared in jujitsu exhibitions held in London theaters, accepting challenges from all comers.

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Jujitsu in the Music Halls

After breaking with Barton-Wright in 1903, purportedly due to an argument followed by a fight, Tani joined forces with veteran show business promoter William Bankier, who had himself been a music hall performer under the name "Apollo, the Scottish Hercules". Bankier was also the publisher and editor of London's Health and Strength Magazine and used his influence to boost Tani's fame throughout England.

Slightly built and only 5 feet 6 inches in height, Tani enjoyed great success in his challenge matches. Bankier insisted that Tani's opponents wore jujitsu gi jackets and that the contests were to be fought to submission, rather than the more common European wrestling practice of points awarded for falls and pins. Challengers were sometimes offered one pound per minute that they could remain standing against Tani, and prizes of up to one hundred pounds were offered for anyone who could force him to submit.

In one six-month tour Tani was recorded as having defeated an average of 20 wrestlers per week, for a total of over 500 challengers throughout that tour.

Tani became quite famous throughout England and his name was written in to several popular plays and songs. He enjoyed his work, although he would later confide to South African strength performer Tromp van Diggellen that he considered himself to be "second-rate" compared with some Japanese jujitsuka. However, he also acknowledged that he probably had more experience at using jujitsu against European wrestling styles than any man alive.

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The Japanese School of Jujitsu

In 1904 Tani opened the Japanese School of JuJitsu, which was located at 305 Oxford Street, London. This school was to be the training ground of many of the first generation of English jujitsu instructors.

In 1905 Tani lost a jujitsu challenge match to a fellow Japanese instructor, Taro Miyake. Miyake subsequently joined the teaching faculty at Tani's school and in 1906 the two of them co-authored a book, The Game of Jujitsu, which essentially followed the Kodokan agenda of reforming jujitsu into a European-style combat sport that could be safely taught and practiced in schools.

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The London Budokwai

In 1918 Gunji Koizumi opened the London Budokwai (martial arts school) and Tani joined the academy as its first professional instructor. In 1920, after a visit by Professor Kano, the Budokwai formally adopted the curriculum of Kodokan Judo and Tani was awarded the nidan (second level) black belt rank in Judo. He was eventually given the shidan (fourth level) rank in recognition of his many years of success in competition, and his services to the Budokwai as an instructor.

In 1937 Tani suffered a severe stroke which left him unable to physically perform judo or jujitsu techniques, but he continued to coach students from the sidelines of the Budokwai mats until his death on January 24th, 1950, at the age of sixty-nine.

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