250 
NATURE 
[JANUARY IO, 1907 
JUTJULSUS 
HIS work gives most clearly and concisely an 
idea of the fascinating art of jujutsu. It is 
written with the idea that anyone having had a few 
lessons may continue the exercises, or throws, without 
the constant help of a teacher, though to learn from 
the description only would be quite impossible. 
Sir Lauder Brunton has given an admirable pre- 
face, from which it may be inferred that the medical 
profession thinks highly of jujutsu as a matter of 
exercise for both sexes. He says :—‘‘ By it not only 
is every muscle strengthened, but the highest centres 
of the brain are developed, those whose functions are 
perception, discrimination and decision.’’ 
Japanese wrestling, or jujutsu, differs entirely from 
the English form of wrestling, which is more or less 
a trial of strength. In jujutsu it is a question of 
quickness and brains; the throws are given by taking 
advantage of the opponent’s movements, so that as 
the attacker advances the opponent trips him up, or 
gives the throw, by profiting by the momentum of 
the attacker’s body, placing his foot, leg, or arm in 
Fic. 1.—First position of the Uchimata, showing the lifting puil of the 
thrower's right hand. From ‘‘ The Fine Art of Jujutsu.” 
such a position that the attacker cannot save him- 
self from falling. In fact, the momentum of the 
attacker is used to his own detriment. 
In commencing, the pupil learns to give the 
‘*Laudori Kata,’’ which form the basis of nearly fifty 
methods of defence against various attacks, and not 
until the pupil has had many lessons is he or she 
allowed to learn how to take a fall. There is as 
much to learn in taking the falls as in giving them, 
and, provided he follows the teacher’s instructions 
exactly, he need not be afraid of getting hurt. 
After several of the throws have been separately 
mastered the pupil is taught to put them in practice 
in the ‘‘loose play,’? and here it is that the real 
delight of jujutsu commences, for all his faculties 
must be alert; he may trip up his teacher with an 
ankle throw; or, taking advantage of some side 
movement, may give the ‘‘ Hizagurama’”’ or trip 
from the side of the knee; or he may turn sharply 
round and give the shoulder throw, bringing his 
1 “The Fine Art of Jujutsu.” By Mrs. Roger Watts, with 141 Action 
Photographs by G. W. Beldam. Pp. viiit146. (London: W. Heinemann, 
1906.) Price 6s. net. 
NO. 1941, VOL. 75] 
Opponent over his shoulder on to the ground. Then, 
when well advanced, the pupil takes his chances 
against his teacher, and the struggle to put in a 
throw on either side becomes very exciting. 
One great delight of these exercises, as mentioned 
in the preface, is the extreme accuracy which is abso- 
lutely necessary; if a certain movement is not done 
correctly it cannot be done at all. If the opponent 
fails to take advantage of the movement of the 
attacker at the right instant it is impossible by main 
force to effect a throw. 
Perhaps the most difficult throws are those given 
in Figs. 44 and 45, which are here reproduced, 
called the **‘ Uchimata,”’ for it requires immense prac- 
tice to get the balance necessary to gain the second 
position. 
Besides the throws, there are many locks which 
are most effective in overcoming an opponent. 
Fig. 111 and the following series represents one of 
these in detail, by which, when used in self-defence, 
it is not difficult to brealx the elbow of the attacker. 
In addition to the jujutsu described in these pages 
Fic. 2.—Second position of the Uchimata, showing the full fling up of the 
thrower's right leg while standing poised on the left. (From ‘‘ The Fine 
Art of Jujutsu.”) 
there is another form, which consists in wrestling on 
the ground, where the throws are given and are 
finished by a lock on the ground; but this is such a 
very rough form of exercise that it is not described 
in Mrs. Watts’s book. 
We have not yet alluded to the excellent illustra- 
tions by that well-known amateur photographer Mr. 
G. W. Beldam. Without them the text would be 
impossible to follow, and to have caught the different 
positions so exactly shows immense patience and 
ability on his part. T. Mary Lockyer. 
SCIENTIFIC WORK IN EGYPT.* 
HE work of the Survey Department in Egypt 
embraces many inquiries outside those usually 
identified with geodetic measurement. The depart- 
ment is responsible for the conduct of a laboratory in 
which analyses of rocks, ores, and minerals are made 
for the Geological Survey, where the illuminating 
1 “A Report on the Work of the Survey Department in 1905.”" By Cant. 
H. G. Lyons, F.R.S., Director-General. Pp. 76+plates. (Cairo: Al- 
Mokattam Printing Office, 1906.) 
