William Garrud (1873–1960) was a British

jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

instructor. Garrud was introduced to jujutsu in 1899 alongside his wife Edith. They studied under Japanese jujutsu masters Yukio Tani and

Sadakazu Uyenishi also known as S. K. Uyenishi and under the stage name Raku, was a jujitsu practitioner, a professional wrestler and a figure of London Edwardian establishment from 1900 to 1908. He was one the first Japanese jujitsu practitioners to both teach ...

and later opened their own London

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

. In 1914 Garrud, wrote ''The Complete Jujitsuan'' which became a standard work on jujitsu, judo and self-defence and has been republished at least seven times. During the war Garrud trained the Volunteer Civil Force in Jujitsu. Edith and William Garrud continued to work as instructors until 1925, when they retired.

Early life and training

William H. Garrud was born in 1873. As a physical culture instructor, specialised in boxing and wrestling, Garrud travelled around the country teaching classes. In 1892 while giving a class in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, he met Edith Williams a fellow teacher of physical education. They married the following year, and moved to London where William found work as a physical culture trainer for universities. In 1900 they watched a

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

demonstration at the

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

by Edward William Barton-Wright. The Garruds became students at Barton-Wright's training facility in Soho ''the Bartitsu School of Arms and Physical Culture'', the first known Japanese martial arts' school in Europe. After the school closed in 1902 they continued training under Japanese jujutsu masters Yukio Tani and

who opened ''the School of Japanese Self Defence'' at 31, Golden Square, Piccadilly Circus, London. While training at the Golden Square Dojo Garrud studied with the best instructors of the time including

Taro Miyake Taro Miyake (''Miyake Taruji'') (c. 1881–1935)Green, Thomas A. and Joseph R. Svinth, eds. ''Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. Vol. 2. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2010. (pg. 446) was a professiona ...

Mitsuyo Maeda ,Virgílio, pp. 22–25 a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda (),Virgílio, p. 9 was a Japanese ''judōka'' (judo practitioner) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions, also being one of the first documented mixed martial artists of t ...

Gunji Koizumi , known affectionately by colleagues as G.K., was a Japanese master of judo who introduced this martial art to the United Kingdom,suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

and led the athletic branch of the

Women's Freedom League The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access ...

. A year after taking over Uyenishi's dojo the Garruds divorced. They continued performing jujutsu on stage in music hall exhibitions and public demonstrations, where William dressed as a policeman, they also offered private instruction for members of the organisations for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. Garrud, published ''The Complete Jujitsuan'' in 1914, dedicating it to "Professor S.K. Uyenishi "Raku". His book became a standard work on jujitsu, judo and self-defence and continued as such for decades, it has been republished at least seven times. At the outbreak of the First World War, being too old to serve Garrud joined the Volunteer Civil Force, the armed force of volunteer police officers, training its members for free in jujutsu.

Retirement and death

William and Edith continued to run the Golden Square dojo as owners and instructors until 1925 when they retired from teaching. The Garruds had two children, a son Owen who was killed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

aged 24 and a daughter. William Garrud died in 1960 at the age of 87.

Gallery

Advert for the Golden Square Dojo December 1922

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garrud, William 1873 births 1960 deaths British martial artists British jujutsuka People associated with physical culture