Japanese Spear Fighting in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1902

“I never saw such elegance and agility combined…”

The following article, with accompanying photographs, appeared in the June 1, 1902, issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and gives a detailed firsthand description of the Japanese fencing school for the Imperial Palace Police. The author, Col. Andrew Haggard, had been invited to attend by Baron Yoshitane Sannomiya, Master of Ceremonies of the Imperial Household.

Baron Sannomiya Yoshitane

Combats with swords, often involving grappling, are described. Most notable, however, is the author’s account of a “distinctly medieval” spear fencing contest, in which a shorter weapon is pitted against a longer weapon.

The article can be read in its entirety below (click the image to access an enlargeable version):