A recent attempt to introduce into England a modified form of Japanese wrestling under the name of "bartitsu” calls attention to the peculiarity of this “art of self-defense" as it has developed in Japan. It is asserted that the Japanese hold this art of theirs in such reverence that it has rarely been allowed to bo shown publicly in their own land, much less abroad. Wrestling has been a sport in Japan for more years than can well be counted. The Japanese wrestler belongs to a distinct class, and what he does not know about wrestling in an orthodox or even unorthodox way can scarcely be worth the knowing. Some of the Japanese wrestlers can trace their sporting pedigree back for more than three centuries. They are all meat eaters, whereas the ordinary Japanese consumes only rice and fish. Consequently - this fact is dwelt upon as one of the strongest arguments against vegetarianism – they are big men. The champions of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, when they meet in annual tournaments, can scarcely average less than six feet, whereas the Japanese people themselves are quite four inches under the European standard. Two hundred and eighty pounds is not an uncommon weight for a Japanese wrestler, and the heavier they are the better chance they stand in Championship contests.