Page:Japanese Physical Training (Hancock).djvu/13



presenting this volume to the public the author is aware that he is offering a decided novelty to readers who are familiar only with American systems of athletics. The Japanese system of physical training is so ancient that its origin dates before the time when the authentic history of these people began. Yet, while the Japanese have adapted from Western civilisation everything that they consider to be necessary to their national development, they have retained jiu-jitsu and all its underlying principles as the means by which the nation is to work for its physical well-being. They have done more, for, whereas jiu-jitsu was taught at one time to the aristocratic classes only, it is taught now to all of the people of Dai Nippon who wish to acquire it. The value of jiu-jitsu is proven by the fact that the Japanese, while a diminutive race, possess the greatest endurance of any people on earth.