Major Theodor Edler von Lerch 1889 - 1945
The art of skiing was first properly introduced to Japan in January 1911 by Major Theodor Edler von Lerch. He was a soldier of the Austro-Hungarian empire who visited Japan with the aim of studying the Japanese army which had been victorious in the Russo-Japanese War. Lerch himself records that "I was not sent as a ski instructor" but the army practiced marching in snow at Mount Hakkoda. Once it became apparent that Lerch was an expert skier who had trained with Matthias Zdarsky himself, he actively gave them instruction in the sport.
So what was the technique which Lerch taught them? It was a safe downhill skiing technique suitable for steep slopes in mountainous areas,based on what is known today as the Stemmbogen system. The skis which they used were Austrian Alpine ones, which differed in shape from the long and large Nordic ones. Not only were they shorter, but they had stronger fastenings and only one ski pole was used instead of the more usual two.