Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-05
A JAPANESE TROUPE.
A hGNAGER RELATES HIS EXPERT
EECE WITH TIE MEMBERS.


Lager Eeer Saying Prayers - Street
Performance in Japan
at was the first troupe of japanese that
had ever played throughout the United
States and Canada, and was q big nov
city Il was made up of eighteen Japs-
eleven men, three women and four child
ren. They could not talk word OF Eng
hsh, and as had to live right with them
was obliged to pick up their language as
best I could. did it through pantomime,
picking up an object or doing thing
and then getting the proper words for
them from the Japs. l had little IN
dexed book, and used to put the words
and expressions that l learned II II,
writing them as they sounded to NE, with
the definition. In q few months after
joined them 1 was quite Jap myself.
The language is easily learned, and re-
sembIes Spanish very much. l dressed
like the .Japs, and allowed my hair to
grow long Here's an old photograph Of
me as l appeared with little Kotzko in my
kimona. I looked like the real article,
didn't FL
whats the kiInona?"
cts the loose, flowing robe that the
Japs wear, folding it across the breast. In
summer it is Light garment, and IL win
ter it is heavily padded and very warm
Some Of these kimonas are beautifully
embroidered Under this Gmona they
wear the baggy pants or namushka,
fastened at the waist by belt, called the
| ODE
| ~ 4 ''CHEAP JoHN' SUIT.
! but the Japs soon wanted American
clothes, and they got them, too. Togo
- --ay1r ont M
own hook one day, and came back with g
very queer hand -1ne-down suit on, over q
thin undershirt, and his pants tucked in
pair of very stogy cowhide boots. Oh,
| but he looked funny when he walked into
! the hotel in this rig. The Cheap John
| clothier had taken advantage OF him and
Charged him four prices, so that l had to
60 around and get part of the money back.
ssThe Japanese are the most cleanly
people that have ever SEEM" proceeded
! Mr.. Hildreth. II had to be careful to Sc
cure bath rooms at every hotel we visited,
! and If there were no bath rooms was ex-
pected to make rates with some bath
| house in the town Why, on the sleeping
cars they were up at daylight scrubDlnS
themselves all over, and as soon rs they
reached the hotel they were at it again.
| They use or their hair @ peculiar pomade
that glistens and shines on their jetty
locks The women use more OF this than
the men. Occasionally the men use
great deal OF it, though, in combing their
hair up to q stiff knot on the tops of their
heads. They all insisted upon two baths
per week regularly, besides their sponge
baths daily, and they used TO have the
water so hot that neither you nor could
stand it. Almost the first English they
picked up was the expression Gimme
wasser,' which they used on going into
! every hotel"
did your JaDs tackle kindly to Arneri-
| con intoXicants?'
Eyes. but they were never under the in
fiuence. They liked beer and it eemed
to have no effect upon them. Every
night after performance the troupe
would gather in the hotel and have beer
and lunch. Some of them liked other
drinks. however, and had to have them
One old man and his wife wanted gin
and another Jap tackled sherry. had to
get this for TEN, too. They would not
have played If I didn't. When l first
went with them they would not eat the
hotel food and had to arrange to have
one of the women Of the party go into the
hotel kitchen and cook for the Japs. They
used TO eat eggs, rice and meat stews.
PARTICULARLY FOND OF PIE.
CATER Il time, though, they went
through the regular bills Of fare from
SOUP to nuts They were particularly
stuck On that great American institution
pie. Then they always said their
prayers morning and night, and just be-
fore they went on the stage to do their act
they prayed to their God to help them.
In praying they invariably turned their
backs upon any one present, stood erect,
rubbed their hands softly together, and
n1uttered their petition in a sinG-sonS
tone. They were all interested in the
habits and customs of the Americans, and
when they saw any strange thing they
studied it over until they le&raed it.
My chums in the company were two
BOYS, Kotzko and Yousannatz. The lat
ter vas the boy who did the ladder act,
md Kotzko used to be balanced on 4 long
bamboo pole with Otoyon, little girl.
Til two boys wouldn't live without me,
SO ALWAYS cot double-beddctl room and
bunked with them. At first they Torldn t
sleep il On American bed, and always car
ricd their mats for the floor, with pillows
OF wood, made bowl-shaped for tho head
and rounded SO that they would move
wiz, the head. The members Of the
tror23 al came from Yokohama and Ma
gasal;i. They were not Of the streetpe
forming class in Japan, but Of the middle
clcss, like those n the 'yillGgo.' An old
nan, Iolousan, who was totally blind,
used 20 do tl,e iron Jaw act by lifting tubs
fuI, Of great stones with his teeth. He
vas, toUcvcr, /: street. performer, but
LITER performed in legitimate places OF
amusement Ike TIE others. lie used to
stand ca tho st-aet corners in TIE japanese
so1ns, and aftc- nan had collected q
crowd by drumming japanese banjo he
woald Go The e-g trick, swalloU- c needle
and thread cni bring the needle cut
threaded, and otEc- feacs Of l--.g.c, 'r.liio
tho boy, hotz.1o, would do tU--,IlGg5.
Then they would collect the c-Ec, O.
money, the usual Offering being { large,
ovcl coin called . tempo. II had c square
kc,o n the center, and the coIector would
string thcIl on : wire. When the trio
coIieccei { certain a-nouCt they would lie
Idle a1d not 60 TO work again until all the
ulole- was gone. Chicago Herald i1-z--
yicyr.