, 1889-08-15
JAPANESE JUGGLERS.
Their Matohless Skill and Daring
in Performing Difficult
Feats.
Boys Taken in Hand at 8 Years
of Age and Thoroughly
Trained

from the New York Mail and Expressl
When the japanese acrobat and Jug
gler appears before the public in America
he Is perfect, and exhibits a skill and
daring that his noighbors, the Chinese,
never attempt to emulate. There seems
to be mystery behind the circus life of
the Japs and they come and go and the
science of their wonderful performances
is never explained Who that has seen
little sugumato, japanese boy of di-
minutive proportions, perched upon a
pcndulating bamboo, can ever forget his
oatlike agility, his tenacious grip and
his beautiful, sinuous attitudes2 In a
series of remarkable evolutions this lit
tie boy never made slip or failed to
round out every act with wonderful pre-
cision and ostensible ease. His man
ager, Theodore L, Sauzo, well educated
educated Jap, who speaks English and
has had wide experience both In Japan
and in this country, in q recent talk
lifted the veil of mystery and showed
that the skill of his countrymen is de-
rived from two causes, viz: long years
of practice and natural aptitude.
PLENTY oT SCHOOLS.
"Have you any training schools for
acrobats, jugglers, rope walkers and the
| liko2' | asked.
"Yes every city in Japan has fine
taught Just like the American acrobats
only with more assiduity and patience.
There are no laws in Japan to prevent
boys under l6 years of age from per-
forming in public, and therefore the sys-
tenn of apprenticeship Is admirably CON
Quoted. If you will notice one thing
about Japanese performers, they never
attempt feat, no matter how easy or
how difficult and make failure. That
is an iron.clad rule or principle
among japanese performers, never
to run any risk of failure, be-
fore an audience, but appear letter
perfect, as YOU say in America. We are
| highly civilized in Japan, using electric
| ity, steam and, indeed, nearly all modern
| improvements; but a Japanese audience
| is SO used to seeing every thing in q show
done so cleverly that | am afraid they
would turn down their thumbs at
| clumsey actor. Show people here often
grow up in families, the father, son and
| grandson all devoting their lives to their
profession. Frequentlya noted Japanese
| performer will have three or four boys,
| and instead of permitting Them TO follow
other professions, he trains them from
infancy to balance, juggle and turn SOM
ersaults. 1t Is the early beginning that
develops wonderful performers"
What age is boy apprenticed or
started in the pre- f2ssionY
Regular training begins when boy
| is years old, and continues without in
ternlission until he becomes great per
former In the course of training II is
invariably discovered that boy has
.l.t Ia. HON lar
thing, and every effort is made to en-
courage and facilitate his Improvement
in that line. The Jap is great worker
and will practice q trick for years in
order to become perfect. In Japan we
have what we call high-class and low
class performers. In America only
high-class Japanese performers are ever
Seen because they are the most skilltul.
The low.class performers in Japan, per-
haps, are nearer to what you call
mountebanks here, and appear in the
ancient or native costume. They show
in the interior and less civil
lied part of Japan, where the
Old regime sill has hold upon the
people. In Toxic and the large cities
Japanese acrobats dress in the European
circus costume, trunks and tights, and
the old dress is never worn. 1t Is some
I what CALLING for Us to have to don the
picturesque and somewhat cumbersome
costume pI dlClelll Juldll W bIItal ue-
fore civilized audience of Americans
when we do not wear the costume at
home. | presume the ancient costume
is more appreciated and at once stamps
US as Japanese, and that is the reason
show proprietors always ask us to dress
that way"
"Would you mind going into the par
ticulars, say, of little Sugmato's train
ing?n.
"He is a prodigy, and nature gave
him strength, suppleness and courage
to accomplish his teats. Between the
age of . and q Sugumato began to re-
ceivc his training, his father being per
! former aud, OF couse' capable OF teach
ing, His ancestors were show people
and doubtless he inherited a good deal
from them. In America you would
call Sugumato q product OF evolution,
the result of environment and heredity.
His first lessons We're merely physical,
and consisted of throwing handsprings,
= somerSaults and doing Contortion acts.
For six months he did nothing but 60
through daily with series OF
| physical performances that were in
tended to develop and give strength to
his body. Then he was taught to do
tricks OF juggling, mixed with other
specialtios such rs rope-wallIing and
uerohing on the pendulating pole AS AS
, time went by he became more and
, more proficient and was permitted by
, his father to appear in public. He
now docs six or seven different
acts and is splendid all
round acrobat. In Japan We
consider it imperative to train early and
let the performer grow. up, gaining in
skill every day, until what he does
seems almost second nature to him
/ Nothing is forced. If boy shows that
he cannot balance 1t is useless to keeI
him at work in that line. You never see
Japanese rider or clown in the cirIuseS
here. In Japan We have riding, but the
style is different from what it Is here
, Instead of having clown we, have wha
! you would call in America funny men
These funny men, during lull in tn,
ring performance, come forward and tel
STORY, usually with point to ii. w,
do Inot do the great leaping acts as il
the programme here in every well regIl
+ lated circus. We can jump, but tn,
/ high spring board leaps are not popula
, in Japan. The people in my country
are fond of shows and encourage then
as much as possible. In each little tow
. shows are expected to come along an,
: give wonderful exhibitions just rs mucl
: us the good-sized towns in this country
l anxiously await the coming of the cir
D cus.h
FAST BECOMING EURoPEAHIzEp.
Glow is it that your naighbors, tn
Chinese, do not have any talent to speal
-. of in your line?'
"That is conundrum. We are pro
crossing in Japan, and try to cultivat
, the fine arts, and, indeed, we are fas
becoming Europeanized. We are 6il
ferent race from the Chinese, and d.