, 1889-08-22
JAPANESE JUGGLERS.
Their Matohless Skill and Daring
in Performing Difficult
Feats.
Boys Taken in Hand at @ Years
of Age and Thoroughly
Trained.

Trained.
from the New York Mail and Exprcss,l
When the Japanese acrobat and jug
gler appears before the epublic in America
he is perfect, and exhibits skill and
daring that his ncighbors, the Chinese,
never attempt to emulate. There seems
to bc 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, u Japanese boy of di-
minutive proportions, perched upon
pcndulating bamboo, can ever forget his
catlike agility, his tenacious grip and
his beautiful, sinuous attitudesP In
series of remarkable ovolutions this lit
tie boy never made a slip or failed to
round out every act with wonderful pre-
oision and ostensible case. His man
nger, Theodore r. Sanzo, a well educated
educated Jap, who speaks English, and
has had wide experience both in Japan
and in this country, in 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 or SCHOOLS.
"Havc you any training schools for
acrobats, jugglcrs, rope walkers and the
| likc?" | asked.
"Yes, every city in japan has fine
| training school for beginners. They arc
taught just like the American acrobats
only with more assiduity and patience.
There arc no laws in Japan to prevent
boys under 10 years of age from per-
forming in public, and therefore the sys-
tom of apprenticeship is admirably con.
| Quoted. If you will notice one thing
| about Japanese performers, they never
| attempt feat, no muttcr 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 Il Japanese audience
! is so used to seeing everything in Il show
done so cleverly that | am afraid they
would turn down their thumbs at a
| clumsey actor Show people here often
D
I grandson all dcvoting their lives to their
| profession. Frequently 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, iugglo and turn SOM
| crsauts. Ii Is the early beginning that
| develops wonderful performer"
| "What age is boy npprenticed or
started in the prutcssionY"
/ Regular training begins when boy
I il q years old, and continues without in-
/ tcrnlssion until lac becomes great per-
/ former. In the course of training IL is
/ invariably discovered that boy has
more natural aptitude in one particular
/ thing, aud every effort Is made to en-
courage and facilitate his improvement
in that line. the Jap is n great worker
and will practice u 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 JapaEesc performers are ever
/ seen, because they are the most skilltul.
| The low-class performers in Japan, per
haps, are nearer to what you call
mOuntcbanlS here, and appear ia ,lo'
ancient or native costume. They show
| IN the interior and less civi.
liZcd part of Japan. where the
old regime sill has n hold upon the
people. In Toxic and the large cities
japanese acrObats dress ia the European
the old dress is never worn. Ii is some
what CALLING for Us To have to don the
picturesque and somewhat cumbersome
costume of ancient Japan To appear be-
fore a civilized audience of Americans
when we do not wear the costume Mt
home. presume the ancient costume
| is more appreciated aud 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?,
him strength, supplencss aud courage
to accomplish his teats Between the
age of 3 and q Sugumuto began to re-
ceye his training his father being per
I former and, oi cotlsc, capable of teach
ing His ancestors were show people
I and doubtless he inherited good deal
from them. In America you would
call Sugumuto Il product OF evolution,
! the result of environment and hpredity.
! His first lessons were merely physical,
and consisted of throwing haudsprings,
somersaults and doing cOntortiOn acts
! For six months he did nothing but 20
| 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
/ SpcClnlues SuCh as fOpe-walking and
| perching on the pendulating pole. As
/ time went by lac became more and
more proficient and was permitted by
| his father to appear in public. He
now does six or seven different
acts and is splendid all
round acrobat. In Japan We
consider it imperative to train carly and
let the performer grow up, gaining in
skin every day, until what he does
seems almost second nature to him.
| Nothing Is forced. II II boy shows that
| he cannot balance il is useless to keep
| him at work in that line. You never sec
japanese rider or clown in the circuses
here. In Japan we have riding, but the
style Is different from what il is here.
| Instead of having clown we have what
YOU would call in America funny men,
These funny men, during lull In the
| ring performance, come forward and tell
story, usually with u point to il. We
do not do the great leaping acts as IL
the programme here in every well rcgu-
lated circus. We can jump, but the
high spring-board leaps are not popular
in Japan. The people in my country
arc fond of shows and encourage them
as much as possible. In each little town
shows are expected to come along and
give wonderful exhibitions just as much
as the good-sized towns in this country
anxiously await the coming of the cir
Gus"
FAST BECOMING EURorEArIzED.
"How is it that your neighbors, the
Chinese, do not have any talent to speak
ofin your lineT'