The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-12-02
A JAPANESE AMUSEMENT.
WRESTLING rs THE LEADING
SPORT OF THE EMPIRE.
A Contest Between the Typhoon and
the Stone Giant in Yokohama
Excitement Among Spectators.

A Contest Between the Typhoon and
the Stone Giant in Yokohama
Excitement Among Spectators.
Wrestling is the leading sport in
Japan. In the big cities the wrestling
ground is square and surrounded by two
roped galleries. Women occupy the up
per tier. The ring is about twenty feet
in diameter and raised about two feet
above the ground floor. 1t is strewn
with sand and surrounded by double
embarkment Of bags of straw. It is COW
cred by roof, decorated with lanterns
and flags and supported by four slaDting
red pillars.
A contest between the Typhoon and
the Stone Giant in Yokohama was wit
messed recently by a correspondent of
the Seattle Post Intelligencer. The
wrestlers were accompanied by friends
and several coolies carrying lacquer
boxes containing the costumes for the
ring and toilet articles. They are fa-
nous wrestlers and were dressed like
noblemen. While undressing they
talked together in a friendly manner,
smoked cigars and drank imported beer.
The ring costume consisted of large silk
haudkerchiets with fringed edges tied
aronnd the loins. They were immense
fellows--solid, broad and muscular, but
not tall. The Typhoon was about four
feet and seven inches in height, aud the
Stone Giant was little more than five
feet. Both had straight, thick, jet
black hair dressed in the oldfashion
style, and the barber had great difficulty
in fixing the hair firmly at the nape of
the neck. When noblemen, who pat
tronized them, entered the dressing room
they jumped up, making the joints crack
and stretching their limbs.
At the sound of drum on the tower
at the entrance to the grounds the wres-
tiers put on velvet aprons and several
belts, tokens of former victories. With
pendent arms, preceded by the four
Judges and followed by file of other
wrestlers and several attendants, they en-.
tered the enclosure and marched around.
The spectators had reached high pitch
of excitement. They shouted loudly,
clapped their hands, and wrapped on the
balustrades with their fans. After the
parade all seated themselves around the
ring, the opponents facing each other.
Each of the judges stepped to one of the
poles and squatted down. The attend
ants placed bucket of water and a ves-
sci containing salt on the top of the en-
bankment. The wrestlers took off their
aprons and belts, jumped into ring and
struck many athletic attitudes that caused
applause and enlivened the betting.
Refreshing themselves with drink Of
water and pinch of salt, they squatted
on the sand, facing each other as kind
of salutation, and then rose with their
arms extended and their fingers bent to
catch hold of each other. Then they be-
gan to stamp the ground and repeatedly
| rushed at each other to get firm grip.
Stone Giants only endeavor during the
whole fight seemed to be to press down
his opponent by his weight. and to push
him out of the ring. But the dark olive
! body of the Typhoon always managed to
struggle away from the lump of flesh
that threatened to crush him, and he
tried to improve his grip at every op-
portunity. At last he seized his op-
ponent by the leg end made him hop
backward. The spectators roared with
laughter. They had got near the en-
bankment. Stone Giant once more threw
himself on the "dwarf," as he called
him, angrily, and almost succeeded in
J bouncing him over the line. The two
| judges nearest them stood at the line,
for as soon as one stepped over it the
match was over.
Typhoon became euraged, bat all his
twisting, wriggling, pushing, AMI other
tricks were of no avail against the 23O
pounds. So they fought for twenty,
thirty, forty minutes. Typhoou was
getting tired. Several times he was
pressed to the ground, and it became
more and more difficult to hold each
other, as they perspired freely. During
all this time their movements had looked
somewhat theatrical; it seemed as If they
had learned to pose for and exaggerate
every situation of the combat. But now
they were in dead earnest, and they
wished to come to close. For an in
slant Stone Giant lost his foothold, and
Typhoon, getting all his strength to-
gether, lifted him up from the earth aud
hurled him over the embaukment. II
was marvellous acrobatic feat.
The judges rose and the manager pro-
nounced Typhoon to be the victor. The
spectators got up from their seats,
shouted and threw presents into the
ring. He bowed and bowed agaiu, put
ting both hands on his knees. Many
scraps of paper came dying down from
the tiers in which the presents of sums OF
money were announced aud the addresses
where he could send for them. Attend
ants picked them up and Typhoor
marched of with his suite.