The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-07-11
SPORT AMONG THE JAPs.
FASHIONABLE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE
LAND or THE MlkAD0S.

S9R84 - - - - NNN~AeAA~N8 AA.S%s~
sport for che Imperial Tahi1y.
Wrestling matches have been In yogu,
In Japan for centuries and are the fashion
able amusement Of the young nobility
The wrestiers themselves are great, fat
unwieldy men, who look like stout oil
women. They are Of immense stature ant
Of singularly heavy build-very far re
mote from western ideas of trained ath
letes. There IL sort Of current tradition
in Japan, says 4 writer in the San Fran
cisco Cali, that their strength and over.
grown appearances IL due to . diet con.
sisting exclusively Of meat, but whether
this Il really the case or not ! cannot say
Like 30 many other vacations In Japan
wrestling Ii followed = means Of live.
lihood BY father and son In the same fam.
lily for generations, and II IL probably
owing to heredity that these men are 81
heavier build and greater stature thar
the ordinary Japanese.
They are not usually OF prepossessina
appearance, ~ their expression Ii coars,
and sensual. They are great favoritel
with the vulgar rich OF sporting tastes
who often give fine feasts and wine sup
pers In their honor. BY fast young mer
Of good family they are allowed . certain
amount Of familiarity, just e. jockeys are
In the western world. From their patrons
Wrestlers often obtain handsome sums Of
money, 80 that famous athlete may al
ways feel sure OF . large income and I
certain sort OF defernce.
Wrestling - fashionable amusement
II Of great antiquity. There u . histori-
eal record Of famous match that took
place In the beginning Of the nrst CEN
tury before Christ, in the reign Of the
Mikado SUNNI, when q noble called
Tayma No Kehaia, exulting In his great
size and strength asked the emperor to
put his prowess to test by proclaiming =
challenge to all the world-meaning
Japan. A strong man from the provinces,
Nomi No Shikune, wrestled with Kshaia
and killed him with kick In the ribs.
The mikado gave Nomi high rank and
honors we're showered upon him, but his
greatest claim TO fame in western life lies
in the fact that Il was he who first FASH
Toned clay figures and induced the i'm
perial family to bury these with the dead
mikado instead Of living retainers, as
was the ancient custom.
The mikados have always extended
their patronage and taken great interest
In wrestling. But In the ninth century
there occurred the most noted match
perhaps that has ever been recorded in
the history Of the world, for the prize
was no less than the throne OF Japan.
The Mikado Buntoku had two dearly be-
loved sons, who each aspired to the
sovereignty, and the emperor could not
decide to whom to leave It, whether to
Koreshito, the elder brother. or Koretaka,
the younger. Finally one son came to
him and proposed that the rival claims
should be settled BY q wrestling match.
To this the other brother agreed, and two
famous wrestlers named Natora and
Goshihiro became the respective cham
pions Of Koretaka and Roreshito. Goshi-
hiro gained the victory and Koreshitc
was proclaimed mikado and rei:ned un-
der the name OF Seiwa.
Ever since the seventeenth century II
has been customary to get M these
matches for the benefit OF temples. The
wrestling ground OF Toxic Is surrounded
by. wooden sheds, something like our
grand stand" These are divided into
stalls, the price varying with the location
and ranging from ten cents to Il. About
3 or 9 O'Clock In the morning I drum 4
beaten to announce to Ill that a match 4
going to take place. The umpire watches
the men about TO wrestie = thew move
from one side to the other OF the stage.
and when he sees them take breath to-
Rether he raises his doubled winged tan
= Z signal to begin. Generally there are
several false starts. as the rules are 40 yerv
exact that the slightest deviation il de-
clared Z " fouIn
1.-THE contest n pretty even the snecta.
tors become frantic WITH excitament ana
ofteu throw vainab,e.-.ashes coats ate
into fha .r.na ~ - att.rwara ra1ssr,.d
Iiasm Il Il said that q man often snatches