Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-01-17
JAPANESE WRESTLERS.
4 TOURNAMENT IN A TEMPLE
COURT YARD.

Shinto Priests Refereed the Contests
With "a Fan-Grotesque Prelimi-
naries-What Constitutes Throw
~ NE day when was painting
1 the willows, writes Alfred
Parsons, from Japan, my boy
Matsuba, who had plenty of
spare time for investigating the neigh
borhood while waiting to carry home
my umbrella and things, came and
told me that there was a wrestling
match at small temple about mile
away. I packed up at once and we
walked over there, for J was very anx-
ous to see what kind of sport it was.
This was tournament, and all the
professional wrestlers of the neigh
oorhood, and many youths anxious to
distinguish themselves, had collected
to take part in it. They were divided
into three classes. The masters of
the art were all past their first youth;
not enormously stout, as they are Of
Ten represented in drawings and cary
ing, but fine athletic men, taller than
he average of japanese. They wore
thier hair in the ancient style, shaved
away from the center of the head, and
that from the back and side made into
queue, turned up and knotted with
string on the top Of the poll they had
no clothes except loin cloth and an
embroidered apron. In the Sec
ond class were men who had
won but few prizes; they were
not all IN the professional get-up, and
some of them were evidently laboring
men with taste for sport. The third
class was composed of youths, none
of them more than nineteen or twenty
years old. The contests took place in
the temple courtyard on a circular
bed of sand, under roof supported
by wooden pillars, but not enclosed
at the sides; round the edge Of this
raised circle there was laid straw
rope, and the man won who could
either fairly throw his opponent or
force him across the rope without be.
ing dragged over himself. The pro-
ceedings were conducted by Shinto
priest in full dress, wide trousers and
a coat sticking out from the shoulders
like that of modern young lady, who
with a peculiar shaped fan gave the
signal to begin and to stop. For the
highest class this umpire was q vener-
able old gentleman; for the Others the
place was taken by young priests who
needed to learn this part of the bust
ness. The wrestlers came on IN pairs
as their names were called, and after
great deal of morching round, stamp
ing, rubbing their limbs, making gos-
lures of defiance, and SO on, they
squatted opposite each other. When
the signal was given to begin
they rested their fingers on the
ground between their knees, and
leaned toward each other till their
foreheads touched, sometimes waiting
several minutes before attempting to
make any grip. If the grip seemed
unfair OF unsatisfactory to one of the
opponents, he Immediately put down
his hands, the priest stopped the bout,
and all the preliminary business had
to be gone through again, but if it
seemed all right the struggle began,
and sometimes lasted for five min
utes, each man straining every mus
Gle in a splendid way, and using all
the science and cunning he knew. If
it lasted too long without either man
gaining any advantage, the priest sig
nailed to them to stop, and they had
to wait till their turn came round
again. Everything was conducted in
the most ceremonious and orderly
manner, and there was no drunken
ness or rowdyism, although the multi
tude who had assembled were of the
poorest class The most fashionable
wrestling matches are held in Tokyo
in spring and autumn, and the cham
pion is as much popular favorite as
famous torero in Spain, or a we'll
known prize fighter in England and
America. Harper Magazine.