The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-12-18
JAPANESE FENCERS.
TWO.HANDED SWORDS USED
WITH MUCH SKILL.
A Picturesqe Encounter According
to the Approved Rules OF the
Orient-NIuch Depends
On the Eyes.
~ HAVE been challenged to
% fight; the weapons will be

//T HAVE been challenged to
% fight; the weapons will be
swords" said the young Jap.
anese, calmly. Excuse me
while prepare"
Then he put on an iron.barred he'll
met, sheathed his body in loose pad
ded suit of cotton stuff, grasped his
weapon and stood on the defensive.
The weapon was not Damascus blade.
It was, in fact, bamboo. The fight
was not to the death, but for points,
and such bouts can be seen at the
rooms of the Japanese Club off Pond
street, near Powell.
The opponents stood facing each
other, each with glare Of suspicion
in his eyes, and each too cautions to
even wink lest the other take advan-
tage. The point of each sword was
held at the height of the throat. The
handle was grasped in both hands.
Suddenly the men spun round, and
one of them leaping into the air by y
dextrous downward stroke from that
elevated position whaeked the other
on the back of the head, where there
no protection by iron bars. The man
who was hit blinked as though at a
vision of stars and called out a word
which being interpreted means that
the other had scored. He made his
call promptly, for had he neglected to
do so the one delivering the blow
would have done so himself, and ac-
cording to the rules of the game
would have been entitled to an extra
point.
But there was no pause in assault
and parry. The man who had the
vision of stars recovered himself, made
lightning parry and had the end of
the sword against the throat of the
foe, bestowing it with 6! palpable jolt.
And even yet there was no relaxation.
Each strove to strike the other on the
wrist. This member IS protected by
gauntlet, but above the gauntlet the
arm is bare save for covering of one
thickness of light cloth. So many q
stroke was received on. the ARMAND
some of them must have hurt-before
the bamboo iell across the wrist.
Such q blow ia supposed to disable an
enemy, or at least be start in that
direction. The swords are held in
both hands or in either one, as the
exigency of the moment may require,
and the charges are made with q
celebrity that the observer can hardly
follow. The two men circling about
each other, thrusting, lodging, making
parries, falling to escape q blow or
from that position to make vicious
upper cut, remind one irresistibly OF
two gamecocks.
A fourth point is blow on the side,
under the arm. of such a nature that
struck with real weapons it would end
The fight and the fighters earthly
career. When this blow falls it gives
o sounding whack that shows the use
fulness of padding, even where the
broad blade is represented by strips
of bamboo.
The japanese are fine fencers, but
their methods are SO different from
those in vogue in this country that
there is no familiar standard by which
to Judge them. Certain it is that
when halt dozen bouts are in pro-
gress at once. half a dozen men call
ing out the blows that have been sue
cessfully delivered, dozen swords
cutting the air into streaks and circles
as dozen men duck, jump, stoop, fall
down, spring high, beating tho BAN.
boo Oh iron bar and wadded doublets,
there are lively times in the Post street
clubroom.
As one of the fencers explained
while resting, much depends OF the
eye. It is the guide. Sometimes in
Japan in deadly conflict two fencers
of skill will face each other for long
time, grasping the two.handed sword,
eying each other grimly, each ready
to move, but not moving until the rov.
ing eye of the foe makes an opening.
To stand this indefinitely, refusing to
be led into hostil1ties that may give
the other chance is regarded as evi-
dence of the highest skill, as it Is Ger.
tainly evidence of wonderful powers OF
endurance.
The mimic swords used in the club
are made of four pieces of bamboo
Joined in the form of an elongated
hollow square. They are not fixed OF
the edges, so when blow is delivered
with any side of the instrument the
bamboo yields, breaking the force OF
the impact. But for this the tool
would be battered to pieces in a short
term of service.
In fencing match there are sought
| to be obtained four principal points.
these being a blow on the back of the
head, fair blow, for glancing strokes
do not count; thrust at the throat,
a stroke on the wrist and stroke on
the side. So many are the positions
from which those blows can be de-
livered that there seems to be no rule
as to how delivery shall be made. The
stroke may come from the right OF
left hand or be dealt with both, in
which case it is apt to be no tride. -
San Francisco Examiner.