The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-06-26
JAPINESE SWORD PLAY.
Following the Fortunes of a Fencer in
 Honolulu.


 (From tho New York Mail and EXpressO
 If you are ever asked to engage in a duel with a Japanese, being the chal- lenged party, select any implement rather than the single stick, for unless you are proficient in thrusts and par ries you will be done up in short or der. In feudal times every able-bodied Japanese was obliged to become an eX- pert sWordsman, so that in the event of war he could go to the front and do his share of fighting. But with the im- provement in the methods of warfare, and which the Japanses were quick to adopt, the short sword has been relega- ted to the back yard and the shop of the brica brac dealer, and fencing is merely pastime known as gekken. In the civil war in Japan, eighteen years ago, however, there were certain companies of guards, armed with swords, who did some very effective and bloody work with them.
 There is 6 club in Honolulu, with headquarters on Maunakea street, whose members have an instructor in the use of the single stick. The organ iZation is for amusement, rather than for business, though there is probably a desire on the part of the leaders to perpetuate the old-fashioned methods of their forefathers in quelling rebel | lions. Just now this club, the Sunrise, is without an instructor, so that there is but little practice and no exhibitions. Yamashita, who has filled that post for the past six months, is at present in Japan. He was a member of the army in his native country, and has been given medals for bravery on different occasions.
 The headquarters of the Sunrise Single Stick Club" is on the lower floor of the building occupied by the Japa- nese newspaper of the same name. | Through the kindness of Editor Satto | and Hiraoka, business manager of the paper, reporter was given an oppor- | tunity to witness an exhibition be- tween Yajimai and Karikawa, two ex- pert handlers of the sticks
 By way of introduction, the comba- tants removed their kimonos and donned loose skirts and a helmet with strong iron bars across the face. Then | they sheathed their bodies with stiff ! bamboo breastplates. Heavily padded gloves with gauntlets finished the cos tune The short sticks" are about five feet long, and are made of several pieces of bamboo fastened together There seemed to be no call of time | by a referee; the men stepped to the center of the room and saluted each 1 ,rt tIno ot.,1o a ar1I 1 one uttered a guttural sound, signify | ing his willingness to begin the fray, and they crossed sticks, the point of | each being held on a level with the neck and the handle grasped with both l hands Yajimai led and throughout | the bout was acting on the offensive, while Karikawa braced himself so as 1 to resist and ward off any blow that might be directed toward him. Once | he was thoughtless; Yajimai gave him a crack on the helmet that resounded ! through the room. All the time the men were fencing they were shouting, as if warning each other to look out for what might be coming.
 To the stranger who is not familiar with the rules there seemed to be no rest for the men. If one should receive | a blow which, under ordinary oircum- stances, would warrant his going down for few seconds, long enough to re- cover, it must simply end with the de- sire, and his next move will be to get 4 back at his opponent. In this exhibi- tion Karikawa, who was rather more stockily built than his foe, had the best of the fight, but the end was a draw, and the men retired windless and with the perspiration pouring from their faces.
 Thewrist seemed to be the part of the anatomy oftenest aimed at and while that part of the arm is protected by a padded gauntlet, the humerus is bare, and a strong blow means a heavy welt and a sore arm. At the end of the con- test spoken of here, Yaiimai carried a mark which was quite blue. If blow on the wrist is severe enough it will disable a fencer and the fight ends, and if it can not be accomplished in this way, a fencer will raise his stick high | above and incline toward the back of his head, very much after the style of l ancient executioners in the chopping block process, and bring it down with all his strength on his rivals head--if he can. Celerity marks every move ment of the fencer, so that the obser- ver's eye is taxed to it's utmost to keep 1 track of the men.
 SinglestiCk fencing among the Japa- nese is so different from anything at tempted by the white people that it is difficult to make comparisons or draw conclusions. If quickness in an attack or parry is the secret of the game Yaii- mai and Karikawa should be entitled to positions as experts. Their endu- rance, too, is remarkable, considering the thickness of the clothing worn Swathed as they are in heavy padded suits, evidently much depends upon the eye, and it is when one of the fencers catches the eye of his opponent off his guard that he attempts a blow, but tc ascertain when the eye is not attend ing to it's business is much too difficult for a stranger to solve-shielded as the fencer's face is with iron bars set closely together.
 There are four points in a match with single sticks between Japanese-a one, for glancing strokes do not count a thrust at the throat, a stroke on the 1 wrist and stroke on the side. There is no rule as to the position a fencer must occupy in delivering any one of these blows-it may be from either side and from one or both hands. If it is a chopper" it is apt to be one that will |