The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-31
JAPANE4 stlLLFuL FehcER
Their workw tia the FoiIs Surprises Ex-
pert ecldenlaI swordsmen.

Their WorkW tia The Foils Surprises Ex-
pert DecidenlaI swordsmsn.
From the chicago Chronicle.
IL you ar'ever asked to engage in a
duel with Japanese. being the chal-
lenged party Select any implement rather
than the sirle stick. for unless you are
proficient in trusts and parties you will
be done up In short order. There is a
club In HonIulu with headquarters on
Maunakea suet whose members have an
instructor In he use of the single stick.
The organizatin is solely for amusement
rather than 70 business. though there is
probably desis on the part OF the lead
ers to perpetual the old-fashioned meth
DDS OF their forfathers, in quelling re-
beliion. The headquarters of the Sunrise
single Suck club on the lower lioo- of
the building occuied by the Japanese
newspaper of the ,aIne name. Through
the kindness of Edtor Satto and Hirao-
ka, business manage. of the paper. a re-
porter was given ahopportunity to wit
ness an exhibition ktween Yiinai and
Karikawa, two expei handlers of the
sticks.
BY way of introductit the combatants
removed their kimonas md donned lonse
skirts and a helmet withstrong iron bars
across the face. Then the, sheathed their
bodies with stiff bamboo breast plates.
heavily padded gloves and yauntlets fin
ished the costume. The Snort sticks"
are about five feet long and .re made of
several pieces of bamboo fsteued to-
gether. There seemed to be m call of
time" by a referee. The men stepped
to the center of the room and saluted
each other by a motion of the .Irn, and
then one uttered a cultural sound signis
fying his willingness to begin The RAY,
and they crossed sticks, the point of
each held on level with the neck and
the handle grasped with both hands.
Yajimai led. and throughout the bout was
acting on the offensive, while Karikawa
braced himself so as to resist and ward
of any blow that might be directed TO-
ward 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 the men
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 seems to be no rest
for the men. II one should receive a blow
which. under ordinary circumstances
would warrant his going down for a few
seconds, long enough to recover II must
simply end with the desire. and his next
move will be to get back at his opponent.
In this exhibition Karikawa. who was
rather more stockily built than his foe,
had the best of the first of the fight but
the end was a draw and the men retired
MINDLESS and with the perspiration pour
ing from their faces.
Single stick fencing among the Japa-
nese Is so different from anything at
tempted by the white people that 1t Is
1ificult to make comparisons or draw
If quickness in an attack or
parry is the secret of the game Yajimai
and karikawa should be entitled to DO
;itions as experts. Their endurance, too.
S remarkable, considering the thickness
'f the clothes worn. Swathed as they are
n heavily padded suits, evidently much
depends upon the eye. and 1t is when one
'f the fencers catches the eye of his op-
oonent off his guard that he attempts a
blow. but to ascertain when the eye is not
attending to its business is much too diff
;ult for a stranger to solve-shielded as
he fencer's face is with iron bars set
closely together.
There are four points in a match with
'ingle sticks between Japanese-a blow on
he back of the head, a fair one, for
ylancing strokes do not count, a thrust at
he throat, a stroke on the wrist and
stroke on the side. There is no rule as to
he position fencer must occupy in de-
ivering any one of these blows-it may
De from either side and from one or both
tides If 1t is a chopper" it is apt to be
me that will make the man receiving II
vince, even though he be protected by all
'orts OF grotesque contrivances.