The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-03-25
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WEDNESDAY. MARCH 25, 1896.
JAPANESE FENCING.
skILLFuL WORK WITH FoILs MADE
CT SPLIT BAMBOO.


singlesticl1 Club of HonoluIu-Surpris-
ing OuickEess and Skill In Attackiag
and Defending.
If you are ever asked to engage in a
duel with japanese, being the chal-
lenged party, select any implement
rather than the singlestick. for unless
You are proficient in thrusts and parties
you will be "done up" in short order.
In fendal times every ablebodied
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 i'm
provement in the methods of warfare,
which the japanese were quick to adopt,
the short sword has been relegated to
the back yard and the shop of the brio
a-brac dealer, and fencing is merely
pastime known as GEEK ken. In the civil
war i'll Japan, 18 years ago, however,
there were certain companies of guards,
armed with swords, who did some very
effective and bloody work with them.
There is club in Honolulu, with
headquarters ON Maunakea street, whose
members have an instructor in the use
of the singlestick. The organization is
solely for amusement, rather than for
business, though there is probably de-
sire on the part of the leaders to perpetu
ate the old fashioned methods Of their
forefathers i'll quelling rebellions. Just
now this club, the Sunrise, is without
an instructor, SO that there is but little
practice and no exhibitions.
The headquarters of the Sunrise Sim
glestick club is on the lower floor of
the building occupied by the japanese
newspaper of the same name. Through
the kindness of Editor Satto, and Hira-
Okla, business manager of the paper,
reporter was given an opportunity to
witness an exhibition between YAH
mai and Karikawa, two expert handlers
of the sticks.
By the way OF introduction the COM
batants removed their kimonas and
donned loose skirts and helmet with
strong iron bars across the face. Then
they sheathed their bodies with stiff
bamboo breastplates. Heavily padded
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 thine" by
referee The men stepped to the center
of the room and saluted each other by
a motion of the arm, and then one ut
tered cultural sound signifying his
unwillingness to begin the fray and
they crossed sticks, the point of each
being 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 Kari
kawa braced himself SO as to resist and
ward off any blow that might be di-
rected toward him. Once he was
thoughtiess. Yajimai gave him crack
on the helmet that resounded through
the room. All the time the men were
fencing they were shouting as il warn
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 circum-
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
back at his opponent. In this exhibition
Karikawa, who was rather more stock
lily 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 pouring from their
faces
The wrist seemed to be the part Of the
anatomy oftenest aimed at, and while
that part of the arm is protected by u
padded gauntlet the humerus is bare,
and strong blow means heavy welt
and sore arm. At the end of the con-
test spoken of, here Yajimai carried
mark which was quite blue If blow
on the wrist is severe enough, it will
disable fencer, and the fight ends, and
if it cannot be accomplished in that way
n fencer will raise his stick high above
and inclined toward the back of his
head, very much after the style of an
cient executioners in the chopping block
process, and bring it down with all his
Celebrity marks every movement of the
fencer, SO that the observer eye is taxed
to its utmost to keep track of the men.
Singlestick fencing among the Japa.
nese is SO different from anything ut.
tempted by the white people that 1t is
difficult to make comparisons or draw
conclusions. II quickness in an attack
or parry is the secret of the game, YAH
mai and Karikawa should be entitled
topositions as experts. Their endurance,
too, is remarkable. considering the
thickness of the clothing worn. Swathed
as they are in heavily padded suits, evil
IDENTIFY 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 blow, but to ascertain when
the eye is not attending to its business
is much too difficult for stranger to
solve, shielded as the fencer's face is
with iron bars set closely together.
There are four points in a match with
singlesticks between Japanese--a blow
on the back of head, a fair one, for glanc-
ing strokes do not count; a thrust at the
throat, a stroke GU the wrist and a
stroke on the side. There is norule as tc
the position fencer must occupy in de-
livering 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 make the man receiving
it vince, even though he be protected by
all sorts of grotesque contrivances. -
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