Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-12
JAPANESE FENCING.
sKLLFUL WORK WITH FoIls MADE
OF SPLIT BAMBOO.

Of SfItb 6RM6OO.
An Encounter Witnessed In the Sunrisa
6ioEiessick Club of Honolalu-Surpris
iaS Ouiek,ess and Skill In Attacking
and Deiseding.
II you are ever asked to engage in 6
duel with . japanese, being the chal
lenged party. select any implement
rather than the singlestick. for unless
you are proficient in thrusts and parrie:
You will be "done up" in short order.
In feudal times every ablebodiet
japanese was obliged to become an ex.
pert swordsman. SO that in the event OF
war he could 90 to tho front and do hi.
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 bric
a-brao dealer, and fencing is merely .
pastime knewn as GEEK ken. In the civil
war in japan. Is 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 sinslestick. The organization is
solely for amusement, rather than fol
business. though there is probably de.
sire On the part of the leaders to perpetu.
ate the old fashioned methods of their
forefathers in 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 Sin.
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, a
reporter was given an opportunity to
witness an exhibition between YAH
mai and Karikawa, two expert handlers
of tho sticks.
By the way OF introduction the COM
batantc removed their kimcnas 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 arc made of several pieces
OF bamboo fastened together. There
seemed to be no call Of time by a
referee. Tho men stepped to the center
Of the room and saluted each other by
q motion Of the arm, and then one ut
tered o cultural sound signifying his
unwillingness to begin the fray and
they crossed sticks, the point of each
being held Oh level with tho 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 d.
rected toward him! Once he was
thoughtless. Yajimai gave him crack
on the helmet that resounded through
the room. All the time the men were
fencing they were shouting as if warn
ing each other to look out for what
might be coming.
To the stranger who is noe familiar
with the rules there seemed to be no
rest for the men. II one should receive
blow which under ordinary circum-
stances would warrant his going down
for n 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 q
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 q sore arm. At the end of the con-
test spoken of, here Yajimai carried u
mark which was quite blue If q blow
on the wrist is severe enough, it will
disable fencer, and the fight ends, and
il 1t cannot be accomplished in that way
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 choppipg block
process, and bring 1t down with all his
strength on his rivals head-if he can.
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 at.
tempted by the white people that it is
difficult to mako comparisons or draw
conclusions. II quickness in an attack
or parry is the secret of the game, YAH
mai and Karikawa should be entitled
to positions 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
is Is when cre Of the fencers catches the
eye Of his opponent of his guard that he
attempts blow. but to ascertain when
the eye Is not attending to its business
10 much too difficult for stranger to
solve. shielded a. the fencer's face is
with iron b:rs set closely together.
There are four points in match with
kiuglesticEs between Jauanese-a blovv