The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-23
ATHLET
FEATURES
japanese Entertain LAST
Night at Boys
Field.

old Japan were reproduced in little
bunting enclosed space on the Boys
Field last evening amid modern sur
roundings with the electric glim to aid
the feeble light of the moon. From the
standpoint of the foreigner the wrestling,
sword encounters, the jujutsu or gentle
manly art of japanese self-defense, the
pantomimes and weird music, formed an
entertainment of novel and intense in
terest.
The Boys Field was an excellent place
for the sports. and a rainless evening
and moonlit sky did their part. A large
crowd, not only of Japanese but foreign
ers, attended the show and had its.
moneys worth. The grand stand was
well lighted and in space before it was
an arena of sand the limits marked by
four wooden uprights wound about with
red and white cloth. An electric arc
light suspended just over the center
flooded it with a bright glare. Beneath
this the oddly costumed Japanese wrest-
lers and sword wielders showed feats of
When the performance was about half
over support beneath temporary plat
form on which about fifty persons were
seated gave way and the platform sunk
several inches. 1t held there, however,
and the spectators drew away from II
and found seats elsewhere.
One of the principal features of inter
est was the exhibition of Prof Torajiro
Takahashi, the famous exponent of the
julutsu, or gentlemanly art of Japanese
self-defense 1t was revelation of
what a weak man may do in physical
tricks to defend himself from a much
stronger man. A twist of the wrist, a
clutching of the arm muscles with a
couple of his fingers were sufficient to
put the stronger man at his mercy
When Prof Takahashi's opponent ex-
tended his arm toward him the Jujutsu
expert grasped him by the wrist. A
twist of the body and the man was
thrown over the professors head and
upon his back. Movements were shown
| whereby the opponents arm could have
been broken a dozen times, or the arm
dislocated. A simple catching of the
opponents palm with the two of his
fingers was sufficient for the professor
to throw his antagonist heels over head.
Takahashi allowed himself to be set upon
from behind so that the opponent wrapped
his arm about him pinioning his arms
down to his sides But up came his
hands grasping the opponents wrists
and in trice the opponent was thrown
over his head upon his back and both
arms were caught and could have been
| broken or uni ointed.
| The first numbers of the program
were the usual Japanese forms of WreSt-
| ling followed by the ancient wrestlers'
| dance. Then came sword encounters
with foils Downing the queer-looking
masks, padded gloves and cuirasses the
| sword experts put up pretty exhibitions
| of skill One of the most attractive
was the ball and sickle opposed to the
| sword. The ball and sickle in the skill
] ed hands of Prof. Takahashi was more
than match for the sword and the
ball at the end of the long string con-
| stantly passed the guard and landed with
| a whack on the opponents head.
| he Shakuhachi, or music of the
| dead-a1ive," was produced with sort
| of flute, very weird music, not much I'M
| derstood bv the foreigners but greeted
with applause by the Japanese portion of
the audience. Following the jujutsu ex-
hibition the concluding part of the pro-
gram was sword dance by Mr. Esune-
nosuke Matsuda, and a pantomime in
three scenes-"The Drama of the Forty
seven Ronins." One of the interesting
pantomimes was the harikari scene in
which the actor went through the ghast-
ly business of killing himself by the time
honored method of the sword.
The program was as follows:
Japanese Wrestling -. Three Contests
The Ancient Wrestlers' Dance. $3.50.
The WrestlerS' Company
Sword Encounters with Foils- 5.
(a) Long Sword VS.. Long Sword
OBJ Long Sword VS.. Long and Short
Swords
Messrs. Fiiimura, Matsuda, Ouchi,
Asahina, Abe, Nakamura
Co Ball and Sickle VS.. Long Sword.
Messrs. Takahashi, Sadayasu, Full
mura. Sato Seruhashi
Cd Halberd VS.. Long and Short
Swords
Messrs. 1akahashi and Shiota.
Shakuhachi-the Music of the Dead
Alive -....Mr. Tsunenosuke Matsuda
(a) Reiho: (b) Ataka (c) Oiwake.
Julutsu-The Gentlemanly Art of Self
Defense
School of Prof Torajiro Takahashi
la) Shishatori Tricks; OBJ Tachiai
Tricks; Co Stick Tricks.
Sword Sleight of Hand. ...
Professor Toraiiro Takahashi
Shakuhachi and Sword-Dance. 49,.
.:........ Mr.. Tsunenosuke Matsuda
(a) Kusakago: (b) Sword-Dance.
Pantomime in Three Scenes-"The
Drama of the Forty-seven Ronin.'
(a) The Quarrel: (b) Harakiri; Co