The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-13
FEMALE WREsrLERs IN JAPAN,
From MaemiNaA's Magazine.

Win CiOt0 u9nkiONh ID DOo Dlu0 ana Tn
designs. A little ring Of soft sIav. enclosed
by a girdle OF sacks. occupied the centre. and
around IL stretched q checker bonnd OF rough
mats laid on the bare ground. Finally. alonk
the sides Of the place ran q very rough scak
folding two boards and q crackl covered
with wadded quilts. raised about three feet
from the mud floor. and rallied on by q bamI
boo. Here sal the First Families.
First there stepped into the centre OF tns
ring a man dressed In q blue cotton cere-
monial petticOat and holding . metal fan Of
oblone shape, inscribed with characters.
ThLs Il the insignia OF ONCE. corresponding
to the wand Of our traditional FAIRIES. He
chanted q few sentences Of explanation. q
reference from the employed to his hduleent
employer the public, and then retiredto make
way for the chief wrestler. controlle Of the
band. She also said q few words craving
-our august condescension for heI insig-
niicant performers" This humility even
the enforced humility OF conventional polite
ness, sat strangely on her. for she lookd tho
most bombastic and strident person mag
Unable.
During her speech the wrestlers tropNd
In from behind the red and blue curtains
There were about twenty Of them. ana at
first sight il seemed impossible that they
could be women. Their figures denied IL,
their thick. heavy legs. which might have
| done duty as piles for a pier. their muscular
arms, their bull neckr. Their clothes denied
IL also: the short, tight Jackets OF white CLOTH
open at the throat. the trousers. reaching TO
the knes. leaving the leg and loot pare. ana
the heavy cloth belt which Japanese wres-
tiers use to secure a hold. Even the hair.
dressed In a hnt knot on the top OF the head.
was copied from the fashion OF male wres-
tiers. Lastly. the gestures and movements
OF the performers were masculine to a degree
OF rough uncouthness which HORNED us.
The wrestlers arranged themselves In two
sides. each led by a captain. They sat cross
legged around the platform In the dirt. all
but the two chosen TO begin. who advanced
into TIE centre with the umpire. Ihey
s~qustted upon their feet and bowed to each
other slowly and solemnly. Politenees thus
being fuidlled, they stood up again and bent
over opposite one another like two game
cocks. watching lntently for q chance TO
seize an advantage. Then suddenly the
women ~spr6ng-hissing at each other furi-
ously and crashing their teeth. at nrst by
Stimulating fetocity to spur themselves up to
greater excitement, but after q few clutches.
IN deadly femnin earnest. the umpire mean.
while buxEinz oioss 70 them as they swayed
round the narrow rims.
Any and all holds seemed fair means to
the end Of pushing Q CONTESTANT over the
edge. Sometimes With a clean throw one
woman landed her opponent SPRAYING In the
midst Of her friends. This was the signal
for the umpire to begin. "Httotsu. futatsu,
mitsu, yotsu, ~itsutsu" lone. two, three. -four,
nvel, In a series Of irregular and discon-
nected squeaks: and before he ceased count
ing another wrestler from the losing side
jumped up To meos the champion. who stood,
painting. hisains and splitting like a boiling
kettle, In the centre OF the arena. This time
there were no ~preliminaries; a wild rush. and
like two furies or two beasts the women
were struggling again. Some affected quick
clutches, some locked their adversaries in
their arms and stood stock still for a full i've
minutes: some picked up their opponents
almost at once and threw them bodily over
the ring, while others rolled over with them.
This latter course thr eatened TO cause almost
a disaster on several occasions.
The poor, weak umpire The seemed almost
a midget beside theml attempted to assert
his ~preroRatives, TO declare the result. as
was his custom after every bout. In a high
sinR-song voice and with a raising OF his fan
to his forehead. an excellent gesture Of fnality.
But II his decision displeased the combatants
they would have none OF 1t. The captain OF
each side sprang up into the ring. followed
by several Of her dissatisfied companions.
They clutched at his garments; they pun
melled him roughly: soon partisans In the
audience Joined the lively discussion. with
out etiquette is,- said Iwase scornfully: but
the young gentlemen. who had plainly waR-
cred upon the champions. did not abate their
zeal in the least for adverse criticism. The
act was completed with the vanquishing OF
one SIDE, AFTER whlcn, DoWtng lows Jne per-
formers trooped out to rest.
Presently the next act began, announcer
by the beating together Of two wooden blocks.
II was a match between two champions more
serious than the last, a match to a finish with
enormous enthusiasm. Weight lifting fol-
lowed to vary the programme. the old Ia
miliar business Of the woman with the iron
jaw. which was less inter esting to US because
unfamiliar only in its details. As with every
thing In Japan. great Ger emony attended the
arranging Of the loads. which were weighed
before our eyes. Iron weights they were.
wrapped in straw with a straw handle to hold
them by. Some the woman lifted standing.
others she raised ss she lay on her back. sup
porting the whole strain with her neck. not
only Of the weights but Of a pyramid Of tables
and tubs and acrobats on the top Of them az
well. All the while two Of the other wrestler
d~iscoursed music from sdmisens, proving that
in Japan. no less than in England. a true
vaudeville artist must be versatile.
The players remained to accompany an
old wrestler's dance, very quaint. and nov
seldom performed. according to Iwase. The
, curious short coats of patched cotton worn
, by the dancers have been in use on the festival
, OF the God Of Wrestling since time immemo.
D rial. The gestures OF the dance are no less
D ancient. and wonderfully suggestive and
, grotesque. like Hogarth's paintings, rough
d and rude certainly, but with that unmistak.
Q able touch OF life which lends dignity and
interest to any performance. It closed with
. a pantomime duplicating the great Shoki
q conQueror OF DENNIS, and was In fine at once
V an epic OF strength and a Precipitation TO the
God Of Muscle. the august Heaven Shining
= Deity" Iwase named him.
One more general melee ended the per
I. Torrance. There was hearty applause agar
O and much bowling, after which we rose stiffy
II from our cramped position and fled out with
d the crowd. who blocked the doorway whilt