The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-30
FOLKS SEE T. HTTACHIYAMA
n TAXES ALMOST TWO LOOKS no
GET HIM ALL.
Iapan's Great Wrestler Viewed by Many
NIppOnese Hell stay Indoors Until
lie Gets American Clothes TO Hs liking
lie Already Thinks Well Of America.

lie Aireauy tnhnks wen OF America.
H~itachiysma the Great held court all
day yesterday at the Nippon Club. in West
E~ighty-hfth street. All that any doubling
man had to do to satisfy himself OF the
exceedingly great Importance Of this cham
piop OF champion wrestlers in the eyes Of
the Japanese nation was to stand for an
hour or 30 outside the club and SEES the
stream OF Japanese How into the place to
do him honor. The locks Of anticipation
when they went in and of satisfaction
when they came out showed that Hitachi-
anna il the Rsal Thing. Callers from
Try grade Of Japanese life, bankers,
chants, students and others. presented
selves and in turn were ushered into
reAt sthlete's presence
great man took the homage that was
, him modestly. He was glad to
sry ono who called. including a SUN
er. He kept his afternoon callers
ng for nearly two hours while three
AIerican tailors vent round about him
With theodolites. chains and discs and set
down geometrical problems in clothes
cutting and trigonometrio marks and
characters In fitting 80 40 to permit the
Japanese Jim ~jeffries to comply with the
Gilbertian suggestion:
II you can't be like US
Be as like US as it's possible to be.
Not that Hitachiyama had no European
or American clothes. He bought a suit
or tive in Toxic. and when he got far out
to sea, where the Japanese nation could
not observe il. be put EN- on. He didn't
like the fit when he saw what the other
passengers bad in that line. and his first
orders after he got settled at the Nippon
Club and into his native silk robes was TO
send for some modern American tailors
and get him spruced out proper.
Until then il is quite unlikely that he will
show himself much in the streets. II isn't
that Hit ch--used for ehort-objects to
being followed by crowds; great scott.
he can't set foot on the street in Toxic
without having o trailing mass of sdmiring
urchins and youths following him ell the
time proclaiming him the great man he
really IL.
He wouldn't mind an American crowd
doing the same. Just like the newsboys
always trailed along after Bob F~itzsimmons
the day after he won a fight and wac on hi
way downtown to put his money in the
bank; but the American lads would be
inspired more by curiosity than admiration.
They might want TO snow how il was that
q big fat man. Weighing nearly $50 pounds.
could be the boss athlete of all Japsn. They
InlR0L cAPTetS lhth ODltihoh tidt SNV
Peter Maher would do him up in q scrap,
10 say nothing OF Jefries. and that he
would be q pygmy in comparison with. Matt
MoGrath or Flanagan IN throwing things
like a hamm or. Until he gets those new
CLOTHES he will avoid the American mob of
athletic v~orshippere.
The SIN reporter found Hitch on the
second floor Of the club. He arose with
great delberation. bowed slightly n eX-
tended a hand that would smother four
~ those Of his caller. He bowed again
and waved the reporter TO a seat while he
spread out his robes and settled himself
on a sofa SIX feet long. He stretched out
his arms TO the sides and there wa nothing
Of the sofa left. Hitch was all there was,
Around his shoulders was his black silk
kimono with his Samurai crest. a leaf in a
circle. embroidered on IL. His lower half
vas enclosed in a divided gray silk skirt
and his white socks showed a little above
two enormous black slippers on his feet.
He is 80 years old. He has a high. broad
forehead and two soft eyes that indicate
high intelligence. His face is as round as a
pumpkin and his nose and mouth look AZ
If they had lost their way Inc had settled
dowp where IL was most convenient. His
hair is long, after the fashion of all Jap
snese wrestlers and ia caught up in the
tack haSs' w where ere i IN is e siuP Is rsad fr9 IN a ra l.tt as
good humored in appearance as the prize
winner at a fat mans picnic.
VIVA do you think OF American
No. gentle reader, the gentle reporter
did not ask that, but Hitch started right ia
himself to say that this country was a very
great one. much larger than he ever dreamed
II was, and that he was delighted to see that
everybody was so prosperous and happy
thing mat ~distinsuisshed visitors say said
the Interpreter. and Hitch nodded his head.
Hitch is educated far above the average
wrestler. He wears the belt, which con-
sists OF the enormous tori rope that has
49, IAnn 10 tha hnla roQtlnr ~ IaKap
since 1890. and he is the nineteenth in the
reigning succession. He got the rope five
years ago, and he said his purpose ia com
ing over here, after Secretary Taft of this
country, whom he went up against in fun
two years ago at Gen. Terauchi's garden
party in Toxic. and practically all the great
statesmen of japan had advised him to do
so. was to see II he could get any ideas from
modern athletics that would be OF use in
improving Japanese wrestling.
Hitch said that he didn't know much
about foreign athletics. having never been
out of Japan before and never having seen
much of these athletics from visitors. He
knew what fist fighting was; yes, he had
seen pictures of John l.. and Jim Corbett
and Jim Jeffries, and he held up his ponder
Gus fists to show that he knew what he was
talking about. He knew something of
running and fencing and shot putting.
but he wanted TO see IL done.
Baseball? Well. Hitch just smiled until
he shook. Here's a surprise. Hitch used
20 he the boss pitcher in the school he
attended. Then with a chuokle he asked
where Clark Griffith could be found. and
said he understood there was something
in that line needed up in the American
League Park, although lately there had been
Improvement. Would the reporter kindly
give him Grif's telephone number? So II
Grif is called up early some morning and
hears a strange kin Of jabbering over the
wire he'll know it's just Hitch giving him
a few pointers on how 10 train pitchers in
the throws that they should throw.
Hitch doesn't want a job. He's well of.
but II Grif will get him up to American
League Park TO throw a few he'll have the
biggest crowd Of Japanese present that ever
offended a baseball game east Of the Coast.
Hitch is wise. Some one taught him to be
his own press agent. and he started out by
writing TO his friend Taft asking him TO
notify all his friends, who at that time
seemed to be the entire American people.
that he was coming Taft released the letter
in Washington the day after he started
Of for the Orient. Hitch then got up a
new game, When asked for his ideas and
his purposes, he handed out a beautifully
printed little book entitled Purpose OF My
Trip to America; by T. Hitaohiyama," the