The Washington herald., 1922-06-04
JAPANESE PRINCE
REGENT SETS new
ATHLETIC EXAMPLE
Elder Dignitaries Shake
Heads as Young Ruler
Takes Up Sports.

TOKYO. June 3.-while the DEM
ocratic tendencies of his imperial
highness the prince regent of ia
pan are such as to cause much
headshaking amongst the elder dig
nitaries of the imperial court, with
doleful forebOdings of the effect ii
is going to have upon the common
people of the empire when their
ruler shows himself to be less than
Codlike, unquestionably the exam
pie being set by the crown prince is
encouraging the youth of Japan to
take a personal interest in sport.
In the days not so very far in the
past, outside of a sort of ceremo-
niaI football played by the court
mobiles. all the sport indulged in by
the aristocracy was by proxy.
Never Engaged in sports.
They had their racing stables, but
never rode themselves in races: they
kept their string of professional
wrestlers, just as they maintained
their various temple priests. but
they never INDUCED in any such
rudeness as entering the ring in
person: they went hunting with the
ldltoHeTS 10 manure InelT SDOTllnE
birds. and they went fishing with
cormorant tenders to look after the
details of catching the fish and re-
trievinC the bird divers. In the ex-
erCise of arms they were untiring
but for nothing less dignifed did
they employ their muscles.
His imperial hiEhness is chang
ing all that. He keeps his horses
n ride hi iS
he himself may play: his dogs. that
he may follow them afoot with his
shotgun: while. on the golf links
and on the tennis court he is rap
idly becoming proficient
Prince of Wales Example.
Much Of his activities are due to
the example set him in England a
year ago by the Prince of Wales,
and Just how apt a pupil he has
proved himself he was able to DEM
onstrate to the British heir during
the recent visit of the royal prince
with whom he played both golf and
tennis How the matches on links
and court turned out. none outside
the inner circle of the respective
suites knows. as spectators and re-
porters were carefully excluded
from the game
Whether the prince regent won or
lost in these Western sports. il is
quite certain that in the Japanese
games he has heen practicing since
he has been old enough to assert
himself he could have shown the
Prince NJ Wales few things
Fairly Cool wrestler.
In the two styles Of Japanese
wrestling. jia-jitsu and sumo. he Is
fairly expert. while last winter he
became greatly interested in the
latest Of imported sports, that of
skiing. He was also able to intro
duce the royal guest to a form of
sport as old in Japan as it was un-
doubtedly novel to the Prince Of
Wales. This is the sport Of catch
ing wild ducks with a hand net. a
method of hunting confined excIu-
sively tn the highest court circles
Of Japan
This sport requires not only large
resources of land and money but
many Years Of preparation. When
everything Is ready for the hunt.
however. not any too great skill Is
necessary for bag. There are only
few places in Japan where the
sport can he induleed in the most
famous NJ these being the grounds
of the Hama Detached palace, on
+he shore "f Tokyo Bay. in the SUI
burbs of the capital.
These grounds were laid out for
this snort some 400 years aro bv
one of the early ancestors of Prince
TokuEawa. who headed Japan's
delegation at the. Washington con-
ference. the ancestor IN question
being in his time the actual ruler of
Janan, with the then Emperor too
holy to he seen. or even spoken Of,
b" 'hn conmon herd.
From the artificial lake in the
center of these very secluded
grounds, where tame duces ere kent
as decoys and wild ducks "ome reg
ularly. series OF winding canals
leads back through overhancinp
groves to the hunting ground where
the canals end in straight omen
bitches some seven feet wide and
with straight banks some six feet
high. Each ditch reaches a high
earthen screen. pierced by an OMEN
ing through which the ducks are
fed at regular hours. known to the
tame ducks. which swim down the
shaded canals and bring their wild
friends with them.
Concealed behind Screen.
On the rare occa sions Of hunting
days the hunters making no noise
whatever. conceal themselves be.
hind this screen at feeding time AMI
wait until the mixed tame ana win
flccks have padded into the open
section, Then. each. armed with a