War correspondents in the far east have been want to describe the warriors of the mikado as "little men". Sure enough, compared with the average Russian, the stature of the Jap is diminutive, but, nevertheless, there are those among them who have remarkable physical development.
    Famous in Japan is "sumo" the art of professional wrestling, and legion are the devotees of the sport. In addition to a certain amount of skill, "sumo" requires strength and weight. It is radically different from the tricky science of "Jujutsu."
    The champion wrestler of Japan today is Yumegatani, whose barrel body tips the scales at 330 pounds. He is the son of Ikazuchi, president of the guild, who was champion from 1888 to 1893.
    An astonishing spectacle is furnished when Yumegatani steps into the ring, stripped to the thonged breech clout. He resembles a great featherbed, and yet, despite him tremendous weight, he has the agility of a cat.
    Like the hardness of a brick is his flesh and so thick is his dark skin that a pin will bend upon it. It is no trick for the champion to lift his antagonist over his head like a child and when Yumegatani once secures a fair hold, he simply has to lie down to put his foe upon the mat.
    The contests usually take place on a knoll under a canopy of bamboo poles, laden with brightly colored banners. Men, women and children surround the canopy and fairly go wild as the contest progresses.
    A mark of the profession is long hair, won in fancy coiffures, and no beards. Foreigners often think that some of the wrestlers are women.
    The orders of the judges and umpire are obeyed rigidly by the contestants. There is no such thing as “rowdy sumo”. A contest is something to be looked upon as almost sacred. The rounds are brief, for the contestants are so powerful that they might kill each other in a desperate deadlock embrace.
    A performance of "sumo" usually lasts an entire day, and there are a score or more of matches. Before and after each performance the contestants parade is the ring like the grand entry of an American circus.
    The remarkable feature of Japanese wrestling is that the members of the guild maintain their remarkable strength despite the fact that they are drunkards and gluttons without exception, and violate every rule of hygiene upon which the athletes of Europe and America depend for strength in training.
    Yumegatani can drink gallons of wine at a sitting.