Los Angeles Times, Wednesday 2nd January 1907 (Part ii page 10)

JAPANESE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT BEGINS

    SAN FRANCISCO, representatives are ahead of Los Angeles in the inter-city wrestling tournament being conducted by the Japanese at the Pacific Athletic Club pavilion at Naud Junction.
    Twenty-one bouts were contested at the first show given last night. Of these San Francisco won nine and Los Angeles five; six were declared draws, and are to be wrestled out tonight, and in one event a Los Angeles man won one fall, when the bout was postponed. San Francisco secured a total of twenty-five points to twenty for Los Angeles.
     The second day's schedule of the tournament will be held tonight, and tomorrow night the championship bouts take place. A silver trophy cup awaits the winner. Meanwhile other contestants are winning prizes in the form of money, banners, blankets, and other articles.
    The feature bout of the evening was that between Hayafune, champion of Los Angeles, and Hosakura, a young Jap of San Francisco. Hayafune won the first fall easily. In the second try the men fell to a draw. In the third it looked as though the men fell to the mat together, but the referee decided it in favor of the San Francisco wrestler. Immediately bedlam broke loose. One excited Jap on the Los Angeles side of the house threw a chair into the arena, and in a second a score of of persons were mixed in a wild melee. Three or four Japs, who were attempting to fight, were forcibly held by their friends, and after ten minutes of excitement, the disturbance was quelled. The bout thereupon was postponed, to be concluded tonight.
    Wakayanagi, one of the strongest aspirants for the championship in Los Angeles, won a fall from Fuzitani of San Francisco. Another bout resulted in a draw, when the match was postponed.
    The most evenly-matched bout of the evening was between Mitune of Los Angeles and Tamanagi of San Francisco. Three times these little men attempted to win a fall, but each time secured an unbreakable simultaneous hold, and the bout was declared a draw to be wrestled off tonight.

RULES OF WRESTLING

    The rules provide that a fall is registered when one of the opponents touches any part of his body, except his feet, to the mat, or when one is pushed out of the ring. Most of the falls last night were registered in a few seconds. Two out of three constituted a win.
    The arena was filled with sawdust six inches deep, constituting the “mat.” A high four-posted canopy was erected over the ring, under the center of which the wrestlers took their positions, squatting on their toes. Each had a second in one of the corners. Before the men took their places, each rolled up a small handful of salt in a package and deposited it in his corners. Then the second of each placed a large pinch of salt on the back of his left hand and the wrestler took a pinch therefrom, tasted a bit, and threw the remainder into the center of the ring or into the air. Then each took a sip of water, and threw another pinch of salt. When the referee gave the word the men each answered in readiness to begin, jumped to their feet in a stooping position, and dived into their opponents.
     After the bouts were concluded, the victors formed in a circle in the ring, dressed with a fancy blanket worn as an apron, and danced in circle formation while first one and then another of their number chanted to the accompaniment of shouts and handclappings in chorus by the others. Other ceremonies followed.
    The money prizes were done up in envelopes and tied to the branches of a shrub, like a Christmas tree. These prizes mostly were in the form of gifts from friends.
    About 1000 Japanese and a few white persons witnessed the contests last night. They proved enthusiastic but very orderly, except in the instance noted.

FIRST NIGHTS RESULTS
The events in order were:
Wakashima (L.A.) 2, Hanarishi (S.F.) 0
Okanori (S.F.) 2, Coshigawa (L. A.) 1
Asakie (L.A.) 1, Fataukaje (S.F.) 1
Kanamori (L.A.) 1, Hasegawa (S.F.) 1
Kanaikari (L.A.) 1, Omnimoto (S.F.) 1
Kamagigawa (S.F.) 2, Akinogawa (L.A.) 1
Tamanami (S.F.) 2, Hifune (L.A.) 1
Asakada (S.F.) 2, Gatsukawa (L.A.) 1
Hasegawa (S.F.) 2, Kanemori (L.A) 1
Tatsuarashi (S.F.) 2, Ominato (L.A) 2
Aikigawa (S.F.) 2, Oigawa (L.A.) 0
Hahakawa (S. F.) 2, Suzuki (L.A.) 0
Ichizuku (L.A.) 2, Sekimoto (L.A.) 0
Tamanagi (S.F.) 0, Hifune (L.A.) 0
Wakanoura (L.A.) 2, Harugoma (S.F.) 0
Ishizuchi (S.F.) 1, Oizutsu (L.A.) 1
Harukoma (S.F.) 2, Wakanora (L.A.) 0
Wakayanagi (L.A.) 1, Fuziumi (S.F.) 0
Kaishigawa (L.A.) 2, Wakashima (S.F.) 1
Hayafune (L.A.) 1, Kosakura (S.F.) 1