The report that Onishiki, a young popular wrestler of the Eastern Camp, will be promoted to the rank of Ozeki or champion ring fighter of the first grade has created a ripple of pleasurable interest among the lovers of the Japanese national game. The decision to nominate the wrestler as a champion fighter of the Ryogoku amphitheatre was made on Monday, May 14, at a conference of elder wrestlers. In the recent tournament of wrestling matches lasting for ten days, which closed the day before this important nomination took place, Onishiki always came out victorious except only in one instance at which he fought with Tachiyama, a leading wrestler of the Western Camp. He successfully defeated three well-known wrestlers of the opposite camp, which is an extremely rare event.
 

Wrestler Onishiki, best winner of the season

    The honoured is perhaps the youngest of the champion wrestlers now alive, having scarcely completed his 25th year. And yet his skill and strength is wonderfully great, and very few wrestlers of either camp can successfully compete against him, among which few are two or three , who have been his seniors for many years past. He is a wrestler of gigantic construction, standing full 6 feet high and weighing 356.68 pounds - a stature and weight quite unique for his age. Unusual for a man who makes muscular exercises his occupation, Onishiki is known to be a wrestler of good education. He has received a fine academical training, once a student of the Tennoji middle school in Osaka, where he studied for four years. As a student, the honoured wrestler early distinguished himself as a proficient scholar. Alike in wrestling he took the lead in his studies, for which the teachers all praised him as well as for all the energy with which he took part in athletic sports. The future wrestler, quite early, determined to start his career as a military officer, and when seventeen or so, attempted the entrance examination to the Military Cadet's School. Unexpectedly, however, he failed to pass. He then considered seriously how best to begin life. To become a Government official, which is usually the ambition of Japanese boys in general, seemed him too difficult. About this time a grand wrestling tournament came off in Osaka, and he attended them.
    At the matches both Tokyo and Osaka wrestlers appeared on the ring, but evidently owing to the inferiority of the Osaka fighters they were mercilessly beaten. Seeing a series of these sensational matches at which none of the Osaka wrestlers came out successful, young Uichiro-, that is the real name of the champion wrestler - decided that this would be a good occupation for him. He made up his mind to become a wrestler, -, but a wrestler of great fame. He soon initiated himself as a petty wrestler of the Eastern Camp, and had underwent a hard training. Some years later he came to realize his ambition.