Los Angeles Times, Tuesday 7th September
1915 (Part III page 3)
EDOZAKURA IS ONE TOUGH GUY
Little Wrestler is Thrown Tamateyama and Shiunriu
Then Drags Conquerors Back for More.
Tamateyama and Shiunriu Try Cracking Skulls.
Edozakura, a small,
muscular gent, was the feature of the Japanese wrestling at the Vernon
Arena yesterday. This young man started out with the terrific intention
of licking all his associates. There were forty of these, all larger than
himself, and he certainly had his hands full.
Ed was evidently
feeling good or else he had an awful grouch on. He appeared in the ring
about twenty minutes ahead of any one else and stood around, looking for
trouble. It soon came in 300-pound hunches.
The first candidate
to tackle the aspiring wrestler was a veteran of the ring. He picked Edozakura
up and smeared him around the circle in a few well-chosen sweeps. Then
he cast him out on the boards and started for the sidelines. But the fallen
hero was no quitter. He jumped up like a streak and dragged his conqueror
back into the ring. Then he squatted down and demanded more fight and he
got it.
INTO THE BUCKET
The Winner
repeated his performance with a little more force and gusto and wound up
by throwing the victim over his shoulder and almost into the water bucket.
Feeling that this was a bad job, well done, he strode off to the dressing
room without further remarks.
Edozakura, however,
had pep if nothing else. He selected another wrestle and took him on for
a speedy tussle. The fight was good but the result were the same as before.
To make a long
story a little bit congested, Edozakura tackled everything in sight
and made a very credible showing at that. We'll have to hand it to him,
he's a wonder. If he had 200 pounds more beef, you couldn't stop him.
REAL FIGHT.
One real fight developed
during the course of the afternoon. Tamateyama and Shiunriu were the principles.
The fighters
stumbled into each other and cracked heads and this seemed to get them
tremendously excited. Tamateyama claimed that Shiunriu did this on purpose.
So on the next round he bumped his head against Shiunriu's for revenge.
This bump nearly knocked them both out and it got them more excited.
The men fought
so hard that two of the rounds ended in ties. These had to be wrestled
over and the score stood one all. Then there was a long discussion about
some technical point and it required three umpires and several of the fighters
to restore peace. The two wrestlers started on the deciding round. Tamateyama
got a poor start and was knocked on his back in about one second. So he
immediately claimed that he had been wronged an demanded another trail.
HISS.
The audience began
to hiss and yell and the umpires ordered him out of the ring. But he wouldn't
get out and he sat down in the center of the circle and dared anybody to
drag him out. He looked so tough and talked so much like he meant business
that they decided to give him another chance.
And as fate would
have it, he won the last round, hands down.
The general scrap
was perhaps the most exciting event of the day. All of the wrestlers engaged
in this and it was a speed affair from start to finish. Chinzeizan won
the contest by throwing five men out of the ring in succession.
Umegatani and
Nishinoumi performed in championship style. They had little trouble in
casting their lesser opponents out of the fray.
GREATEST.
The greatest match
of the tournament will be staged this afternoon, Umegatani and Nishinoumi
will hook up in an exhibition match. The former is the present champion
of Japan and the latter is his most important rival. These man have not
been defeated in this tournament and the fight will undoubtedly be a wonder.
Yesterday's complete results follow:
Satushuzan beat Sanukiyama, 2 to
1
Tazimayama beat Iwaninada 2 to 1
Onishiyama beat Wakanoura 2 straight
Kinriu beat Konobori 2 to 1
Hakushuzan beat Raigaura 2 to 1
Chinzeizan beat Edozakura
Konobori beat Iwaninada 2 to 1
Tamatubaki beat Chibagasaki
Koshitachi beat Tunenohana
Kyushuzan beat Chakagadake
Tamateyama beat Shiunriu 2 to 1
Nishinoumi beat Tamateyama
and Umegatani beat Shiunriu