Page:Sketches of Tokyo Life (1895).djvu/70

46 actors,’actors’, [sic] handed down from one wrestler to another, though the practice is not so common as in the theatrical profession. When one bout is over, the yobidashi, or summoner, enters the ring with a fan and announces the names of the next pair, who thereupon follow him to the arena; and as they sit on their heels facing each other across the ring, the umpire also announces their names. If these contestants are sekitori, they clap their hands and stretch out their arms, as a token that they swear to abide by the umpire’s decision and never bear malice against each other, however the contest may end. Most wrestlers also stretch their

legs and stamp on the ground five times to give elasticity to their limbs. They also drink water, wipe their mouths with the strips of paper, and throw pinches of salt over their shoulders. They close upon each other with bent hips. The umpire stands aside with his war-fan between them, which he withdraws when he thinks the men are equally