Reference image: Japanese Acrobat performer, Hayatake Torakichi. Ukiyoe by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1857


Hayatake Torakichi was a superstar acrobat of the Bakumatsu period.

His troupe began in Osaka, then moved to Edo before beginning to tour the country. Torakichi's signature trick involved balancing long bamboo poles on his feet or shoulders, without using his hands, and then balancing other performers, or objects, atop those poles.

In 1867, Torakichi and his troupe traveled to the US. They received much acclaim there, but the following year, Torakichi died while abroad in New York.

--Quote from SamuraiWiki - Samurai Archives