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Asashoryu
Survives Losses For Third 2004 Cup
Hukutoriki Derails “Mongolian Express” at 35
Wins
by
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
If the Nihon Sumo Kyokai awarded ‘ginboshi’
(silver stars) to maegashira for toppling ozeki, maegashira #1-West
HOKUTORIKI would have been awash in (almost) enough silver to impress the
Hunts of Texas after the 2004 Natsu Basho.
He knocked off #1-West KAIO on shonichi, took down #2-East MUSOYAMA
on day 2, and bested #1-East CHIYOTAIKAI on day 4.
(The fourth ozeki, #2-West TOCHIAZUMA, was on Kosho Seido for the
second consecutive basho and will most likely be demoted on the Nagoya
banzuke.) But since the NSK
only hands out ‘kinboshi’ (gold stars) for defeating yokozuna,
HOKUTORIKI went and got himself some gold by pushing yokozuna-East
ASASHORYU out and down on day 6 of the 2004 Natsu Basho.
This put him in a tie for the yusho.
But then RIKI hit a bump in the road labeled sekiwake-East
WAKANOSATO, who broke his rensho and allowed SHORYU back into the picture.
SHORYU suffered his first setback of 2004 after
notching 35 straight wins to open the sumo year.
But Mongolia’s mightiest export got up, dusted himself off and
got back into the groove. When
SATO beat RIKI on day 8 SHORYU was in the race again; but a day 11 loss to
fellow Mongolian sekiwake-West KYOKUTENHO put him back in the upstart
maegashira’s rear-view mirror. But
he kept battling, kept winning, kept carving his way through the other
joi-jin and playing for a break – and caught it on senshuraku when RIKI
was pulled down by maegashira #16-East HAKUHO, who was making his
top-division debut after winning the Juryo yusho in March in Osaka.
When SHORYU forced TAIKAI over the tawara in the final
officially-scheduled bout of the basho, the stage was set for a playoff.
This time there was no doubt and no mistakes:
SHORYU demonstrated why he wears the tsuna and gohei with a picture
yorikiri win, for a 13-2 record and his third Tenno-Hai of the year,
seventh overall.
In
the modern era of sumo, 35th yokozuna Futabayama’s mark of 69
consecutive wins still stands as tall as Mount Fuji.
58th yokozuna Chiyonofuji has his 1988 streak of 53
successful torikumi, while 48th yokozuna Taiho strung together 45
victories in 1968-69.
ASASHORYU’s 35-win rensho puts him in fourth place in this
stratospheric company ahead of 55th yokozuna Kitanoumi (whose
longest rensho was 32 wins) and 65th yokozuna Takanohana (30 wins).
With a record of 43-2 at the halfway point, the “Mongolian
Express” is still on pace to surpass Kitanoumi’s single-year
mark (set in 1978) of 82 wins.
HOKUTORIKI
and maegashira #2-West KAKIZOE were a packet of bad news for the ozeki
contingent.
After going 3-2 to open the hand KAIO won his next five:
the Tomozuna heyagashira went 10-5.
Three defeats in three days removed TAIKAI from any chance at a
yusho he needed badly for any chance at yokozuna promotion:
Kokonoe’s big bruiser finished at 9-6.
One thing saved MUSO from a similar humiliation:
KAKIZOE was his stablemate.
Musashigawa’s heyagashira was 4-4 on day 8 and won his next two,
but then collapsed completely and ended the tourney at 6-9 for yet another
kadoban.
SATO
wanted a great showing in this tournament, to re-establish his credentials
for possible ozeki promotion.
He was 7-1 after day 8; but losses to MUSO and TAIKAI on
consecutive days removed him from the race for the Cup.
Naruto Beya’s top man still was a bright spot in the lower
sanyaku with his 9-6 mark.
Komusubi-West KOTOMITSUKI had a rough go of things with a 2-3
start, but managed wins in 7 of the last 10 for a 9-6 and (most likely)
TENHO’s sekiwake slot.
The win over SHORYU was the high point of the fortnight-plus one
under the Kokugikan roof for Oshima Beya’s senior rikishi:
he ended the basho with a 6-9 to bring an end to his current stint
among the joi-jin.
Komusubi-East MIYABIYAMA should have shrugged off his shonichi loss
to SHORYU as ‘par for the course’ and moved on – but the freefall
that followed showed that he’d come way down in ability from his days as
a member of Musashigawa Beya’s mighty “College of Sumo Knowledge”.
His final mark was 3-12.
HOKUTORIKI’s
13-2 jun-yusho performance and success against the upper sanyaku earned
him the Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) and a share of the
Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize) in addition to his official gold star
(and unofficial silver stars).
The honorable mentions among the hiramaku were:
#5-West
TAMANOSHIMA (12-3) (Gino-Sho (Technique Prize))
#6-West
IWAKIYAMA (10-5)
#7-East
KOKKAI (Georgia Rep.) (10-5)
#7-West
KYOKUSHUZAN (Mongolia) (9-6)
#8-East
TAKEKAZE (9-6)
#9-East
KOTORYU (10-5)
#12-East
KAIHO (9-6)
HAKUHO
(Mongolia) (12-3) (Kanto-Sho)
Former ozeki TAKANONAMI retired after going 0-2 at
maegashira #13-East (see related article).
In
the Juryo Division, new Mongolian sensation #10-West TOKITENKU pulled away
from all comers by winning his first ten matches as a sekitori before
losing to another gaijin shin-Juryo, Bulgaria’s #10-East KOTOOSHU.
TOKITENKU finished with a 12-3 record and the championship while
KOTOOSHU recorded a 10-5.
Others earning ‘mention in despatches’:
#1-West
TOYOZAKURA (9-6)
#2-East
KASUGAO (South Korea) (10-5)
#2-West
OTSUKASA (9-6)
#3-West
WAKATOBA (9-6)
#6-West
ROHO (Russia) (10-5)
#8-West
WAKANOYAMA (9-6)
#11-East
HAMANISHIKI (9-6)
#12-West
HAGIWARA (9-6)
#13-West
TOYONOSHIMA (11-4)
(For
complete results on how the non-Japanese contingent performed, visit www.dichne.com.)
NORTH AMERICAN SUMO CHAMPIONSHIP CANCELLED!!
From sumo news sources
The 2004 North American Sumo Championship,
which had been scheduled for Montreal, Canada on the weekend of July 31
– August 1, has been officially cancelled.
The news came in an E-letter sent by Mr.
Leonard Thomas, the President of the North American Sumo Federation.
The text of this letter is as follows:
“Hello Everyone,
I am sorry to bring such bad news, but Mr.
Joe Serianni has informed me that the organizer for the Games of the World
has told him that they are having problems with the government and the
contract. This year's North American Sumo Championship is cancelled.
The qualifier to make the world team will now
be the US National Championship. The date is September 18th in Las
Vegas, Nevada. Please put all your efforts into convincing as many
people as possible to attend this event. Our sponsorship depends on
us selling as many rooms as possible (about 80).
Thank you for your understanding.”
|
GOLIATH,
MEET DAVID…
In the Open competition at the 2004 US SUMO OPEN, lightweight
Joshua Davis has his hands (and everything else) full of
heavyweight Marcus Barber as former Makushita sumotori Robert
“Shoryuzan” Suetsugu officiates.
(Photo: “Yukikaze”
for SUMO SHIMPO) |
 |
Taka Takes
Reins From Dad
Historic
Heya “Disappears”
by
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
The
stablemaster of what was once referred to as ‘the mightiest heya under
heaven’ has handed off the shinai of ownership, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai
has announced.
Professional
sumo’s governing council has approved the transfer of Futagoyama Beya to
the younger of Futagoyama Oyakata’s two sons, 65th yokozuna Takanohana.
(The older son, 66th yokozuna Wakanohana III, retired in
1999 and is no longer in the sumo world.)
Because Takanohana holds one-generation elder status on the
strength of his career accomplishments (along with 48th yokozuna Taiho
and 55th yokozuna Kitanoumi) the stable will henceforth be
officially known as Takanohana Beya.
In the way the sumo world operates this means that Futagoyama Beya,
which had been in operation since 1962, ceases to exist.
Futagoyama
Oyakata (former ozeki Takanohana), a Riji (member of the governing
board) of the Nihon Sumo Kyokai, will remain on the stable staff.
The other oyakata affiliated with the beya are Fujishima (former
sekiwake Akinoshima) and Tokiwayama (former komusubi Takamisugi),
both of whom were part of the Futagoyama ‘machine’ that (at one time)
held 11 of 66 senior positions on the banzuke of the 1990’s.
Takanohana
Beya’s sole sekitori, maegashira #13-East TAKANONAMI, retired after
losing his first two torikumi in the 2004 Natsu tournament (see related
article).
He was a former ozeki with more than 600 Makunouchi Division
victories.
The stable currently has 4 men in the Makushita Division, 5 in the
Sandanme Division, 7 in the Jonidan Division and 2 in the Jonokuchi
Division.
One of the Jonokuchi, YAMADA, is from South Korea.
[back to top] [back
to Sumo shimpo home]
“Noble
Wave” Finally Breaks, Recedes and Retires
by
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
Osaka
2004 was a far cry from Osaka 1994 for TAKANONAMI.
Ten
years previously, in his debut as an ozeki, he posted a 12-3 and wound up
in a three-way playoff for the yusho with stablemate Takatoriki and
64th yokozuna Akebono.
The huge Hawaiian prevailed in that instance; but the tall
(196cm/6’5”) and powerful rikishi from Aomori Prefecture would hold
the Emperor’s Cup twice, at Hatsu 1996 and Kyushu 1997.
(Both wins were in 14-1 playoffs – and both were over his
Futagoyama Beya sempei, 65th yokozuna Takanohana.)
This correspondent referred to him as the “Human Derrick”, a
tribute to his tremendous lifting strength.
The kimedashi (elbow clamp force-out) and tsuridashi (lift-out)
were his signature winning techniques.
But November 1997 would be the high point in
NAMI’s career: he would not
get the second consecutive yusho that would have put a tsuna around his
waist. Two years later he
would experience two consecutive losing basho and be demoted to sekiwake. He fought back with a 10-5 to regain his parking spot, but it
was only temporary: two make-koshi
outings later he was demoted again, this time for keeps. Injuries to his ankles and other areas sapped his
once-prodigious power game, rendering him vulnerable to men he previously
defeated with regularity. Hatsu
2003 was the last tournament in which he occupied a sanyaku slot.
At
the 2004 Haru Basho NAMI posted a 5-10 at maegashira #8-West, which landed
him a ranking at #13-East on the banzuke for the Natsu Basho.
This was significant in a strange way – because that was his rank
when he made his top-division debut in November of 1991.
(67th yokozuna Musashimaru made his debut under the
‘bright lights’ that same basho, at maegashira #12‑East.)
It was also significant because he was now in the zone of the
Makunouchi ladder where another bad performance could result in the
banzuke committee dropping him into the Juryo ranks and (more than likely)
precipitating his retirement (former ozeki just don’t ‘soldier on’
in the second division as their careers wind down).
That, in turn, would deprive the former Futagoyama Beya (now known
as Takanohana Beya:
see related article) of its last sekitori from the ‘shining
times’ where it had dominated sumo with the most powerful assemblage of
top-level talent ever to train in one stable.
The end came quickly:
he lost his first two torikumi of the basho (the second one by
oshidashi to maegashira #12-West JUMONJI) and ‘pulled the pin’ at a
news conference right afterwards.
TAKANONAMI
(civilian name:
Sadahiro Namioka) finishes with a career record of 777 wins, 559
losses and 13 absences, making him one of the most durable sumotori ever
to hold ozeki rank.
His record in 75 Makunouchi Division basho was
647‑473‑8, which ties him for eighth place on the all-time
wins list with former stablemate Akinoshima.
In addition to his two Tenno-Hai, he won the Kanto-Sho three times.
He had 2 kinboshi to his credit, both taken from Musashimaru
after demotion to the hiramaku ranks.
The word is that he has secured a toshiyori and will remain in the
sumo world as an oyakata following his retirement ceremony.
[back to top] [back to
Sumo shimpo home]
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<<AND
A 5.5 FROM THE RUSSIAN JUDGE:
Trent Sabo (in gray) and Jeff Riddle (in black) display
interesting form in their openweight matchup at SHUNBUN 2004 on
the “Dohyo of Dreams”. Franklin
Buddemeyer, Greg Negri and Trevor Van Eede observe what was judged
to be a simultaneous hit: Riddle
won the rematch. (Photo: “Yukikaze”
for SUMO SHIMPO) |
|
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>> NEW
SUMOTORI GRABS SPOTLIGHT AND GOLD…
In a match noteworthy for its length of over a minute, rookie
sumotori Javonn Rushing tops Jeff Riddle for the SHUNBUN 2004 Open
championship. Rushing
also won the lightweight gold over heavily-favored Trent Sabo, who
took the silver.
(Photo:
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO) |
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The 600-Win Club (updated after
Natsu 2004)
|
Rikishi (Top Rank)
|
MD
Basho
|
MD
Wins
|
Wins/
Basho
|
|
Chiyonofuji
(Y)
|
81
|
807
|
9.96
|
|
Kitanoumi (Y)
|
78
|
804
|
10.31
|
|
Taiho (Y)
|
69
|
746
|
10.81
|
|
Musashimaru
(Y)*
|
73
|
706
|
9.67
|
|
Takanohana
(Y)
|
71
|
701
|
9.87
|
|
Takamiyama
(S)*
|
97
|
683
|
7.04
|
|
Konishiki
(O)*
|
81
|
649
|
8.01
|
|
Takanonami (O)
|
75
|
647
|
8.63
|
|
Akinoshima
(S)
|
91
|
647
|
7.11
|
|
Terao
(S)
|
93
|
626
|
6.73
|
|
Wajima (Y)
|
62
|
620
|
10.00
|
* Non-Japanese
The “Closing
on 600 Wins” Club
|
Rikishi (Top Rank)
|
MD
Basho
|
MD
Wins
|
Wins/
Basho
|
|
KAIO (O)
|
66
|
558
|
8.45
|
|
KOTONOWAKA (S)
|
78
|
550
|
7.05
|
|
MUSOYAMA (O)
|
61
|
511
|
8.38
|
(Editor’s
note: since
there are no active rikishi with 600 or more Makunouchi wins, this may be
the last time this table will be seen in SUMO SHIMPO for awhile.
Sayonara!)
JUNIOR
DIVISION YUSHO WINNERS
|
Division
|
Rank
|
Shikona
|
Beya
|
Rec.
|
|
Makushita
|
2-E
|
JUZAN
|
Oshiogawa
|
7-0
|
|
Sandanme
|
61-W
|
AZUMAO (Brazil)
|
Tamanoi
|
7-0
|
|
Jonidan
|
19-W
|
ASAHIMARU
|
Takasago
|
7-0
|
|
Jonokuchi
|
14-E
|
DEWAOTORI
|
Dewanoumi
|
7-0
|
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Shingitai - The Essential Elements of Sumodo
by
"Tonkatsu" for SUMO SHIMPO |
|
In
Japanese, do means ‘the way’ – and sumodo
means ‘the way of sumo’.
Sumodo consists of three
essential elements: shin (heart or spirit), gi (technique) and tai (physique).
In every sumo beya (and I suspect most amateur clubs in Japan) you
will find either a sign or banner with shingitai. You will
also find it on the tailgate of this writer’s Toyota pickup
truck. We think that the same principle can be applied to
most
sports, especially those involving contact. Let's examine each
of the three elements.
Matsuzaki-san says that the character used for shin is the
character for heart. It is generally in the case of sumo
used in the context of heart as in fighting spirit.
According to Dorothea Buckingham in The Essential Guide To
Sumo,
"The sumotori
who has "spirit" possesses the jo netsu no honno,
or the passion for the
|
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^^ Modern Japanese, when written horizontally, is read
from left to right the same as English.
Traditional
Japanese, when written horizontally, was
read from right
to left. That is the way it is written in professional sumo
heya – and that is how it it written
here.
(Photo:
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO)
|
|
fight." One of Napoleon's axioms
was that, "In war, the moral is to the physical as three is
to one." The same applies to most contact sports, be
they individual sports like sumo or team sports like American
football.
When
I first started thinking about this article, my first thought was
that "heart" was something that you either had or didn't
have. On further reflection on my own life both as an
athlete and a coach, I realized that wasn't necessarily so. True,
some people have fighting spirit right from the get-go and some
people never get it. In my own case, I definitely didn't
have "the passion for the fight" as a 135-pound would-be
football player in high school. I didn't develop it until I took
up rugby at age thirty-five. As a freshman football coach, I
could see my former self in the large number of candidates at the
start of the season who all wanted to be wide receivers, sometime
as much as half the candidates. Over the years I saw many of
those who didn't have any spirit to start with, develop it.
The
second element of sumodo is gi (technique). It is certainly
possible in contact sports for exceptionally large, strong
and aggressive athletes to go a long way on a minimal amount of
technique. In sumo, Konishiki immediately comes to
mind. When I was growing up in the fifties (and boxing was
still on free TV) I remember the epic wars between the consummate
boxing technician "Sugar" Ray Robinson and such brawlers
as Gene Fulmer and Carmine Basillio. "Sugar Ray"
was already past his prime when I first saw him fight and he lost
to both Fulmer and Basillio on more than one occasion, yet his
masterful boxing skills resulted in one comeback after another.
The
key to developing good technique in any sport is repetition.
When you first learn to do something you have never done
before, you have to think about each step. Once you have
done each step hundreds (or better yet, thousands) of times it
will become second nature. At a recent judo clinic I
attended, eighty-year old 10th dan Phil Porter told us we would
achieve that when we had done a technique "ten thousand
times"! That may seem like an impossible goal; but if
you stop and think about how many times a day you would need to do
any given technique you will be surprised as to how little time it
can take to do 10,000 reps.
The
last part of shingitai is "tai" (body or physique).
It is no accident that pro sumotori are also referred to as "rikishi"
(literally, strong man).
Sumotori used to get strong the old-fashion way, by doing
hard physical work (for instance:
58th yokozuna Chiyonofuji grew up working on fishing
boats in the cold, dangerous waters off Hokkaido).
Nowadays, they lift weights just like American football
players. However you get there, you need to be strong to do
sumo!
So,
there you have it:
shingitai, the essence of sumo. Some people have more
of one than the other, but the great champions have all three in
abundance. The best current example (of course) is 68th
yokozuna ASASHORYU - who has it all and then some!
|
US Source for Mawashi (finally!)
by
"Tonkatsu" for SUMO SHIMPO
After
years of searching, we have finally found a source here in the good old
USA for mawashi material comparable to what we get from Japan. We
owe this to the sudden growth of sumo in Idaho. The company is
called "Blackfoot Canvas." They are located in Blackfoot,
Idaho. Their address is 79 West Idaho, PO Box 907, Blackfoot, Idaho
83221. Phone numbers (208) 785-1303 or (800) 726-1303, e-mail Blackfootcanvas@hotmail.com.
The
first mawashis that people here in California had made by Blackfoot were
too light so we sent them a sample of Sanpaku Shoji # 1 mawashi fabric.
They sent us back a sample of their # 4 canvas, which is almost identical
to Sanpaku Shoji's #1. Mawashi from Japan are 18" wide folded
twice. They are sold by the meter starting at six meters.
Blackfoot's canvas has to be split from 36" stock, so they recommend
having the edges serged. They are offering four sizes serged or un-serged.
#
4 canvas
material
only
serged
6
meters x 18" w $36.80 $59.60
7
meters x 18" w $39.50
$62.75
8
meters x 18" w $44.10 $69.25
9
meters x 18" w $50.75 $75.90
All
prices are plus shipping. If you are a glutton for punishment and
want a heavier canvas you can ask about # 8 canvas.
These
prices are less than the price of a mawashi from Japan, which can vary
with the exchange rate. The big saving is on the shipping, which can
cost almost as much as the mawashi if sent express. To place an
order, call Blackfoot and ask for Kimberly. (By the way, if you need
a teepee, Blackfoot has been specializing in Sioux and Shoshone teepees
since 1960. If you want to know the difference between a Sioux and a
Shoshone teepee, send them an e-mail.)
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North
American Heavyweight Champion To Compete
At California Open
|
