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Hey, folks. Haven't been around the forums for a while, but came across this old, nostalgic commercial from my first time in Japan and had to share.

Extras:

Knowing nothing about any CD of him and definitely don't wanna have it... that "hakkeyoi" song is annoying enough, IMHO Nevertheless, the 'Hakkeyoi' song may have been the foot wedged in the doorway. The original prohibition was, IIRC (and I usually do) intended to force all the rikishi and oyakata to depend on the Kyokai and their own koenkai for all their income, and not have very profitable sources of income and fame from outside work. In the case of Mihogaseki, father and son, both were respected artists, though the son (the present oyakata) was better-known than his father as a singer. One of my most valued possessions (for the pleasure I get out of it every day as I see it on the wall, not for any monetary value it may have) is an early Lynn Matsuoka crayon sketch of Masuiyama II having his hair done. (The artist wasn't even Mrs Matsuoka in those days). I once showed it to a big Japanese fan and asked if he thought I might ask the Ozeki to sign it in the blank top corner -- and he immediately replied that the Ozeki was an artist in his own right so I couldn't possibly ask him to put his signature on the work of another artist -- however good it was. So I never asked. All the same, whenever I meet him as an oyakata, even today, I still get a warm nod and a smile -- and somewhere at the back of my mind there is still that vacant space on the drawing where I dreamed of getting an autograph... While I am in a reminiscent mood, let me recall a much earlier day when his father was Mihogaseki oyakata and I was in the fairly early years of my side-career as a sumo guide. The paperwork had been meticulously done, on my instructions, by one of the junior staff in my office, and permission had been obtained for me (foreigner but guaranteed to know the ropes) to escort a small group of Southeast Asian journalists to watch keiko. Everything went perfectly. My group of promising young journalists on an invitation visit were seated on the front row, me right behind them, sitting in my best formal 'tea ceremony' posture. Their behaviour was perfect (in advance I may have given them a few simple instructions, such as "If you move an inch, or make the slightest noise, I'll use your guts for garters") when, dreadfully late, the door opened and Andy Adams, an American journalist of an earlier generation, famous largely for creating the only English-language magazine "Sumo World", barged in and helped himself to a seat, uninvited, down the side. The oyakata turned a dreadful look on me -- but I played genuinely innocent and shrugged and mimed "Nothing to do with me" -- and returned my attention to my entirely docile flock. That is all I recall of the previous master; in later years I was a regular visitor, but my entry was largely thanks to the two yobidashi -- then totally unimportant, now #2 and #3, but still friends. Orion down memory lane

Hahaha! It was fun preparing this reply...so here goes: What's the problem in the forum? Well...there seems to be some of this: and a little of this: and a bit of this: and a LOT of this: When we should definitely have more of this: and this: and this: and maybe some of this: or this: or this:

Diabetes is a common ailment for the rikishi. They learn to deal with it. Expect an occasional "downer" basho. Well, that's a bit too generalizing. Of course there are different types of Diabetes and not all rikishi are able to cope with it similarly. There are those who manage to go on with Diabetes for rather a long time without being affected too much by it, while others need some years to find back to their level and some promising careers are actually destroyed by it.

Another kind of degeiko. At a festival in Chikusei, Ibaraki, "Dosukoi pair". Kisenosato "lost" to Sugiyama-kun, eldest kid in the kindergarten, 50kg, by uwatenage, saying "he has a promising future". "The memories of when I was a kid I won't forget. I wanted to taste the joy of winning and entered the sumo world. I'm happy if I can get them to have even a little wish to do sumo."

I hold your baby. I'm very hot.

He's done it again. :-) On Thursday a release party and live performance was held in Tokyo for "秘そやかに華やかに" (somebody else please translate...), ex-Masuiyama's first song duet since 1988; his performing partner is Naomi Matsui.

Last night I dreamed that Harumafuji won the Aki basho. When he took the trophies he was in a leather jacket and jeans, though. Don't ask me...

Oh my word.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L86HtzUy1Gs

Because MMA is not Sumo and sumo fans are a bit "different". It's not like there's ten other sumo forums that get thousands of views. There are just two, and this is the more active one. Nobody is saying "we're a few and want it that way". Have you checked how many members we have and how many read the posts? Not everyone is a poster, and seeing that all of the original news is printed in Japanese (which is unique in any sport) not many people can contribute freely and would rather read. The history, rituals etc.. have been hashed and rehashed many times by the more veteran members on this forum. As you say, you are new, so the need to constantly have conversations on the subject may be high for you, but not for most of us. That doesn't mean we like sumo less than you or anything, but that's the way it is. OTOH, if you can bring in 50 new members who will be very active here, the more power to you. You won't find them, though. The forum has been around for 11 years and what you see is what you get, for better or worse.