Washuyama

Maybe as a yokozuna, he wasn't as successful as we're used to, but the joi a the time was extremely talented. With injuries and the emergence of Chiyonofuji, success would have been hard for anyone. Disclaimer: I was a HUGE fan of his when he still held the shikona Wakamisugi. The mawashi I'm wearing in my avatar is purple because he wore purple. I even had "WAKAMISUGI" written on my home-made kesho mawashi (made out of a paper bag with a crayola drawn Mt Fuji on it.)

I remember meeting Fukamiyama when he was a shin-deshi. He wasn't too impressive then but that could be due to the fact he was still adjusting to the sumo lifestyle. Actually, I'm suprised he lasted 12 years.

I just finished re-re-rereading all of my issues (11/74-3/86) of SW magazine and was wondering if if there was a way to acquire any/all the issues since? Has anyone scanned them? There used to be the SW website where you could see all the covers of past issues, but that has since gone. Is anyone willing to part or even share their treasure?? Those non-japanese speakers of you who have been following sumo longer than the past 10 or so years can probably remember, like I do, the joy of reading them cover-to cover. While the internet, especially the Sumo Forum and, more recently, the Sumo Reference database helps "scratch the itch," it isn't the same. Since I've been back in Japan, I've tried to locate back issues, but have been unsuccessful. While I'm rambling, as usual, I have a special place in my heart for Andy Adams and SW. They stoked the fire of that young 7 year-old, those many years ago. In fact, I have been very impressed with the knowledge of you all and if these conversations were held in the late 70s, there was a young child living on Yokota Air Base who could have held his own with you.

Well, not really. But my favorite collectible card game just announced a new special card set featuring characters from the video game "Street Fighter." While I usually don't get excited about these special card sets, I will be procuring this one on principle alone:

I'm only two hours away from Birmingham and am hoping to attend at least one day, if not both.

Woo-Hoo!!! Finally I can get to see live sumo again. Never been a follower of amasumo, but since Birmingham is only a two-hour drive, I'll take what I can get!

BTW, a Black Lotus sold at auction, earlier this year, for $500,000.

No,but I did have a couple Gaea's Cradles which I didn't sell... My only regret is I didn't keep one of each of the cards I did sell. I wasn't planning on playing again, but going through all the old cards gave me "the itch" again.

During lock down, I picked up an old hobby again from my younger days: A collectible card game called Magic:the Gathering. I played back in the 90s and something made me dig out my footlocker full of old cards. I was curious to find out the value of some of my cards and started going through them on a card pricing website. I was amazed to find out many of these individual cards are mow worth hundreds of dollars. I sold some to a local game store for $3500. That has financed me getting back into it and going to the store every week to play. It's kind of strange, though as I'm 30+ years older than anyone else there as this store is across the street from one of the biggest universities in the state.

I saw that too but figured since when the NHK announcers talk to/about him it sounds like they're saying Kitanoumi anyway. I guess they're interchangeable.

I impressed... A well written article about sumo in western press. It doesn't happen often.

I never would've pegged you as a "Home Fry." Welcome to the club!

I don't know, but he does look familiar for some reason.

Just for gee-whiz, that's Aobajo behind Taiho's left elbow.

Takagenji's spot? Just guessing.

There were 18 Shikimori Inosuke before him...

I know what you meant, but this is what came to mind...

I was wondering that myself. For some reason I have always enjoyed seeing the pictures/videos of current and retired Yokozuna teaching the newest member of the fraternity how to do the dohyo-iri. The first one I remember seeing was Wakanohana I and Wajima teaching Wakanohana II back in 1978.

I loved the old Kuramae KK. Iremember hanging outside the shitaku-beya telling each rikishi "gambatte" as they headed towards the hanamichi.

Obviously, I have a different perspective than Araiwa, but I can honestly say I never missed watching a Makuuchi bout during my time in Japan. (I even quit playing little league baseball because practice was held between 4-6 pm and I refused to miss sumo.) I stand by my opinion, but it's just that: my opinion.

I never thought of him as fierce but maybe that's because I always thought of Kitanoumi as the fierce one. I considered Wajima as more mellow.

That's why I added the "?"... I couldn't remember if it was for weed or yaocho..

Yamamotoyama?

I wasn't too far off.

I feel privileged to have witnessed a couple things this basho: 1) The reemergence of the greatest to ever don a mawashi and 2) (IMHO) the greatest comeback in professional sports history. I would love to see Hakuho hang on for a few more basho in the hopes of witnessing the maturation of Yokozuna Terunofuji. Also to see a few awesome yotsu battles between the two of them. Unless Hakuho actually believes he can't beat Teru on the mawashi, I don't think we'll see the tactics he used here again.