Babaryutaikai

RE: BOB REIMER'S SUMO MEMORIBILIA Hi all. Sorry, but I don't know how or where to post this, since I've been inactive for some time now. Many of you may have known Bob Reimer, the former Kofuji, and the fact that he succumbed to a rare form of cancer in January 2012. I had the good fortune to meet Bob and his lovely wife, Barb when they were in NYC looking for experimental treatment. Barb and I have kept in touch over the years, and she has just moved to Canada permanently and is sifting through Bob's personal memorabilia. She is now unpacking stuff and has found 7 tegata that Bob had. Two are framed prints and are of Akebono and Chiyotaikai; the others are unframed. The unframed ones are one each of prints of Goeido, Asashoryu, Kotomitsuki and Konishiki and one original Akebono tegata. Unfortunately, it seems that I cannot upload any of the images. The two framed are particularly nice with image and personal rikishi info on the reverse sides. If any members are interested in acquiring .one or more of these tegata, please email Barb at barb.reimer@outlook.com She can provide you with the photos and negotiate prices, if any. ‹ Thank you for your attention. Barbara

First, Doitsuyama, I am very grateful for your website and all the wonderful information there, not to mention the work and time you have put into it. It's been a great reference for me and hordes of other users. Today, I was trying to get to the sumodb with the links I've always used, and I, too, cannot seem to get the website, irrespective of which links I use. I keep getting the " 404 - File or directory not found.The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable." I've been offline for a while now, so maybe I missed its move? Thanks, Babaryutaikai

And who was demoted from Juryo, please?

Actually, Scott Kahn (Sukubidubidu) is a cancer researcher in New York and is chair of the Biomarkers committee for the International Cancer Advocacy Network. That organization has worked tirelessly to find me the best people to see, the best therapies to use and generally cheer lead me and my wife since the metastases were diagnosed to be malignant. They're still working. But at this point with my huge tumour load I'm not interested in trying a chemotherapy that might have a 10% chance of working when I've had the best therapy for melanoma ever found and the huge tumour load beat it. When the time comes, a memorial gift to the International Cancer Advocacy Network would be most appropriate if you care to do so. Hey, wait a minute, Bob. You're not going anywhere until you send me that photo of you in your Jumonji yukata with the dragonfly obi! You must know that Scott and I are devastated. My sentiments are sent to you in a private message.

From my own posts to the mailing list: Katrina can speak better to this than I can (which she has), but he was a good friend to both of us and, irrespective of the recent hazing news, we always saw him to be a good mentor and quite kind to his deshi. An example: when Takanoyama first arrived at the heya and didn't care much for the house chanko, Naruto and his okamisan went out of their way to be sure that he was introduced to the sumo diet slowly by having the cook prepare European food for some time. (Actually, Wakanosato, Takanowaka and Takanotsuru were pretty happy about this.) If you went to the Kokugikan and occasionally saw a very large man sitting in the last row by the broadcast booth, that was him. I never could comprehend how, with his weight fluctuations - mostly VERY heavy since he couldn't seem to stay slimmed down - - he was able to maneuver the steep steps to get all the way to the top. I remember when Katrina and I spent time with him and his wife in their private quarters at the heya, how many times we tried to get away from his long stories by saying that we wanted to go back to Tokyo to watch this or that rikishi? I think he knew what we were up to because we rarely made it back on time. I remember, too, how he loved cheese from all over the world. I was always afraid that I'd get caught at Japan customs with a particularly smelly wheel I brought one year. I know the boys in the heya will miss him very much, not to mention his bereaved widow and kids and his many, many friends and fans.

Thank you, Joe, for posting these all the time. You are a true yokozuna here! (A yokozuna...) I reposted the last two days to the mailing list since this was, indeed, an interesting basho.

I haven't been to Naruto beya for a while, but I remember that, for a long time, he did not like rice. On a personal basis, I believe he was not gaining weight for vanity reasons, but he finally got where he is, so let's see if his relief from tsukebito duties will enable him to concentrate on eating and sleeping more. Takanowaka did extreme weight and flexibility training, and while he ate as a sekitori should, he was not exactly "big", but did have excellent musculature.

I'm so glad to see these. Nagoya always has such great giveaways!

I remember Wakatoba in Las Vegas telling me the worst thing that was happening to him there that made it somewhat less enjoyable was the American girls always coming up to him, putting their arms around his shoulder, grabbing his arm, etc., etc. He was of the old school, where no one touched the rikishi unless it was for good luck as he is leaving a bout going back up the hanamichi. I guess it's ok for the Japanese girls to hang all over Hakuho since he's not Japanese?

I don't know if this belongs under the Ozumo category - moderators? - but I just LOVE this: http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=145609 From the NRCU 30-05-2011 16:30 State award presented to sumo wrestler of Ukrainian descent Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Mykola Kulinich, on behalf of the Ukrainian President, has presented the Order of Merit (third degree) to famous sumo wrestler of a Ukrainian descent, Koki Naya (Taiho). The state award had been presented to the wrestler for his significant personal contribution to strengthening the international authority of Ukraine and developing humanitarian relations between Ukraine and Japan. The ambassador also praised Naya's contribution to deepening friendship and mutual understanding between the Ukrainian and Japanese peoples.

"Drunkenly embracing" a friend of his student sister? Pix, please, yellow press!

Great article John! Keep it up! As I posted on the ML: I love John's features. He gives information, is for the most part fair and balanced (no FOX reference), and writes very well covering so many facets and providing otherwise unobtainable insights. It's so refreshing to have an unbiased account, unopinionated, non-elitist view of what's going on in the world of sumo as "insiders" know and love it. I'm really excited at former Wakanoho's desire to return to sumo.

Not entirely new, is it? Haven't they done this before, or am I hallucinating? Not sure of the number of matta before a so-called "warning" [what good are they anyway, warnings?], but yes, same old, same old.

Can I assume that this "business district" may have been in a kabukicho-type area? But seriously, there they go again. They drove one Mongolian yokozuna who broke records out of sumo, and now, they (the yellow press AND some on the elder sumo-side?) are beginning the campaign to oust the most Japanese foreign yokozuna they've had yet? And, of course, the powers that be just take for granted that the reports are true. "Caught on camera"? Where's the picture? Having been "involved" in one of the Asa scandals myself, I can just imagine what these guys are cooking up now.

Yes, Doreen is correct, of course. I have also seen this in my years of watching sumo. HOWEVER, I wonder why there is this concern about time without a broadcast where the day has to finish usually exactly at 6PM. I'm just guessing that they distribute the day's printed torikumi each day at the KK as they do during honbasho, with the dohyo iris, etc., scheduled for a certain time. I still don't understand why they just don't let everything go with the flow and if they are finished before a certain time, so be it!