Michishige

Did anyone else just hear the announcer say that Satoyama has announced his intai?

He really does have an arrogant look all the time. I find myself disliking him even though (1) I have no real reason to do so and (2) his sumo is quite excellent and enjoyable to watch. I’d love to know more about him so I can at least have an informed opinion.

This is something I hadn’t heard before. Could you elaborate?

That's pretty glib...notice they don't say the police or disciplinary board or anything like that. The point seems to be that they'll try to stem the tide of bad press if something goes down.

Usually I'd say that they are probably making a cost-benefit decision not to commercialize the footage. If they are taking the time to submit copyright claims, however, they are clearly already spending money on dealing with the footage. Why not just invest it in creating a distribution channel?

Ahhh...our cole slaw is different and has dairy in it. My mistake!

Hmm...burger and cole slaw? That sounds treyf...

The English translation of the first paragraph is too good not to share. “The Japan Sumo Association admitted to the retirement of the Takanohana master who had reported retirement by an extraordinary board meeting held in one day. It is now officially decided that the 22nd Grand Champion of the Championship will leave the mobsters.”

I think you’re forgetting the cultural context here. Japanese society places a premium on order. What you call bullying could simply be called their way of enforcing social norms. What is right for them is, perhaps, different than whatever absolute “right” you are referring to in this comment. I agree with what you’re saying, for the record...but I recognize that view as being colored by my American values. Their insistence on appropriate formality in procedures and documentation is simply an extension of the Japanese desire for order. While he is a member of their group, he is expected to conform and gambatte. This sloppiness, to them, is as disrespectful as Taka likely intends it. But within societies, no single individual holds as much power as the collective. He’s tilting at the wind by continuing to antagonize them...they will simply ensure that he cannot leave until he’s done what they require. Society has ways of punishing dissent, as evidenced here. One cannot impose change where it is not desired by the collective.

I saw this story while perusing Nikkan Sports but can’t make heads or tails of it. Can anybody shed some light on what it says? The translator makes it sound like it’s related to the Takanohana Ichimon breaking up, but I figured that wasn’t right since I’d have read that here first (I assume). It looked serious, in any events, since it mentioned “criminal.” https://www.nikkansports.com/m/battle/sumo/news/201809230000252_m.html

I can’t quite express exactly why, but I like this new Kisenosato better than the pre-injury version. He’s got a lot of tools that he’s working with now that his left side isn’t as dominant. Some belt work today, some pushing and thrusting the last few days...not dominant, but certainly wily. I suppose there’s a sense of fatalism there. It works and he stays, or it doesn’t and he retires. That would do a lot for my nerves were I in his spot. Here’s hoping he keeps up the winning, anyway.

I don't know if it's the skinny jeans, the professed desire to be a hairdresser, the blase attitude he expresses about joining up (i.e. "I can be a hairdresser later"), or his general appearance, but something tells me this fellow isn't likely to be around Sumo for very long. He seems kind of...soft.

I thought that was a rather offensive term for bi-racial...but perhaps I'm misremembering that.

Somebody on the Reddit thread said something about him hanging around because of money issues. Is this idle gossip or is that something that is well known? I can’t imagine he’d have such issues after such a distinguished career as an Ozeki.

Whooo boy...I can’t imagine that’s going to go over well with the Kyokai.