Eskbibs

I'm not a good source because I don't (can't comfortably) read the news online or in-person, but my few coworkers and acquaintances who are sumo fans - older folks for the most part - don't seem to care all that much about this (yet). I brought it up vaguely trying to see if they'd heard about it, but they saw the Yahoo headline and didn't really seem interested in reading further. A while ago, when the Tobizaru thing allegedly happened, that also slipped under their radar. When the Hokuseiho incident came to light, though, I did hear about that, for what it's worth. I'm not trying to say what it sounds like I'm trying to say here, just that this is what I've seen in my admittedly limited circles. Some of the more senior forumites most likely have different experiences, however. This is just my own, so do take it with a grain of salt. My takeaway has been that as expected, you can't beat Sumoforum for sumo news and that I am probably more knowledgeable - or obsessed - than the average Japanese citizen when it comes to sumo.

I happen to be living in Kansai rather near the Nankai trough at the moment and I can confirm that at least the 2L water bottles at my supermarket have been sold out for the past few days. The staff put a little sign requesting each person to not buy more than 2 bottles at a time, though I haven't seen a bottle for a while now. Maybe they just get instantly sold out as soon as they get restocked. I haven't been keeping up with the news since the Miyazaki quake happened, but I watched the press conference on NHK that day and did feel a little panicked myself. You can't help but wonder if you're going to be a part of the predicted thousands of casualties in the event of such a quake...to say nothing about how despite your preparations, the quake could happen at any time, like while you're at work or outside or whatever. Nothing to it but to keep on going of course, and I expect that it'll slowly fade from conscious thought over time, but, well. I've only been in Japan for a year myself so maybe this is just how these things go.

I was lucky enough to watch in person today (but naturally not lucky enough to see Onosato win as I was hoping). I arrived during what I assumed to be the middle of Makushita. Assorted things I noticed: - A rikishi by the name of Ryuusei (?) gave some real unsportsmanlike looks after winning his bout. I feel like I've heard talk of him on the forum but I'm not sure - The love for the Waka bros is really strong. I was sitting next to someone (from Osaka) who couldn't decide whether they wanted Ura or Wakamotoharu to win - You can hear this on Youtube too, but the crowd really turns on for Ura. To say nothing of the sea of pink towels across the stadium - A lot of people seemed to be unaware that Terunofuji was kyujo before they came. There was audible disappointment following the announcement of no dohyo-iri - There were a lot of foreigners beside myself. A whole contingent of (presumably) Ukranian fans were present for Shishi's bout - I'm not sure if they got shown on the TV broadcast or not - Kounosuke really is the best. Seeing him move in person, in comparison to the other gyoji, is a treat Also, in case anyone else is going later on, and on a sold-out day, and also happens to have big legs like myself, prepare for some pain. I don't remember having this problem in Tokyo when I went 4 years ago but maybe the 10 kg I've put on since then makes the difference...

Rare footage of Endo trying to win? My eyes just about popped seeing him resist at the edge...

I fully admit that this is about as premature of a judgment as you can make - but man, Onosato is such a treat to watch. I know that people who follow amazumo have been hyping him up for a while now, and I know that it's literally a week into his first tournament in the top division, and I also know that so far, he's only faced people who are, one might say, no-names and don't have much going for them in terms of expectations. But there's something incredibly satisfying about watching him win. Big, young, strong, full of spirit, not covered in injuries (unless he's carrying something from his amateur days?) - and he wins by blasting people out - what's not to like? It's very simple. I've only been watching sumo since 2018, which means I've missed a whole lot compared to the elder statesmen on the forum, but just in terms of (my very unskilled) eye test, he looks pretty good compared to some of the other hyped prospects who have come up since then. His movement is just so strikingly...fresh? Cue him getting injured or otherwise losing disgracefully tomorrow. I'll still be his fan, though!

Thanks so much for showing the way, I'm a total idiot about these things. I'll get a ticket while I can then.

I was looking at the Fuyu jungyo thread, and one of the days it's in Sakai, which is fairly close to where I live at the moment, and it's on a Sunday, too, so I don't have to worry about work. I was wondering if any of you fine people know how one can actually go to/attend a jungyo stop? I presume you can't just show up and enter the building, right? (If you can, then hallelujah.) Apologies if this shouldn't be posted here, I wasn't sure where else to put it.

Congrats to Kirishima. Atamifuji is good and solid - but I don't know if he's shown anything to be really excited about, in terms of skill. Which sounds odd to say considering how he's been thoroughly involved in the yusho race two bashos in a row. Maybe I just haven't been watching closely enough or I'm forgetting something really obvious...and of course, he's young and has time to get better and all that jazz. Just visually speaking, he hasn't looked particularly convincing to my (untrained) eye.

I thought there must have been an incident during the jungyo or during training or something, as I recall things like this happening as a result of such incidents. But I also don't remember seeing anything of the sort reported here, so...who knows. Otherwise Gonoyama seems like a very random target for such a staredown.

My Japanese isn't the best but I think they said the same on NHK - Atamifuji is still young, he'll remember this experience. I'm not a fan of his, but you have to feel for him a little. Is it his fault for not expecting it? Maybe. But that's a lot to expect from someone who's in their first ever yusho contention, much less playoff. Here's to hoping he stays good for a while to come.

Takakeisho, not like this...

I don't think there's any timeline in which Hokuseiho ever beats Hoshoryu. He's basically the most leg-trippable opponent you've ever seen, and Hoshoryu is something of a leg tripper himself. A bad match-up for him if there ever was one.

Man I hope Atamifuji loses his (regularly scheduled) bout. It'd be a shame if he just wins, long before the musubi no ichiban, and then the rest of the bouts are for small change. That being said, I feel like I've been hoping for this outcome every basho and it always ends disappointingly with the person 1 win in the lead just winning.

Aoiyama not giving up at the edge. Shodai obliterating Asanoyama. Daieisho beating Kirishima in a belt battle. Awesome day today.

Takakeisho...landed face first into the knee of that spectator? I almost can't believe what they showed on the replay, but it explains why he was blinking the one side of his face afterward. Spectators accidentally injuring rikishi, who knew it could happen.