Olenishiki

Like other art forms through the last century and this, sumo has passed into postmodernism. Yaocho, both real and imagined. Henka. It's sumo ironically commenting on itself. Those of us who love music and literature and visual arts as well as sumo have seen all this before.

The Baruto discussion, not surprisingly, has taken a turn toward the henka. The case made for the henka over there by SalParadise (quoted above) seems to me to shed some light on our beloved Ama's plight. I think Ama is someone who should do MORE henka. He has great technical skill, but when his opponent has to expect only straight-forward "big-man" sumo from this little man, Ama doesn't have that brief but crucial moment of an opponent's hesitation in which to insert his technical inspirations from the get-go. I believe a henka or two per basho would keep his opponents just enough off-balance at the tachi-ai to make him even more effective. These past two disastrous bashos for him: I'm not sure, but I don't think he's done a henka even once. The few he's done in the past certainly have not been sufficient to change his opponents' (correct) assessment that he's going to come straight ahead. By the way, there was never any significant clucking of tongues when Mainoumi did a henka. Even the occasional vertical henka. The move was admired--and even delighted in--as smart sumo from a man wisely using the talents and advantages that are unique to him.

I've been away and missed most of the yaocho talk, including the controversial one started by serv that's now closed. There's one point that hasn't been mentioned that seems to me to exclude any serious yaocho charges. If Asashoryu was determined to make Hakuho a yokozuna, why in the world would he let his heya-mate, Asasekiryu, effectively stifle that effort on the first day? Let Hakuho have full credit for beating Asa. It's the only thing that makes sense of day one.

Many thanks to all involved! You can't have too much to read about sumo. And your articles are always particularly interesting. (Sign of approval)

To me it reads more like a diary of a mad man. Sorry The essence of good writing is to be able to talk to the page (or screen) as naturally as you talk to a friend sitting before you. No matter what the tone or mood or emotional valence. SalParadise seems to me to have a natural, personal story-telling voice-on-the-page. Which means it was well written. (I was stupid...) (Holiday feeling...)

But if it wasn't the decision he was upset about, what was it? There was absolutely nothing that Tochinonada did to provoke Kokkai's ire. And the context of the initial reaction clearly had to do with his thinking he'd won. But it wasn't just an expectation of a mono-ii and that was the end of it. Kokkai's visible piss-offedness went on and on and on, all the way down the hanamichi.

The sordid thing about Kokkai's glowering after the bout, it seems to me, was that it was apparently directed at the judging. The tachiai was straight-forward, the maneuvering was clean, but it looked as if Kokkai thought there should be a mono-ii. That was the galling thing. How in the world did he persist in thinking--after the in-the-zone heat of battle, with no view of his or his opponent's feet--that he was in a position to question the shimpans' decision? (And can I add, as an aside, a vote for the most wonderful after-the-bout, technically-speaking-inappropriate show of facial emotion? The classically composed Takanohana's extraordinary facial contortion of triumph after beating Musashimaru fully 24 hours (or was it even 48?) after sustaining a leg injury so severe that it would eventually end his career. That win and that look was one of the greatest moments in sports history--any sport.)

Thanks, SalParadise, for a fascinating (and well-written) tale. (Applauding...)

It may not be the first time, but by my memory, henka from Dejima is very rare. I have the same impression. But I think his rare use has been striking. I don't remember the exact instances, but I do have the strong impression that they were as nasty as this one. This was in my early years of following sumo (and I probably didn't even know what henka was back then) but didn't he henka Akebono for Yusho back in 99? I think you're right. And didn't he henka Chiyotaikai just last March? Chiyo sure thought so. (Remember the extra shove?)

This is a rather interesting comment I think. A year and a half ago me and Maguroyama discussed Chiyotaikai's "deader than dead" basho quotes and counted the days to his retirement. This comment rather sounds as if it comes from some 23-year-old new Ozeki just burning for learning new things to apply in the future... Maybe just a one-off, but interesting notwithstanding... (Clapping wildly...) And he's been trying consistently to do straight-ahead sumo--even with the massive Baruto and even after Baruto's henka injured him.

(Clapping wildly...) Maybe Buyuzan will pull a Henka on him! (Laughing...) (Henka!!!) Or maybe he'll pull a henka on Buyuzan. For all his glowering and posturing about having it done to him, he himself has done it before. :-/

It may not be the first time, but by my memory, henka from Dejima is very rare. I have the same impression. But I think his rare use has been striking. I don't remember the exact instances, but I do have the strong impression that they were as nasty as this one. If I had this impression, I'd think a well-prepared rikishi would too. I'm a long-time and faithful but satellite-remote observer of this great sport, so this isn't a rhetorical question: Do the better rikishi keep at least mental notes on the fighting particularities of their opponents, rather like the better baseball pitchers and batters carefully study each other's strengths and weaknesses?

As always, thanks so much for these translations! (Clapping wildly...) Just wondering. Do you have any sense, from the sources you work with, whether Dejima declined to say anything for himself after that particularly heinous henka? Or was he hiding from the press? Or didn't anyone ask the question? (By the way, as bad as it was, it's true that Tamanoshima should have kept his eyes open. I don't think this is the first time that Dejima has done this.)

In spite of his banged-up body, in spite of his size, in spite of what some us might think is a certain predictability in his small-man's tachiai, today he quite elegantly picks Tosanoumi up and puts him out. This is why we love the guy. (Poking the other guy...)

Don't get me wrong. I adore his "big-man" sumo. It's a big part of why I like him so much. But it wouldn't devalue that aspect of his sumo if he mixed in a rare but often-enough-to-be-a-threat off-center tachiai. It would make his straight-ahead sumo even more effective.

That's the only thing I can call some of Mainoumi's most spectacular moves! He would basically leap up and over his opponent.

(Applauding...) Happy day. Perhaps there's a life-lesson here: embrace the paradox. In the case of Dish Network satellite and TV Japan, ask for Japanese and get English. Thanks to all who advised me on this matter!

No need to hold your breath. That's exactly what the people at Dish Network told me when I couldn't get the English language broadcast. First, go to "System setup" on the menu. Click on it and select "Alternate audio". Then select "Japanese". Even though you have selected Japanese, the reverse will be true on a bilingual Japanese-English broadcast and you will hear it in English. Getting English broadcasts when you select Japanese makes absolutely no sense, but it works. :-) I'm very surprised that the Dish techs you spoke to didn't know that. Sumo is listed in the TV Japan program guide as <J/E>, which means that sumo is broadcast in both Japanese and English with Japanese as the primary language and English as the secondary language. I would ask you to inform us if all this worked, but that's not necessary. It will. Enjoy your English language sumo broadcasts. My newfound optimism notwithstanding, I'll give all a progress report tomorrow. Sad to say, from many tech calls over the years to many vendors of many products and services B-) , it doesn't surprise me in the least that two calls yield utterly contrary advice. (Praying...) Thanks, sekitori!! You've given me sweet dreams. (Sleeping...)

I dont have Dish TV (still wondering why), but from others' posts on the SML , I understand that the languages are reversed. Apparently setting your feed to Japanese spits out English, and vice-versa. Many thanks, Takanorappa. I'm fairly new and missed the other postings on this. I'll change the setting, TIVO tonight, and hold my breath till the morning.

ANYONE KNOW IF I CAN IMPROVE MY SATELLITE SITUATION? I get sumo (as TV Japan) on Dish Network satellite. Since I live in the countryside and I have to use DirecTV for my high-speed internet, I actually have the Dish Network satellite solely for sumo. The Dish satellite receiver offers English language as an option, but it doesn't work. The Dish TV tech people simply say that they don't offer the English language option as part of their TV Japan service. Is there another satellite company that offers the Enlgish language alternative for NHK/TVJapan? From the observations above, there seems to be that service out there somewhere.

It seems to me that the sad thing about this incident--and about the proliferating expressions by rikishi of their unhappiness in defeat or their exultation in victory--is that it undercuts one of the most profoundly appealing and even uplifting aspects of the sport. I teach creative writing and I use the example of sumo as a way to instruct aspiring artists in the right attitude toward their work and toward life. I call it "sumo zen." For years I was first amused by but then finally moved by the sameness of so many sumo interviews. To almost any question, the rikishi's answer was most often a variation of: "I'll do my brand of sumo and I'll do my best." The clear corollary implicit in this statement is: "and I'll let it go." There's no better philosophy for work or for life. Do your brand of sumo, do your best, and then let it go to the universe. I've always looked to sumo for this ongoing inspiration. But as the winning becomes more important than being yourself and doing your best and accepting it--and that's what's clearly implied by an incident like this--the deep and even spiritual foundation of sumo seems to me to be threatened.

BIPOLAR AWARD: Hokutoriki. I think I may even mean this literally. He has stretches where he is almost maniacally aggressive, glaring and glowering and charging forward for wins. Then he goes long stetches in a depressed state, giving up weakly at the tachi-ai and suffering defeats with a deeply troubled look on his face. Sometimes each of these states lasts for an entire basho. This time, he went from depressive to manic in the same basho. He really shows the signs of bipolar disorder. At least, for this award, as a metaphor for his sumo.

Abiding sincere thanks for these translations! And to all those who translate the comments: (Blushing...) :-D

Actually I was taping it sort of run out (I think it's time to get rid of vcr) but what I saw from news snippets, you probably mean "Maidoh Osaka". Nishi san can tell you as well but "Kansai-ben" or Kansai area where Osaka is located has a special dialect of its own and I believe what Asashoryu was trying to say was "Maidoh Oh-kinee" meaning, "Thank you for visiting the store (and buying)". Osaka is a merchant's town so many greetings are based on. For instance if someone asks you how you are doing, you might say "Pochi pochi desu" (meaning you are not doing so badly or selling little by little". Asashoryu was trying to say, "Maido Oki-nee" but instead said "Maidoh Osaka" by mistake but it's not wrong either . Thanks so much! He said it with delighted gusto and given that it was an effort to relate to the local region, it says something about him that's not often noted. (Clapping wildly...)

Absolutely. We who don't speak Japanese are eternally grateful for the translations. (Applauding...) And can I ask one question for the Japanese speakers who saw the dohyo-side interview of Asashoryu? What were the two loud cries he gave? (Sigh...)