Itachi

Here I am again, trolling for clicks. That's trolling as in a fishing technique not as in being a troll in the usual chat room sense! Thanks in part to the 3 sumoforum members who have already clicked my link, I have made it to the top 100 in this game. I'm about 19 away from where the sekitori line would be but I am not strong enough to hang around here at my current support level. I will have to take it slow for a while and fall to a lower rank where I can safely accumulate the funds I need to build some stronger infrastructure. On the brighter side, my brother and I have been battling side by side against the forces of evil and for the greater glory of the Ozumo Beya Clan. He serves as Sargeant and I as Captain after our recent promotions. Daverinuk is doing a good job as interim leader while Brewdude is on a bit of a vacation. General Jejima has also been playing a major role in organizing communications and providing valuable guidance in Ozumo Beya techniques. We have 66 members now - most of whom have no connection to sumo fandom. It is a testament to our winning personalities or our winning techniques - the most important one being teamwork. Whether or not you have the time or inclination to step in and battle with us, you can help our team just by clicking on any one of our links. It just takes you to the game site so you can be tempted by it and we get a bit of extra game $ to spend on strengthening our armies and facilities. Beware, once you begin playing, it's hard to stay away. It is good harmless fun though. http://zelderex.com/?topic=47549

Thanks for a third time sumo forum members! I've now received 3 clicks from viewers of this thread. Since I last groveled, I've been promoted to seargent (sp?) in the game and I've loitered in Makushita for a while before dropping down to thrash some easy Sandanme opponents. Our clan is working very well together. Brewdude, our leader, has coordinated attacks on some other clans which have been well carried out. My brother - who knows nothing of sumo but still bought me a souvenir from their Vancouver Jungyo when I was out of town (in Aomori as it happens) has joined us (as Frobro - his hair can get very curly like an afro) and has, I believe cracked the top 200 by now (in about five days of play!). It sure is getting difficult to afford new upgrades since I become a target whenever I accumulate half of what I need. Your clicks for me or Jejima, or any of us add a bit to our daily allotment which ultimately adds to the boost we get once a day where we get a scheduled influx of $$ to purchase things. If we time things right, we can dump a few things to lower our rank and then use your click funded daily bonus to buy back what we need to exploit our lower ranked neighbours and plunder enough $$ to buy our next enhancement. The Ozumo clan has been throwing its weight around quite a bit lately. Any support for any of us enhances our ability to squash the competition. Here's the link to boost me. The other players have links on their messages as well if you prefer to boost them. Hey, my brother didn't think he'd play but now he's hooked! It's quite fun. Check it out and join us. http://zelderex.com/?topic=47549 Itachi

I'll second the Hikaru no Go recommendation. I love Go and I haven't been able to read many manga but I went out of my way to read that one. I read a bit of Black Jack and liked it but I've been away from Japan too long to read well anymore. I need translated manga now. GTO was a fun read. Great Teacher Oni-...zuka zuke? My students lent that series to me - I sued to be a math teacher and anime fans started hanging around asking for help with their Japanese. They shared their translated mange with me. I'd love to read some Sumo themed manga. Preferably in english but one day I'll recover my Japanese reading skills enough to enjoy it in Japanese too. Itachi

Thanks again everyone - I was able to upgrade my barracks to hold 18 soldiers. Next I'll upgrade my blacksmith beyond axe, buy transport for a larger fighting force, and then fight some bigger foes! The increased income will make it possible for me to play a variation of the yo-yo strategy Jejima and Brewdude have recommended. Why not? It sure worked for Takatoriki and Kotonishiki! Kyokushuzan has earned a decent living with it. Without Gold Membership or a tremendous flow of clicks I'm not expecting to become sanyaku in this game but who knows how far my budget consciouss but blood thirsty approach could take me. Support the senseless slaughter and plundering of scores of virtual corporate armies by clicking my link (to visit the site of the game to see what it is) or on the link of one of our forum mates above. http://zelderex.com/?topic=47549 Thanks! p.s. I suppose we might have to have a clan vacation in July when the Nagoya basho starts. It's a good thing there is a provision in Zelderex for that. Itachi

Thanks whoever you are! Someone clicked for me since my last post and it could only have come from this forum. I hope you find the game fun to play, but if you are not interested in playing, then I will try to repay you with my exploits. If I can save up $6000 without being victimized then I can upgrade and make room for more soldiers! also, another 6000 would allow me to upgrade my blacksmith and buy more potent weapons - though mine seems plenty potent so far! If anyone else is willing to add to my Ozumo clan rampage fund just click on this link. No one has complained of viruses yet and I would've noticed for sure having been quite active on this site for the past week. http://zelderex.com/?topic=47549 Also, though I would appreciate any help, there are other sumo forum member that are also fishing, so feel free to help them instead of me. Itachi

I earned my first enemy! Some dude whose name starts with Z. I think it's a name from planet of the apes because his corporate name is the same thing with 'ape' on it. He had almost $1000 and only 14 units without any defensive soldiers at all so I jumped on him for some cheap cash and only got a couple hundred?! So I attacked again (3rd time in a minute including the spy mission) and still got less than $200. I went in AGAIN and got nothing - no dough! Of course I did select him because he was online (players often convert to full offense while they're online) and so maybe he was spending his $$ at the time. He tried to punish me but ... I've got 11 defensive soldiers with axes! ^_^ I'm out of fuel for another night but I had fun smashing things. Help me smash Ozumo clan enemies even more by clicking on my under used link. I've only received 2 clicks ever and neither was from this forum \ ^o^ / If you haven't helped anyone else yet and you want to help add another strong sumo forum player (Jejima, Brewdude, and Aderechelsea in particular are doing well) then why not throw Itachi a bone? Enough shameless groveling... If you prefer, help one of the other sumoforum players. I think we are collectively establishing a fearsome reputation. Join us and enjoy the battle yourselves. http://zelderex.com/?topic=47549 Itachi

I have a few objections to the tie breakers. It discourages advancing to a high rank in the game since outranking a co-leader for the yusho means losing the yusho and therefore the relative ranking. Do we all strive for low ranking in this game? But low rank would favor us in a tie break... this is a contradictory tie break. Also, the initial shikona alpha based tie breaker encourages everyone to choose shikona such as zzzzzzzzzzzzitachi. This is nonsense. For an initial tie breaker - how about earliest entry? Actually, I object to the first tie break, favoring the low over the high. There is no need to emphasize low when we're aiming for the middle anyway. Unless we are all aiming to be ranked at the bottom of the banzuke, the balance should tip up. Itachi p.s. As for those who seek to minimize their participation in games, pre-basho games are MUCH easier to keep up with than daily ones. I'm also having to cut my daily involvement but at the same time, I'm digging the pre-basho format since I can see results at my convenience and don't lose ground by being too busy to keep up with each bout.

I don't know if my clicking will do any good since I'm already a player, but I clicked for you. Good luck. As far as this weasel business goes, I am known by my friends as The Weasel - therefore the shikona Itachi. I consider myself an authority and agree that your plan is cunning enough for the term. If it works, I may try a variation myself. Right now I'm just getting farmed while I sleep or while at work so I'll have to modify your approach to growth a bit. Jejima wrote: I have devised a plan that is so cunning you could put a tail on it, and call it a weasel.

I went on a bit of a rampage tonight. If I'm your employee, Brewdude, I just scored a few wins. I'm out of fuel so I have to quit for tonight. Someone clicked my link - thanks if it was someone from here! I'll keep dropping my link for anyone who might want to take a look while helping me. http://zelderex.com/?topic=47549 I look forward to July when there will be more sumo related stuff to consider. Itachi

Ok everyone, I am officially active in this game. Probably not many read this who are not already involved but if you have a soft spot for underdogs I'm your guy. I clicked brewdude's link and haven't suffered any viruses. The game looks kind of interesting and so I'm playing. Click me to give me a foot hold or just to check it out for yourself. If you aren't sure about me, then help Jejima or Aderechelseamaru or Brewdude who also have links in their messages to solicit help in this game. No, there isn't much connection with sumo beyond Jejima's naming his characters after rikishi but this IS the Non-Sumo related subject / Off-topic section of the forum so live a little and try this game - or at least look at it while helping me or another sumo fan. Itachi http://ZeldereX.com/?topic=47549

I must mend my ways if I wish to remain a sekitori in this game! As for the hammers, I may need them too but I haven't got a link to use yet... perhaps I should just focus on keiko to get ready for Nagoya. As for Nagoya, I am tempted to go kyujo. It'll be the end of a tax quarter at work, I'll be at night classes 2 nights a week, including a midterm right in the middle of the tournament, and if that weren't enough, I'll be welcoming my third child into the world. Expect a few days of brief Hoshitori/Yusho Arasoi comments and droning from Wakatanuki! ...now if only I could find an Ozeki to rely on for July... Itachi (aka Wakatanuki)

Hello Jreprise, Where in Canada are you from? You say you watched Natsu 2005. How long had you been following sumo before this? Just how new are you I mean to ask? It makes a difference if you have been following sumo via internet for a year before seeing any matches and have stuck with it or if you are brand spanking new and my lose interest before the summer is over. I was only vaguely aware of sumo until I moved to Japan with my wife (who is 2nd generation Japanese Canadian). Once there, I quickly glommed onto the sport as the only thing I could make sense of in the Japanese newspapers and tv. It was fascinating as a sport and tradition of course, but it also gave me a foothold topic for conversation in Japanese. Now that I've been back in Canada for 6 years, I'm getting pretty weak with my Japanese but I still follow Ozumo very closely. I can still read just about any shikona - new or old but I'd have trouble describing a match to my in-laws. Welcome to the forum. Itachi (from Vancouver)

I say Detroit wins. I liked the way they won last year and they have all the same elements. The Spurs are great but they're not what they used to be. If only the Suns used their bench and had a bit more experience, they'd've made it through and challenged the Pistons. It'll be a close series but I think the Pistons have more evenly spread contributions. If McDyess is badly hurt it'll hurt them. If R.Wallace gets too hot under the collar, it'll hurt them. I like the way both teams play and probably the Piston's fans are less deserving but somehow I still favor the Pistons. They ought to be healthier - I think most of the main Spurs missed lots of games due to injury this season. I actually thought that would slow them enough to keep them from the finals but clearly not. Popovich and Brown are two of the best and this should be an outstanding series to watch (if you don't mind more of a chess match than an all-star showcase-a-rama) I really hope LB doesn't bolt for the exec job in CLE. It's a shame when someone leaves a winning situation where they could win more. Leaving when the magic is fading is better IMO. Itachi

My Mother-in-law uses the word 'fundoshi' to desribe part of a crab that one does not eat. It came up in conversation when My Father-in-law brought home some crabs from his outing on his friend's boat and Okasan went about preparing them. I wonder if there is any entymological connection. I imagined the 'fun' coming from funsui and the doshi relating to movement. Underwear just doesn't seem to fit in this context. This reminds me of a joke I heard recently. 'What're you eating under there?' 'Under where?' '?!?You're eating UNDERWEAR?!? - GROSS! Try it on yur friends and family. I've gone for it a couple of times without success but one day .... ONE DAY... I'll get someone to throw up that alleyoop so I can deliver the punchline. Itachi

Ok Brewdude, I clicked on your link since I felt Jejima's popularity would leave you in the dust and I normally root for underdogs. No offense Jezz, it's only a game (I presume). I probably won't have time to follow up on the game but it sounds interesting. I'm not sure how my joining helps you but I did, so there. My company name is Instuition (multiple entendre blague) and my username is, of course, Itachi. Perhaps I'll find myself lobbying for support if I actually begin actively playing the game - which I can't see myself having time to do... oh, to be young and single (and childless) again... baby #3 due in July (look for poor results in my daily games). Itachi

http://alania.faithweb.com/nart.html All I did was google around until I found something. Most results refer to books that you can buy but at this site there's something to read for free. It's not a lot but whoever has time, money, and the inclination could buy the book.

Wow! I am amused. I've found a few pages with English translations of Nart legends and I'll read through them as time allows. Thanks for sharing. Also, thanks for all the Tuganov images. They really whet my appetite for the stories! Itachi

I am very appreciative of all the work that went and continues to go into the setup and upkeep of this forum. As for the avatars, I would like to select some surrent sekitori who are not among those appearing in the choices available. In particular, I would like Iwakiyama to represent me but I am stuck with Jumonji - the next closest to my loyalties as a former Aomori resident. Probably there is a way for me to access an Iwakiyama image to use but I don't know much about this and so it is much more convenient for me to choose form the available images on the menu. My wish is that whoever set up the menu that allowed me to choose Jumonji update it so I can change to Iwakiyama. Thank you. Itachi

cool. Tell me more!

Love him or hate him, Chiyotaikai is too good to fall out of sanyaku unless he has a career ending injury. His style of winning may not win him fans lately but it seems like he can beat just about anyone healthy or not. (Of course there are a few he can't really compete with in his current state) I don't think he has the mental fortitude to strive for Yokozuna and he may have such a weak desire to compete that he retires with several good years left in him but he is not so weak physically that he cannot maintain his rank for a few more years. This is all just my under-informed opinion since I don't end up seeing many matches and I get most of my impressions from reading postings on forums like this one, but it seems to me that even a half Chiyotaikai can put together a kk against the current group of top rankers. I believe Kaio - stronger will to compete though he may have - to be the more fragile older Ozeki and more likely to retire first. I'm not voting because I don't know. He may retire out of lack of desire before the year is out but he could also pull himself together and have a few double digit win basho interspersed with mk basho and kadoban 8-7 efforts as has been his way for most of his ozekihood. I miss the Chiyotaikai from a couple of years ago who normally had 10,11, or 12 wins before losing during the final few days to fall out of the yusho race. There was never any danger of him becoming Yokozuna but he was strong while Kaio looked old and creaky (though tough!) and the other ozeki's were just hanging on. He sure hit the wall after making Ozeki the first time - he was dynamite up until then! When I recall Chiyotaikai's career, I always remember the bout against Musoyama - sometime not long after 'Taikai became Ozeki I believe. The bout lasted about 35 seconds and there was little but harite to the face involved. That was the first time I saw blood in a match (I'd only been watched for a few years up to then). 'Taikai had a winning streak going against Muso over the past year but after that match, Muso dominated him. After half a minute of vicious slaps to each others' faces, 'Taikai turned his head slightly with his back to the tawara and Muso turned the rest of him 'round and ushered him out for the win. Both rikishi seemed to be bleeding from the mouth - or was it just 'Taikai's blood on Muso's hand? I forget. Also, there was the tournament when 'Taikai had his nose broken(?) and proceeded to miss not only the rest of that tournament but the following one as well. After that, I think he had lost his drive and he was never so potently competitive afterwards. That's my impression of 'Taikai's career - unenhanced by refering to any source but my poor memory. How accurate was I? Itachi

Happy Birthday to both of us - mine is the day after yours I think (may 26 for me). You've got 15 years on me, I hope you've enjoyed them. Perhaps one day we'll meet over some chanko and buy each other a joki. Otanjobi omedeto. Itachi

I just had a look. I really liked them. I'm pretty pleased with the squinting Iwakiyama image I use now but there are some very tempting avatoars available on that page! I like the addition of mountains or flowers in some of them. I'd like to see a nice image of Iwakiyama and his namesake - Mt. Iwaki! How about an image of Jumonji along with Hashikami-dake - he used to share a kanji with that mountain when he was called Kaigatake. Itachi

Aha! so that's where Miyabiyama's butsukaridako went! I haven't seen any lower division action this tournament. Does Ichinotani have a Miyabiyama-ish lump or one more like the little thumb shaped one that Oginishiki used to have towards the end of his career? This topic inspires me to call for a Makushita game for next tournament! If I keep mentioning it maybe someone with the will and the time will set one up for us. Any exepected retirees from this division? There are a few ex-sekitori fossils lurking around there. Itachi

I like Banzuke surfing and Guess the Yusho Winners very much because they focus on the lower divisions and because they are pre-basho games. Since they are pre-basho, it doesn't matter that they don't have daily updated and interactive websites. Oshirokita has a serviceable site for his game where results are sporadically available but the updates that appear on the forum are good enough for me. I wish there were a Makushita game similar to the juryo game. I'll keep mentioning it until someone produces one. Perhaps one day I'll even have time to do it but for now, I can't even produce the meta-benchsumo game as I wanted to.

This wasn't the best tournament for me but here's the story. I play only 2 daily games now which is all I really have time for. In Benchsumo I was horrible going 5-10 (though I did lose on the bench a bit and also lost when scoring well a few times but honestly, my team did poorly and I with them). I should stay in Juryo but I can't remember being ranked a low as I will be next tournament! In Sekitoto I was right up there in the yusho race until the last five days when I lost 4 of 5 and finished 10-5. I think I'm already komusubi so I might just advance but maybe not. I played 4 pre-basho games - one perhaps for the last time. In the Juryo game I mercifully received kk despite a poor 109 point effort. I've been a bit mediocre since being promoted to Ozeki - sorry everyone. In Guess the Yusho Winners I guessed wrong mostly but not far wrong on most of them so I ended up with 69 points - good enough for a 4th place tie in Juryo and 6th place tie amongst sekitori (all 20 of us). Not great but not bad - though the drone scored 66. In Banzuke Surfing, I did as well as I could I think. I would never have thought to select 7-0 Kadomoto so 6-1 Sawaii's performance is just fine by me. Oshirokita started higher and picked a 6-1 rikishi as well so he'll stay ahead. Zentoryu picked Sawaii as a joker and may or may not stay ahead of me with the 5-2 sandanme pick. In other words I finished in a tie for 2nd or in third depending on the banzuke luck which we'll have to wait for. The last game I played was SalaryCap Sumo. I enjoyed deciding on my picks but for the second tournament in a row, I am a meta-UDH all-star. I don't recall how poorly I did last time but I'm ranked pretty low and this tournament I scored only 829 which is third lowest over all divisions and (somehow) second worst in my own Makushita division. I can't get any worse (or not much anyway) so perhaps I should try again but with all the other demands on my time (not to mention my pride) I am considering a Kitaoji manoeuvre. I look forward to reading about other forum member's exploits. Itachi