Murasakiayame

It's very common for formal speeches in Japan to begin with the speaker respectfully bowing to the audience and the audience respectfully bowing in return. What would happen if the speaker forgot to bow or purposely didn't? Would the speaker be allowed to continue? Bad consequences? What would it mean if the audience didn't bow in return? Could this ever happen? Has anybody seen this sort of thing happen? I never did, but I only lived there for a few years.

Kevin Bacon

I hope Hakuho keeps up his hinkaku and develops his own style of being a yokozuna instead of copying Asashoryu's not always respectful attitude. He had a bit of a problem with that before the tournament and I hope he can fully break out of the "follower" mentality. His sumo has been awesome this tournament and I hope he can suceed just as well as a yokozuna off the dohyo. (Sign of approval...)

It's refreshing to see a happy sumo scene instead of the usual unamusing stereotypical stuff.

Let's LIMBO!!

Thanks!

Typically when a yokozuna loses, the spectators hurl their zabutons. So when you have more then one yokozuna, and they're not facing each other, and they both lose, what do the spectators do for the second yokozuna loss? Grab the nearest zabuton and hurl it again? Or do they only hurl their zabuton for the last match of the day?

It's kind of nice being back in a climate where "Samui desu ne!" has real meaning. But of course, I get to wear more than a mawashi. Glad the goats are cozy.

I

In Japan several of my kindergarten students in the tiny backwater town I used to teach English in would try and get away with doing that, so they must've been seeing it somewhere. I'm not sure if they understood it though. Thanks for the great videos!! (I am not worthy...)

Does anybody know about how long rikishi have retired by getting their mage snipped off? More than 100 years? Less than 50?

So what happens to kensho when a rikishi goes kyujo? Returned to the sponsors?

1. Where do you live? Duluth, Minnesota, just back from living in Fukushima prefecture for two years. 2. How are you watching it? banzuke.com 3. Cost of watching it? $0 4. Do you stay up to watch it live, or record/watch the next day? I watch the video clips the next day after Dale has posted them. Thank you!

In the wee hours of the morning, before the lowest of the low ranking rikishi start practice are there any special ceremonies, health prayers, or dohyo chants the guys do? Also, is there any restriction on how early two guys can begin practice?

This all is very wonderful! Thanks for posting so much. I feel like I should find some place to float.