roydrager

Thanks very much for your translation effort this basho. It adds hugely to the enjoyment.

Did he really do 11 henka last year? I remember being disappointed a few times, but I didn't know it was that many. Anyway it's bad to see Goeido resorting to henka against Harumafuji. Just getting a chance to go against Harumafuji should be a big deal for him.

Asashosakari that is a very valid point, certainly being projected "out" instead of "down" is very different as far as the required ukemi. For example there are big oshidashi push-outs that carry on into the spectators. There are also more severe drops from nage kimarite, I am thinking of last basho either Kokkai or Kotooshu took a very big drop. But like you said, it was not a direct vertical drop. From watching sumo as much as we do, I think we can all agree that the huge majority of falls off the dohyo do not result in terrible injuries. Most injuries seem to happen on the dohyo itself when rikishi are struggling, their weight is planted, and the force of movement goes in a bad direction for their joints. Or another major cause is sprains from overexertion or overuse, like the injuries that plague Kaio. These are not related to ukemi except in the case where one guy is resisting too much when he would be better off to take the fall. It is the same in judo, which obviously has a flat surface. In my experience, injuries do not often occur in ukemi itself, but in very similar ways to sumo. (There are unfortunately rare tragic cases of paralysis and death etc when people have been thrown on top of their heads.) For this reason I cannot agree that a flat surface would result in more sprains etc. So I see two cases where the elevated dohyo contributes to injuries. The first one is rare, and that is the case where the rikishi is in a position where it is not possible to control the fall. Here the increased force from the increased velocity can only worsen the impact. Again that is not a common situation, but it must happen sometimes. The second case I see as all pervasive, which is increased force putting increased strain on the body tissues. This weakens the tissues and makes them more prone to overuse and overexertion injuries (which obviously are common in sumo, and do not usually happen in the process of ukemi itself.) Rikishi already have enough causes for injury, so I believe lowering or flattening the dohyo would lower the rate. However, in the final analysis, this is the sport rikishi have chosen, and the dohyo is part of the rules. I am sure it will never change. If they want to play on a flat surface they can do judo, and work part time at konbini rather than making big bucks in ozumo.

I agree completely with the OP. Coming off the dohyo at high speeds results in hitting the ground in unpredictable positions which often are not avoidable despite ukemi skills. It also necessarily creates undue pressure on joints, the wear and tear of which must contribute to "overuse" injuries and sprains etc. From a physics point of view, a rikishi dropped onto concrete from 1 meter will experience much more impact force than if dropped from 0.5 meters. This is because the higher drop has higher final velocity and momentum. (I did a scratchpad calculation, the difference is not double but is roughly 1.5 times the force.) Obviously every animal in the animal kingdom will choose to drop 0.5m rather than 1m onto concrete, it is common sense. As a side issue, it is also a fact that ukemi skills provide less protection to heavier athletes, all else being equal. Intuitively, this is the same principle where you drop an ant 3 stories, and it walks away unharmed. You drop a rodent 3 stories, it will land on its feet possibly with a few injuries. You drop a human, the human will be severely injured or killed. You drop an elephant, and you will have a gooey mess. From a physics point of view, the amount of force absorbed on impact by a 150kg rikishi dropped 1 meter onto concrete is 1.5 times greater than a 100kg rikishi. However the body tissues of the 150kg rikishi are not 1.5 times stronger to compensate. So the heavier rikishi's tissues absorb much more force than the 100kg rikishi, but are not really more resistant to injury. (The damage would be especially noticeable when landing with all force concentrated on one body part such as the ankle, and that also could apply to internal organs or other tissues that are on the "bottom" in the fall.) On a personal note, I have taken ukemi at 82kg, 100kg, and 118kg bodyweights myself. Taking ukemi at 118kg, even on a nice sprung floor such as Kodokan, is truly a miserable experience. At 82kg I literally took ukemi on concrete without problems.

Thanks for your effort this basho, you saved the day!

Thanks again for Rikishi Talk, it enriches the basho for all of us!

Whether a fan likes Wakanoho or not, I think we can agree: if the Kyokai's new mission is to restore public faith and clean up their image, then there is no chance of making an exception for Wakanoho. There is no reason legally, politically, or business-wise to re-admit him. And what Riji in the new environment would take the risk to suggest that? Doing so would "take the teeth away" from any future Kyokai restrictions and stir the ire of the Ministry which will surely be taking an even closer look. As for my personal opinion, ethically there is no reason to re-admit him either. He may be young and dumb, that does not excuse his actions or protect him from consequences which he should have known. Besides if he was smoking with Roho and Hakurozan, they surely knew and would have told him. Wakanoho was in a privileged position that many would die for, and he squandered it, making lots of money in the process. He deserves zero sympathy. Another gaijin from a poor country deserves his spot.

Roho and Wakanoho displayed disgraceful behavior both on and off the dohyo, despite repeated warnings. It indicates a deeply entrenched bad attitude. Fascinating and satisfying that their mentality eventually led to their own demise. Hakurozan I do not lump in with those two, since he was not known for anything worse than henka prior to this scandal.

If not for his knee injury I believe Baruto would have easily become Ozeki already. (Not yokozuna only due to very strong Asashoryu and Hakuho keeping him from yusho.) But unfortunately I believe this knee injury will always hold Baruto back. Such a large weight with so much rapid pivoting is bound to wear the knee down again. Even if he doesn't seriously re-injure it, he can still never go all-out with his overwhelming strength. In the past I disliked Baruto just because his natural gifts were so great, it seemed almost unfair. (Yes that makes me a "player hater".) Now I like him for his gambarizing and good conduct in the face of adversity..

Dejima's tachiai timing was excellent. He faked Hakurozan out and Hakurozan's posture lifted, it was a sure sign. Roho's sumo has been as awful as his brother's this basho. I used to be a fan due to Roho's yotsu abilities and formerly great physique. (I believe Roho is off the silly sauce, he once weighed 165kg IIRC and now he is 146kg. The man was a house when he defeated a healthy Baruto.) I used to be a fan despite his attitude and penchant for hiki sumo. Now all he has is hiki sumo. These bad habits are wearing off on Wakanoho. Wakanoho is talented, it can't be denied. But how many blatant tachiai henkas is that this basho? 2 or 3? He is a relative newcomer to Makuuchi and he is already shamelessly doing this kind of sumo. Plus he often resorts to hiki sumo in the flow of the match (it's normal for inexperienced rikishi to resort to hiki sumo but Wakanoho is more than the average I think.) As for Wakanoho's attitude, the Finnish doctor already has a thread about that with which I wholeheartedly agree. The 3 of them have been a major downer for me this basho.

Top post! I have been even more impressed than usual with Yokozuna Hakuho. The bout with Kokkai: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VGiJSgJ3LVg (big thanks to Toyasuko) Although Kokkai is not genki, Hakuho's sumo was exemplary in this bout. There is textbook coordination between his arm placement, leg thrusting, and back thrusting. Also I liked the double effort when his first push-out failed.

I have been very pleased with the download times on www.info-sumo.net this basho. It is my favorite thing to watch the matches and then read Rikishi Talk.

Takanohana Oyakata's skin is a little baggy. I saw it on the news when they showed him lending his chest to the deshi. A lot of people I talked to in Japan found his weightloss to be unsettling, and some believe he has become a member of a cult. edit: People started getting an unfavorable image of Takanohana during the whole funeral scandal in 2005 when he started doing a lot of interviews. People found him to be a little strange.

Thank you once again for a tremendous full basho of Quotes. It truly enriches the basho for me. I actually am so pumped up for Quotes every day that I can't wait, so I plug the japanese Mainichi page into an automatic translator. Then I get Madorosumaru's much superior translation which clarifies exactly what the "morning blue dragon" and "white big bird" said.

"Kisenosato: (Taking care of Tenku) I was able to get a good look at my aite. I went all out at the tachiai." He should have said "I went all out [of the way as I did a massive Henka] at the tachiai."