Kintamayama

Sumo articles by journalists who are Forum members/or not

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I thought you meant "invigorated"..

Well, the edited version has "rejuvenated" but "invigorated" pretty much captures it, too.

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New Year mochi making at his Takasago stable was interrupted when he aggravated his suspect elbow, but Asashoryu returned from a brief trip to his homeland enervated.

I can't make sense of this given the context, that he injured his elbow, but returned to "his imperious best" following a trip that left him "enervated". Perhaps "energized" was meant instead?

See what I mean about the extra sub editing? (I am not worthy...) Thanks... a dumb error on my part. Will be changed online.

I didn't dare to mention it because I still remember the poliblogosphere-wide shouting wars a few years ago when Ben Affleck said that somethingorother would "enervate the base" at the '04 Democratic National Convention (don't sue me if I got the who and where slightly wrong). At least some people were pretty adamant that "enervate" could in fact be used in the sense you intended, FWIW. :-)

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To add my 2 cents/yen/rupee/shekels/etc. to the mix. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition Online:

TRANSITIVE VERB:

en

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I wonder if the mochi they make is purely for the consumption of Takasago residents; it would certainly make nice souvenirs.

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New Year mochi making at his Takasago stable was interrupted when he aggravated his suspect elbow, but Asashoryu returned from a brief trip to his homeland enervated.

I can't make sense of this given the context, that he injured his elbow, but returned to "his imperious best" following a trip that left him "enervated". Perhaps "energized" was meant instead?

See what I mean about the extra sub editing? (I am not worthy...) Thanks... a dumb error on my part. Will be changed online.

I didn't dare to mention it because I still remember the poliblogosphere-wide shouting wars a few years ago when Ben Affleck said that somethingorother would "enervate the base" at the '04 Democratic National Convention (don't sue me if I got the who and where slightly wrong). At least some people were pretty adamant that "enervate" could in fact be used in the sense you intended, FWIW. (Clapping wildly...)

Well, if he said it, then Ben Affleck could have gotten away with it, as "innervate" means to stimulate, while enervate means the opposite. So, in the spoken sense they are antilogies, or words that mean their own opposite (sanction, cleave, trim, etc.)

Sorry to bring this further off-topic.

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If Hakuho had won their bout and gone on a prolonged applause hunt, Asashoryu's response--either in print or in their next bout--would have been vicious.

I don't think this is a fair description of what happened on the kettei-sen.

Though I - like many others - twitched when Asashoryu raised his hands and waved to the crowd, this by no means was directed toward Hakuho. It wasn't offensive or degrading to Hakuho personally, as he wasn't on the dohyo when this has happened.

In addition, it was pretty clear the gesture was a token of Asa's jubilation at ending a long dark period and not related to any personal rivalry with Hakuho.

This is why I assume Asa wouldn't mind should Hakuho act the same way, in similar circumstances.

Still, this behaviour is disrespectful in the broader sumo perspective, and should be avoided.

Edited by Bilu

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as he wasn't on the dohyo when this has happened.

You're right of course - the action wasn't directed directly at Hakuho, and so crowbarring him into my column may be skating on thin ice (that is one mixed metaphor). Personally I don't mind his celebrations, whether it is ringside or after a bout in the ring, but only because it is Asa and he does what he does. And the JSA has to criticize it, just as he has to apologize.

But I think the point remains about the irony-free zone that Asashoryu inhabits when he takes umbrage at others' misbehaviour... Exhibit B: The filthy look he gave Kaio after he koto-nage'd Toyonoshima... who was seriously injured by Asashoryu in keiko before his sanyaku promotion a few years back.

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as he wasn't on the dohyo when this has happened.

Exhibit B: The filthy look he gave Kaio after he koto-nage'd Toyonoshima... who was seriously injured by Asashoryu in keiko before his sanyaku promotion a few years back.

James - sorry to disagree again.. (I am not worthy...)

I saw the aforementioned clip, and though some people were suggesting a harsh stare by Asa towards Kaio... Well, I didn't see it. Interpreting this 'look' is highly subjective, anyway.

I think this is one time Asa is being over-criticized...

Edited by Bilu

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James - sorry to disagree again.. (I am not worthy...)

Fair does - that is what this forum is for.

I thought there was a look, but for sure Asa spoke about Kaio's kote nage in the shitaku beya afterward too. (In his defense, he was asked about it rather than bringing it up unasked).

But can you at least agree that Asa expects the respect due of a yokozuna, but sometimes falls short of the behaviour the rank requires?

Addition: My Exhibit C: Day 7 against Yoshikaze - he gets angry about a harite from Yoshikaze, does a dame oshi and then stares at Yoshikaze for the remainder of his time in the arena. This from the man who played pattercake on the faces of his opponents at the tachiai for years...

Edited by James H

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James - sorry to disagree again.. (I am not worthy...)

But can you at least agree that Asa expects the respect due of a yokozuna, but sometimes falls short of the behaviour the rank requires?

Addition: My Exhibit C: Day 7 against Yoshikaze - he gets angry about a harite from Yoshikaze, does a dame oshi and then stares at Yoshikaze for the remainder of his time in the arena. This from the man who played pattercake on the faces of his opponents at the tachiai for years...

To this I agree.

Asa is definitely trying to intimidate his opponents.. I think the Yoshikaze stare is one example out of many.

So, are you going to publish an apology, or should I contact Kinta's lawyers? ;-)

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Addition: My Exhibit C: Day 7 against Yoshikaze - he gets angry about a harite from Yoshikaze, does a dame oshi and then stares at Yoshikaze for the remainder of his time in the arena. This from the man who played pattercake on the faces of his opponents at the tachiai for years...

Or to construct another example (which will certainly remain hypothetical, because everybody else is too well-mannered for it) - I wonder how he'd react if some upstart rikishi was to follow up a loss by stating "I should have taken a good whack at his elbow when I had the chance" in the post-bout interview, to parallel what Asashoryu once said about Takanohana and his knee. I doubt it would be too stoic a reaction.

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So, are you going to publish an apology, or should I contact Kinta's lawyers? (I am not worthy...)

I will happily apologize for my terrible metaphors and misrepresentation of Asa's banzai ;-)

BTW - a piece translated from Ozumo magazine in today's DY covers pretty much the same ground but in a little more detail:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20090206TDY22101.htm

Asashoryu's comeback marred by same old antics

Michinari Yanagida / Ozumo

The pretournament naysayers who harped on about Asashoryu's niggling elbow injury and time away from the dohyo...

Edited by James H

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A well writtem article indeed..

Sums it up nicely:

The adage "Winning is everything" does not apply in the sumo world. I hope Asashoryu keeps this in mind as he continues his comeback.

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Sub-sub-editor desk calling...

If there's one good thing to come out of the dual Wakanohokirin mess, it's that I've finally made some headway in understanding this whole retirement money thing. And as such I have to take issue with the following (not bylined by James, actually):

Wakakirin, who is under arrest on suspicion of marijuana possession, was dismissed by the JSA on Monday. He was entitled to request a retirement bonus of 5.29 million yen, a figure calculated based on his career wins.

Going by the well-known chart at Takayama's site, this presumably breaks down to: 4,750,000 yen + 2x 120,000 yen as retirement payment, plus 2x 150,000 yen as "continued service bonus" for his three makuuchi basho (one allotment for each basho after the first one). So technically not based on his career wins, but rather his career achievements in a more general sense.

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In the East dressing room, sekiwake Baruto was getting ready to go home after playing his part in the afternoon's events.

"I'm always thinking that one day it is going to be my day," he said. "It's like after you leave school. When you're at school, you think everything is bulls---. But afterward, you think 'hey, school was good.'"

A little more interesting than your usual rikishi interview. (In a state of confusion...)

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I thought it was only NHK newsreaders who call all oyakata 'stablemasters'!

I am afraid not - DY sub editors too.

And of course, the pleasure was all mine.

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and a quality comment by James H on the bottom of the barrel being scraped each time Kaio gets up on the dohyo in today's DY. Kudos James.

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