Who is Sunahama?

[Manekineko 200]

I stumbled over this US-born rikishi in Kofuji-zeki's Excel database sucked from NSK pages. Here's the rest of database data:

[kanji = Sand Beach]

William Tayler Hobkins

Born: 22-srp-1971, America

Height: 185, Weight: 192

Takasago-beya. tsuki-oshi style

http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/meikan/rikishida...kishi2.php?A=60

Now, why haven't I heard anything about him before? Have you?

Oh, his career record seems to be 0-0, and no highest rank. That'd explain much, but still, I'm a cat, I'm curious to hear the details! (In a state of confusion...)

[Kintamayama 47,175]

Yes, I have, but not much info..

OTOH:

http://www.szumo.hu/stat/Sunahama.html

[Manekineko 200]

Thank you. Now I wonder why NSK's page doesn't list everything. :-/

That's a problem when you're a (Black cat...)

[Yubiquitoyama 4]

A bit more info (although I remember little about Sunahama apart from that I seem to recall he quit because of injuries):

Sunahama, Takasago-beya

Born: 1971.07.22, Hawaii, William Taylor Hopkins

Hatsu-dohyo 1990.09

Retired: 1997.03

Juryo debut: 1995.11 (total of 10 Juryo basho)

Top rank: J05 (1996.03)

Career record: 193-152 (65-70 in Juryo)

He was ranked in Juryo from 1995.11 to his retirement in 1997.03 when he was ranked at J12w but didn't participate.

:-/

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

I seem to recall he was famous for being a blue-eyed sekitori, possibly still the only one ever? (Kokkai?) Then again I think Amanogawa-zeki once told me non-brown eyed Japanese do exist. I once saw a TV documentary about Japanese female puro-resu (professional wrestling). A girl about to start her wrestling career had light grey eyes. Instinctively I realized there's something peculiar in her. :-/ She might have worn contact lenses, of course...

[Chinonofuji 35]

*veering off topic*

Did anyone ever read Memoirs of a Geisha? The narrator in that (the Geisha) was remarkable for her beauty, particularly for her rare gray-blue eyes. After reading the book, I had the feeling it was possible, but pretty rare.

[Manekineko 200]

Here are two more answers about Sunahama from the ML:

Patrick Coffman

OK, enough kidding around.  There's a guy called

'Sunahama' who made it up to juuryou (highest was 7 or

8, I believe) in '96 and retired right before the

natsu basho in '97.  Probably, he suffered an injury.

His numbers declined from just around the kachi-koshi

level to 5 wins and 10 losses, he was severely demoted

5 rankings, and then he retired.

I haven't heard from Ichinoya, but perhaps someone

over there at Takasago may shed more light onto it.

Or, maybe, since it was 7 years ago, they don't really

remember the guy.  Although, you think they would if

he's an American and all.

Joe Kuroda

Born July 22, 1971, Shoji Sunahama, a son of flower

shop owner, was a high school football player as well

as playing baseball and wrestling in Hawaii.

Apparently he was talked into to trying sumo after

talking to Konishiki's younger brother.

He made his Makushita dohyo debut in September 1990 (a

basho prior to Yamato) and made Juryo at the Kyushu in

1995.  His last basho was at the May in 1997.  He

retired at Juryo West 12 and his highest ranking was

Juryo East 5 at the March in 1996.

His shikona Sunahama came from Hawaiian beach and

"Suna" kanji taken from "TakaSAGO" oyakata who named

him Sunahama.

His Juryo career record was 65 wins and 70 losses in

10 bashos.  He was 25 years old when he retired. He

was said to like listening to music and was known as a

gentle soul.

Ask, and you shall be given! :-/

[Gernobono 467]

here is a scanned photo from the basho program of aki 1996 of sunahama

Edited October 4, 2003 by Gernobono

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

OK, so now we know who he is... But how come the NSK lists his record as 0-0? It's not like he never fought, fought just a bit, or was an old or junior guy. Not that any of those would be excuses for inaccurate NSK records...

[Doitsuyama 1,259]

Most of the records of not-active guys are incorrect. Chances are small anyway that you happen to stumble over those NSK pages without a programmed grabber like Kofuji (or I) did, because there most probably is NO link to those pages.

[Asashosakari 20,222]

Most of the records of not-active guys are incorrect.

The records for most active rikishi who have been around for several years without ever reaching Juryo are similar bogus... I don't think they ever bothered to backfill most of the information in the database, so only the data for sekitori and for rikishi with a relatively recent hatsu-dohyo is reliable.

Edited October 8, 2003 by Asashosakari

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

That's too bad. I understand your points. Nonetheless, the guy was a sekitori and recently too. They didn't have to backfill his information. (I am not worthy...)

[Asashosakari 20,222]

That's too bad. I understand your points. Nonetheless, the guy was a sekitori and recently too. They didn't have to backfill his information. >:-(

Not recent enough. :-P If I'm not mistaken, the Kyokai site has only been around since 1997 or so (the first basho data on the site is from Natsu 1997, anyway), and I'm not sure if the database in its current form has existed since the beginning. Sunahama's last sekitori basho was Haru 1997, so he was likely gone by the time the database was put online.

[Yubiquitoyama 4]

That's too bad.  I understand your points.  Nonetheless, the guy was a sekitori and recently too.  They didn't have to backfill his information.  >:-(

Not recent enough. :-P If I'm not mistaken, the Kyokai site has only been around since 1997 or so (the first basho data on the site is from Natsu 1997, anyway), and I'm not sure if the database in its current form has existed since the beginning. Sunahama's last sekitori basho was Haru 1997, so he was likely gone by the time the database was put online.

Indeed. Note for example that there actually was a picture of Sunahama on the website in the beginning, but that there is no longer a link to that (I think). The database in its current form only came into use 2001 or so, although there is some back info in it.