You got a great site! Introduction...

[hoshidango 0]

Hello I am Hoshidango and I did like "Hatakikomi genius" Hoshitango.

Just by coincidence I wondered by this site. It is great to see sumo fans chatting in-depth topics. I live in Canada but on and off I followed sumo for a long time. I picked up intersts again because of a new serge of foreigners joining from Eurasia etc. Will talk to you folks from time to time. Personally I just can't wait to see how Kotooshu does in Juryo next basho..

[Yubiquitoyama 4]

Welcome to the forum! Always nice with new members. (Applauding...)

[sekihiryu 50]

Welcome Hoshidango, who are your other favourite Rikishi?

[Zenjimoto 40]

Welcome from me too, enjoy the forum. (Applauding...)

[hoshidango 0]

Thanks folks.

I like Kitazakura, Kokkai, Kotonowaka, Kotokanyu, Kaio, Hakuho, Roho etc for current ones. Liked Akebono, Musashimaru, Chiyonofuji, Tomonohana for retired ones. For the very very long time ago, I liked Hasegawa, Tochitzurugi, Takamiyama, Kagetora, Tamaryu... may be too old...

[aderechelsea 106]

Welcome aboard (Shaking head...)

Hope to see more of you in the future..... :-O

[hoshidango 0]

Thanks.

I am learning lots here. Looking forward to reading comments during the tournaments.

And it is so special, only 330 of us exist around the world! Aren't there more ardent sumo fans in the world?

Edited April 26, 2004 by hoshidango

[aderechelsea 106]

Aren't there more ardent sumo fans in the world?

Not really........... ;-)

we are the last of our kind.... :-)

[Sasanishiki 57]

Actually there might be less than 330. I think some members might just make up different shikona so that they can argue with themselves (Benny and mojo?).

Things get a bit heated here sometimes, but don't let that bother you, Hoshidango.

Welcome to the forum.

PS. BTW, I missed out on the whole Ben-Mo battle the first time around. I've had a bit of a look through old messages. Is that what got M banned? (Rijicho, if it is too touchy then just delete this bit. I'm just trying to get back up to speed after 2 weeks in computer exile)

[hoshidango 0]

Thanks.

Less than 330... perhaps some sign up and lose interst in Sumo later also.

Anyhow I thank the initiator of this site... for such a small number of poeple..

[Manekineko 200]

PS. BTW, I missed out on the whole Ben-Mo battle the first time around. I've had a bit of a look through old messages. Is that what got M banned?

Well, Mojo simply got extremely touchy to any suggestions and criticism. I think the argument with Bennyloh was a simple misunderstanding, but while Ben backed down, Mojo started to litteraly foam at the mouth, and became extremely if ineptly rude to anyone who warned him to calm down. Hence the boot.

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

Welcome to the forum (Shaking head...)

(Shaking head...)

[hoshidango 0]

Thanks again.

I am amazed how people get the information!? They should be living upstairs of Sumo beya and working for a sumo magazine company or something...

Mojo was the young fella wanted to make it to sumo eh? May be we get to review his performance in few years.

[tominishiki 0]

I am amazed how people get the information!?  They should be living upstairs of Sumo beya and working for a sumo magazine company or something...

We have Furanohana that work in a magazine and Koldonowaka that he his a commentator and Adachinoryu our spy in the heyas ,Kintamayama that he is from Israel.

Edited April 28, 2004 by tominishiki

[Jesinofuji 1]

Welcome to the forum. ;-)

[Kaikitsune Makoto 100]

Welcome!

The number of sumofans is much bigger than the number of forum members here. In addition to the 330 members there are bound to be hundreds of guests who read regularly but who haven't registered. Also from various sources I have heard that in Sweden at least there are quite devoted sumofans who don't appear here at all. Same goes for other countries I am sure. Still one could imagine that the core of "internet sumofans with no ability to read Japanese to significan degree nor direct contact to Japan some way" also read this forum since there are a lot of information here, no matter how you look at it. At least I can't think of any other place on-line which would have so much sumo news, stats, illuminating discussions on many different sumo topics by people who know what they are talking about. Too bad the cream of the older generation sumo experts like Doreen Simmons, Katrina Watts, Masumi Abe etc. are not here. Especially Doreen and Katrina would be at position to share some inside sumo stuff. Katrina's posts to ML about individual rikishi have been real goldmines. Many of the links to her posts are shown in "Foreigners in Ozumo"-thread. She has also written stuff about Bushuyama for example that immediately put the whole "who is he..some normal lucky promotion to juryo rikishi..yawn"-attitude aside and gave much more spotlight to his progress and personality.

Naturally big part of European sumofans (Eurosport-based sumofans) are sumofans at more superficial level like most fans in most sports often are and for them a forum like this may not be so interesting. How many soccer fans in the world really read soccer forums on-line eagerly? Small minority. Most are fans because they like the game but details like "the competence of Alan Shearer's left foot" or "the economics of ManU" are less interesting to them. Game comes, they watch it, then forget it. It is likely though that in sumo there are bigger proportion of real hard core fans and this is based on the minority status of sumo worldwide. Minority sports often have much more condense fan-base compared to big sports like basketball or soccer. Show me a curling-fan who doesn't know the rules very well.

Details of any sports are of interest to only small minority of the fans of that sport.

Most soccer fans have absolutely no idea how the selling and buying of players work just like most sumofans are completely unaware of how Kyokai's hierarchy is amongst oyakata.

Hijacking of thread and writing diahorrea ends now. ;-) (Shaking head...)

[hoshidango 0]

Kaikitsune; Thanks. Too bad katrina etc are not in the forum. I wonder any reason why they dont' want to discuss things here. I guess they are in Japen or something?

I was just browsing for some weeks without signing up but just the depth of conversation amazed me and had to join eventually.

Jesinofuki; Thanks

Tominiskiki; I knew it!