Behind the Scenes at Basho

[Seiyashi 4,068]

The NSK's official Twitter posted a photo of their security detail for the basho. The accompanying note says that every day before opening, some oyakata will do an inspection around the hall. For Day 4, that inspection detail was composed of Oshiogawa (ex-Takekaze), Takekuma (ex-Gōeidō), Kakuryū, and Magaki (ex-Hakuhō).

Anyone else thinks Hakuhō is posing like he would in a yūshō portrait?

Editorial note: couldn't find anywhere that dealt with stuff going on behind the scenes at basho, and I thought it would be interesting to collate whatever sneak peeks we can get from whatever angles (whether NSK official, interview reports, random shots from the streams, etcetc).

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Chris has got two decent videos of the shitakubeya area at EDION:

 

[Yamanashi 3,689]

7 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

Anyone else thinks Hakuhō is posing like he would in a yūshō portrait?

Incidentally, his ceremonial Iphone took 10 months to complete, produced by a sixth generation phonemaker from Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

1 hour ago, Yamanashi said:

Incidentally, his ceremonial Iphone took 10 months to complete, produced by a sixth generation phonemaker from Kamakura in Kanagawa prefecture.

You forgot the display trousers, which are handmade and gifted from his koenkai. He'll need to change into his fighting underwear for real security duty.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Seiyashi 4,068]

From the Dolphins Arena Twitter account:

A look at the work in cleaning the arena for the next day. The zabuton are flipped each day (and presumably, before the pandemic, this would have been when any thrown zabuton were replaced).

[Jakusotsu 5,757]

10 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

The zabuton are flipped each day (and presumably, before the pandemic, this would have been when any thrown zabuton were replaced).

The ban on throwing zabuton has nothing to do with the pandemic and has been in place well before.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

19 minutes ago, Jakusotsu said:

The ban on throwing zabuton has nothing to do with the pandemic and has been in place well before.

I know, but not as if people were actually heeding the instructions not to throw zabuton before the pandemic. I've always wondered when the zabuton that get thrown are cleaned and replaced. After the pandemic, well, there's a lot less zabuton thrown if at all (think there was a single one when Ichinojō beat Terunofuji). 

Edited July 19, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,244]

People get a lot less amped when someone beats a Yokozuna with two wobbly knees compared to a Yokozuna on a 50 win streak going down.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Hmm. So the lack of zabuton tossing is a lack of excitement rather than respecting the potential for zabuton to be infection vectors? 

[Yamanashi 3,689]

50 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Hmm. So the lack of zabuton tossing is a lack of excitement rather than respecting the potential for zabuton to be infection vectors? 

Getting COVID from being hit by a zabuton somebody sat on is, hands down, the most unusual case of airborne transmittal.

[sumojoann 1,254]

Here's another Chris backstage video -- Haru Basho 2022 Day 8 

 

[sumojoann 1,254]

On 13/07/2022 at 03:02, Seiyashi said:

Editorial note: couldn't find anywhere that dealt with stuff going on behind the scenes at basho, and I thought it would be interesting to collate whatever sneak peeks we can get from whatever angles (whether NSK official, interview reports, random shots from the streams, etcetc).

@seiyashi, are you mainly interested in the current basho, or are recent past basho okay?

[Seiyashi 4,068]

1 hour ago, sumojoann said:

@seiyashi, are you mainly interested in the current basho, or are recent past basho okay?

Past basho are fine! 

[sumojoann 1,254]

This video is not very recent but it's significant for several reasons, plus it's quite entertaining, even more so for those who speak Japanese.  It was uploaded in Feb 2020, just before Covid hit, before the Ryuden and Asanoyama scandals, and before Ikioi and Kotoshogiku retired.  It features 3 Oyakata walking around a shitakubeya, casually interviewing and joking around with several rikishi.  The rikishi include Ryuden, Onosho, Kagayaki (who knew he could actually laugh!), Ikioi, Kotoshogiku, Kaisei, Mitakeumi, Terutsuyoshi (with a cameo by Tamawashi) and Asanoyama.  Enjoy! 

 

[sumojoann 1,254]

In looking at Youtube, I found that the NSK has a playlist with 60 videos on it.  The video I posted above is a very old one on the playlist.  Following is the latest video, uploaded on June 25, 2022.  It features short, casual interviews with the following rikishi --- Midorifuji, Meisei, Nishikigi, Tochinoshin, Yutakayama, Endo, Tamawashi, Kotonowaka, Kagayaki and Takayasu.  It's nice to see the rikishi so relaxed, laughing and having fun. 

 

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Not strictly at the basho, but the latest episode of Sumo Prime Time starts with Hiro amongst toriteki rikishi collecting the physical copies of the banzuke.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

This is probably the best footage of dohyō construction so far. Hiro gets pretty much all-access to the actual dohyō construction, and we get to hear Shigeo and Kunio sing "Sumo Prime Time". On top of the usual bits about dohyō construction, we also see them hang the four fusa (tassels) on the roof. However, despite showing the hole in the middle of the dohyō, the consecration of the dohyō during the dohyō matsuri is omitted and not even mentioned.

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Morning 73]

Maybe the consecration will be a video all of its own. The hole in the center was very prominent.

The singing was great.

[rhyen 1,801]

17 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

This is probably the best footage of dohyō construction so far. Hiro gets pretty much all-access to the actual dohyō construction, and we get to hear Shigeo and Kunio sing "Sumo Prime Time". On top of the usual bits about dohyō construction, we also see them hang the four fusa (tassels) on the roof. However, despite showing the hole in the middle of the dohyō, the consecration of the dohyō during the dohyō matsuri is omitted and not even mentioned.

 

Dohyo matsuri is always broadcast on the official NSK YouTube channel

 

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Just now, rhyen said:

Dohyo matsuri is always broadcast on the official NSK YouTube channel

 

I mean, so are highlights and retirements, but those are in Japanese and it would be great for Hiro to cover that in English.

[Katooshu 3,088]

The dohyo making episode was really interesting. Had no idea about a lot of the stuff that was shown.

[Kashunowaka 300]

You can clearly see the mistake at https://youtu.be/7s3yiI0odU4?t=13 and look what happened today.

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Kashunowaka

[Seiyashi 4,068]

1 hour ago, Kashunowaka said:

You can clearly see the mistake at https://youtu.be/7s3yiI0odU4?t=13 and look what happened today.

 

Was it related to a step collapse? Can't remember if it's today or yesterday, though.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Something I haven't seen before, from NSK's official Twitter: parts of how a gyōji gets dressed, and why they need a tsukebito. The tweet itself is publicity for the fan appreciation festival next month, where fans can get to experience how it would be like to wear a gyōji's costume.

I can't recognise the gyōji on sight (he's masked as well), but he appears to be the one officiating the bout between Chiyomaru and Hiradoumi yesterday (from Natto:)

 

That would suggest he is either among the most junior makuuchi gyōji or the most senior jūryō gyōji, which limits it to Kimura Asanosuke, Shikimori Kiichirō, or Kimura Yōnosuke. However, the akeni in the background the assistant is using appears to be one of Kimura Kōnosuke's, but the gyōji's attire doesn't correspond to what Kimura Kōnosuke has been wearing lately.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Naganoyama 5,818]

He is Kimura Ginjiro. (Junior makuuchi)