Sumo myths

[Akinomaki 40,802]

1 minute ago, Asojima said:

In 1960, my Chinese instructors insisted that this was part of the training regimen for all of the ancient warriors and was still practiced in many of the monasteries in China.

I think it was portrayed very detailed in Johnny English Reborn

[Yamanashi 3,904]

Thanks for appending to this thread; I would never have found it!

Also, it's interesting to see the shikona  of former posters to this site.  Fay-sama and Jakusotsu-sama: impressive! [Kintamayama and Otokonoyama -- that's a given]

[Kaiomitsuki 408]

On 14/03/2006 at 19:52, Guest Buyouzan said:

In a 1992 interview with Sports Illustrated entitled, "Meat Bomb," Konishiki denied allegations that he consumed 120 bottles of beer, 10 quarts of tequila, and 10 shots of whiskey on his 28th birthday. He said that it could not be true because he doesn't drink whiskey. Furthermore, it was certainly more than 120 bottles of beer.

Couldn't find the SI article.

The SI article is available here :

https://www.si.com/vault/1992/05/18/126516/meat-bomb-konishiki-the-quarter-ton-sumo-wrestler-from-hawaii-has-set-off-an-explosion-of-new-interest----and-controversy----in-the-hidebound-national-sport-of-japan

According to the popular press, Konishiki celebrated his 28th birthday last December by downing 120 bottles of beer, 10 quarts of tequila and 10 shots of whiskey. "That's ridiculous," protests Konishiki. "I don't drink whiskey."

So what about the beer and the tequila?

"That's only partly true. The 10 quarts of tequila is right, but I drank more than 120 bottles of beer."

Did he get Meat Bombed?

""No, but the next morning I felt like I had 23 hearts, and all 23 were in my head, pounding."

The Japanese public thirsts for this kind of information. And most of the time Konishiki doesn't mind dispensing it. "I'm treated like royalty," he says. "I'm a walking god."

 

[Eikokurai 3,437]

7 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

Thanks for appending to this thread; I would never have found it!

Also, it's interesting to see the shikona  of former posters to this site.  Fay-sama and Jakusotsu-sama: impressive! [Kintamayama and Otokonoyama -- that's a given]

I also like when these years-old threads resurface like some sort of time capsule and you can see the record past members left behind. What’s fascinating is when you check the profile of these old names and see they last visited quite recently but still haven’t posted anything in years. You never know who is lurking on the site without writing.

[RabidJohn 1,855]

Having just read the archived article linked by Kaiomitsuki, I am left wondering: are references to the colour(s) and nature of your parents' navels really considered insulting in Japan?

---

I must also confess that I believed the retracted testicles thing back in the day - and I can only have got it from the old Channel 4 sumo coverage in the late 80s/early 90s, as that was my sole source of sumo info. The myth is so widespread and pervasive (Google it!), and the idea of being immune to a kick in the unmentionables is so plausible, that I can't help believing there must be some truth somewhere at the bottom of it all.

[Benihana 1,937]

Well, when even 2 fieldgoal attempts by John Wick can't down an ex-sumotori, the myth has to be true...

 

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

11 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

I also like when these years-old threads resurface like some sort of time capsule and you can see the record past members left behind. What’s fascinating is when you check the profile of these old names and see they last visited quite recently but still haven’t posted anything in years. You never know who is lurking on the site without writing.

This is a stitch-up of three old threads I found while searching for a particular myth. Since they were all on the same topic and well buried it was time to stir up the pot.

[Kaminariyuki 500]

On 08/02/2020 at 17:54, Eikokurai said:

I also like when these years-old threads resurface like some sort of time capsule and you can see the record past members left behind. What’s fascinating is when you check the profile of these old names and see they last visited quite recently but still haven’t posted anything in years. You never know who is lurking on the site without writing.

Indeed, I find myself rooting through ancient Sumo Forum threads - partly light research, partly just killing time waiting for the next basho. It is interesting to see how long some of our regulars have been doing likewise.

[Kaminariyuki 500]

On 08/02/2020 at 13:18, Kaiomitsuki said:

The SI article is available here :

https://www.si.com/vault/1992/05/18/126516/meat-bomb-konishiki-the-quarter-ton-sumo-wrestler-from-hawaii-has-set-off-an-explosion-of-new-interest----and-controversy----in-the-hidebound-national-sport-of-japan

"I'm a walking god."

 

Really, there should be a special line at Immigration for "Walking Gods." Now I'll need to go look for Youtube of Konishiki. I'd only been familiar with Akebono to this point. 

[Gospodin 219]

On 09/02/2020 at 10:05, RabidJohn said:

The myth is so widespread and pervasive (Google it!), and the idea of being immune to a kick in the unmentionables is so plausible, that I can't help believing there must be some truth somewhere at the bottom of it all.

I suppose this is a case of the "argumentum ad nauseam" fallacy (aka proof by assertion, proof by repetition, illusory truth effect).

[ryafuji 815]

On ‎08‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 12:36, Yamanashi said:

Thanks for appending to this thread; I would never have found it!

Also, it's interesting to see the shikona  of former posters to this site.  Fay-sama and Jakusotsu-sama: impressive! [Kintamayama and Otokonoyama -- that's a given]

Oh yes, former poster Jakusotsu… whatever happened to them?

[ryafuji 815]

On ‎09‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 04:05, RabidJohn said:

Having just read the archived article linked by Kaiomitsuki, I am left wondering: are references to the colour(s) and nature of your parents' navels really considered insulting in Japan?

---

I must also confess that I believed the retracted testicles thing back in the day - and I can only have got it from the old Channel 4 sumo coverage in the late 80s/early 90s, as that was my sole source of sumo info. The myth is so widespread and pervasive (Google it!), and the idea of being immune to a kick in the unmentionables is so plausible, that I can't help believing there must be some truth somewhere at the bottom of it all.

I dunno, I watched every episode of Channel 4's sumo broadcasts multiple times and don't recall anything about testicles. I mean I know it was late night Channel 4 but...

[sumojoann 1,268]

21 hours ago, Kaminariyuki said:

Really, there should be a special line at Immigration for "Walking Gods." Now I'll need to go look for Youtube of Konishiki. I'd only been familiar with Akebono to this point. 

Here is an interesting interview of Konishiki by a renowned sumo expert! 

 

[sumojoann 1,268]

On 09/02/2020 at 03:05, RabidJohn said:

 

---

I must also confess that I believed the retracted testicles thing back in the day - and I can only have got it from the old Channel 4 sumo coverage in the late 80s/early 90s, as that was my sole source of sumo info. The myth is so widespread and pervasive (Google it!), and the idea of being immune to a kick in the unmentionables is so plausible, that I can't help believing there must be some truth somewhere at the bottom of it all.

At the very end of this interesting video (at 2:19), the videographer says that the first mention of sumo wrestlers being able to retract their testicles was in the book "You Only Live Twice".  He said the author Ian Fleming made it up.  He didn't say anything about it being mentioned in the movie so I think it must have only been in the book.  It's now an urban legend.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBjoMzDgfI

 

Edited February 14, 2020 by sumojoann
Correction - in the book, not in the movie.

[sumojoann 1,268]

On 09/02/2020 at 03:05, RabidJohn said:

 

---

I must also confess that I believed the retracted testicles thing back in the day - and I can only have got it from the old Channel 4 sumo coverage in the late 80s/early 90s, as that was my sole source of sumo info. The myth is so widespread and pervasive (Google it!), and the idea of being immune to a kick in the unmentionables is so plausible, that I can't help believing there must be some truth somewhere at the bottom of it all.

 

On 14/02/2020 at 10:08, sumojoann said:

At the very end of this interesting video (at 2:19), the videographer says that the first mention of sumo wrestlers being able to retract their testicles was in the book "You Only Live Twice".  He said the author Ian Fleming made it up.  He didn't say anything about it being mentioned in the movie so I think it must have only been in the book.  It's now an urban legend.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBjoMzDgfI

 

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-sumo-science-myth-that-james-bond-started-5959078 

VERY interesting article!

[Asojima 2,874]

On 08/02/2020 at 09:08, Asojima said:

In 1960, my Chinese instructors insisted that this was part of the training regimen for all of the ancient warriors and was still practiced in many of the monasteries in China.

Bump. The myth was in place long before James Bond. YOLT was written in 1964.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Asojima

[Kuroyama 715]

On 09/02/2020 at 03:55, Benihana said:

Well, when even 2 fieldgoal attempts by John Wick can't down an ex-sumotori, the myth has to be true...

 

I'm sure most will recognize the ex-sekitori, but just in case, that's Yamamotoyama in his post-NSK career.

[Eikokurai 3,437]

16 hours ago, Kuroyama said:

I'm sure most will recognize the ex-sekitori, but just in case, that's Yamamotoyama in his post-NSK career.

Aka Moto-Yamamotoyama as he is known in his post-NSK career.

[Kuroyama 715]

7 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

Aka Moto-Yamamotoyama as he is known in his post-NSK career.

Given his size, he's still pretty mountainous. So Yama-moto-Yamamotoyama.

[Katsunorifuji 65]

I used to believe the myth that these guys didn’t have any muscle to them and they were mostly just trying to win matches based on the their mass. Do they actually do any kind of weight training? Or any conditioning for that matter? 

[RabidJohn 1,855]

9 hours ago, Katsunorifuji said:

Do they actually do any kind of weight training? Or any conditioning for that matter? 

They train every morning, if that's what you mean by conditioning. I don't know how prevalent it is throughout sumo as a whole, but from what I've seen weight training is a big part of an upper ranks rikishi's regime - going back to Chiyonofuji to my knowledge, but probably further.

Look around the forum. There are lots of pics and videos of rikishi training.

[Yamanashi 3,904]

3 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

They train every morning, if that's what you mean by conditioning. I don't know how prevalent it is throughout sumo as a whole, but from what I've seen weight training is a big part of an upper ranks rikishi's regime - going back to Chiyonofuji to my knowledge, but probably further.

Look around the forum. There are lots of pics and videos of rikishi training.

Some heya rikishi travel en masse to local gyms (I assume the oyakata has a package deal).  I have seen variety show segments about other heya where they visit the in-house weight room.  So yeah.

[Katsunorifuji 65]

10 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

They train every morning, if that's what you mean by conditioning. I don't know how prevalent it is throughout sumo as a whole, but from what I've seen weight training is a big part of an upper ranks rikishi's regime - going back to Chiyonofuji to my knowledge, but probably further.

Look around the forum. There are lots of pics and videos of rikishi training.

 

6 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

Some heya rikishi travel en masse to local gyms (I assume the oyakata has a package deal).  I have seen variety show segments about other heya where they visit the in-house weight room.  So yeah.

Thanks for clarifications, I’d seen photos and videos of the trainings but never of them lifting weights or anything, but admittedly it’s not something I thought much about or looked into prior to reading this thread.