Hi Sumo Fans

[Shomishuu 0]

I really want to thank all of you that put out the time and energy into getting this forum going and keeping it going. SF and SML are both great because where I live I don't know a single soul who cares about sumo so this is my only venue for sharing and venting, etc. I'm retired from the U.S. Navy and now retired for real...originally from Missouri and now live in Washington state. I joined several months ago and have been on SML for a little over a year. Got into sumo in 1963 as a U.S. Navy youngster and have followed it off and on since then. Thanks to TV Japan and Dish Network I am able to record most every makuuchi bout, except for the first three or four each day and the first half of the action on senshuraku. In observing comments by other members who can only see the torikumi once in a while, I feel very blessed.

I have no idea why I like sumo and it's really unexplainable to someone who has never had at least some regular doses. I was single almost the whole time I was in Japan and liked to go to Japanese bars and eat yakitori and watch sumo. It was great fun learning a little nihongo and showing off my sumo smarts. The fact that I now know I wasn't nearly as smart as I thought I was doesn't diminish those great memories. I think it's just that I really enjoy Japanese culture and the people never seem more Japanese than when they are watching sumo. I do enjoy the dignified ritual but I also recognize that all cultures evolve and so sumo will surely change as much in the next 50 years as it has in the last 50. I hope I would still recognize it. Maybe if I start eating more tofu and kinpira I can be around to know for sure. Still, I have generally supported the Yokoshin, except for that left-handed kensho business. :-D

I love reading all the sumo nitty gritty dug up by our members but confess I don't have the patience to do it myself...I guess I'm kind of a big picture guy...in fact there are only three things I really wonder about: (1) How Kintamayama and Jonosuke get all that fresh info from halfway around the world? (2) When the Sumo World issues I paid for three years ago will arrive? (3) How anyone ever loses to Toki?

I'm not a big poster, despite being retired with theoretically a lot of time. I do a lot of volunteer work and my wife and I are often out of the house together. Although Japanese, she's not a sumo fan but does tolerate my daily babble during each basho, and I have figured out when to change the subject. But we really enjoy being together so the time I devote to what I call my giddy little diversion is somewhat limited. Seems I barely have time to watch the daily coverage I've recorded and devise my BS selections on time, last time being my maiden voyage and as you can tell, my BS schtick needs a lot of work.

Last year in the Mainichi Daily News Readers Forum I was very critical of Asashoryu's behavior and caught flak from their readers, and this year I have been forgiving of him on SML and caught some more. Since I got it from both the right and the left, I'm tempted to think I must have it about right...but that sounds a little smug so I've got to watch that.

I've also been tempted from time to time to write a book about sumo but I haven't hit on a theme yet - it would have to be something I could research from here since I know I'll never spend much time in Japan anymore. I definitely don't want to just compile factoids...seems like that angle's been covered well enough.

What's really nice about SF is each can enjoy it in their own way and pick which parts to jump into. The pictures are also fabulous. Thanks again to all who make it so great! (Sign of approval)

[Jonosuke 28]

in fact there are only three things I really wonder about: (1) How Kintamayama and Jonosuke get all that fresh info from halfway around the world? (2) When the Sumo World issues I paid for three years ago will arrive? (3) How anyone ever loses to Toki?

Although Japanese, she's not a sumo fan but does tolerate my daily babble during each basho, and I have figured out when to change the subject.

Howdy Shomi san.

Here are the answers:

1) Internet

2) If I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath.

3) Must be B.O. :-) Sorry this is just a joke.

Note: Between myself and Kinta-kun, milage may vary (his contribution is more). In a way it's good we live in such a different time zone from each other so we can cover ourselves 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365/6 days a year give or take certain religious holidays (Laughing...)

As for Toki, I enjoy watching his bouts to see how pathetic he would lose by trying to pull his opponent in (and gets pushed out of the dohyo) or how pathetic his opponent will look getting slapped down with his face on the dohyo. As you can sense there is a certain S&M streak in me.

Actually there is a method to his madness. He is relatively tall and has a long reach. He also likes to slap his opponent's face which either gets him to be blinded or have a concussion or a severe pain in jaw. So after shaking the opponent loose in this way, he can just slap him down and the other guy falls down on his face, pronto.

To have this slapdown routine to work so well, he does need to have certain amount of pressure put in to his opponent. When the other guy gets sufficiently upset with his antics and decided to come to him in full force that's the time he is waiting all along. But by then he just whacks him down and the guy is done like a dinner. He is what I call sneaky fast rikishi - he is actually slow but make him look fast with a bag of tricks like slaps in the face and pushes to the throat.

Everyone knows what he does so you begin to wonder why everyone falls for it. It's just another Mystery of Sumo like Tosanoumi keeps getting falling down on his face after yelling like a bull storming out of his tachiai stance.

These are the joys of sumo you and I and folks here can talk about but not with our spouse. My wife considers herself as a sumo widow whenever a basho starts so she tends to go out of town in those days :-P

As a matter of fact she is going to Japan next week (Oops! )

[Zenjimoto 39]

Welcome to the forum, fellow Dish Networker! :-P Enjoy it here... and give the sumo games a try, too! (Laughing...)

Cheers from Florida

Zenjimoto

[Fujisan 500]

Welcome aboard Shomishu- (Showing respect...)

I gave up trying to explain why I love sumo a long time ago and it doesn't help that I haven't seen any myself in over a year but this forum and all the sumo games help immensely. (Blowing up furiously...)

[Burainoan 0]

And another welcome! ;-)

am in Japan, but will be joining you Stateside before too long (in CA, though). hope logistics and economics will allow me to do satellite as well....

keep the faith!

as for Clyde...perhaps something like this would help.... (Hitting with chair...)

[Shomishuu 0]

Everyone knows what he does so you begin to wonder why everyone falls for it.

Exactly. I've always wondered why anyone leans into him when he never pushes anyone out anyway. Maybe Toki's opponents should pre-soak their faces in salt brine or something to toughen up so they can just stand straight up and take it till he tires out. Since he's starting to fade, maybe that's what they're doing??

[Jonosuke 28]

Maybe Toki's opponents should pre-soak their faces in salt brine or something to toughen up so they can just stand straight up and take it till he tires out.  Since he's starting to fade, maybe that's what they're doing??

Unfortunately contrary to your ardent wish, the demise of his fading may have been greatly exaggerated as he is now back in Makuuchi causing untold havocs to the Elvis Fan Clubs world wide ;-)

I heard Elvis one time guzzled up a dozen banana splits in a breakfast so he must be a size of sumo rikishi by now. He was reportedly seen walking into a 7-11 store across from the Kokugikan just the other day and cleaning up all "Oden" stand (Pulling hair...)

Edited November 12, 2004 by Jonosuke

[Ivan Sergeyevich 0]

For years I've been hearing Elvis lives in a small municipality not far from me, works as a shop assistant and drives a green Skoda but perhaps he travels around then.

[Zentoryu 154]

Everyone knows what he does so you begin to wonder why everyone falls for it.

Exactly. I've always wondered why anyone leans into him when he never pushes anyone out anyway. Maybe Toki's opponents should pre-soak their faces in salt brine or something to toughen up so they can just stand straight up and take it till he tires out. Since he's starting to fade, maybe that's what they're doing??

I believe people continue to lean into him because that's the instinctive reaction when you're being pushed backwards. It's also what you do when you want to get to your opponents belt. And getting to the belt is the way to beat Toki.

As Jonosuke alluded to, Toki does have some pushing power. If he didn't, he couldn't set up those slapdowns so perfectly. People would just blow right through his tsuppari, get his belt and force him out with Yotsu, against which he is pretty helpless. This often happens when he's facing Sanyaku opposition. He's much more effective with this style against lower ranked rikishi.

If Toki gets his nodo-wa (and that's a big if nowadays), in combination with some tsuppari, he's so good at it that the opponent has little choice but to lean into the assault in order to save himself from going out. Toki seems to know the exact perfect moment to switch from pushing to pulling, the exact moment that his opponent is too far forward to keep himself from falling if Toki suddenly pulls away.

If the push/pull weren't such a frowned upon technique, Toki would probably get some credit for having perfected it to such a high degree.

Edited November 12, 2004 by Zentoryu

[Jakusotsu 5,001]

If the push/pull weren't such a frowned upon technique, Toki would probably get some credit for having perfected it to such a high degree.

Sharing the laurels with Chiyotaikai.

[Kashunowaka 269]

If the push/pull weren't such a frowned upon technique, Toki would probably get some credit for having perfected it to such a high degree.

Sharing the laurels with Chiyotaikai.

Let's hear it for the pusher-pullers, then! (Punk rocker...)

[Kishinoyama 513]

If the push/pull weren't such a frowned upon technique, Toki would probably get some credit for having perfected it to such a high degree.

As big as Toki is.... and he is BIG.... when I watch him it seems as though he does not have a lot of arm strength. Am I wrong?