"Honkong-Shanghai" Sumo Tournament in Tokyo

[Petr 0]

If you like sumo, live in Kanto and don't go to see the Junior World Championships in Kokugikan on next Sunday you can join an amateur sumo tournament. It's an opportunity for anyone to try. The deadline for registration is over but if you come to the Edogawa-ku Recreation Koen Sumoba around 9am, you can join some incomplete team and probably also enter a competition of individuals.

場所　江戸川区リクリエーション公園相撲場（昨年と同様です。）

種目　個人戦（６５ｋｇ未満級、７５ｋｇ未満級、９０ｋｇ未満級）

　　　団体戦（５人制、先鋒、二人、７５ｋｇ未満、中堅、副将

　　　　　　　９０ｋｇ未満、大将、無差別）

エントリー方法：　以下の事項を記載してメールで

hongkongshanghai2005@hotmail.co.jp まで２６日までに送付してください。期日までにエントリーフォームの完成が困難な方はメールでご相談ください。

記載事項

１）チーム名（団体のみ）

２）代表者名（連絡先、メールアドレス、携帯番号）

３）個人戦出場種目（種目別、氏名）

４）出場者名簿（氏名、身長、体重、年齢、相撲歴、スポーツ歴　、大会に寄せて一言）団体出場者は先鋒、二陣、中堅、副将、大将を明記してください。）

５）個人戦のみ出場申込者も大会本部で連合ティームとして団体戦にエントリーするよう努力します。）

６）廻しの有無。廻し貸し出し希望数。（ただし、貸し出し可能な、廻しの本数には限りがありますのでなるべくご用意ください。）

[Zuikakuyama 1]

Out of curiosity, why is this tournament called the Hong Kong-Shanghai Open? Are teams coming from these cities?

[Jejima 1,421]

My guess is that it is sponsored by the HSBC bank - which is of course the Hong Kong - Shanghai Bank. (Not that it is much use having a Hong Kong account of the HSBC when you visit Shanghai - as I found out two years back - as there are no visible HSBC banks there (You are going off-topic...) )

[Sasanishiki 57]

Yeah, I think that this is the most likely reason as well. I have heard of the tournament before, and there is an outdated website somewhere that I have come across before. Glad to hear that it is still going strong! Can't make it, unfortunately, but I might be able to make the Bunkyo tournament in October. Keep us posted!

[Petr 0]

I don't know where the confusing name came from. It always makes the explanations about the tournament longer. I've heard that in the first years the winners used to receive trips to these cities. I am afraid that the winners won't receive much more than a diploma this year. Anyway, I think I will go, eventhough it means I won't see live fights of my countryman in Kokugikan.

John, I would recommend you to join as well. I guess all teams will fight with each other. You can enjoy many matches and will have a lot of exciting wins to write here about (In a state of confusion...)

[Mark Buckton 1]

name is confusing as Tokyo HSBC staff (not that many anyway / more in Osaka )have never heard of it. Spoke to senior ish staff (friend) today and drew a blank.

Hmmmmm - scratching chin.

[Sasanishiki 57]

Ok, perhaps nothing to do with the bank. I knew I had seen some info on a tournament such as this before. For the Japanese readers among you, try this very lengthy/wordy site:

http://www.chinesetiger.com/hongkong/main.html

For all others, the Hong Kong Shanghai Club seems to be a club with a sumo offshoot (perhaps it is their main reasonfor existing?). It holds a tournament but in different venues, and seemingly wherever it can. The club is into amateur sumo, usually for those that have no sumo experience prior to joing the club. They say somewhere that their members were more likely to have been in the tennis club at school rather than the sumo club! They also have their own special cocktail and own special chanko recipes (???)

Edited July 2, 2005 by Sasanishiki

[Sasanishiki 57]

I've just had a look at the first post which outlines the weight classes From this it would also support the idea that this club is into lightweight athletes. Individual competitions are under 65kg, under75kg, and under 90 kgs.

[Sasanishiki 57]

I heard rumours that Petr did quite well but Nishi did not...

Czech selectors might be impressed...

[ilovesumo 12]

Hope everybody is ok... (I am not worthy...)

Edited July 3, 2005 by ilovesumo

[Petr 0]

I'll let Nishi describe his dramatic fights by himself. (He may be still angry at me for registering him as Nishinoshima. Btw. JOHN, I have you protectors or whatever it is.)

I took part in the 90kg tournament but since they never check the weights there were some wrestlers obviously well above.

My first opponent was a former Waseda member. We started about three times before the shinpan was satisfied with our timing. Straight from tachiai long but non-stop migi-yotsu sumo started. In the end I got him down by soto-gake.

My second fight was with a captain of a mongolian team. They told me he was the strongest amateur mongolian-sumo-wrestler in Japan and had also won in this tournament before. My normal tachiai is some kind of kachiage but when I saw his non-standard position at the starting line, at the last moment I decided to begin with tsuki-hanashi to avoid some tricks. After that, I quickly went for yori-taoshi.

My third opponent was a Nagoya University Team member. From the tachiai, I pushed forward too hurriedly. My body became too straightened up, which he used for his uchi-gake. So I finished in the semi-final. This guy has won the tournament.

In the team tournament I won all the matches but my opponents were not that strong as in the competition of individuals. Our team won.

Our team, 'Densha Otoko':

1. Horii - from Keio but practices at Todai,

2. Batverden (sorry for mispelling) - 19 year old mongolian who works in Tokyo. He used to practice Mongolian sumo at home.

3. Petr, me

4. Miyawaki, Todai OB

5. Ooyama, Todai OB

[Petr 0]

Hope everybody is ok... (I am not worthy...)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ambulance brought away two guys: one knee and one head.

The rest of us is ok :-)

[Sasanishiki 57]

Well done. Ouch, sumo injuries! I wonder if this is because some of the competitors are not full time with their sumo? There were only a couple of injuries at the European Sumo Championships last month (serious knee injuries, cuts etc.)