Chankosan

I think I witnessed the very moment that Hakuho lost his nerve. It was during the soken in May of this year. It was my first soken and I watched Hakuho like an eagle, taking photo after photo. I was shocked at how easily he lost his matches and wondered what that meant for the basho. Sure enough, he started with a loss, and many of his matches looked highly suspect -- I'll just leave it at that. I remember a look he had after one of his three losses in a row in the middle of the basho that was a real deer-in-the-headlights! His soken came after a strong tournament performance, so I don't know what happened between March and May to erode his confidence, but he has clearly lost his mojo and is doing whatever he can just to hang on. Perhaps it is his age, an injury, domestic troubles, the yaocho scandal, Asashoryu getting kicked out, or him losing his winning streak -- or some combination of them all? But he shouldn't retire yet -- he is so good and the field is so bad that he can still put together a 14-1 and a 13-2 record when he is on his last legs. Even bad Hakuho is better than no Hakuho...

In preparing for my month-long stay in Tokyo in May, I have run up against two pesky questions that I was hoping someone here might be able to answer. Thanks in advance! QUESTION #1 On 2-3-09 Jonosuke wrote: "There is a shrine located in Ryogoku called Nomi No Sukune Shrine. Kyokai officials, Judging Group heads and Judging member from each Ichimon and Chaya managers gather at the shrine after every Tokyo Basho's Torikumi Arranging Committee meeting to have a Shinto ceremony officiated by the main Izumo Shrine priest." I have read that this ceremony occurs the Friday before the basho, which would be May 4 for Natsu. Is this a private or public ceremony? And, if public, when does it start? QUESTION #2 The Friday parade that starts the Sanja Matsuri (Daigyoretsu) goes down Yanagi Dori and Nakamise Dori to Asakusa Shrine. I would like to view the parade on Yanagi Dori but I cannot for the life of me find a map that shows where that street is located. Is this an east-west or north-south street? What major street does it parallel and how many blocks away is it? Is there a landmark on the street that would fix its location?

Does anyone know about how many new recruits we can expect for the Maezumo dohyo-iri May?

I am coming to Tokyo in May for the basho and wanted to know if they have reversed their policy about seating close to the dohyo early in the day. Watching the streaming video of this basho it would appear that they have done just that. Am I seeing things correctly? Is it just an Osaka thing? Thanks in advance for your answer!

It is actually been held on the national holiday 29th always... at least always since it has been open to the public!! The December soken is also held on the national holiday 23rd. September's date changes but is the Saturday before the basho starts. Thanks Kotoviki! It's nice to know there is a pattern after all...

All you have to do is look it up on the forum calendar. You will find it's on April 29th. Duh, didn't even think to check there (amidst the forest of birthdays). That's great! Thanks Kintamayama.

I know it's early, but I was wondering if anyone might know when the YDC Soken for the May basho will be held? I want to catch that on the first day of my next trip to Tokyo, so (ideally) I need to know the date before I can make my reservations. I really tried to puzzle it out, but there seems to be no clear pattern: 4/20/11 (FRI) 4/29/09 (WED) 4/29?/08 (TUE?) 5/5/07 (SAT) 4/29/06 (SAT) 5/5/05 (WED) 4/30/04 (FRI) 5/6/02 (MON) I figure if Jonosuke knew about the September one a couple of months ahead, I might as well start asking now. And while I'm asking, does anyone know what time the ceremony at the Nomi no Sukune shrine begins on Friday, May 4? Thanks!

While I'm at it, I would also like to know if they are still doing the "meet an oyakata" each day?

Thanks for the confirmation. I don't need the exact address for Ootake beya (sorry I said "exactly"!), just a general idea what it might be near to in the ward as I might swing by it when I am in town...

I do seem to remember that they referred at some point to the past problems with yakuza being in the audience. I also notice that the Kyokai is broadcasting from the start of the day -- are they trying to ensure that no yakuza send signals from dohto-side in the early hours of the broadcast?

Do you happen to know where exactly it is located in the Koto Ward?

I heard on the English language broadcast of the last basho that "you can't go down to the dohyo during the day [anymore] because of the policing of the right tickets." I am planning a trip for May and wanted to know if this is true. I always enjoyed being able to sit close to the dohyo early in the day. Does this mean that you can now only sit in your assigned seat from the very beginning of the day? If this is true, what is the rationale? A reaction to the behavior of the foreign fans perhaps?

Definitely agree with you on that-numbers don't lie. I already noticed that in July, where quite a few 7-7 rikishi went MK. Not so much the hatakikomi, since not all hatakikomi mean the same-more about the quality and substance of the bouts, and the mere fact that the guys who were "supposed" to lose don't. Whew! Thanks for that reality check Kintamayama. So I'm NOT alone. If that change (in the numbers) is real, then -- as I said before -- I can let any perceived tinkering on the part of the Kyokai for the greater good of the national sport slide. I am so happy to be seeing almost exclusively "listful" matches that the rest is negligible. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that such tinkering -- as in the case of ensuring a new Japanese Ozedi ASAP -- is downright DESIRABLE. That is, it helps to ensure the popularity, and hence survival, of the sport. If it must exist at some level (and it must), then I only ask that it be used judiciously for this purpose and not the wholesale backscratching system that existed prior to the scandal and that heavily tainted the quality of the product.

Indeed, waaay out of his league. Past head to heads were 10-10 before this basho, Kotoshougiku winning the last three. Maybe the fact that Kotoshougiku's promotion was already decided and Baruto was bit more motivated had something to do with it-in any case it was by no means a one-sided affair. Unfortunately, the past records are tainted by the rampant yaocho. So without reviewing again those 20 Baruto-Kotoshogiku matches, I can't comment on the reliability of the 10-10 record as an indicator of true ability. Especially given my strong impression that Baruto and Kotooshu were Ozekis on the take in the old days (Kaio was on the "give" and Kotomitsuki, well...) I suspect that the Baruto match would have been arranged had Kotoshogiku not managed to defeat a freshly Kisenosato-injured Hakuho... BUT, what do you think about my much bigger picture point about the palpable change in the "character" of sensharaku and the apparent precipitious decline in hatakikomi kimarties in the post-scandal sumo world? Surely that has been apparent to many others besides me?? If no one else perceives this (and it should be empirically demonstrable a la Freakonomics), then it is proof positive that sumo will slide back to its old ways after a few more basho, since there will be no repercussions for yaocho since most fans of sumo can (will?) not see it -- at least no repercussions without cell phone records, and I can assure you that the kyokai has solved that problem! Oh well, I am really enjoying all the real sumo while it lasts...

I too agree with YBF that it was staged, but I am willing to let it slide for the sake of the national sport. Anyway, Baruto's devastating throw on Day 15 should have made it clear to everyone just how far Kotoshogiku is out of his true league. Peter Principle anyone? ;) That said, I have never seen so much yaocho-free sumo in my almost 20 years of watching the sport! It is a dream come true for fans of the SPORT of sumo and not just the CULTURE of sumo (I am both). The difference on senshuraku is palpable -- it is so refreshing to see that a 7-7 does not automatically become an 8-7. And is it just me, or is there now a relative dearth of hatakikomi kimarites? Someone should really do a number-crunching follow-up to the Freakanomics findings to prove that there has been a paradigm shift in sumo since the scandal blew up.

I just noticed that the Kyokai website lists the Yasukuni Shrine Honozumo as merely "postponed" whereas it lists the Ise Shrine Honozumo and all the jungyo events as definitively "cancelled" -- has anyone heard when the Yasukuni event might be held??

If the May basho is held, is there any chance that the YDC soken in late April would be held as well? I am still trying to salvage some of my sumo trip if possible...

The "Freakonomics" guy said that the frequency of fixed matches diminished for a year or so after the publication of his book, since the sumo world knew that they were being scrutinized as a result of his analysis. Of course, as soon as everyone forgot about it, the higher frequency of fixed matches resumed. This means that if/when sumo resumes we should have at least a year or two of "true" sumo!

Now with the Yasukuni Shrine event cancelled, I assume there is zero chance that the YDC soken will be held at the end of April either? Man, the timing of these events really blows for my planned trip to Tokyo in April to see those two events. I could slide it to May, but what are the odds that the May basho will be held? Not very good I'd say... (Online too long...)

Yes, worst ever. This scandal has to do with what goes on inside the dohyo, not outside. So it is a difference in kind, not just in degree. THAT is why it is the worst ever. (And I want to add Taiho et al smuggling pistols into Japan for the yakuza on their way back from an overseas jungyo in the 1960s to the outside-the-dohyo list!)

One thing I will say about that documentary is that I believe Itai's affirmation of yaocho a LOT more than I believe Akebono's denial of yaocho. And this impression is coming from someone who works in a prison who is lied to for a living!

14. Always remind yourself that "I am under the watchful eye of others, every conduct of mine is being judged by them", and act accordingly and responsibly. TRANSLATION = Stop using channels of communication that can be intercepted and interpreted by second parties!

Wow Jonosuke, I really like your ideas! It reminds me of when I first saw overseas jungyos and those special short NHK events that utilize a tournament approach and wondering how cool those events would look like if everyone was really trying to win at all costs every match. I think changing the format of the basho would be easier than scattering the beya to the four winds so to speak...

Just in case some of you did not catch this 20 minute piece on yaocho when it came out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szdLioPQ6JU...ch_response_rev http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I-ne3rCQTg...feature=related My favorite part is at the 9:40 mark of part 2 when itai says so matter-of-factly, "ALL of us in sumo can tell just by looking." That says it all...

Because yaocho has been and is so pervasive, I think it would be a near impossibility to correct past records as you suggest. Of course, the Kyokai and the experts and hold the key to unlocking the secrets of fixed matches. So perhaps a committee of their experts could go back over past matches and make adjustments to records? Still seems too problematic. And why would they ever want to openly quantify their own sordid past? No, I think the solution to yaocho -- as I noted in another post -- is strict fines by the Kyokai on all suspect matches that way offset any profit for either rikishi involved in a fixed match. This would eliminate yaocho from the culture overnight. Then, since they have already canceled the next basho (and hence effectively shot a hole in all record-keeping because of it), they need to declare a "yaocho-free" culture that begins with the next basho that is held (assuming they do in fact get serious about really stopping it). So all sumo records would fall into "yaocho" and "non-yaocho" periods, divided by this point in time. But as I said before, that will never happen because there will never be enough pressure from fans because they cannot consistently identify the matches that are fixed. Thus they will always be able to say that yaocho is rare -- the result of a few bad apples. No, what will happen is the Kyokai will scapegoat a few parties, do a lot of self-righteous hand-waving and moralizing, then make it an unspoken rule that rikishi can talk to each other only in person -- either directly or through other riskishi -- so there will never again be a "paper" trail. (Remember the scene in the movies "Goodfellas" where they do all their transactions face-to-face to avoid leaving a paper trail?) Then it's back to business as usual... (In a state of confusion...)