sumojoann

I have a Hakuho portrait from 2014 and the quality is excellent (both the portrait and the framing).

This documentary about Chiyonofuji was just uploaded on May 22, 2020. Fascinating!

Do you remember this famous bout between Sadanofuji and Tokitenku? It starts at 1:55. Sadanofuji's mawashi became untied TWICE during the bout!!! Each time, Gyoji Kimura Konosuke stopped the bout and tried to retie it. When it started to become untied the second time, Yoshikaze climbed onto the dohyo to offer his help which the Gyoji declined. At the end of the bout when Sadanofuji lost, it looked like his mawashi was about come undone a third time!

I have a friend who is gay and EVERY TIME he sees me, WITHOUT FAIL, he asks me, "Do those THINGS ever FALL OFF those wrestlers??!!!" I think he is ever hopeful!

I've only been watching sumo since 2013 so I'm going to limit it to 2013 onward. I choose Harumafuji. I loved his "small guy" determination. His tachi-ai was incredible. If he hadn't been in Hakuho's shadow, I think he would have won more Yusho and consequently been more celebrated. The fact that he weighed 50 POUNDS less than Hakuho and yet could still defeat him on occasion was amazing!!! It was a shame his career ended the way it did. From the fairly recent past, I have to say Asashoryu. He was a jerk outside the ring and sometimes inside it, but so entertaining to watch. I could kick myself as I had the opportunity to see him wrestle live back in 2008. My husband and I were touring Japan and another couple invited us to watch an afternoon of sumo during the May Basho. At that time, I had the typical stereotype of sumo wrestlers as being pale fat men bouncing bellies, so I said, "No". Later, I remember the couple laughing about the antics of someone named Asashoryu.

I've never seen anyone use a forearm/slap combo at the tachi-ai against Hakuho. However, during the course of a bout in the past year or so, I believe someone had the nerve to slap Hakuho. It was commented on by the announcer. I wish I could recall which bout this was.

I remember that day vividly. After President Trump handed the President's Cup to Asanoyama, he didn't seem to want to get off the dohyo!! lol He had to be led off by a Japanese official.

It looks like a big part of their concern was the "super heavy pacific islanders in future ........ distorting the system". This was 2002, after all.

Could you drink soy milk instead? When I was 4 years old, I developed an allergy to regular milk so my mother gave me soy milk & I loved the flavor of it. If you are lactose intolerant, as you probably know, there's milk for that problem, too.

Here's a Youtube video of Hakuho at a huge gym called Dome Athlete House. He's wearing athletic workout clothes but he is not shown using any of the equipment. Instead, he is being interviewed and interacting with a TV personality while people in the TV studio are watching (see little box in upper left hand corner). Apparently, Mitakeumi and Ishiura are in the studio because it shows them occasionally in the little box. The logo for the Dome Athlete House says, "Physical recovery, Nutrition, Skill, Integrity, Passion".

I just heard from my friend in Japan. He said there is a regular Banzuke and also a Pictorial Banzuke available for the MAY BASHO but NO program. The Kokugikan gift shop is still closed but he has a source where he can get the Banzuke. The problem is the shipping. As you probably know, Japan Post is not currently shipping Airmail internationally and won't start until probably after regular airline passenger service resumes. At this time, there are only 3 options --- 1) Have it shipped via surface mail which takes 3-4 MONTHS --- 2) Have it shipped via Fedex or DHL at a cost of $100USD ---- or 3) wait for Japan Post to resume international Airmail delivery. Another friend in Japan told me that Japan Post is supposed to make an announcement on May 19 about delivery service. So if anyone is still interested in purchasing either or both of the Banzuke, I recommend that you first wait until May 19 to see what Japan Post's announcement is all about. If you are still interested at that point, you can send me a message & I will put you in touch with my friend.

Yes, there was a picture Banzuke printed for the March basho and also a program. (I have both). I'm pretty sure the Kokugikan online gift shop never had the programs but they did have the picture Banzuke. I bought the program from ebay for an exorbitant amount of money. I don't know about the May basho.

https://smile.amazon.com/Perfect-Guide-Sumo-edited/dp/4861526329/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+perfect+guide+to+sumo&qid=1589387380&s=books&sr=1-1 I have not seen this book discussed on Sumo Forum so I thought I would mention it here. It is the best book about sumo I have ever read. The title is "The Perfect Guide to Sumo", authored by the 34th Kimura Shonosuke (Ito Katsuharu). First edition September 7, 2017, second edition January 11, 2019. The book was written in Japanese but was translated into English. The book itself is bilingual. It has received FIVE STARS on Amazon (only 10 copies are left!). Amazon's price of $27 is the best I have found. I highly recommend it.

Good news/bad news. My friend in Japan can get the stamps for you!! However, Japan Post is not shipping airmail internationally at this time. Your best bet is to have the stamps shipped via surface mail (land and sea). I don't have a cost yet for your order but it's VERY cheap. However, surface takes 3-4 MONTHS to arrive. The cost will be determined by how many stamp sets you order. They CAN be shipped via Fedex, DHL or UPS but it would cost about $100USD. As you can see, surface is the way to go, but only if you're willing to wait 3-4 months. One last option is to wait until Japan Post starts shipping internationally again. It's possible they will start in June but that's just a guess. At this point, do you know what you want to do? If you are still interested in placing an order, I will put you in touch with my friend.

Hi, I have a friend in Japan who can possibly get these for you. He is honest & reliable. He charges a 20% commission. I can contact him & see if he can get this stamp set for you. Ohhhhhh, I just thought of something!!! There may be a problem involved in shipping due to COVID-19. I know Japan Post is not presently shipping to the US by air but I don't know about Hungary. It might be possible. I will check and let you know. Do you want both sheets, one for 840 yen and the other 630 yen?

You may be right about the Yokozuna. I really enjoyed your comments about this film!

Yes, mine also says 5/24 for the start date. I am certain the basho will be cancelled. Normally I am very excited to get the TV Japan guide for the upcoming month when there is a basho scheduled. Seeing it in the guide increases my anticipation. Because I am so convinced it will be cancelled, seeing it this time just made me sad. If I am wrong, I will be out dancing in the street!

Farm or no farm, I am especially sad. Today I received my May guide for TV Japan. In it is the complete schedule for the May Basho LIKE EVERYTHING IS NORMAL!!! I realize that they have to go to press ahead of time but still, it felt like salt being rubbed into an open wound.............

Hakuyouzan is in Takadagawa Beya so we know at least 2 of the 6 are in the same Heya. I hope Ryuden & Kagayaki are okay. They are also in Takadagawa Beya. (NOT trying to start any rumors)!! In this link, you may have to scroll down to Takadagawa Beya (see left column. http://heyaaz.nagioff.com/2020/2020.html

Hope I didn't load you up with too much information! Since I see that you are new, I realized you hadn't had a chance to read about my impressions of Hakuho. Awhile back, I watched a Youtube video about Hakuho and it featured an interview with a man identified in the video as Hakuho's trainer. It wasn't Oba, the trainer I met in 2014. This trainer was in a large room full of weights and other training equipment. I remember the date of the video was after 2014 so I don't know what happened to Oba. I can't find this video so I don't know if it's still up or if it has been deleted.

Report post Posted February 15 ********************* SORRY, I'M NOT ABLE TO DELETE THE ABOVE ***************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A couple of months ago, I posted this additional information about my encounter with Hakuho --------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional tidbits (none are as exciting as the "obscene laughing" I previously posted about) --- When we sat down before having lunch with Hakuho , we first had to wait while he had his hair washed and styled. I was told later that he likes to have his hair washed 6-8 times a day! When he came in, the first thing he did was offer me a "beeryu" (beer). He poured one for himself. I declined and asked for mizu (water). Then we all clinked glasses in a toast. The table was already laden with food. Of course, there was a pot of very hot chanko-nabe. I was surprised at how plain-jane it was. It consisted mainly of beef broth and some onions and other vegetables. Then someone came in with a bowl of large squares of tofu which was added to the chanko-nabe. Everyone except Hakuho made a big fuss over the tofu which surprised me. Another surprise was that in place of napkins (serviettes to you British!), Hakuho held out a box of Kleenex (tissues that you normally blow your nose with)! Each of us took one. I could tell that Hakuho was very at ease being a host. He offered me a plate of what looked like small thinly sliced sausages. However, there was no serving utensil and I didn't know what to do. He gestured that I should just pick them up with my fingers! Then he had his trainer, who spoke excellent English, ask me some questions about myself. (I posted about this already but I'll repeat it for anyone who didn't get to read the previous post). The most embarrassing question was concerning why my husband had not come to meet him. The truth was that my husband didn't want to!!!! He wanted to go to the Samurai Sword Museum instead. Obviously, I couldn't tell him that! So our mutual friend , as best as he could, tried to tactfully explain that my husband wasn't quite as big of a fan of sumo as I was. Hakuho got very confused. His eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head, not understanding. It was again explained to him. I don't think Hakuho had ever known of anyone who didn't want to meet him!! lol Everything apparently got lost in translation and Hakuho let it go. Our lunch continued. Of course, Hakuho wanted to know how I learned some Mongolian phrases so I told him I studied online for 3 months, watched Youtube videos and bought a phrase book. (I never dreamed I would meet him but since I was in Japan to attend 8 days of the basho, I was hoping that somehow it might happen. I decided to prepare ahead of time just in case). Hakuho told me that he has a grandmother who is 97 years old!! I was very impressed. At the end of lunch, I told him in Mongolian that I had brought a gift. He accepted it politely but it was just a humble t-shirt with his favorite word (DREAM) on it (you can see it in my profile photo). I found out later that he has a sweet tooth so I should have brought him some American chocolate. Afterwards, we went downstairs to wait for our taxi and Ishiura popped in. I said, "Hi Ishiura!" He looked stunned that I knew his name (he was still in Makushita at that time). We didn't have time to say anything further because our taxi had arrived. We waved goodbye to Ishiura as we left. This was one of those once -in-a-lifetime events where everything just happened to fall into place. A lot of luck involved. Quote Edit Options Report post

Report post Posted February 13 ******************* PLEASE IGNORE THE ABOVE. I CAN'T SEEM TO ERASE IT! ************** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is some additional information I posted later about meeting Hakuho ------------------- There were some other tidbits regarding that lunch that I have never before mentioned on Sumo Forum. I might as well take this opportunity to mention one of them. Hakuho's Japanese trainer Oba spoke excellent English and was very friendly. We kept making each other laugh. I told him that I had told Hakuho in Mongolian that he (Hakuho) was very handsome, but I didn't say it in English, I said it in Mongolian. He asked me to translate it into English since he didn't understand Mongolian. Other people in the room were eager to know, too (a low-ranking rikishi whose job it was to serve us and a young very pretty Japanese woman who was helping in the kitchen and who I think might have been the trainer's wife). When I translated the phrase ("You are very handsome"), he translated it into Japanese (which I don't speak). All of a sudden, EVERYBODY started laughing! The laughing got louder and louder. Thinking I must had said something rude or at least totally improper to a Yokozuna, I blushed and covered my face with my hands. At this point, the laughter got even louder and sounded almost obscene!!! I was so confused! At the end of lunch, my friend (the one who introduced me to his friend Hakuho) & I were downstairs waiting for our taxi. I could tell he was angry at me. He finally snapped at me, "You shouldn't have said that to Hakuho. He's a married man!!!!!" I was dumbfounded! I told him, "I just told him he was handsome! There's nothing wrong with that. It means someone is attractive. It's not sexual." I was sooooo confused because he still seemed angry and embarrassed. I was still puzzled by all the obscene-sounding laughter. Months later, it finally hit me! I can't be positively sure but I think when Oba, Hakuho's Japanese trainer, translated my phrase from English to Japanese, he translated it as something obscene. THAT would account for that type of laughter. And it didn't help that I blushed and covered my face with my hands! I finally emailed our mutual friend to ask again what I had supposedly said, but he claimed he had forgotten the incident!! So it shall remain as a small mystery. The whole experience was surreal. 1 1 Quote Edit Op Report post

We did have chanko. I was very surprised at how plain-jane it was. Just beef broth, sliced onions and a couple of other vegetables (no meat). During the meal, someone showed up with some large cubes of tofu and added them to the chanko. Everyone made a big fuss over it which surprised me. The following was copied and pasted from my profile ---- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted December 14, 2014 My husband treated me to a special "Sumo Trip" to watch the last 8 days of the Aki basho this past Sept. I was able to watch my favorite, Hakuho, as well as the other Makuuchi rikishi, some of the Juryo, and the occasional Makushita (Ishiura). I first got interested in sumo in March 2013 and soon became hooked. The Aki basho was my first "live" basho. Every day was exciting but when Hakuho defeated Ichinojo, the entire Kokugikan erupted. For 5 minutes, the crowd screamed, shouted, cheered and clapped. The atmosphere was electrifying!! The highlight of my trip was meeting Hakuho at his heya on Day 12. It was such a privilege to watch him train (it lasted an hour). He practiced mainly tachi-ai, using a hapless, short, low-ranked rikishi as his "opponent". Hakuho slammed him into the wall again and again. Finally, the poor rikishi could no longer hide the terror in his eyes. Hakuho patted him on the arm to reassure him, but then slammed into him some more. Afterwards, Hakuho talked to the assembled reporters for about 10 min, and then I was introduced. I knew my chances of meeting him were small but I prepared ahead of time anyway. I speak very little Japanese and knowing he speaks barely any English, I decided to learn some Mongolian phrases!! I was able to say in Mongolian, "Hello, how are you?, My name is Joann, I have come from America, from Texas. It's nice to meet you, I admire you a lot." Then, I said (still in Mongolian), "You are very handsome!" He groaned loudly (probably embarrassed) and looked away momentarily but I think he secretly liked it. Hakuho was polite, reserved but not particularly friendly. I don't think he quite knew what to make of me, a 65-year-old American female sumo fanatic, with him being my favorite. He looked at me apprehensively, once while training and when we were introduced. At first, I thought it was dread, but I think he was apprehensive for some reason, maybe because he thought that "Granny" was going to criticize him about something! What a morning! The highlight of my trip, of course. Later in the day, he went on to defeat Kisenosato. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Sept 2014 when I met Hakuho & had lunch with him, one of the people at the lunch was a Japanese man named Oba, who was introduced as Hakuho's "trainer". He looked like a personal trainer. Since Hakuho doesn't use a personal trainer during keiko, I had to conclude that he did some modern type of training.

This is it!!!! BANZUKE OAZUKE TIME!! Oazuke is the word that is used to tell a dog to "wait". Haha!! This was suggested by Ahokaina, a Japanese woman who is a member of the forum. We were discussing the matter and I said it would be great to come up with a word that describes the sad longing and impatience one feels between the last basho and either the next basho or the next Banzuke. But also a word that was funny. I think it's perfect!