Ama scolded

[Kintamayama]

Ama was scolded by his shisho today for smoking in the shitakubeya, which is prohibited. "I was really scolded by the shisho, because it's something I shouldn't be doing ", he said meekly. When asked if he will not be smoking anymore, he answered: "I guess so..", hanging his head in shame. Couple that with the quasi-henka he used today and he was not in high spirits. "My body isn't 'ready' yet, and even if I get yotsu, I'm not sure I can win. .I've got no choice but to attack from the side", he explained.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama]

[maxim]

If he does quit smoking, perhaps we'll see a much larger Ama next time...

[Taka]

It never fails to really suprise me everytime I find out a top athlete this day and age smoke.

So far it's mostly been soccer or handball players. Anyone know if other (I guess it would be strange if Ama was the only one) rikishi smoke regulary? And I do mean cigarettes. Not the other stuff...

[Kotoviki]

It never fails to really suprise me everytime I find out a top athlete this day and age smoke.

So far it's mostly been soccer or handball players. Anyone know if other (I guess it would be strange if Ama was the only one) rikishi smoke regulary? And I do mean cigarettes. Not the other stuff...

It surprises me as well.

I know of some for sure who do but I do not think it is my place to mention them without it being definitely public knowledge.

However Hakurozan was a cigarette smoker, he always tried to smoke in my car. Roho didn't smoke cigarettes, at least never around me and Hakurozan and other rikishi told me Roho did not smoke at all.

Just to end any suspicions on the others I will say for sure that Tochinoshin does NOT smoke! He is an athlete first and foremost. He drinks a LOT of beer but stays away from cigarettes. And Kimurayama also does NOT.

I am trying to convince other guys to stop smoking...

And one other thing, I was really disappointed to see Ama smoke before asageiko. I have known he smokes for quite some time now. I think he should give up the cancer sticks and maybe he could make Ozeki.

then again Akebono made Yokozuna smoking since he was a young kid.....

[aderechelsea]

i've posted numerous old pics of Yokozuna smoking in the pics' topic.. I am pretty sure it is not rare to find rikishi smoking (especially sekitori).

In general i have also seen a lot of top athletes smoking (volleyball, football and basketball players are on top of those lists)

[JAB]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't smoking cig's part of the sub-culture of Japan? My understanding is that even if you are not a "smoker" you would do so in public to maintain a certain level of face / machismo with your company. Is this true even in Sumo circles?

How do you think it affects the Rikishii? I mean Sumo bouts are at most maybe a minute. Granted that is one hell of a intense minute, but it is nothing like grappling for 5-10 minute bouts. So how much do you think it really affects their cardio and performance?

Thanks

Jake

[Kotoviki]

Smoking was like a subculture for a long time but these days it is not really at all.

So these younger guys especially have no reason to smoke.

I have never smoked so I can not say about how it effects you but I have a friend who smokes a lot and tries to quit. He does about 4 hours or more intensive exercise every day. He always says after just one day of not smoking how much better he feels, breathes and how good his lungs feel so.. I think it effects them.

I could not say BUT I would swear Asashoryu smokes because he has had a smokers cough both at asageiko and the first day I saw him. It sounded just like others with the same cough I know.

Again it might not be, never actually seen him smoke. Just my idea.

[paolo]

I remember that many years ago I watched a fantastic duel in pole vault between Ukrain (Soviet at that time) Bubka (who was to become the immense Bubka) and French Vigneron. Vigneron was seen sitting on the ground smoking a cigarette just one minute BEFORE clearing 5.91 meters, a new world record !! Actually a minute later Bubka cleared 5.94 (also a new world record) without having smoked, but anyway ...

[aderechelsea]

maybe smoking won't affect you (much) during a short sumo bout but it will definitely affect you during those long keiko hours (Neener, neener...).

[Harry]

It is now less accepted if even legal for people to smoke at home or at work. Smokers forced to go outside are called hotaruzoku 蛍族 or "firefly tribe" because it looks like a swarm of fireflies when all you can see is their heaters glowing in the distance at night. No joke.

I smoked for ten years. It has now been 12 years, 8 months and 18 days since I quit smoking (the 8th time I tried I was successful so tell your friend to keep trying). I still have a (lesser but still there) smoker's cough and I have asthma now so I'm not sure all the effects go away but I'm still quite fit these days, doing a lot of martial arts (which requires much higher fitness than riding a bike to work) but it seems my lungs are overactive now, hence the overachieving cilia giving me a cough and the hypersensitivity giving me asthma. Probably get lung cancer down the line too as former smokers still have a higher rate than those who never smoked. Ah well... So my point is I wonder if Asa used to smoke? I started very young which I think makes it worse as your lungs are still developing.

[ryafuji]

Kotonishiki and Tochinowaka were (are?) both heavy smokers. As was Takanohana I of course. Chiyonofuji was also a smoker until Taka advised him to give it up -- to help him gain weight more than anything else. It's less common than it used to be though.

Edited September 18, 2008 by ryafuji

[Jonosuke]

Although like most I quit a long ago, but I know how hard it is to quit smoking.

The problem with this is that the Kyokai instituted a Non-Smoking policy in all the venues they have their basho. They were actually in a process of being taking into a court if they adopted it. As they operate their event in a public building so they should have non-smoking policy in the building when we hear so much about "second hand " smoke.

So it is a Kyokai rule not to smoke in the Kokugikan. They are telling their customers, shopkeepers, employees not to smoke so how can they justify themselves when one of their sekitori light up? They can't and they shouldn't. Actually Ama was lucky he didn't get suspended as they appear to show the fans they really mean what they say and they are really tough on their own rikishi.

[hidenohana]

Ama is a disgrace!!!! (I am not worthy...)

Has he forgotten the proper Mongolian way of taking tobacco???? (I am not worthy...)

Welcome to Mongolia?

(I am not worthy...)

[Shomishuu]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't smoking cig's part of the sub-culture of Japan? My understanding is that even if you are not a "smoker" you would do so in public to maintain a certain level of face / machismo with your company.

This reminds me. My friend's Japanese wife recently told us about her brother. He doesn't drink or run around or anything. So he smokes, because as he said, "I don't have any other vices and I look silly when I'm with my buddies." (paraphrasing).

Of course, like me, he's not from the here and now generation anymore... (I am not worthy...)

[Peterao]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't smoking cig's part of the sub-culture of Japan? My understanding is that even if you are not a "smoker" you would do so in public to maintain a certain level of face / machismo with your company. Is this true even in Sumo circles?

This was absolutely true in the 80's, but less so in the 90's, and perhaps even less so than now. Cigarette ads were banned from television in 1996, and a generation that is seeing their mothers and fathers dragging oxygen tanks around with them has made an impact on the macho factor. Of course, there are still a lot of smokers, but it is less a public activity than it used to be.

How do you think it affects the Rikishii? I mean Sumo bouts are at most maybe a minute. Granted that is one hell of a intense minute, but it is nothing like grappling for 5-10 minute bouts. So how much do you think it really affects their cardio and performance?

The actual match is probably not a factor, but I'm sure it affects their ability to work hard during a long keiko. Nevertheless, technique is more important than cardiovascular capacity, so I think that between two rikishi of otherwise equal ability, the non-smoker has only a negligible advantage over the smoker.

[sekihiryu]

It never fails to really suprise me everytime I find out a top athlete this day and age smoke.

It fails me why anyone at all in this day in age would smoke period! It`s one of the biggest bummers about living in Japan - dirt cheap fags and putrid smoke still in a lot of places it shouldnt be. (I am not worthy...)