Ms. Uchidate strikes again

[Naganoyama]

He may have improved lately a lot. That is good.

He certainly seems to be trying to behave how they want him to. It seems a bit hard that he gets so little credit for it.

[Iwagakki]

Greetings from sunny and painfully cold Minnesota. Back from my new house in Japan, and ready to talk some sumo trash

Interesting Basho, no?

Anyway. I haven't been much of a fan of Asashoryu, you know. There was that little discussion with Jes a while back about 40 yusho I think, and a few other moments when I had less than wonderful comments about 'Shoryu.

Now I am changing my tack a little bit.

Asashoru is really awsome. I particularly like the way he makes the other sumo cry like little girlies. (Just Kidding...) But really. I have been thinking that if he stays healthy, then maybe he can break 20 or 25 yusho easily enough. Not so sure about the whole 40 yusho idea. eventually someone has got to come along to challenge him. But at the moment, it looks like he's just coming in to his superhuman powers. Kind of "Clark Kent as a teenager."

Kaio's superhuman powers are on the wane, I think. As much as I absolutely adore Kaio, I have to admit its true. Tochiazuma never had any superhuman powers. Chiyotaikai is too much of a cheap thug to ever realize any potential superhuman powers that he might have. Musoyama is so beat up and tired these days, he can't even remember what superhuman powers look like.

There are a couple challenges looming on the horizon for the big yokozuna dog, but he's looking totally secure at the top of the pound for pound list for at least 5 or 6 basho right now.

Ms. Uchidate is representative of a whole stream of conciousness and opinion in Japan right now, as far as I can see. Asashoryu, to them, represents everything that is wrong with the world today. as the saying goes "any nail that sticks up must be hammered down" He is "the other" and no matter what, he's not going to be takanohana, or even takanowaka in their eyes, so he can do no right. sad but true. remember that for a majority of Japanese, conformity and subjugation to the collective is the goal, and that asashoryu, just by virtue of being asashoryu is excluded, and "must be hammered down."

She is also representative of a small but vocal segment of the Japanese mind known as Obsessive compulsive disorder. It is just impossible for this segment to leave him alone. They can't help it. In a way, it really is a case of OCD. I imagine it's like popcorn, where you just can't stop eating it, even if you don't really want any more. It just can't be stopped.

Asashoryu had his hair in a ponytail....he missed a funeral, he did this, he did that. He used his left hand instead of his right. He made a face, he showed to much emotion. on and on and on and on.

All of the other guys have done exactly the same things that he has done, but because the Japanese have both the undying certainty and the absolute doubt that they are right by virtue of being Japanese, he can't win.

Asashoryu is henpecked incessantly for the slightest bit of an imagined infraction, derided and criticised.....

But a certain sumo darling can act like a complete fool, genuinely slapping the face of hinkaku, being an attention hound, and acting like a drunken prima donna, idiot-savant, (without the savant), all while losing embarrassingly and miserably, and then crying around about it, playing a nauseating cartoonish character that treads on everything that the ritual of sumo, common sense and good character represent....and what happens to him? He gets to do beer commercials.

Where is Ms. Uchidate when this media darling is abusing tradition? Nowhere, that's for sure. You know why? He's not Asashoryu. Passion and fire are fine, as long as you know your place, Mr. dragon, and that place is certainly not in front of our little darling loser.

Where was she when Kaio raised his arms in the dohyo and pointed into the audience after winning his basho? Kaio's not Asashoryu, so it was ok.

How about when Takanohana pulled a henka, and then made a scary face directly at the camera, which he clearly knew was there, and approached directly, glory houndingly? Not very yokozuna like, if you ask me. Where were the purists then?

they were criticising Asashoryu.

Not all of Japan, or even all of sumo is like that. But the old guard, Ms Uchidate, the charming and clever richijo, and others are like that. Get used to it.

Asashoryu is the best thing going for sumo right now, and he will be for a long time coming.

[Yubiquitoyama]

But a certain sumo darling can act like a complete fool, genuinely slapping the face of hinkaku, being an attention hound, and acting like a drunken prima donna,  idiot-savant, (without the savant),  all while losing embarrassingly and miserably, and then crying around about it,  playing a nauseating cartoonish character that treads on everything that the ritual of sumo, common sense and good character represent....and what happens to him?  He gets to do beer commercials.

Where is Ms. Uchidate when this media darling is abusing tradition?  Nowhere, that's for sure.  You know why? He's not Asashoryu.  Passion and fire are fine, as long as you know your place, Mr. dragon, and that place is certainly not in front of our little darling loser.

You are not strengthening the case for Asashoryu among those of us still sceptical by abusing other rikishi instead.

Btw, Asashoryu is Yokozuna and a new one, which is why he is (of course) much more interesting to a member of the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee and Kitanoumi et al. hasn't been particularly pleasant towards Takamisakari either, despite (or maybe because of) his obvious popularity.

Edited April 1, 2004 by Yubiquitoyama

[Mark Buckton]

But a certain sumo darling can act like a complete fool, genuinely slapping the face of hinkaku, being an attention hound, and acting like a drunken prima donna, idiot-savant, (without the savant), all while losing embarrassingly and miserably, and then crying around about it, playing a nauseating cartoonish character that treads on everything that the ritual of sumo, common sense and good character represent....and what happens to him? He gets to do beer commercials.

Iwagakki-san

:-P

You tell it how it is and add no sugar to sweeten it up.

Not too many truer words spoken here as there are throughout your post. A view having experienced the country direct I'd say and so hope some will respect that without splitting hairs in your direction.

As for the quoted bit - didn't see the beer CMs but saw others. I see the numbers of Japanese getting bored with this clown :-) ;-) increasing all the time. (there is a Japanese saying that means a 'fashion' has a time limit / attention span of 75 days - the clown's :-D :-D time is over)

[MongolPower]

How many fans actually care for traditional little things of sumo like right hand and left hand? How many of you noticed that before Ms. Uchidate? Those who are complaining about left handedness of Asa did you really know that he had to use his right hand before Ms. Uchidate? I don't think so. At least it didn't irritate you enough to write about it.

It is actual match that are drawing people to come and watch and be fan of sumo. Ms. Uchidate just wants 15 minute fame on Asa's expense. All publicity is good publicity. If some sumo related things are making the news that's the goal of YDC.

I don't think Asa being non Japanese is not any issue. If it were I would think Asa would be happy to retire and join K-1 for the big bucks. :-D

[Jesinofuji]

She also seemed to make sure to always be the first to criticise Musashimaru. I'm not accusing her of being racist, as I don't have any idea what her motivation for being this way is. I am however accusing her of being a (Censored) and don't think many can disagree with that.

[Doitsuyama]

How many fans actually care for traditional little things of sumo like right hand and left hand? How many of you noticed that before Ms. Uchidate? Those who are complaining about left handedness of Asa did you really know that he had to use his right hand before Ms. Uchidate? I don't think so. At least it didn't irritate you enough to write about it.

It is actual match that are drawing people to come and watch and be fan of sumo. Ms. Uchidate just wants 15 minute fame on Asa's expense. All publicity is good publicity. If some sumo related things are making the news that's the goal of YDC.

I don't think Asa being non Japanese is not any issue. If it were I would think Asa would be happy to retire and join K-1 for the big bucks. :-D

I noticed. I didn't know he had to use the right hand, but found it quite peculiar. Not enough to write about it, but I considered it at least. And you are wrong, it is not only the actual match fans are coming for. There is more to it. If it would be so, there would be not such a pre-match ritual, all the dohyō-iri and the gyōji would wear shirts with black and white vertical stripes (and be retired at age of 45). And I understand Uchidate-san is known enough in Japan to be well beyond 15 minutes of fame already. And if Asashōryū will be happy to retire and join K-1 for big bucks, I'll join his joy.

[MongolPower]

I'll join his joy.

If Asa joins K-1, I will find and join a K-1 forum too. :-D

I'll be still a sumo fan though.

[Mark Buckton]

And I understand Uchidate-san is known enough in Japan to be well beyond 15 minutes of fame already.

I considered this point a couple of days ago and put it to at least a dozen Japanese - all aged over 50 bar one in the past 2 days. Few traditionalists and fans of various aspects of Kabuki, Noh, Takarazuka etc

Only 2 had heard of her - neither fans of sumo. (The 2 who did are fans of manga / anime)

The rest, even when told of her YDC involvement didn't know.

Doits-san - what makes you think so.

As it is - the 15 mins of fame sounds feasible

[Yoavoshimaru]

Would she be happy if Asashoryu retired from sumo?

[Doitsuyama]

And I understand Uchidate-san is known enough in Japan to be well beyond 15 minutes of fame already.

I considered this point a couple of days ago and put it to at least a dozen Japanese - all aged over 50 bar one in the past 2 days. Few traditionalists and fans of various aspects of Kabuki, Noh, Takarazuka etc

Only 2 had heard of her - neither fans of sumo. (The 2 who did are fans of manga / anime)

The rest, even when told of her YDC involvement didn't know.

Doits-san - what makes you think so.

As it is - the 15 mins of fame sounds feasible

I didn't write "well-known" or "famous". We are talking about the legendary 15 minutes of fame, and if 2 out of 15 have heard of her, it already sounds like well beyond that to me. I doubt that the kenshō-story is suitable for getting the 15 minutes anyway. Except to us foreigners of course... If she wants to get on the headlines she should put something more radical on the line, like "Ban foreigners in Sumo altogether" or "Make the NSK webstream available only to Japanese viewers". The last one would work in getting to me. ;)

[Jesinofuji]

Just because she has a degree of fame doesn't mean she'd be any less delighted to grab a little more. I think even she knows better than to make such radical requests as asking for all foreigners to be banned. She could so easily have done this Kensho thing privately. And what of her comments after last basho's zensho. I think its plain and obvious that she just doesn't like Asashoryu and will do whatever she can to disrupt any success he has. :-D

[Yubiquitoyama]

Just because she has a degree of fame doesn't mean she'd be any less delighted to grab a little more.  I think even she knows better than to make such radical requests as asking for all foreigners to be banned.  She could so easily have done this Kensho thing privately.  And what of her comments after last basho's zensho.  I think its plain and obvious that she just doesn't like Asashoryu and will do whatever she can to disrupt any success he has. :-)

Well, while I thought so too at first I have changed my mind after some of the messages sent to the sumo mailing list. They can more or less be summarized like this (observe, this is mainly regarding the kensho comment):

1) The circumstances around what she said seems to have been greatly exaggerated by the press. She seems to have more or less expressed an opinion about what she had observed; and an opinion which coincides with what several others, especially Japanese have: It does look strange when someone accepts the money with the left hand the same way most of us would think it strange when someone tries to shake our hand with the left. Right or wrong, it does look strange to many others than Ms Uchidate.

2) It's highly unlikely bordering on the impossible that Asashoryu has been able to do this for several years without it having been pointed out several times already, and he hasn't really denied that either. He could have and should have changed long before this actually became an issue.

3) To ciriticize a sitting Yokozuna is apparently nothing new, but rather a tradition which is stronger rather than weaker regarding the really strong yokozuna. Both Taiho and Kitanoumi were supposedly critisized when at the top of their game for things they really had done through their entire career, but which was not highlighted until they were in similar situations as Asashoryu. This has much less to do with Asashoryu being a foreigner than it has to do with Asashoryu being a dominant Yokozuna.

With this in mind, while I think the timing was bad, I don't think it was especially strange or even wrong by Ms Uchidate to bring it up, although, in this case, I doubt she intended it to become quite such an issue as it happened to become.

Edited April 2, 2004 by Yubiquitoyama