Mainoumi interviews Asasekiryuu-long!

[Kintamayama]

This translation took me ages. I'm a bit out of my league here, but I did my best..If anyone can improve it, here is the link:

http://www.asahi.com/sports/column/TKY200404210164.html

Mainoumi interviews Asasekiryuu

It took him 20 bashos to get to Makuuchi since his Sumo debut. In Haru, he got his first Sansho, a double sansho no less. The "Red Wolf" will try to distinguish himself in Natsu as well.

M: Haru was great for you, wasn't it? Since last September you had three consecutive make koshis. And suddenly 13-2.. How did this happen??

A: How did this happen?? Really..(Laughs) I won one, I won two, I started feeling better and better. I wasn't nervous at all. After I got my kachi koshi, I became totally calm. I felt I was attacking well, and was also able to sustain my opponents' attacks without any problems. I did do some bad pulling, but I felt I had good self-control.

M: You were aiming for the yusho, weren't you?

A: After my 12th consecutive win, I was, a bit, and then lost..

M: You hail from Ulan Bator, just like Asashouryuu, right?

A: I was born about 200 kilometers south of Ulan Bator. My mother came from Ulan Bator to visit her parents in their village. I was born in a tent out in the plains. I was supposed to be born in a hospital, but I was born two months earlier than expected..

M: Were your grandparents nomads?

A: They owned and raised some 120 horses. My father works for a company, but he comes from the same village as my mother, and he too was born in a tent.

M: Did you ride horses when you were young?

A: Yes, since I was about five years old. Every summer I use to go to the country for three months for my summer holidays, and helped take care of the horses. I used to ride them to their pastures and give them water. We used to train the one year olds so they would let people ride them. We also went racing on fast horses for a few kilometers. Around the age of nine I became too heavy and couldn't ride anymore, so I quit.

M: Did you want to do Sumo ever since you were a child?

A: My father did Mongolian Sumo, so I did some training, but I never did any real Sumo.

A: What brought you to Japan?

M: Meitoku Senior High School had an overseas student program, and they were taking applications for it. It was on TV. About 200 people applied. Thirty passed the first stage. Then they held a Sumo contest. Asashouryuu won the contest, and 4 others , including me, were also chosen. I was the youngest of the 30 who reached the final stage.

A: You weren't even 15 then. Weren't you a bit bewildered?

M: I passed a Sumo exam, so yes, I was quite bewildered. The news said they were looking for people who did Judo and Sumo, actually. The truth is I wanted to do Judo. On the other hand, I wanted to go overseas and see what it's like. I wanted to see how it would be living far away from my parents.

M: What was your impression when you first arrived in Japan?

A: I was surprised. I expected to see everyone walking around in kimonos and getas(laughs)..,All I knew about Japan at that time was from watching TV series(Oshin). After deciding to come over, I started watching them more intently..

M: Did you ever want to go home because of the hardships?

A: Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I didn't want to lose face, and my Senpai would have been very angry with me. I didn't even know stuff like taping my feet and hands, and subsequently my skin was all peeled and it was very painful. It was very difficult for me. I would have been ashamed to leave in the middle. I would never have been able to face my parents. My classmates all cheered me on and even jointly contributed their allowance to help me go, and gave me all kinds of souveniers.

M; So you endured it like "Oshin"?

A: No, "Oshin" was too patient..(laughs..)

(Don't worry, I lost it here too..Anyone? what is Oshin? Am I guessing correctly it's a Japanese TV series?? MD)

M: Why did you decide to become a pro?

A: Well, Asashouryuu came to visit the school a year after he entered Sumo, clad in his kimono and with the bintsuke (special hair oil) smelling sweetly, and I thought he looked real cool. I also thought it would be cool if I could also come back to the school like that once..I didn't want to be the only one returning to Mongolia..I was told by my parents-"Go to high school and study!", but Asashouryuu said, "Come on, join me, it's OK. You can surely do it!!". If he hadn't said those words to me, I think I would never have turned pro.

M: Asashouryuu has a great influence. Does he talk to you during the Basho?

A: In the evening when we return to the heya, he asks "How was it today?" After I joined Sumo, he is no longer a friend-he is now a senior. We will always be friends, but it's different now. After he reached Ozeki and Yokozuna, I understood myself how things are. And he is also married now..

M: Is your objective to be like Asashouryuu?

A: Yes it is.. I'm always being compared to him. I keep thinking how long it took him to become Yokozuna. After all, I want to become Yokozuna too. We came together from Mongolia. I'd like to face him in a playoff. I'd also want to be famous for my "Department Store of Tricks", just like Mainoumi-san (laughs)

Summary: He came to see Japan and entered Sumo. He is like the old school of rikishi-hungry for success, and willing to endure all hardships to reach his goal. He also has a certain gentleness that Asashouryuu doesn't have. We may be seeing a "Red and Blue" era soon..

Asasekiryuu and Mainoumi;

Edited April 23, 2004 by Kintamayama

[Zenjimoto]

Good interview! Thanks for the hard translating work, Moti! (Applauding...)

[MongolPower]

Thank you nice interview! He does have a gentle side, doesn't he? I hope his gentleness doesn't get in the way of sumo.

Oshin is an old Japanese TV series that was broadcast in Mongolia. Oshin is also name of the woman who endures a lot of hardship and pain and losses. I really liked Oshin and felt sorry for her even though it was a TV series.

Edited April 24, 2004 by MongolPower

[Manekineko]

Asasekiryuu and Mainoumi;

Translation much appreciated - it must have been really tough. BTW, is any one else surprosed by how tiny Mainoumi looks when compared with Asaseki? (Applauding...)

[Takanobaka]

Translation much appreciated - it must have been really tough. BTW, is any one else surprosed by how tiny Mainoumi looks when compared with Asaseki? (Shaking head...)

Not really.....he looked pretty tiny compared to everyone back in the day, and with his body type, he was probably one who naturally shed quite a few pounds after stopping the rikishi diet...

[aderechelsea]

Great interview ..... (Sign of approval)

your work is always appreciated Kinta-san.

:-O