Sumo behind the scenes and Doyho-side

[Guest Lynn Matsuoka]

Thank you for this site! I am interested in everyone's input and ideas on sumo.

I have been working with sumo in Japan as a reportage artist for 31 years and have been a color commenator on the NHK T.V. real-time world wide tournament broadcasts for 12 years. You can see my website at http:// www.traditions.jp.

The active creation of authentic artwork and research for my commenatry makes it necessary to

go to sumo every basho( except July), and see as many rikishi and Oyakata personally as time allows.

Please let me know if you have an informed , intelligent question that you would like me to ask a certain rijkishi. I can often do that, depending on timing schedules. I assume it would be OK to post the question and the answer on this site, and let me know if I should mention your name.

I hope this is not a blatant commercial, but most of my sumo artwork is available- it supports my work with sumo. I look forward to the interaction this site makes possible!

gottsan desu

Lynn Matsuoka

[Mark Buckton]

Welcome Lynn.

One of the foremost foreign names in sumo in my own opinion.

[sekihiryu]

(Holiday feeling...)

wow! some knowledgeable and esteemed sumo devotees have joined quite recently. First Joe Kuroda and now you Lynn, this is as C Monty Burns would say..Excellent Smithers

I am really looking foward to some enlightened mature posts in the coming months.

Welcome aboard Lynn, your artwork is superb. The Musashimaru danpatsu print you did recently was beautiful.

I know Musashimaru must have been one of your favourite rikishi on the Doyho, who are your favourites of the current breed?

[Jonosuke]

Please let me know if you have an informed , intelligent question that you would like me to ask a certain rijkishi. I can often do that, depending on timing schedules.

Just wondering if you've heard anything new about Musashimaru oyakata's Dapatsu Ceremony. I suppose things like ticket sales are progressing as they should at this point.

Unfortunately I cannot make it but hopefully you can give us some inside info if you are going to be there. Thanks.

[Zenjimoto]

This forum is really coming of age now with the distinguished Lynn joining :-) Welcome, indeed! ;-) While I have you, any more stints on the NHK English commentary this basho? :-)

Cheers!

Zenjimoto

[bennyloh]

;-)

Welcome aboard Lynn Matsuokua, fantastic sumo paintings!

[bennyloh]

You can see my website at http:// www.traditions.jp.

;-) :-) Enjoyed browsing through!

Edited September 21, 2004 by bennyloh

[Onnagumo]

:-)

wow! some knowledgeable and esteemed sumo devotees have joined quite recently. First Joe Kuroda and now you Lynn, this is as C Monty Burns would say..Excellent Smithers

I can only second that.... Welcome aboard Lynn! Great to have another woman on this forum ;-)

[aderechelsea]

welcome aboard !!!!

your presence in the forum is much appreciated.Hope we will hear from you often ....

[Mark Buckton]

Please let me know if you have an informed , intelligent question that you would like me to ask a certain rijkishi.

Lynn,

I do have a question if I may but not for a rikishi per se.

Both regarding NHK's show.

First, is the English booth actually in the stadium as grammatically speaking some guests / hosts talk as if elsewhere. (most notably Maru & Ross Mihara on Day day 12)

Thanks

[Otokonoyama]

I do have a question if I may but not for a rikishi per se.

Both regarding NHK's show.

First, is the English booth actually in the stadium as grammatically speaking some guests / hosts talk as if elsewhere. (most notably Maru & Ross Mihara on Day day 12)

Thanks

Apologies for intruding, but one of the past broadcasts on NHK showed the English commentators in a studio at an NHK building, not the Kokugikan. You are correct in figuring the English sub-channel folks are elsewhere...

In another question for Lynn,

You mentioned today as a guest for day 13 (in a segment featuring Kotokaze...) that Konishiki was the first foreign rikishi to win a Makuuchi yusho. Didn't that honour go to Takamiyama (the current Azumazeki oyakata) in Nagoya back in the '70s?

[Sasanishiki]

1972 from memory

[Jakusotsu]

Correct: Nagoya '72 with 13-2 as M4 (+shukun-sho)

[Zentoryu]

Apologies for intruding, but one of the past broadcasts on NHK showed the English commentators in a studio at an NHK building, not the Kokugikan. You are correct in figuring the English sub-channel folks are elsewhere...

Yes, I remember a couple of months ago Doreen stating that they weren't in the same building.

[Mark Buckton]

You mentioned today as a guest for day 13 (in a segment featuring Kotokaze...) that Konishiki was the first foreign rikishi to win a Makuuchi yusho. Didn't that honour go to Takamiyama (the current Azumazeki oyakata) in Nagoya back in the '70s?

Thanks for the answer big guy. Appreciate that.

In the bit i quoted though - on errors - if you / I / we all, listen closely there are usually a few errors - most frequently shikona, but that said I guess many of the guests have a fair few years doing this and a lot of shikonas are not that different so slips of the tongue / pressure of being on air live are going to happen even to the best. Which of us in our daily lives (espec in a foreign tongue) never make a mistake?

Myself, kind of have a giggle at some of those times when the slips leads to barely hidden friction between some of the guests / hosts - live on air. (Enjoying a beer...)

[Otokonoyama]

In the bit i quoted though - on errors - if you / I / we all, listen closely there are usually a few errors - most frequently shikona, but that said I guess many of the guests have a fair few years doing this and a lot of shikonas are not that different so slips of the tongue / pressure of being on air live are going to happen even to the best.  Which of us in our daily lives (espec in a foreign tongue) never make a mistake?

Myself, kind of have a giggle at some of those times when the slips leads to barely hidden friction between some of the guests / hosts - live on air. (Applauding...)

I agree...I can accept a few on-air slip-ups... (Enjoying a beer...)

What I have trouble with, are some of the other comments (made by most of the English commentators) that either make the rikisi seem like machines ie. Asashoryu is completely unbothered by his losses, he doesn't let it get to him...Or, make excuses for each and every rikishi who performs poorly ie. "inserst shikona here" has been plagued by injury, and can't do sumo the way he'd like...

Come on! (Applauding...) That may be true in some cases, but in ALL cases? I realize the English-side guests are often friends with some of the rikishi, and get special favours & gifts, but perhaps this closeness had clouded their objectivity... (Applauding...)

I greatly miss Akebono in the broadcast booth...he told it like it is. Musashimaru isn't half bad at that either. And the one time Sentoryu was a guest was good too.

[Asashosakari]

Which of us in our daily lives (espec in a foreign tongue) never make a mistake?

I agree...I can accept a few on-air slip-ups... (Whistling...)

speak for yourselves.

personally i have never been wrong about anything in my life

You've also never done commentary on NHK's sumo broadcasts, so there. ;-)

[Mark Buckton]

Which of us in our daily lives (espec in a foreign tongue) never make a mistake?

I agree...I can accept a few on-air slip-ups... (Applauding...)

speak for yourselves.

personally i have never been wrong about anything in my life

You've also never done commentary on NHK's sumo broadcasts, so there. :-D

Asa-san,

you totally missed the irony in Nishi's post. :-P

[Asashosakari]

Nah, don't think I did, considering my own post was entirely tongue-in-cheek. (But perhaps I was just too subtle, despite the smiley that really should have given it away.)

[Taizeniki]

Welcome aboard, Lynn... of course I have admired your work via the internet for some years now. Thank you for what you do to so beautifully immortalize the art of sport. :-)

[Otokonoyama]

Thank you for this site! I am interested in everyone's input and ideas on sumo.

I have been working with sumo in Japan as a reportage artist for 31 years and have been a color commenator on the NHK T.V. real-time world wide tournament broadcasts for 12 years. You can see my website at http:// www.traditions.jp.

The active creation of authentic artwork and research for my commenatry makes it necessary to

go to sumo every basho( except July), and see as many rikishi and Oyakata personally as time allows.

Please let me know if you have an informed , intelligent question that you would like me to ask a certain rijkishi. I can often do that, depending on timing schedules. I assume it would be OK to post the question and the answer on this site, and let me know if I should mention your name.

I hope this is not a blatant commercial, but most of my sumo artwork is available- it supports my work with sumo. I look forward to the interaction this site makes possible!

gottsan desu

Lynn Matsuoka

We all welcome someone with such a strong background and involvement in the sumo world B-)

I do hope you have a chance to become more involved in the discussions on this forum. We all become more informed about sumo when we have the chance to discuss it with fans such as yourself :-)