Asashouryuu Goes After Hakuhou

[Kintamayama]

Injury or no injury, Asashouryuu was at the keikoba. After watching Hakuhou have 24 bouts with Miyabiyama and others and beating them all, he caught Hakuhou's eye, and did head to head butsugari geiko with him for ten minutes. It was so intensive that Musashigawa Oyakata , who was watching, asked them to stop, which they didn't of course. After this violent training session, all Hakuhou said was, "It was a good keiko session!"

[MongolPower]

Hope they didn't injure each other!

[Zuikakuyama]

How did shoryu manage that with a broken finger??

[Kintamayama]

How did shoryu manage that with a broken finger??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think the finger is broken, just "injured"... Maybe strained, maybe sprained. Since the healing time was said to be two weeks, I doubt it's broken.

[Araiwa]

It was so intensive that Musashigawa Oyakata , who was watching, asked them to stop, which they didn't of course.

Well, I have heard that Musashigawa Beya is known for its very harsh training. I hope I am not mistaken, but if even Musashigawa Oyakata says no, then it must have been truly hard.

So Hakuho lost none of his 24 bouts, really? Not even against experienced Miyabiyama?! I wonder if Hakuho had any days free of keiko since Kyushu Basho...

[Kintamayama]

he caught Hakuhou's eye, and did  head to head butsugari geiko with him for ten minutes

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Head to head Butsukarigeiko (Nodding yes...) What does this mean, Moti?

How does that differ from non-head-to-head? (Sign of approval)

I take it to mean that Asashouyryuu basically lent his chest to Hakuhou and just resisted very hard. You don't have to use your arms in this at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

By head to head I meant one on one, just the two of them on the dohyo, for ten minutes, while others were there. From the article, that seemed to be out of the ordinary. As for the way it was done, I have no idea, but by the report, it was a hectic, violent scene.

Edited December 8, 2004 by Kintamayama

[Yoavoshimaru]

Head-to-Head as opposed to "The Chiyotaikai Method" of ignoring your superior competition or the "The Takamisakari Approach" which has already been discussed at too much length.

Good for Hakuho, good for Asashoryu, both improve as a result of this.

[Jonosuke]

I guess fortunately for Asashoryu, this may not be as widely circulated as if I have not had it my wiresevice report but this is a type of things that would give Asashoryu a really bad image.

I am a fan of Asashoryu as much as Ryu is but this type of conduct would not endear him to many sumo fans nor earn any respect from oyakatas and other rikishis.

Let me tell you why. The Kyokai is currently doing one of their mini-Jyungyo tour - a mini-tour because it is not organized by them but this one they just had in Taruizumi City is entirely sponsored by a local promoter, a president of regional company. I am sure to bring them to the city, he as well as many other volunteers worked days and nights, promoting it locally and making arrangements etc for over 300 people as in this tour they had bouts starting from Sandanme rikishis.

Many people around there must have got up mightly early in the morning for possibly one in many years chance to see Ozumo and rikishis live in person. But they find the yokozuna only doing a dohyo-iri but not competing at all. You may not think this may not be a big deal but it is to them as there is a lot of rural folks come to see these Jyungyo tours. Remember they live far away from Tokyo and probably don't even get a chance to go to Fukuoka. How do you feel if you bought a ticket to a music festival in your home town but the top billing group did not perform even though they came along with the tour.

They understand as well as anyone that if a rikishi is hurt and they cannot compete and if he is a yokozuna they appreciate him doing dohyo-iri for them at least. Akebono has done that, Musashimaru has done it when they were injured but did not particpate in the actual competition.

Then the next day they open up a paper and read a story about the yokozuna doing a Keiko so intensive that an oyakata had to step in and stop it. Now how do you feel if you are the person who bought the ticket months ago and showed up at the event and missed him compete. How do you feel if you are the promoter who spent countless hours of his time and money to bring in the event to his local town? This isn't certainly a way to make them feel appreciated. He was healthy enough to do hard training but not good enough to compete for then on the dohyo. You cannot gain many fans this way.

I imagine from Asashoryu's point of view, a Jyungyo is a great time to train as all rikishis are there in one spot. He does not go far to do any training sessions. But he has to realize that they are there for a major reason - for the fans. You really have to make a time for them as well. You really cannot be self-centered in these tours - this could have been another day for training for rikishis but it could have been once a lifetime chance for some. As a leading yokozuna Asashoryu really has to think about the whole organization and for Ozumo. He may still have a chance to do keiko once he gets back to Tokyo but for these people living there, there may not be another chance.

I am sure the Kyokai people must go around the circuit apologizing profusely after a story like this appears. Asashoryu must have heard from the Jyungyo director, Kitanoumi oyakata as well as from Takasago oyakata after this too. As a yokozuna, his responsibility and obligation extends far beyond the border of the dohyo. As the top man on the dohyo, he represents Ozumo and is the leader - I really think that he lacks this awareness.

As a Yokozuna he has to do far more than any other rikishi off-dohyo as well to have the fans come see the bouts and gain more Ozumo fans. I am disappointed that he appears to fail often in this regard. And that is one of the main reasons he will not be joining the rank of great yokozunas of the past anytime soon. Now you can understand why so many Japanese people don't particularly like him and he is not winning any fans there.

[Doitsuyama]

Joe, I respect your opinion a lot. But isn't butsukari-keiko a lot different from actual bouts, especially in connection to the use of an injured hand. I guess it's ok to have special forms of training when injured while at the same being totally unable to do the full thing.

[Jonosuke]

But isn't butsukari-keiko a lot different from actual bouts, especially in connection to the use of an injured hand. I guess it's ok to have special forms of training when injured while at the same being totally unable to do the full thing.

I know it and you know it and likely most who've been to a keiko know it's not a moushiai or sanban keiko either. This is about a perception that people may get as they form their opinion based on media reports and the media tend not to distinguish a keiko from a jyungyo tour.

I have not seen this report but neither have I seen the Jyungyo tour results from there. So the media report whatever they think is news and in this case Asashoryu's doing hard training. On the surface it's a good thing but for the local folks there I really doubt it. They'd think, "Oh yeah he didn't compete but I heard he was doing a pretty tough keiko session."

I imagine when most people think a sumo keiko, they probably think of what they saw on news reports or Souken training sessions. On these rikishis do go after each other pretty hard.

With the picture Moti put it up here for us of Asashoryu all bandaged up, if Asashoryu had gone pretty hard after someone, it could have injured him as his hand looked like pretty patched up. So obviously he didn't. He could have just "lent" his chest to Hakuho but may have got carried away a bit.

My basic thought on this is that because of who he is, he will always be the center of attention and will be reported accordingly. He should know better now after all the troubles he went through in the last two years. Of course he can't worry about how media will report all the time but once in a jyungyo tour like this I believe he will need to be more sensitive to his surroundings. He will need to learn to act more "gracefully".

[Jonosuke]

Here's a good news for Asashoryu fans. He received this year's "Pro Sports " award from Hochi Sports newspaper. This is the awards the newspaper gives to the outstanding athlete in each pro sports category like golf and baseball. Seattle Mariners' Ichiro received the special "Pro Sports" award this year as well. I am sure you will get a photo from Kinta-kun or other resourceful person here soon.

The Ozumo award was given to Takamisakari last year.

[Ryukaze]

he caught Hakuhou's eye ??? you mean Hakuho caught his eye? lol I appreciate Hakuho's rather "undaunted" attitude toward Shoryu, as my boy needs all the competition he can get (which hasn't been much as of late!) I just hope Hakuho can at least provide him with some sort of a rival in the coming future, and not just a "one upset" wonder lol. Nonetheless it will be interesting to see their next bout come Hatsu "Kondo wa dare ga yarareru n daro"!?--- Ryu

[Phelix]

There is a difference between gaining the respect of the press and gaining the respect of the people. The press aren

[ilovesumo]

Oh dear..... (Clapping wildly...)

I am a little afraid...

Think Asa knows what fans think about the "future-war"...

want's to set an "I am still the one", hum?

[Gusoyama]

I didn't know about the mini-jungyo, but I can definitely relate to the "I'm injured so I don't want to play" routine. A baseball player did that this year with the Red Sox. He wouldn't play the last two days before the All-Star Break, citing injury, but played just fine in the All-Star Game itself.

Yes, it wasn't the same as going full out in a normal situation, but it still looked bad to the fans, if you ask me.

that aside, I see many fierce yusho-deciding musubi-no-ichiban matches between these two, if they both stay healthy...and its going to be great!

[MongolPower]

There is a difference between gaining the respect of the press and gaining the respect of the people. The press aren

[hoshidango]

I am in sales & marketing business and feel what Jonoske wrote here occurred in quite few local fans mind... Small thing but potential marketing disaster..

Another things is yes he still lacks that basic savvy, but I kind of think others should advice him a little better ones, too.