What kind of Featured X would be best?

[Rijicho]

Featured Rikishi has been on for a long time now and it has been wonderful and educating in many ways. Now it appears though that it needs a break for a while so it can bloom again in the future.

I am thinking of opening a new Featured X-rotation. This poll attempts to screen the preferences of members. I have included the main options/ideas of mine in the poll but nothing prevents from coming up with a new proposition.

Most are self-explanatory but "Featured Ozumo Related Phenomenon/Detail" is more vaque. It would have wide array of various Ozumo related topics like "mawashi", "gyoji", "hanamichi", "masu-seki", "Hatsu basho", "Big Toe in Ozumo", "Kokugikan", "Osaka-zumo", "tokoyama", "7-7 yaocho", "sumodou", "NSK", "koen", "shikiri", "chankonabe", "EKG in sumo" etc.

The more the votes, the better so please everybody vote.

[Kashunowaka]

All oyakata are former rikishi, and we already have some oyakata in the Featured Rikishi subforum. So I think it would just be confusing with Featured Oyakata as well.

I like the category Featured Major Events in Ozumo.

On the other hand, must this necessarily be a scheduled thing? It's not like we are a Sumo magazine ... Many wonderful articles have been written in this forum already, either spontaneously or as replies to questions from other members.

[Mattjila]

I added an other. Why? Well, it'd be cool if you could do something about a gyoji or yobidashi. Maybe they are too boring to be featured, but I'm still interested in them, and perhaps one of them has a good story?

[Jonosuke]

As much as I can relate personally to "Big Toe" in or off Ozumo, I picked the Other to discuss the history of sumo - perhaps we can discuss about yokozunas and ozekis of the bygone days. I also think it's a good idea to introduce a topic which we can add it to FAQ for the newbies.

[Elenrian]

A heya report could be interesting!!! We never talk about that here!!! I know only that this rikishi is in this heya, and so on, but that's all! But, if we talk about heyas, we should speak about oyakatas, too!!!

[Ryukaze]

I voted for Other, I would like to write on a Featured Sumoudou aspect.

I'd like to write my thoughts on Sumoudou at length and read what other members think about them and how it fits in with the general perception and understanding of what Sumou is.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bump Shiroikuma! Id like to write about aspects of sumoudo as well. Technique etc. then again we can all post on whatever but......

[Sasanishiki]

I think kimarite get a good look at certain times when we discuss bouts during hon-basho and with the yearly wrap up on the kimarite used (Showing respect...) . If it was to become a thread then there would be a lot of "remember when X did that to Y, look at the video here" type posts, which might not really add to what is already here. I think things like exploring the heyas could be good, but would have to come down to having the members in Japan, or those who have been to a certain heya, adding their insights otherwise we end up just talking about a few rikishi.

Sumodo could be interesting, and we have already had some discussions along those lines in the last few months (I'm thinking of the rooster story among others). Beyond that I think anything that can promote interesting discussion and which doesn't necessarily come back to all the rikishi that we talk about anyway would be good.

[Kintamayama]

I would be interested to hear what music they listen to and why, and what their stand vis a vis the ozone layer situation is.

[Kasugaran]

I like the featured Rikishi, but if that is going to be changed, then it has to be a featured Heya. I really like sufing around the different Heya websites and would be interested to hear everyone's take on each one.

[Manekineko]

I voted for decade - mostly because I'd love to know more about sumo history... so far I am familiar with 90s and of corse the 2000s. (Sigh...) But reviewing 60s, or 30s, might be really interesting. Old stuff rocks! (Showing respect...)

[Mark Buckton]

A dedicated campaign to

a. show the NSK we (aliens from around the globe are out here and care about sumo.

b. fix on a point we agree on herein via a poll (majority carried) and mail / write to the NSK to illustrate our point - perhaps help influence change.

Suggestion on main point - removing Fukuoka and Nagoya from the rotation of basho and have alternate sites chosen.

On sumouuudouuu - sorry shiroikuma but that would boil down to your beliefs alone - often versus reality as was demonstrated in the thread on the hand gestures.

On heya visits - good but limited potential with just 5 of us in or near Tokyo that I know. Have been to approx 12-15 heya but haven't the time or energy to write up that many.

[Jejima]

I voted heya.

But my meaning is not just the building etc, but all the rikishi within. It would be interesting to get all the stats for all the rikishi in a heya. Also who is tsukebito to who etc...

[Rijicho]

Shiroikuma: I like that idea a lot. Perhaps you could open threads at your chosen interval with the title "Sumodou - " and then could write about your thoughts on the matters. Would be really interesting to read and discuss those and have some debates and different views/thoughts on the matter. So please do open such threads in Ozumo Discussion. I would spare the "Featured X" for something else though because whereas sumodou is undoubtedly intrinsic and essential part of ozumo and will trigger discussion here, it is also a topic would be quite conversational (and commentary to your opening messages) as opposed to topics that can also be discussed from pure concrete basis that most members understand by default. For example Featured heya would have different levels as one could simply list the active rikishi and other personnel, former rikishi, heya's history in numbers, physical location, interiors, atmosphere etc and then also subjective opinions on heya's prospects, current competitive hierarchy, oyakata charm etc. Same with most other options. Sumodou is more abstract if it is a "way of life in ozumo" or way of principles and developing oneself. As such a great topic and like I said, to me at least very interesting, but could possibly be a bit too abstract to be a Featured X-thread for all members. But indeed, looking forward to your featured sumodou thread in ozumo discussions!

Featured Rikishi will be back in time. It is just having a creative break. No use of overfeeding same concept without breaks.

Thanks a lot for all comments so far! It is interesting to note that all options get support which is a good sign. All options have their advantages and disadvantages obeying the universal rule of any selection process and whatever the new Featured X-rotation will be, should be interesting in one way or the other.

Adachi: I didn't fully understand the spesific core of your suggestions but of course such polls and and threads where forum members collectively gather thoughts, suggestions or whatever to NSK can be opened at any time. You mean sumoforum would send a some sort of "address" to NSK expressing the majority's suggestions for reforms in ozumo? I wonder if NSK's PR-humans search the net at all checking what kind of sumopages are on-line outside Japan. If I'd be Rijicho (well...) and eager to spread ozumo awareness so much with koen and so, it would definitely be in the agenda to find out what people think and discuss about ozumo outside Japan. At least for the curiosity of how ozumo's culture is seen outside Japan or why do foreigners like ozumo even if they have never been to Japan etc.

[Fujisan]

I voted for major events in Ozumo but any historical information would interest me.

[Frinkanohana]

I'd like to know more about sumo history. Most interesting would be features about historic rikishi, for example the first yokozunas or other great rikishi like Raiden.

[Mark Buckton]

You mean sumoforum would send a some sort of "address" to NSK expressing the majority's suggestions for reforms in ozumo?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

exactly my point. (Shaking head...)

[Kasugaran]

I voted heya.

But my meaning is not just the building etc, but all the rikishi within.  It would be interesting to get all the stats for all the rikishi in a heya.  Also who is tsukebito to who etc...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, the building only. Heya architecture is very very interesting. Why would we want to know about what goes on inside???? (Shaking head...)

[Mark Buckton]

and the answer is Kakitsune?

Numerically the heya have it.

[QttP]

Featured computer game!

[Kasugaran]

Featured computer game!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Chiyonofuji Sumo! It was the best game I ever played. Unfortunately my Nintendo has long bitten the dust..... I had Terao Sumo too, but it just wasn't the same! (In a state of confusion...)

[Rijicho]

Featured Heya will begin now. One had to be chosen and featured heya does shed light on many lower ranked rikishi too in an automatic kind of way + it also enables some oyakata talk so overall hopefully will bring lower ranked rikishi and some history of sumo and oyakata more into spotlight too.

There are some large heya and then some very small heya. At first I'll combine one large heya and one small heya so that there are two heya in one thread at a time.

Same principle as in Featured Rikishi ie. topic is pinned in Ozumo discussions and unpinned when the next Featured Heya-thread is opened. Don't know yet where the unpinned Featured Heya goes but possibly into the Featured Rikishi - subforum and in that case, I'll chance the name of the subforum from Featured Rikishi to something more suitable.

But for now, I hope Featured Heya-threads will turn out to be positive addition to the forum. Naturally anything related to the heya can be discussed. Examples are physical heya environment, history of heya, oyakata of heya, intra-heya dynamics, rikishi from jonokuchi to yokozuna in the heya, tokoyama, yobidashi, ichimon-status, recruiting, keiko specialities, de-geiko gathering hosting, heya visits by members, pictures of heya, heya's official and unofficial websites, how morning shivering oyakata look in the heya, what is the coaching atmosphere etc. etc.