Sumo

[Unkotare]

Anyone else following the Grand Sumo Tournament out of Osaka, on-going right now?

 

[Wicked Jester]

Anyone else following the Grand Sumo Tournament out of Osaka, on-going right now?

Naaaaaah...there's just somethin' a lil' too disturbing about two fat dudes with thongs shoved up their cracks, grappling with each other.

 

[Unkotare]

I'm almost certain you'd enjoy it if you knew something about it. This is generally the case with most sports.

 

[Unkotare]

Tomorrow is the last day of the Osaka tournament if anyone has the chance to catch it.

 

[Unkotare]

Well, the tournament just wrapped up and the winner was Yokozuna Hakuho. He finished with a perfect 15-0 record for the 9th time in his career as Grand Champion - the most ever in the entire long history of the sport.

 

[blackcherry]

The only thing of interest is that the land of Lard Mountains --- the USA -- is not competing competitively .
But the sport has nothing to commend it and aesthetically is tasteless .

 

[Unkotare]

The only thing of interest is that the land of Lard Mountains --- the USA -- is not competing competitively .
But the sport has nothing to commend it and aesthetically is tasteless .

Your personal ignorance reflects only on yourself and not at all on the ancient sport of Sumo.

 

[Mad Scientist]

How many Tournaments did they have to skip due to the Match Fixing scandal? (That would never happen here boys and girls, America has too much integrity to let that happen in ANY Professional Sport)

I used to watch in the mid 90's when I lived in Japan. Akebono and the "Futago-Yama" beya twins were on top. Some other guy, I can't remember his name other than he looked like he stepped straight out of a Flintstones cartoon, Hawaiian guy (EDIT: It was Mushashi Maru!).

Happy to report I only watched that bi-lingual Sumo broadcast one time. If you don't watch it in Japanese, you're missing a vital element of the Sumo tradition. Or at least I think so.

The tension on day 15 is amazing isn't it? The two guys with the best records going at each other. The Tachi-Ai (is that what it's called?) three times before they start bumpin' each other for the Emperors Cup!

What I liked to do was watch the wrestlers when they towel themselves off at their corners. Do they wipe their face THEN their pits or the other way around?

EDIT 2: I remember watching Chiyonofuji (The Wolf) a few times when I was stationed in Okinawa. There's video somewhere of him picking up and tossing out Konishiki!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsqtyeFOXlM]Chiyonofuji Sumo 53 match win streak - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Unkotare]

How many Tournaments did they have to skip due to the Match Fixing scandal? (That would never happen here boys and girls, America has too much integrity to let that happen in ANY Professional Sport)

I used to watch in the mid 90's when I lived in Japan. Akebono and the "Futago-Yama" beya twins were on top. Some other guy, I can't remember his name other than he looked like he stepped straight out of a Flintstones cartoon, Hawaiian guy (EDIT: It was Mushashi Maru!).

Happy to report I only watched that bi-lingual Sumo broadcast one time. If you don't watch it in Japanese, you're missing a vital element of the Sumo tradition. Or at least I think so.

The tension on day 15 is amazing isn't it? The two guys with the best records going at each other. The Tachi-Ai (is that what it's called?) three times before they start bumpin' each other for the Emperors Cup!

What I liked to do was watch the wrestlers when they towel themselves off at their corners. Do they wipe their face THEN their pits or the other way around?

EDIT 2: I remember watching Chiyonofuji (The Wolf) a few times when I was stationed in Okinawa. There's video somewhere of him picking up and tossing out Konishiki!

They only cancelled one major tournament over the match-fixing scandal.

The staring-down thing they do before the bout is called the shikiri. The tachiai is the initial charge at each other at the start of a match. The shikiri is commonly done three times, but in fact they don't have to do it all three times. Technically, any time the two rikishi mutually agree to start the match, it starts. If both men put both fists on the shikiri-zen at the same time - it's on no matter what. In this most recent tournament in Osaka one of Yokozuna Hakuho's matches started 'early.' Everyone was surprised because it happens so infrequently.

No Americans in the upper ranks right now, although Musashimaru is now an Oyakata himself. Lately it's been the Mongolians really dominating. You see more and more Eastern Europeans these days though. One big, strapping lad from Egypt recently started in the lower ranks. We'll see how he does. Of course, the fans are hungry for the emergence of another strong Japanese Yokozuna. I don't see that happening soon, but there are a few young up and comers who might develop into something.

Konishiki, by the way, is still huge and is now the star of a popular children's television program.