Introduction to SUMO

looks like they're going to have the tournament, but evidently they're looking at hakuho's stable. if he was betting on baseball then the sport might die.
 
Great thread! I love watching the lighter sumos win, such an impressive feat of athleticism. This is sticky worthy!
 
The Black Spoon said:
What are the mat things the crowd fling into the sumo circle?
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those are zabuton and they're the cushions that people sit on. they throw them into the ring after a big upset, specifically when a yokozuna gets beaten. i think i've seen them do it for other matches too, but that's rare. it's funny because when they all start throwing them you'll see the old people in the front put the cushions over their heads to shield themselves, and you'll hear a voice over the announcement system asking people to please stop tossing them. it's a big tradition, but the sumo association wants it to stop, so it's a rare example of japanese people flouting authority.
 
fantastic thread.

thank you for posting. an interesting, excellent read.

cheers! :)
 
GoForkYourself said:
those are zabuton and they're the cushions that people sit on. they throw them into the ring after a big upset, specifically when a yokozuna gets beaten. i think i've seen them do it for other matches too, but that's rare. it's funny because when they all start throwing them you'll see the old people in the front put the cushions over their heads to shield themselves, and you'll hear a voice over the announcement system asking people to please stop tossing them. it's a big tradition, but the sumo association wants it to stop, so it's a rare example of japanese people flouting authority.
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that was mostly common especially when assashoryu lost. a randon ojiichan probably hoped he would nail asa right on the head. :D
 
Just wanted to say txs TS for making this great thread.
No time now, but will read it and check the vids.
 
SuperGNP said:
that was mostly common especially when assashoryu lost. a randon ojiichan probably hoped he would nail asa right on the head. :D
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lawlz yeah. i'm pretty sure i've seen them hitting him in the face at least once, but i can't find the video of it.
 
another basho come and gone, and i just thought i would post an interesting sumo documentary just uploaded on youtube. it's about the legendary yokozuna Futabayama who was active in the 30's and 40's, and his record 69 wins in a row. the current yokozuna Hakuho is on a winning streak of his own right now, with 62 (i believe) wins in a row so a lot of the talk these days in sumo is about Hakuho breaking Futabayama's record, which he'll have the chance to do in the next tournament.



(Part 2//3//4)

unfortunately the documentary is in japanese of course, but i can't get enough of old footage of sumo, and this is historic stuff.

39141357733842fe96c5.jpg
 
if hakuho doesn't break the record it's the upset of the year in combat sports.

the current crop of rikishi is particularly sad, the ozeki can't even average over ten wins!

terrible.
 
bumping this thread back up. a new tournament that has the potential of being truly historic is less than two weeks away.

if anyone is looking for an excuse to start following sumo, the next tournament should be a good one.
 
Damn..... that is a badass statue.

How was the chase for the record been publicized in Japan? Do they still care? Has it masked the gambling incident?
 
Thanks for making this thread, and thanks again for bumping it. I know next to nothing about sumo, and this was an interesting read.

Concerning Machida, for what it's worth, here is a picture of him during his sumo days:
20090518061624_IMG_7097.JPG

He doesn't look 115 kg to me, but I'm usually bad at guessing weight.
 
Lapu-Lapu said:
Damn..... that is a badass statue.

How was the chase for the record been publicized in Japan? Do they still care? Has it masked the gambling incident?
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i should say rather that the statue is of a buddhist deity, but that it's modeled after hakuho.

and yeah, hakuho's unbeaten streak is pretty much the only storyline in sumo right now, and from what i can tell it has overtaken the gambling scandal. there was also a kind of scandal about kotomitsuki suing the sumo association for forcing him to retire (because of the gambling scandal) but that's in the background.

recently there was another report of violence in a sumo stable, where a coach (oyakata) struck one of the hairdressers (tokoyama) at the stable (causing him to leave the stable) because the hairdresser had been bullying other younger members of the stable. this happened at the oitekaze stable which is where kokkai trains.

but as far as i know all of this is superseded by hakuho's race for 70 wins in a row. i wouldn't say i have a great handle on what's being discussed in the world of sumo in japan, but this is the sense i get.

and that's a cool picture of machida in sumo, i wish i could find out more about his (or tamura's) sumo matches.
 
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With all that pushing, "lateral drop" comes to mind. It quickly leaves my mind after considering what would happen if I missed the throw and one of those monsters landed on me!
 
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