Anybody Interested in Sumo?

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

Sure, it looks like two giant angry babies titty-bumping in a sandbox, but it's actually pretty awesome.

I ask the title question because I'm hooked on the sport, and I wonder if anybody else watches. Earlier today, the first matches in the July tournament took place. A fellow by the name of NattoSumo posts all of the first division matches on YouTube. He keeps getting banned by the Japanese government's TV station, but he keeps coming back. He is now NattoSumo7. This was today's card:

 

 

There was major controversy in a match, as it appears that the judges gave a win to a wrestler who didn't deserve to win. You see, nothing but the soles of your feet can touch the ground before your opponent touches. In this case, Golden Boy Hoshoryu seems to have grazed his fingers along the sand before his opponent fell to the ground. Exhibit "A" below. 

It was not seen by the judges, or it was ignored, even though they have a replay system for close calls like this. Hoshoryu is my favorite wrestler so I kinda dug the no call. 

There were other aspects of today's bouts that were interesting, but I won't bore anybody with them if there is no interest. In any event, here is Exhibit "A," which is particularly damning if you embiggen the image to see the sand falling from the hand and the line drawn in the sand:

[BuckyBadger]

I watch the tournaments from time to time. If you get the NHK app on Roku or whatever streaming service you use they show each days matches. It’s free.

When I was watching more frequently Hakuho was dominating, but he might be retired now?

Edited July 13, 2023 by BuckyBadger

[tgrass21]

1 hour ago, BuckyBadger said:

I watch the tournaments from time to time. If you get the NHK app on Roku or whatever streaming service you use they show each days matches. It’s free.

When I was watching more frequently Hakuho was dominating, but he might be retired now?

Yeah Hakuho retired.  Hasn't been the same since he retired.  I still watch, but lost a little interest since he and a few other yokozuna retired.  There is only one yokozuna now and he always seems injured.  

[mspart]

I watch from time to time but I would not say I am hooked on it. 

mspart

[Pipewrench]

I follow Sumo each basho.  Makushita, Juryo and Makuuchi divisions.   Very easy to get caught up in the sport and the Japanese culture.  

Favorite rikishi:   Akiseyama, Enho, Midorifuji, Ura, Horshoru, Tobizaru, Daiesho, WMH, Asanoyama.

The athleticism and flexibility for MOST of these rikishi is amazing. 

Agreed upon NattoSumo for your viewing.  Excellent info for each wrestler, heya, records, etc.    

[Threadkilla]

I love Sumo. I started watching it in the 1990's when Akebono and Musashimaru were working  their way up the ranks.  Akebono was Hawiian born Chad Rowan and Musashimaru was American Somoan raised in Hawaii.  Musa was an accomplished Greco wrestler. . They were the first 2 foreign born Yokazuna and both were huge 525lb plus wrestlers..  I contracted for Japan Gas Corp for several years  and kept following sumo through the Yokozuna's Takanahana, Asashoryu and Hakuho the GOAT all of which were smaller 340 lb range but very athletic .  as well as the Ozeki Kaiho.  All of whom retired.  They are really hurting for a superstar but haven't had anyone consistant since Hakohu.   

I would rather watch Sumo than Basketball, Soccer and Baseball.  

[Pipewrench]

10 hours ago, Threadkilla said:

I love Sumo. I started watching it in the 1990's when Akebono and Musashimaru were working  their way up the ranks.  Akebono was Hawiian born Chad Rowan and Musashimaru was American Somoan raised in Hawaii.  Musa was an accomplished Greco wrestler. . They were the first 2 foreign born Yokazuna and both were huge 525lb plus wrestlers..  I contracted for Japan Gas Corp for several years  and kept following sumo through the Yokozuna's Takanahana, Asashoryu and Hakuho the GOAT all of which were smaller 340 lb range but very athletic .  as well as the Ozeki Kaiho.  All of whom retired.  They are really hurting for a superstar but haven't had anyone consistant since Hakohu.   

I would rather watch Sumo than Basketball, Soccer and Baseball.  

I was living in Japan, briefly back in 92-93 when Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishki (remember him?) were all wrestling.  Wak/Tak were great to watch back then.   I remember seeing the smallest rikishi at that time, Mainoumi go against Konishki....probably 200+ pound difference.  I truly enjoy watching the smaller rikishi with their speed and agility go against bigger and heavier ones.  The fact that there are no weight classes in Sumo is an amazing part of the sport.  I highly recommend a book, The Way of the Salt for anyone interesting in knowing more about the history and tradition of the sport. 

Once I left Japan, there was no way to follow sumo, so my interest went to zero, but with YT and several dedicated ppl in Japan, we are able (albeit, NHK, who owns the rights to broadcast) to watch.  Several also broadcast on Twitch, but time difference makes in almost impossible for watching where I live. 

[Threadkilla]

1 hour ago, Pipewrench said:

I was living in Japan, briefly back in 92-93 when Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishki (remember him?) were all wrestling.  Wak/Tak were great to watch back then.   I remember seeing the smallest rikishi at that time, Mainoumi go against Konishki....probably 200+ pound difference.  I truly enjoy watching the smaller rikishi with their speed and agility go against bigger and heavier ones.  The fact that there are no weight classes in Sumo is an amazing part of the sport.  I highly recommend a book, The Way of the Salt for anyone interesting in knowing more about the history and tradition of the sport. 

Once I left Japan, there was no way to follow sumo, so my interest went to zero, but with YT and several dedicated ppl in Japan, we are able (albeit, NHK, who owns the rights to broadcast) to watch.  Several also broadcast on Twitch, but time difference makes in almost impossible for watching where I live. 

I remember Konishiki ( The dump truck).  He was huge.  Konishiki had 200lbs on most everyone, He outweighed Akebono and Musa by 100lbs.   I don't remember Mainoumi but looked up the match. That's great thanks for sharing. 

Konishiki outweighed him by over 400lbs.  630-225

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Threadkilla

[Ohio Elite]

I wonder how Adam Coon would do in Sumo?

Edited July 15, 2023 by Ohio Elite

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

On 7/13/2023 at 3:56 PM, tgrass21 said:

Yeah Hakuho retired.  Hasn't been the same since he retired.  I still watch, but lost a little interest since he and a few other yokozuna retired.  There is only one yokozuna now and he always seems injured.  

In this tournament, both of the highest-ranked wrestlers are out. I like them both, so it has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. The good news is that 13 wrestlers are still within reach of a tournament win, and Golden Boy Hoshoryu is one of them. Even the two guys I call "The Accountants" are still in the race: Hokutofuji and Takarafuji. I don't think they have much of a chance to win, but I like them very much and would let them do my taxes. 

On 7/14/2023 at 7:02 PM, Pipewrench said:

I follow Sumo each basho.  Makushita, Juryo and Makuuchi divisions.   Very easy to get caught up in the sport and the Japanese culture.  

Favorite rikishi:   Akiseyama, Enho, Midorifuji, Ura, Horshoru, Tobizaru, Daiesho, WMH, Asanoyama.

The athleticism and flexibility for MOST of these rikishi is amazing. 

Agreed upon NattoSumo for your viewing.  Excellent info for each wrestler, heya, records, etc.    

It is funny about NattoSumo and the Japanese government TV station NHK: I posted the video at the top of this thread one morning, and that same afternoon, the video is banned by the NHK! But like Jason or Freddy, he keeps coming back.

At this point in my Sumo fandom, I watch selected matches from the lower levels. Cheers!

20 hours ago, Threadkilla said:

I love Sumo. I started watching it in the 1990's when Akebono and Musashimaru were working  their way up the ranks.  Akebono was Hawiian born Chad Rowan and Musashimaru was American Somoan raised in Hawaii.  Musa was an accomplished Greco wrestler. . They were the first 2 foreign born Yokazuna and both were huge 525lb plus wrestlers..  I contracted for Japan Gas Corp for several years  and kept following sumo through the Yokozuna's Takanahana, Asashoryu and Hakuho the GOAT all of which were smaller 340 lb range but very athletic .  as well as the Ozeki Kaiho.  All of whom retired.  They are really hurting for a superstar but haven't had anyone consistant since Hakohu.   

I would rather watch Sumo than Basketball, Soccer and Baseball.  

Yes! Konichiwa and arigato! Agree that they are hurting for THE SUPERSTAR because the top guys are very injury-plagued. Your history lesson was appreciated. Since becoming a Sumo fan, I have watched videos about these wrestlers, although I did catch the very tail end of the Hakuho era. Wow! He was the Babe Ruth and the Michael Jordan rolled up in one. Cheers! 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

The tournament is heating up. Now it is time for the back stretch. Your current leaders at 8-1 are Golden Boy Hoshoryu, "The Accountant" Hokutofuji and Nishikigi. I like all three, but I think the latter two are pretenders at this time. The real challenge for Golden Boy, I believe, will come from Daieisho and Wakamotoharu, who are at 7-2. Those two and Golden Boy have to get a lot of wins this tournament to earn a promotion. Thus, they are incentivized more than usual. Plus, they are the best Sumo in the top groups. 

We had another instance of Japanese Zen Garden art in today's basho. As you recall, nothing but the soles of your feet can touch down before your opponent touches the ground. Additionally, you cannot touch anything outside of the ring (except for Air, I guess). Below we have elder statesman Tamawashi versus newcomer Kinbozan. The ref gave the win to Tamawashi, but as you can see in the images, Tamawashi barely stepped outside the ring with his heel before Kinbozan fell. They used replay and got it right. The win went to Kinbozan. Hakkeyoi!

[Pipewrench]

Horshoru's kakenage against Hiradoumi was fantastic.

[Husker_Du]

where to you guys watch it? and is there a central hub for info on it?

i feel like i could get into it if it was in front of me more. 

[tgrass21]

2 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

where to you guys watch it? and is there a central hub for info on it?

i feel like i could get into it if it was in front of me more. 

I watch on NHK.  It’s included in our cable package with Xfinity in CA. 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

5 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

where to you guys watch it? and is there a central hub for info on it?

i feel like i could get into it if it was in front of me more. 

I like this channel on youtube, Willie! NattoSumo condenses the matches so that a day's tournament lasts about 30 minutes in the video. It is a great way to get started if you, like me, don't understand Japanese. There is some ritual, but mostly grappling. He even gives updated information on the wrestlers' records, how they've fared against each other, how long they've been in the upper division, and so on. Here is a video that will probably be removed soon:

 

[Pipewrench]

Natto posts the top 3 divisions:  Makushita, Juryo and Makuuchi...with Makuuchi being the top.  Hop on the Sumo train, Smalls!

 

As mentioned, he gets shut down pretty regularly, so you just need to search for NattoSumo:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSOhpHpQKHzSSPIYC4fIh5Q

Edited July 21, 2023 by Pipewrench

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

I've been gorging on Fargo but still find 30 minutes each day to watch the July Sumo tournament. It has gotten weird and exciting. We are now done with Day 14 of the 15-day tournament. There are three leaders at the top, and it couldn't be weirder or more exciting. 

There are no wrestlers in the top two ranks (Yokozuna and Ozeki) in this tournament. They are out with injuries. For that reason, I thought this would be a boring go-round. Not so! 

Golden Boy Hoshoryu is among the top three leaders, and he will face the newest child prodigy Hakuoho tomorrow. If Hokutofuji also wins, we will have a playoff! I root for Golden Boy, but how strange would it be to have child prodigy Hakuoho win a tournament in his first tournament? Also, I like "The Accountant" Hokutofuji, so any winner will be pretty awesom. So excite!

 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

SPOILERS!

 

Golden Boy Yusho!

Hoshoryu, also known as the Golden Boy, won the tournament. He beat the young upstart Hakuoho, and then he beat Hokutofuji in a playoff. Very excite! I was worried for Hoshoryu early in the playoff because Hokutofuji did some excellent hand-fighting to keep Golden Boy off his belt (mawashi). 

This will mean that Hoshoryu will be promoted to Ozeki, the second-highest rank in Sumo. His uncle was a Yokozuna, the highest rank, and now Nephew is on his way. The best match of the day involved the smallest wrestler versus the tallest. Midorifuji (about 5-9) tossed Hokuseiho (about 6-8) like he was a rag doll. This would've gotten oohs and ahhs from the Greco crowd in Fargo. 

The next basho (tournament) is not for two months. Hakkeyoi!