The great Sumo thread

[shenlong]

Oi, everyone, there are a few here who have an everlasting love for the noblest, most galant sport of all : Sumo. As Spider Jerusalem puts it in the comic Transmetropolitan : "Sumo is the most perfect of sports. It has elegance, ceremony, danger, art, speed and most important of all two fat bastards smacking the shit out of each other." That might be the best definition of it I know of.

And so, without further ado, I shall link thee to the channel of Kintamayama, who puts every one of the six yearly top division sumo tournament on youtube as they happen.

www.youtube.com/user/Kintamayama/videos

As I am posting this, the 2018 Haru Basho is currently taking place in Osaka and will do so until the 25th of march.

[onepenguin0]

I'm still scared for the future of Kisenosato. What if he can't come back like Kakuryuu? The guy basically sacrificed his body to get the title of Yokozuna, and we've been gradually seeing the worsening effects of that on the dohyou. And I'm still awaiting the return of our foresung hero, Ura.


To any new or incoming fans of sumo - this is your god now.

[onepenguin0]

youtu.be/-4tzkWOH4Ws?t=10m28s

This is what they mean when they talk about 'heart' in sports. No one expects that he will win. No one believes that he can win. Yet, he still takes his opponent to the edge of defeat.

[Exe]

Thank you very much for this thread. Expect many questions from me.

[shenlong]

Awesome, we're ready to answer anything.

I'm only up to day 5 of the Haru Basho, so far, but this is an interesting tournament. It could go a lot of different ways and some wrestlers you don't usually see winning a lot are looking really good.

[onepenguin0]

Oh, and it should be mentioned that the top division - what it is that we all watch - is ongoing. There are four more days remaining in this basho. You can watch it live if you search "mbovosumo" on Twitch. The top division, Makuuchi, begins around ~11:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time (or 6:45 AM Greenwich Mean Time).

Join in on the fun if you can; you'll see many more fascinating things than can be seen in the brief 'match clips' of the days. Those videos last 15 minutes or so - the actual proceedings of the Makuuchi division, start to finish, take at least 2 hours. There's a lot of sumo culture to be missed - traditions of not inconsiderable beauty: ancient Shinto religious rites, ceremonial singing, so on.

Here's hoping to see one or two of you tonight, perhaps?

[Exe]

Guys, why do you think Antonio Inoki has been interested in hiring/training sumo wrestlers sorrounded by controversy? (Koji "Futahaguro" Kitao, Shinichi "Wakakirin" Suzukawa, "Korinowaka" Okamoto)

[shenlong]

Ok, that's an interesting question. Unfortunately, while I have some knowledge of sumo, I really don't know much about what happens around it. I honestly did not know about those wrestlers. I used to watch sumo as a child in the late 90s, but I only remember a handful or names from that time, then I got to catch a few tournaments in the mid 2000s during the rise of Asashoryu, and then I did not see any for a long time until I discovered that youtube channel a few years ago.

So now, why would Antonio Inoki hire disgraced sumos for puroresu ? Well, I mean, sounds like a pretty sound plan if you ask me. Sumo is big in Japan, and sumo wrestlers have an aura about them. What pro wrestling org wouldn't have wanted to hire Mike Tyson for example ? Without going that big, I'm guessing this is the idea. Those sumo already have an image, their departure from sumo on bad terms means they might have trouble finding work around it (like stablemaster, trainer, commentator or whatever), so they'll be looking for a new line of work. Plus, as a bonus, being disgraced probably gives them an aura of badness that make for good heels.

Finally, and this is probably a big reason, Sumo are amazing athletes. They spend their time throwing people around and getting thrown off a pretty hard elevated surface, so they know how to fall. From a pure training aspect, they're definitely years ahead of newcomers to wrestling so they mostly have to practice their acting and do some fine tuning. I imagine sumo might be one of the easier sports to transition to wrestling from.

[onepenguin0]

Mar 23, 2018 12:49:09 GMT Exe said:

Guys, why do you think Antonio Inoki has been interested in hiring/training sumo wrestlers surrounded by controversy? (Koji "Futahaguro" Kitao, Shinichi "Wakakirin" Suzukawa, "Korinowaka" Okamoto)

I would imagine that it is because they're big players who might be willing to perform. Puroresu is about entertainment above competition, they're already athletes, and it's quite possible that those who are kicked out of sumo for reasons such as theirs are looking to make easy money. Inoki is not exactly a clean name.

[Exe]

Well, in the case of Kitao (his debut as a pro wrestler took place at the Tokyo Dome) can be understandable as he was a yokozuna when he was forced to retire (he was accused of abusive behaviour against stable mates and apparently hit his stable master's wife), but Suzukawa (expelled for marihuana possession) and Okamoto (expelled for match-fixing) didn't have very impressive records. I suppose the fact that Inoki's promotion, after leaving NJPW, runs in smaller venues has a lot to do with it (apparently Inoki is no longer in charge of IGF).

I also suppose Rikidozan's legacy is still lingering in Japanese pro wrestling. Not for nothing Giant Baba also hired sumo wrestlers in AJPW such as Hiroshi Wajima (who didn't fare well), Haku/Meng, and Genichiro Tenryu.

[onepenguin0]

MORE LIKE KAKURYUUSHOU

Does anyone here like Abi? At first, it seemed like he knew what he was doing and was being clever, but then he didn't and wasn't. He seriously just tries to leap from the tachiai into a nodowa tsukidashi like every single bout. Either he picks up something else soon, or he's gonna be like 2-13 next basho.

[Exe]

OK dear friends. Who are the best Sumo wrestlers in history? I've read people having Asashoryu, Akebono, and especially Chiyonofuji in high regard.

[shenlong]

Well, that's impossible to say for sure because every sumo has to be judged relatively to his own competition and time.

But Hakuho is an excellent candidate, as he now holds the record for the most tournament wins in Sumo history. Asashoryu was an incredible wrestler, but he had to retire after a mini-scandal so it's uncertain how much he had left in him at that point. It's entirely possible he would have that same record now, had he not gotten the boot.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_yokozuna

This page lists all recorded Yokozunae. Akebono was great (and was one of the first foreigners to become huge in the sport), but Musashimaru was amzing too. During their time, though Takanohana was the one who got the most tournament wins. Of course, though the mere number of wins isn't everything, as each may have their own personal achievements and styles that set them apart, with Asashoryu having been one of the most brilliant and inventive technicians to grace the dohyo.

[onepenguin0]

My picks are Taihou, Takanohana and Chiyonofuji.

A problem is that the careers of these guys don't overlap, so you can't always compare them in formal ways.

Here's a documentary on sumo that prominently features Taihou (大鵬) that you should all have a look at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n169aHkgBO0

[shenlong]

Um, One, I uh, I'm sure that documentary is really good but... and I'm really not sure how to say that but... I don't speak Japanese, man.