This week marks 1 year since Andy was kind enough to let me start posting to Tachiai. Andy created the site, and posted news and comments about the sumo world when he could. But with a career and family, he was limited.
I started 2016 as a frustrated fan. I had become aware of sumo during my time in Japan in the mid 1980’s, but as I frequently state – Sumo is a production for Japanese people people living in Japan (this has not really changed). My chances to connect with and follow sumo were few and far between, and so I did not take more than a passing interest.
This changed when I learned that I could stream NHK via my Apple TV, and began watching the tournament highlight shows nightly. Suddenly given access to some level of sumo, I was thrilled and soaked up as much as I could. I suspect that I was not the only person to undergo this evolution, as sumo’s global following seems to be increasing month over month.
With access to media and information, sumo has potential to have a global following. I have believed this since the 1980s, and that’s why I took Andy’s generous offer to help write for the site and ran with it. In the past year, we have added several more contributors, each of whom have brought wonderful and engaging content to the site.
Our readership continues to grow month over month, with a distinct basho / non-basho pace – I owe this to the idea that the nascent global sumo fan base is hungry for more news and media to support their interest in sumo. Together, the Tachiai team has grown this site beyond anything I could have anticipated. As one of a handful of english language sumo web site, we occupy a strange but quite enjoyable niche.
In the past year, I have managed to attend a basho in Tokyo, meet a number of wonderful people in and around the sumo business, and help a growing number of fans connect with and enjoy sumo. With Aki around the corner, I am excited to start my second year of contributing to the site, and looking forward to helping grow the global sumo fan base.
Thank you to Andy for letting me write for Tachiai, thanks to the fans for reading the site, and thanks most of all to my dear wife for helping me indulge my love of sumo.
Oh yeah – My first post to Tachiai here
Thank you, Bruce! Your passion, dedication, and knowledge – and technical know-how have really taken things up several knotches…as evidenced by the growing community we see in our comments. The articles that you, Leonid, and Josh contribute have really kept this alive and enriched my own appreciation for sumo. Domo arigato.
Congrats on your year of Tachiai, Bruce – and thank you and Andy for welcoming me into the fold
It has really been inspiring to watch this community develop and I can’t wait to see what comes over the next year as the popularity of sumo continues to grow!
Thankyou to all of you for your hard work! It really does make the whole thing more enjoyable.
I still can’t believe how well you have kept up with everything with the new sumo fan in your house! You deserve a standing ovation!
Thanks for everything. This site is now my first port of call for sumo info between tournaments. Please keep it going.
And btw has anyone ever told you that you look like Michael J Nelson of MST3K fame.
Wow, thats quite a compliment. I am a big MST3K fan, and I have never considered myself to look anything like Mike Nelson. But seeing as he’s a really handsome guy, thank you much!