Some of you all noticed that I cheated and posted this “Origins” video on the main page last week, with no description. I’ll be posting the next video this evening in the same way.

This video is great at providing us a glimpse into Konishiki’s childhood and upbringing. Most of you might not know much of anything about Konishiki’s sumo career, much less his background. Frankly, I was still just a kid when he was in the prime of his career. I wasn’t paying attention to anything but Garbage Pail Kids and ExciteBike. It wasn’t until high school and the Akebono era that ESPN began to have its sumo highlights program and I learned who Konishiki was for the first time. So, for me all of this background from the Narō footage was new.

One of the themes that he stressed was how “giving” was a sentiment fostered in his household. I think that fits well with many of the outgoing projects that he has going on — from Sumo+Sushi to his frequent barbecuing in Japan. The first time I happened upon him in person was at a Hawaii-themed festival in Yokohama, where he was dressed in the sun costume from the children’s show that he used to have. He always seems to be out there, sharing his experiences.

We learned about his recruitment in this video, though you will have heard some of the quotes from the “raw footage” that I’ve shared on YouTube. I’m excited to get more of that out to you this weekend, too. We actually see pictures of him getting on the shinkansen, some videos of keiko and butsukari. The Zatoichi comparison is interesting and reminds me of some of those long “leanfest” bouts.

Next Episode coming up soon.