Travel

The Peek Behind the Curtain (幕の内): The Conclusion

hochiyama Japanese Culture, Kyokutaisei, Sumo Tourism, Travel ,

This is the second part of Justin’s article about his experience at Kyokutaisei’s sumo training venue. For the earlier post, click here.

Suriashi and Psychological Warfare:

Next came suriashi or “sliding feet”.  The goal is to combine that low posture from the squats with forward movement, keeping feet close to the ground. You should almost slide forward on the rough sand rather than step. The goal is to improve balance, strength, stability, and (or course) proper footwork. Each of us had to take our turns moving from the tachi-ai stance across the dohyo where we met up with Kyokutaisei standing at the other side.

This is where he introduced a bit of mischief. He was directing us which way to go along the perimeter of the circle. However, he was pointing in one direction while turning his body and head in the other, almost daring us to follow the wrong signal.

Already suffering from some leg exhaustion, it was not easy to maintain concentration and some slight missteps ensued – producing some laughter in the heavy air of the sumo ring. Still, it brought home an important lesson: sumo requires attention and discipline even during the most basic movements.

Not moving very far, but legs already filing an official complaint. A few days later, we walked up to the top of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyōtō and still did not hurt as much as a few steps across the ring.

My son vs. Physics

My son is working on his undergraduate degree in Astrophysics. He knows the theory and loves math and explaining the fundamental rules that govern nature. He arrived with the equations. Kyokutaisei came with empirical evidence.

We had reached the part of the morning training called butsukari-geiko. This is where we had to charge forward from one end of the ring right into the chest of our opponent. They would receive the impact, and we would attempt to push them back to the other end of the ring and out. Of course, they did not make it easy. Our goal was to show our “explosive power” from the tachiai, our endurance and fighting spirit, and proper technique and footwork. 

My son considered this an exercise in “a supposedly unstoppable force against an immovable object”.  Of course, our force was not really that “unstoppable”. But his description was not far from the truth. First off, there is a bit of hesitation to collide with somebody and bury your face right into their chest. Be it sweat or timidity, you must quickly overcome it. Otherwise, you will not generate any forward power or momentum. And really, there is no substitute for this experience. We got to throw ourselves up against someone who had spent years training to resist this kind of forward onslaught. These retired rikishi still had the innate ability to lower their center of gravity and become that immovable object.

Yes, this picture was used earlier as a spoiler. I just love showing my bald head. But look at those slide marks across the dohyo. We were pushing them back!

The exercise provided a tiny glimpse into what lower-ranked wrestlers experience daily: absorbing charge after charge while developing technique, toughness, and endurance. I now was feeling a lot more respect for the daily routines of my heroes in the ring. My feet were scratched, my knuckles bleeding from scraping the ground. Sweat pouring from my brow. My respect for those who have chosen this lifestyle was growing by the second.

Congratulations were given when we finally drove them out

I will take a brief timeout to mention that their staff took all these pictures and videos while we were training and enjoying the experience. Thus, we were not tethered to our cameras the entire time. Furthermore, they provided an interpreter. To be fair, I handled almost all the conversations in my rusty Japanese. However, if you did not learn Japanese from drunken old men in an izakaya 30-years ago, you can still fully enjoy the experience and get everything explained in English. Do not let any language barrier stop you from enjoying. Really, how many people around the world get to say they wore a mawashi, did morning training exercises and took sumo against real former top division rikishi?

They took each of us aside and gave us some instructions on technique. My son was given lessons in tsuki-oshi (aiming high chest and neck until you have the opponent at the edge of the ring and bending backwards, then go low towards the belly to finish them off). My wife was given hatakikomi (looking for the opponent to be low or off balance and slapping them down). To me, they gave uwatenage. I was told to keep my head in their chest, lower my center of gravity, and pivot using my hips to generate power while turning my entire body into the throw). Now, I do have some ancient jūdō background (I got a black belt from the Kōdōkan jūdō association in 1995). I was hoping to have some sort of muscle memory.

Speaking of that… Are We Actually Fighting?

Then we moved on to matches.

Let me preface all this by saying that my family and I are not fighters. While my son is captain of his university’s foil fencing team, we are not really into contact sports. I only got the black belt 30 years ago because the Master of the izakaya was 6th degree and an elite teacher. There is no way I would have passed the exam, except for a secret technique he taught me the night before the test. That is a story for another time.

For a sumo fan, there are some moments that can bring an oversized amount of joy – such as performing the rituals you only ever watched from the stands. I was there, in the ring, and completed the chiri-chōzu – without a mistake. This earned the respect of the coaches. The movements are simple enough, but surprisingly more difficult to remember when you are confronting a rikishi. Doing the chiri-chōzu made me feel, just for a moment, a part of the long history and tradition of sumo. I consider my flawless performance a personal “kinboshi” of a sort. And now, here we were. Suddenly crouching at the shikiri-sen, preparing for tachiai against former professional wrestlers.

The moment of truth. And yes, you get to throw the salt!

There is no going back now! Unlike the Sumo and Sushi experience, I am wearing a mawashi. I am going to have a proper tachiai. A real collision.

Man-to-man showdown. 男と男の真剣勝負 (Otoko to otoko no shinken shōbu)

This was it!  This is a real sumo challenge. It was not easy for 50-something, non-athletic, scrawny guy to go up against even former Hakuyō (the referee in the pic). Let alone a former top division wrestler! So, they let us have some fun against them. The funniest moment came during my wife’s very first match. She is a fast learner. Drawing on my “technique” from the Sumo and Sushi match, she opened with a spectacular nekodamashi.

Are you awake?

Kyokutaisei froze for a split second, and before anyone could process what had happened, she had pushed him back and secured a quick victory.

To the victor go the spoils

The room erupted in laughter. Everyone recognized that she was also, apparently, a long-time fan to be able pull off such a move. I was told “your wife must definitely be watching some sumo with you, after all!” Among all the things I expected to witness that afternoon, my wife winning a bout with a trick was not one of them.

Even with a thin grip on reality, I had a good grip on Hakuyō.

We had matchups against Kyokutaisei and Hakuyō. Photos would not do justice for my son’s match against Kyokutaisei. My son charged forward and collided with him with such speed that Kyokutaisei sidestepped, expecting my son to defeat himself and go out of the ring with his own forward momentum. As Kyokutaisei deftly moved out of the way, my son headed straight to the tawara with enough speed to carry him right out. But somehow, he slammed on the breaks at exactly the right moment, stopping himself at the very last opportunity.

Older folks like me would have easily stepped out. My son, however, immediately regained his balance, turned and re-engaged. That tenacity, him not giving up on the bout after nearly losing it, must serve him well in fencing, too! It is something I had not witnessed in him before. This real fighting spirit and tenacity to win. This match was far from over. My son re-engaged a second time and the same thing happened again.  His attack was wild and frenzied and almost carried him out of the ring, such that Kyoktaisei stopped fighting and just stood there. 

Big mistake. He was caught off guard by my son’s third engagement and was now on the edge himself. My son, with his feet still moving and his momentum now aimed correctly at a target on the edge of the ring completed a textbook oshidashi!  Photos could not capture these recoveries, the persistence, and my son’s determination that the bout would not be over until he won!  Congrats were seriously in order.

Although he could work on his Ottsuke

My wife was back, literally. Jumping on the back of Hakuyō attempting to pull off a hataki-komi.

Eventually, she was successful

I will never forget her jumping on the back of a sumo wrestler.  One of the funniest things I have witnessed.

Wearing a Keishō Mawashi

After our good workout, they were kind enough to take their photos with the family. First, all in our regular mawashi:

Sandwiched between former Ōshima-beya rikishi!

Then we had a chance to wear a keishō mawashi. A keishō is much more than decorative, it is a rikishi’s expression of identity, gratitude, sponsorship, education, tradition, and status. Only sekitori are allowed to wear them during the ring-entering ceremony, and it can signify reaching professional status and financial independence in sumo. In the Middle Ages, only the knights could have a coat of arms or heraldic banner. This is the sumo equivalent. For any sumo fan, it is a memorable and humbling moment to be given permission to don this attire.

at this point, the photos are really secondary to the experience

The apron is surprisingly heavy. The connection to the wrestlers is the real treasure and turned out to be our best souvenir. In this case, we were literally wearing culture, not just observing it.

AK-69 may say: 道開けろ！Bring it on!

Conclusion: Sumo is more than a sport

This experience was a rare chance to interact directly with people who devoted their lives to this singular pursuit. I came expecting to sample sumo and share it with my family. We left with a better understanding of the daily lives and dedication of the wrestlers. We left with a better understanding of the spiritual side of the sport and felt a connection to the centuries of tradition and Shinto practice.

When we were reflecting on the experience later that evening, my wife and I came to a realization. We are not fighters. We are not violent people. Yet, in the ring, we were colliding full force with people we just met, holding them by the throat (nodowa), and pushing/slapping at them. We are just in a fight. Not an angry or violent fight intended to hurt someone, but a real physical contest that pushed us out of our comfort zones and to our physical limits.

Many visitors will come thinking they will observe a cultural activity, but the experience with Kyokutaisei is much more than that. You learn through experience. You push yourself more than you know, and your legs will hate you very much walking up and down all those Tokyo steps in the metro for the next few days.

Throughout the session you will also notice subtle reminders that these men had paid a high price for their careers. You notice the old injuries, the surgical scars, the lingering evidence of pushing their bodies to the limits. Their sacrifices for the sport are visible in ways not easily caught on camera.

We came to the understanding that these exercises are merely the beginning. First, a new entrant has to survive the training routine, then climb into the ring against someone twice your size, and then do it again tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that. This experience reminded me that underneath all of the glory of rankings, championships, and intrigue each bashō, there lies something much deeper: discipline, dedication, sacrifice, and a sense of community. If only an hour and a half of training left my legs shaking for the rest of the day, I can scarcely imagine the commitment required to make that life your own.

I would like to take the last words to express how grateful my family is to Kyokutaisei, Hakuyō, and Kyokuhikari. The other side of the violent, combat sport world coin is a calm kindness. Each of them was entirely patient with us, curious to know why and how foreigners came to know so much about sumo, and happy to note (with some pride) how we were all enjoying the experience. They helped us with the mawashi, gave us clear instructions, answered all our questions, and were glad to share their stories and their connections to the sumo world with us. We could not have chosen better guides to help us take those important steps into the culture and world of a sumo wrestler.

Thank you for reading. I plan on some article about viewing Tatsunami-beya’s morning practice a few days later.  And with a much greater appreciation for what we were to see there.  Look for it in the next few days.  If there is interest, I am considering an article about the Japan trip and our itinerary – for those who may be curious about what someone with some Japan experience 30 years ago recommended for his own family.

The Peek Behind the Curtain (幕の内) Part I:

hochiyama Japanese Culture, Sumo Entertainment, Sumo Tourism, Travel

Background

I have been a sumo fan for more than 30 years. I attended the Las Vegas Koen in 2005 (where I met a young Hakuhō and Ama/Harumafuji wrestling in the lazy river of the Mandalay bay).

Justin in Vegas, wearing a specially designed shirt that said 資本主義の野郎 on the back

I have participated in Konishiki’s Sumo and Sushi’s “Get in the Ring” event and pulled off a victory.

Justin had to “build his body” for this bout
My retirement from sumo came with Takakeishō style weight loss. I made the rally towels

After more than three decades of following sumo, I thought I had a reasonable understanding of what rikishi do and a good understanding of how to make a sumo-themed izakaya.

Senshūraku party at my place?

The bottom line is that I thought I “knew” sumo. I know the terminology, the kanji, the banzuke, the statistics. I can call (poorly) the kimarite in a bout. After Sumo and Sushi, I even thought I knew what “taking sumo” felt like. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom, and part of that is derived from experience.

During my family’s recent trip to Japan (May/June), we had a chance to take a mini-morning training exercise under the guidance of former top division’s Kyokutaisei (旭大星). For those who do not recall, he was subject of a French Documentary in 2009.

Free polar bear hugs!

This experience is what gave me and my family the chance to learn more about sumo. Since the experience, I see the sport differently, and in a much more appreciative way. Please allow me to explain.

We booked the opportunity to participate in former maegashira Kyokutaisei’s sumo training experience. Kyokutaisei was supported by former rikishi Kyokuhikari and Hakuyō. After only a few minutes, the contrast was stark: watching sumo and living even a tiny fragment of it are entirely different things. The training regime is brutal and one does leave their blood, sweat, and tears in the ring. By the end of the session, my family had gained an entirely new level of respect for the men who dedicate their lives to this sport.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

When I lose something, I now always look behind the curtains and expect to see rikishi there

Sumo remains one of the most unique corners of Japanese culture. The more you study it, the more you realize you have left to learn. Almost every one of us has encountered sumo via streaming, online videos, live TV or (if you are lucky to get tickets) from the seats of the Kokugikan. Unlike many other sports, for non-Japanese, it is almost exclusively observed from a distance.

Let’s be clear, my wife and son were good sports for joining me on this adventure. As the family’s resident sumo obsessive, I was the obvious enthusiast. They were willing participants. Let’s also say that they have had 30 years of second-hand exposure to sumo, so they did not walk in completely unawares.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, my wife summed up the experience better than I could. She called it a “peek behind the curtain.” Ironically, she had no idea that the English translation of makunouchi (sumo’s top division) is often given as “behind the curtain.”

Peeking behind the curtain is exactly what this experience offered.

The experience began with our arrival and introductions. Right away, everyone was approachable and quite appreciative of meeting foreign fans that were not typical tourists. I knew the wrestlers and their histories. Kyokuhikari was impressed that I recalled his debut was in 1992 and Hakuyō was shocked to hear that I knew his stable (Isenoumi) and that he had only retired within the last year. I explained that I would do a write-up for the blog, and everyone was amenable. Of course, these are now businessmen, selling a product and it must have been very different for them, men who had spent years inside the closed and demanding world of the heya system, to welcoming complete amateurs into their world. We could tell that we were in for something special. This experience is different.

The Mawashi Moment

Perhaps the first surprise was having a mawashi put on.

They spun me right round, baby!
My wife got pumped up. Yes, women can participate in this event

I had imagined it would feel impossibly tight everywhere. Yes, I mean everywhere. Men know what I am talking about. Instead, the tightness was concentrated around the waist and it remained quite comfortable. Yes, we had to wear shorts and t-shirts, nobody wants to use second-hand mawashi. So, they keep it clean.

The mawashi fabric was remarkably sturdy and heavy. It was more substantial than I had expected. The moment you grab one, you can quickly understand its purpose. A mawashi isn’t simply clothing, it is sumo’s main tool. A grip on the mawashi is all it took to realize how easily it would assist in moving, lifting, or controlling your opponent. Feeling and using that leverage in your hands is entirely different than watching a yorikiri battle on TV.

It seemed they were more prepared to host larger tourist or corporate events, not a small family of three. But they were all happy to spend the time with us to get us prepared.

My son is so darned lucky. I had to wait over 30 years to get this experience. His hair was long enough for a proper mage, no?
Finally kitted out

Fate Decides Your Shiko

Then came our first “asa-geiko” training. As expected, the first exercise was shiko. However, they did not present us with any ordinary shiko. They came around with a box and we had to draw lots to determine how many repetitions we would do. Every draw felt like a lottery in reverse as nobody wanted to get the high number.

There were ping-pong balls numbered 5-50 in increments of 5. I got 30, my son 15. My wife, who usually has good luck, got the 50. Of course, they did have some mercy on her. One of the instructors mentioned that wrestlers may perform hundreds of shiko—sometimes around 500 in a training day. An order of magnitude less should have been easy for an amateur, no? No!

No matter how many stomps were assigned, every one of us had legs that were starting to turn to liquid.

Yoishou!!!!!

As an amateur, surviving a small sample felt like an accomplishment. For a rikishi, it’s simply a small portion of their regular morning routine.

That was just the start. We then had to go through our second round of “test your luck”. We had to draw the ball that determined how many seconds we would have to hold a squat position.

What you do not see here is the quivering

If the shiko hurt, the squats were another level entirely. Once again, due to their mercy on my wife’s high draw, it was down to me to handle 20 seconds of the squat (15 for my son). I noticed that within moments, my thighs began quaking. The wrestlers noted, too, that my legs were trembling. A burning sensation spread higher and higher until maintaining the position became an exercise in willpower more than strength.

And then came the moment of enlightenment: professional rikishi do this every day and they do not get the luck of a small ping pong number. They must do this for minutes, tens of minutes at a time. Everyday.

Part II coming soon – with Surashi, Butsukari-geiko, and learning some kimarite.

Kyokutaisei says “see you soon”

Winter Jungyo, Week One

Andy Festivals, Japanese Culture, Jungyo (巡業), Travel , , , , ,

While a Taylor Swift tour will hop from massive stadium to massive stadium, these tours go out into the countryside a bit more after the main event has ended. Let’s face it, BTS is not going to be playing the Cat’s Cradle anytime soon. But these tours are focused on fan outreach in local communities. With that in mind, let’s check out the first week of the winter tour, galavanting around the island of Kyushu.

The largest city on the island of Kyushu is Fukuoka, site of the recent tournament. So, rather than pack their akeni for Honshu and bigger venues, our top wrestlers climbed into buses and hit the road for a quick tour of the island to stay close to supporters who could not make it to the sold out basho. The Kyokai has a nice webpage, in English, which describes the general “run of show.” Each event loosely follows a similar format, with practice in the morning followed by entertainment and bouts in the afternoon with the featured wrestlers shifting in each location to focus on hometown heroes. (You can read about my experience at Jungyo this past summer, here.)

While the Japan Sumo Assocation and its wrestlers focus on fans and local outreach, the local communities are often focused on the promoting tourism and festivals or local industries or products. Ever since the tour swung by Ukai during the cormorant fishing festival, I like to dig into these places a bit more. Last year, I discovered the Yatsushiro Myoken festival. There is a lot to see in Japan.

I am taking note of these for my future trips so I hope you all enjoy. Pipe up in the comments if you have been to, or lived in, any of these locations and have recommendations. For those of us who want to learn more about Japan outside of Tokyo and Osaka, these tour itineraries are actually a great place to start your research. Where are they going and why is this location trying to promote itself by hosting a Jungyo stop?

Miyakonojo, Miyazaki

“Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.” As I’ve repeated more times than is really necessary, Kotozakura won a head of cattle when he won the title in Fukuoka. That prize is given at every tournament and is sponsored by the government in Miyazaki to promote local produce, especially its famous wagyu beef. But as I have learned, there is more to Miyazaki than delicious, succulent, tender, marbled beef. (Insert drooling Homer emoji here.)

For the first time in eight years, the tour visited Miyakonojo in Miyazaki. Miyazaki prefecture has a great, English-language, tourism website. On this site, I saw many jaw-droppingly amazing photos, including the stunning Takachiho Gorge toward the center of Kyushu and two sites on the outskirts of Miyakonojo, minutes from the Jungyo venue. Below, are the Nagata Gorge and the Sekinoo Falls.

So, I’m showing these amazing pictures of gorges and rivers and forests to my wife and she’s like, “Oh, I’ve never been there but Miyazaki is kind of known for its beaches. They have, like, mango trees and stuff.” So, here are some more pictures of Aoshima and the Miyazaki Seaside Park.

One item that jumped off the page at me when I saw the Kyokai’s program for the day’s activities was the fact that several of the day’s features, including Terunofuji’s rope tying demonstration, were sponsored by “Kirishima Shuzo.” I was familiar with Kirishima Chanko, not Kirishima liquor. It turns out there is a Kirishima brewery and distillery, complete with a Factory Garden and walking tours, right in the heart of Miyakonojo City.

That brings us to the sumo event, itself. Local Makushita wrestlers Nagamura and Kamitani fought and won their bouts in front of the hometown crowd. Nagamura had won the Sandanme yusho in Osaka earlier this year and fights in Kise-beya. Kamitani also has a Sandanme yusho under his belt and fights in Arashio-beya. Miyazaki also produced recently retired Kotoeko, the new Oguruma oyakata, and he took time to address the crowd and thank them for their support. I should mention that Nobeoka, hometown of Kotoeko and Nagamura, is home to this “Pac-Man Rock” place.

Not every jungyo event has “Question Corner,” but this one did. For Question Corner, three wrestlers climb onto the dohyo in their kesho mawashi and answer questions from the audience. At this tour stop, Sadanoumi, Shodai, and Wakamotoharu were featured. Wakamotoharu was asked which wrestler gives him the biggest challenge, and his reply was, “Shodai.” While the Emo King stood next to him and glared — as intimidating as Masayo can get — Wakamotoharu worked up the strength to express his frustration of losing to Shodai even though his chin is always up and his mass is so high. Powerful, inspiring stuff.

See, Shodai, I told you, “You’re too damn high!” Sure enough, when you look at their head-to-head, Shodai has won their last three bouts for a slim 6-4 advantage in their rivalry.

Nishihara, Kumamoto

On December 3, the tour stopped in the Aso district of Kumamoto Prefecture. Mt. Aso is a nearby volcano, the largest in Japan. We are all very familiar with Kumamon, the black bear mascot. Kumamon crops up on kesho mawashi and is frequently at events with Shodai, Sadanoumi, and other Kumamoto-area wrestlers. But the real draw of Kumamoto is the volcano. Mount Aso certainly features highly in the Kumamoto tourism campaigns. There is also a good amount of information in English, targeting foreign tourists.

Aso City is the hometown of Makushita wrestler Asonoyama, not to be confused with the former Ozeki. He and Fujiseiun were the hometown boys for this tour stop and Asonoyama was granted the privilege of wearing an oicho-mage for the first time as he fought in a Juryo bout against Kagayaki. Fujiseiun fought Nishikifuji. Local kids were also able to participate in the practice portion of the event with Shodai.

Nagasaki, Nagasaki

Hump Day brought us the Nagasaki Basho. So, um…Nagasaki is quite well known, particularly in America, for another sort of Fat Man. And in other news, Nagasaki is known for its long history as a port city by the Portuguese. There are a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the area tied to the Christian heritage in the area. Much of the event was brought to fans by Suginaga Kamaboko, headquartered in Nagasaki, timed to coincide with their year-end promotional campaign. If you are not familiar with kamaboko, think of the white and pink fish-cakes in your ramen.

The sumo event was held at Happiness Arena. Thanks to NiB, the local Nagasaki TV station, there is a great video of something we rarely see: the dohyo-matsuri performed for a Jungyo dohyo. This was a much more informal, laid-back affair than what we get before a hon-basho — or even at the heya — but fascinating in its own right. NiB also put together another quick piece covering the event itself, focusing on hometown hero, Hiradoumi.

Question Corner in Nagasaki pulled in fan favorites Hiradoumi, Ura, and Sadanoumi. Hiradoumi also stood in for the oicho-mage demonstration.

Genkai, Saga

Neighboring Saga Prefecture has a great, English-language tourism website, highlighting. Genkai town, with a small population under 5,000 people, does not feature highly on the tourism website but is home to a nuclear power plant. Check the irony at the door, please. Apparently, the tax revenue from hosting the power plant keeps the town pretty well in the black, financially.

Saga features good food and several onsen, as well as beautiful scenery. The real star seems to be the Nanatsugama Cave complex in neighboring Karatsu.

The venue was much more intimate than Nagasaki’s Happiness Arena, with 1650 people coming to the Genkai Gymnasium. Makushita-ranked Chiyotora is from Saga City and pint-sized, 16-year-old viral-video star, Kosei, is from Takeo. Perhaps because of Kosei’s presence, twenty kids from two local day care centers participated in the morning practice with the sekitori.

Omuta, Fukuoka

Omuta is a city in Fukuoka on the border with Kumamoto. The day’s events were sponsored by テレQ, FM FUKUOKA, and the local sports association. Just when you think you found a city to skip over, there’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Miike Coal Mine and its Miyanohara Pit played an integral role in Japan’s industrial development during the Meiji Era. The mine was also the site of a major labor dispute in 1960 (cool NHK video to get a sense of the scale of this lockout). Whenever I see the name, Miike, I always think of Miike Takashi’s “Audition.” Now, I have a much more pleasant association with the name. “Kiri, Kiri, Kiri…“

Beppu, Oita

Beppu is a somewhat regular stop for the Winter Jungyo. The Kyokai has not visited every year, but they do seem to cycle through every two or three years. It’s claim to fame are the hot springs. It is so famous for hot springs that a cuisine called Jigokumushi, or “Hell Steaming” where eggs, seafood, pork buns, and a wide variety of foods are steamed over the mineral-rich waters, gurgling forth from the Earth.

Sadanoumi, Hiradoumi, and Shodai participated in Question Corner. Presumably Shodai’s indimidating presence has moved Wakamotoharu off the bill, replaced with Hiradoumi because of his lightning fast, “anti-Shodai” tachiai.

On To Week Two

Week Two will finish the Kyushu loop of the journey and head back toward central Japan and Osaka. From Osaka, the final leg will be a quick trip out to Okinawa. Meanwhile, many of the non-jungyo wrestlers except for Kitanowaka have headed back to their dohyo. Kitanowaka, on the other hand, has been in London with his shisho. That will be a very interesting tournament.

I have updated the interactive map so that it is in Kita-kyushu, next stop on the Jungyo Trail.

Winter Jungyo 2024 Opens in Miyakonojo

Andy Jungyo (巡業), Travel , ,

The Winter Tour has started in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki prefecture. At the bottom of this post, I have an interactive map that will show the path of this particular tour. One can imagine the London event that Josh wrote about yesterday will be very similar, though not a “Jungyo”.

These tours are a popular method of outreach for the Japan Sumo Association and it is a great way for fans to meet and mingle with their favorite wrestlers. I had the fortune of going to one such event this past summer. So, this picture is not from Miyazaki, but from Tachikawa. But I hope it gives a sense of the atmosphere. If you would like to read about my experience there, I wrote about it here. I encourage you to check out that post for background on Jungyo.

The Kyokai posted the schedule for the first event on Twitter. Takerufuji will be sitting for the oicho-mage demonstration and Terunofuji will have his rope tying demonstration and dohyo-iri, though he will not participate in bouts.

As for this tour, it starts in Miyazaki prefecture and will end in Okinawa. Miyazaki prefecture is a well known agricultural region in Japan. It’s known in particular for high-grade wagyu beef. That beef is celebrated in the Miyazaki Prefectural Government presents the Miyazaki Governor’s Award, which is a trophy in the shape of a cow. The winning wrestler receives the meat from one head of Miyazaki fine cattle, as well as chicken and produce.

This tour will also pass through Oita prefecture, whose Shiitake Cooperative provides the famous trophy filled with mushrooms. It will then go around Kyushu before passing over the Kanmon strait to Shimonoseki and hoofing it over to Hyogo and Osaka before flying down to the sun and sand in tropical Okinawa.

That brings us to the main reason I highlight these tours for foreign fans. They are a great way to get out of Tokyo and to see other areas of the country.

Interactive Tour Schedule

I’ve put an interactive map below with a tour schedule. This version allows the user to page through the Days as the tour progresses. I’ve defaulted to Day 2 so you can see the first leg of the long, circuitous path from Miyazaki to Okinawa. There are arrows on the left side, underneath “Tour Day”. Click on the right arrow to cycle toward Day 15 and the left arrow to go in reverse. Any feedback you have is appreciated.