On day 8, American sumotori Wakaichiro (若一郎) faced Takaseiryu, a veteran of sumo’s lower ranks. With 3 matches to go for Natsu, Wakaichiro’s record is now 2-2, with plenty of room to secure a winning kachi-koshi record. Takaseiryu scored the win via okuridashi, when Wakaichiro got turned around and forced out from behind.
We wish Wakaichro good fortune in his remaining 3 matches.
As many of our readers know, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to travel to Japan for the first week of the Natsu basho this year. It was my first time back in Japan for 30 years, and it was quite a wonderful trip to make. I have promised Andy and others a recount of my adventures there, with tips for other sumo fans wishing to go. That should be posted soon.
But the first thing that hits me is the Japanese nature of sumo, and how it interlocks with the Japanese culture. Those of us who are not in Japan can get our sumo through both official and unofficial means. Official being the 25 minute daily highlight show on NHK World and the unofficial being the wonderful content on youtube.com from Jason’s All Sumo Channel, Kintamayama and One and Only.
Why is it the rest of the world only gets a subset of the bouts in Makuuchi? A hint came to me watching sumo live in the Kokugikan. The pacing is a tough sell to world sports fans that insist on rapid, continuous action. Most people who follow sports find things like baseball too slow, where nothing much might happen for minutes at a time. When the NFL recently started inserting more commercials into football broadcasts, it helped induce their catastrophic drop in ratings. When fans watch football (soccer) in Europe or rugby, the periods are non stop, no commercial festival of people running crazy on a big grassy field. Even then fans sometimes think it’s too slow and awkward – just give us the part where they try for a goal.
Sumo is a few seconds of combat surrounded by minutes of ceremony. Fans like those who read this blog are into the entire package, we dig the ceremony, we dig the build up to battle. We like that each day the intensity and stakes of the matches increase until we end our day watching the top men of sumo slugging it out for the championship.
Sitting in the Kokugikan, there were no announcers in Japanese or English. There is just you and sumo. No overlay graphics showing history, winning moves or the kanji if each rikishi’s shikona at giant size. This is what I would call “Actual” or “Organic” Sumo. Even watching the telecast on NHk with either english or japanese audio subtracts quite a bit from the organic experience.
I submit that this experience, either live or broadcast, does not translate well, and does not offer much appeal to average human beings or even average sports fans. If you “get” the ceremony, and feel the connection it has to the sport, you can and usually do become a sumo fan, and you chafe that these elements are removed from what is packaged and fed to us. It would be as if a great Western had cut out the story behind the gunfight, and just showed two men drawing their weapons in the middle of the street.
It is clear that sumo, as it is constituted right now, is made in Japan for Japanese people living in Japan. It’s not really exported in a form that would make it a world product. In fact, when discussing this with Japanese fans at the Kokugikan, they are completely baffled why foreigners want to watch sumo at all.
It was clear from the stands at the Kokugikan that Sumo has a global appeal, as the second floor chair seats were well populated with fans of European, African and Indian ancestry. But the men who run and control both sumo and the media spectacle that is packaged around sumo are only now starting to realize that there is a significant income and licensing stream possible outside of Japan.
Japan as a culture is very slow to change any traditional institution, and sumo is a very traditional institution. But the time has come for the NSK and the NHK to embrace sumo for the world. I would suggest the following steps
Are we likely to see any of this come to pass? Only if us fans urge NHK and NSK to start thinking bigger.
Sumo’s version of Hump Day is upon us and I like where we stand:
First of all, Takayasu versus Yoshikaze is my bout of the day. I just can’t put into words how excited I am to see these two fighting together with Takayasu not only chasing ozeki rank – but in yusho contention. Yoshikaze was built to be a spoiler; will he throw a wrench into Takayasu’s coronation?
Hakuho and Harumafuji look healthy and are fighting well. Both have been quite dominant and aggressive, with the exception of the one “almost henka” from Harumafuji…I believe against Daieisho on Day 5. I’ve got a few theories about that but no sense risking injury against a guy who should not even be at this level. Harumafuji will face Chiyoshoma for the first time so I’m expecting a quick sidestep/spin to check the box and move on to Day 9.
Hakuho, on the other hand, will face a desperate Kotoshogiku. If Giku loses tomorrow, he will be on the verge of makekoshi, and certain demotion to the maegashira ranks with Japan’s darlings, Kisenosato & Mitakeumi, waiting in the wings. After that, 5 more days of certain humiliation as he fights lowly maegashira for the privilege of staying in the upper ranks. And with Hakuho as dominant as he has been the last few days, as his own sumo has had to evolve, I’m not expecting him to let Giku get a bear hug to even try a hug-and-chug.
If he can keep him at arms length, battering him with slaps, I will be VERY curious to see how the sekiwake will react. As his lower body fails him, he needs more options with the upper body. Does he have it in him to go toe-to-toe in a street brawl? I want to see that so bad. To whom does Sadogatake beya turn if he retires? Kotoyuki’s been fizzling – with Myogiryu, Kaisei, and Tochinoshin – facing newly promoted Yutakayama.
Wakaichiro will face an interesting test tomorrow. Takaseiryu has spent almost four years in this Jonidan division. Never kyujo, just up and down with setbacks in between spurts of steady improvement. Not long ago he was at his highest position in the division, managing a 3-4 record at Jd5. He doesn’t seem to be a big guy if 112kg from the SumoDB is accurate. Is that what’s holding him back? With both rikishi close in size, it is certainly an interesting bout between experience and raw strength.
Our leaders remain the same: Hakuho and Harumafuji remain undefeated, and virtually unchallenged this week, with Takayasu now the lone contender chasing with one loss.
The bout of the day, Kisanosato/Mitakeumi lived up to the hype. The banged up Yokozuna helps to cement his legacy with these solid wins while the worthy youngster effectively demonstrates that he will be a leader in this league. With the simultaneous rise of Takayasu, the Filipino era may be upon us. Anyway, it helped that most of the makuuchi bouts were relatively quick contests, punctuated by oshidashi (push out) victories.
In clearly the best belt battle of the day, Mitakeumi’s charge put Kisenosato on his heels at the edge of the dohyo. However, the junior yokozuna proved his mettle by battling back to the center and patiently wearing down the up-and-comer and working him out of the opposite side of the ring.
Hakuho was just as effective, demonstrating that Daieisho’s rise was a fluke with a speedy, straight forward yorikiri. Daieisho faces makekoshi tomorrow as a result. Harumafuji made quick work of Yoshikaze, who seemed stunned after the yokozuna’s top-knot met his chin. After that powerful tachiai, everyone’s favorite pincushion had no counter-attack and was quickly ushered out.
Goeido may have closed the door on Kotoshogiku’s career. Not only was Giku’s thrusting unable to move Goeido backwards…Goeido was able to get Giku moving backwards despite the thrusts. The wily Sekiwake pivoted, forcing the kadoban ozeki’s back to the straw bales. A year ago, this would have been prime position for a hippity-hoppety jackrabbit force out but with Goeido’s own ozeki status on the line, he finished Giku off with a quick throw. Kotoshogiku is done. If he hangs on through this tournament, he has to fight Hakuho tomorrow and Kisenosato after that. He will surely finish with a losing record. The only question being, how far he will fall into the ranks of the maegashira?
Next week, he may be able to pick up some wins and finish with 5, 6, or even 7 wins. But best case scenario he will be in the top maegashira for July. It may even benefit him to fall FAR into the maegashira. If he loses most (or all) the rest of his bouts, and plummets with Daieisho into the middle ranks of the rank-and-file, he will not face sanyaku opponents in July. He could win against easier maegashira opponents. Will his pride allow him to slide that far, lose the extra retainers and status? Will he use that chance to heal his injuries, retool his game, and become a multi-dimensional wrestler? I would love to see him stay around, if his love of the sport is that strong, like Aminishiki.
Second place Takayasu got a quick, weird win against a Chiyoshoma who was trying, and failing, to do his best Ura impression. Chiyonokuni put in great effort against Tamawashi in an exciting bout, but lost his balance and got slapped down. Ura had Sokokurai completely befuddled. After he got pushed out, Sokokurai just stood there like, “what just happened?”
Honestly, most of the rest of the bouts were kinda “meh”. Tochinoshin was just too big and strong for Ishiura. Once he got the atomic wedgie going, the bout resembled those matches against little kids. Ichinojo was back to his lumbering, lethargic ways. Even Ikioi/ Uncle Takara was forgettable. I think I was just too anxious that they were going to call a matta against Ikioi. Everyone seemed to get out of whack and was a bit uncertain as the shinpan cracked down on getting both hands to touch the clay.