paolo

Sorry, I surely must have missed something. Is she his divorced wife or a new one ?

I think that a Yokozuna run must start from the Ozeki rank. If this is true, you could not be promoted to Yokozuna even if you were a Sekiwake/Komusubi and you won two bashos in a row, not even if you had been promoted to Ozeki after your first win. I am not sure that this is correct though (but did anything similar ever happen or have a chance to happen ?).

I find everything correct. And I would just add that he was the only Yokozuna for a long time, and apparently nobody was able to let him understand how big a difference it made when a second Yokozuna was promoted and was there to make it possible for people to make comparisons....

I had a dream: the naughty boy had retired alone in his house, closed all the doors and the windows, unplugged the phone and the TV set, and then cried, cried, cried. One little meal a day (eaten with his right hand), no drinking at all but plain water (sparkling water would be considered no hinkaku). Beating his chest with his fist (right fist) and repeating "mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa". He thought to leave, but he could not pack up, because he had to take his suitcase down from above the wardrobe, and doing that with both hands would be considered a guts pose...So he was purifying himself until his adieu cerimony...

The description reported in madorosumaru's post is very plausible and at the same time terribly sad: it describes men who had probably been waiting for an opportunity like this for months or years ... All things apart, a bad picture of a board of directors (or should I say two, including YDC ?).

Interesting? That was the most tiresome part of the last few years for me. There are dozens of aspects of Ozumo that I can easily work up more of an interest for, and if anything perhaps Asashoryu's departure will finally wean a few more people off the cheap thrills. .... Anyway, as long as Ozumo continues to hold that national icon status, any true renaissance of the sport will require a yokozuna with strong hinkaku (well, probably more than one) who can capture the attention of the wider public, and so all the "but Hakuho is sooo boring!" cries are completely missing the point. It's no coincidence that, for all the on-dohyo excitement Asashoryu brought, it never really resulted in strong business for the Kyokai, even after Hakuho arrived to provide a good guy counterpart - all the while plenty of people here and elsewhere always acted as though Asashoryu should have been capable of drawing in the masses by his sheer charisma alone. That's just not how it works. Once more I may think that life is beautiful because people and opinions are so different...

One mans boredom is another mans hinkaku. I think he's referring to the inevitable Hakuho yusho clinched on Day 1 of each basho. It was like that with Asa for a long time. Everybody was desperate for some excitement until Kotooshu, and later Hakuho, came along. Not exactly my point. For years I have been waking up in the morning and rushing to this forum to see "what has happened yesterday and what is happening today", even when there was no basho going on. And 90% of the interesting things were "Asashoryu did this" or "Asashoryu said that". How much of this will survive ? Does somebody really mean that we will be overwhelmed by reports of what Hakuho or Harumafuji does or says, apart from the trivial "I will do my best", "Thanks for your support" and so on ? Or by polemics about an extra-shove or a left hand or a guts pose or whatever else ? Augh, Big Boredom is here to stay....

Asashoryu is gone... is boredom here to stay ?

I find it ironic that the best or perhaps only solution that would fix almost everything (Asashoryu, Kyokai, earnings, fans and so on) is the only one that is considered impossible... After all Asashoryu is the only Yokozuna that was disqualified in a bout and the only one that was suspended. If he is not considered worth of the title of Yokozuna now, he could well be the only one demoted to Ozeki, maybe with the chance of regaining the title of Yokozuna in the usual way (winning two consecutive bashos). Is the rule of "no demotion for a Yokozuna" so strictly official ? Couldn't there be an exception due to the exceptional case ?

The "soccer" case was a "crime" internal to the sumo world: the Kyokai considered Asashoryu had tried to make fun of them and punished him severely. It was just a behaviour internal to an environment; nothing bad, external to sumo world, had happened. Here there is nothing internal, only an external action in which no direct sumo involvement is there. Then from the Kyokai point of view, should this be evaluated more or less severely ?

Quoting from the article: Quoting from a post of mine in "Sayonara Michico" thread Isn't it lovely that a Yokozuna thinks to follow my recommendations ?

Over and over again, it happened once more. Please let somebody explain: Little/unsatisfactory training + Bad soken with a lot of losses to Hakuho + Bad last training session with a lot of losses to Kakuryu + Gain of 4 kilos ( possibly pure fats ?) = Yusho (with some brilliant sumo, too) Please let somebody explain, I'm getting crazy ....

Everything correct. I am a big fan of Asashoryu's. But without a good training you can't keep your power, your speed, even your technique. Asashoryu's sumo was very good all along this basho, with some moments of magnificence. With that kind of training ? Going back to the talent point: agreed. But one of the best pianists ever, Artur Rubinstein, so answered a lady who asked him if he really practised every day: "Yes, of course. If I didn't for a day, I would hear it. If I didn't for some days, you would hear it too". And it was an activity where there is no direct comparison with other people. Here you can be pushed and pulled all around the dohyo or thrown away by another guy who weighs 150 kilos or more ....

I for my part think Baruto still ranks behind Harumafuji and Kotooshu--notwithstanding the head-to-head victories at this basho--in particular as regards their ability to put pressure on the Yokozuna. I'm not even sure whether I'd consider Baruto having bypassed Kotomitsuki. It's not that Baruto is winning regulalary against these guys. ... I must admit that perhaps I was taken by too much enthusiasm seeing Baruto execute a technical move (makke-kae) against Hakuho .... Kotooshu's technical ability even if not big is still greater than Baruto's, and Harumafuji's technical and tactical ones are much much greater. Baruto has still a lot (or two lots) to learn. But curiously, this notwithstanding, there are some interesting points: Considering the results of the last three basho (their opponents are about the same), the four are very close (I hope I am counting correctly...): Kotooshu 32/45 Harumafuji 27/45 Kotomitzuki 29/45 Baruto 32/45 including the current one (this line and the 4 lines that follow amended at the end of the basho) Kotooshu 41/60 Harumafuji 37/60 Kotomitzuki 30/53 Baruto 44/60 direct meetings including current basho: Kotooshu-Baruto 2-2 Kotooshu-Harumafuji 3-1 (line amended at the end of the basho) Kotooshu-Kotomitzuki 0-0 Harumafuji-Kotomitzuki 2-1 Baruto-Harumafuji 3-1 Baruto-Kotomitzuki 2-1 From numbers above one could think that there is a certain balance between Baruto, Kotooshu, Harumafuji in this order, while Kotomitzuki stands clearly below. If and when Baruto learns some technique and some more intelligent tactics, he could become a stronger rikishi than the other two. An Ozeki for sure...

If Asashoryu manages to win this basho he would be wonderful if he gave her a bunch of roses. She is his opponent or even his enemy, but she has many merits towards sumo; about which, I insist, she says what she thinks (rare behaviour in that environment, as far as I see). He would earn a million points. Being great does not mean only being a great athlete ....

You are right. If the standings were absolute and did not have to necessarily have the Ozeki's in front of all the others (Sekiwake, Komusubi and Maegashira), Baruto would be at the third place, not at the seventh. He must still learn some sumo, though ... His fantastic power is not always enough to win. Anyway current ozeki's performances are so erratic that he should have no problem to make 11/12 wins consistently and become an ozeki soon.

Only if he wins all his bouts from tomorrow on (13-2) AND wins the basho ?

I have been able to watch the bout just now. Having read your comment and the "Asashoryu and Kisenosato" thread, I expected a henka. But I saw a clear tactical win, by slap-in-the-face + morozashi + right internal grip + shitatenage (thay called it kirikaeshi, but I do not see any leg involved) . I see a dominant win. Why do you think that it is unconvincing or even a henka ? Thanks.

I second that emotion! I've missed Rikishi Talk terribly. It's always my favorite thread during the basho. Thank you, Jonosuke. Same from me

I'm not affected, but red-green blindness is prevalent enough that that's probably not a good idea. In any case, would grey really make much of a difference on your screen? Red and black looking too similar tends to be caused by a faulty brightness setting (or an old and failing monitor that simply can't produce enough brightness, I suppose), and I'm not sure grey would do much either, unless it's a very light grey - in which case it'll probably fade into the white background for people with proper brightness settings. As it looks debatable, I do not insist. The way it is now it is a big improvement anyway ! I agree. If possible, it would be very good.

Done, with more neutral black circles: Makuuchi Very useful indeed, thank you ! Unfortunately on my screen red circles and black ones tend to look like each other, that's why I suggested green ones. And what about grey ones ? Anyway only if and when you have time ! Thank you again. paolo

Thanks for that (I am late, but better late than never...). Something that I would consider interesting inside the matrix would be a mark for next match ( a green point ? ). Would that be possible ? Thanks.

Very good intention... BUT Curious starting point...

It's a real pity. I like your site very much, especially some features like the "win/loss matrix" and the "meetings". No hope of you thinking over it ? Thank you very much in any case. paolo

Probably a stupid question... Suddenly it occurred to me that in the banzuke and in all the documents, diagrams and so on East is located left and West is located right. Instinctively, from my point of view of a western person, I would write West on the left and East on the right, like on the maps where we observe the world, so to say, from the South towards the North. Do the japanese "observe" the world from the North ? Or is there a simpler explanation for that and I am still sleeping today ? That might be even stranger if I consider that, as far as I know, the Left is considered to be the unlucky side (see the well known Asashoryu's hand case...). Thanks !