Motemakuru

My reintroduction to sumo began with your videos, and I'm not sure I'd have the same passion for it were it not for your wonderful updates. Thank you so much for everything. And while I'm glad the NHK's sumo coverage is finally moving into the new era, I do wonder - will they be able to replicate the sweeping success of your halftime shows?

Entered! If there's any consolation for finishing dead last in Natsu, it's the fact that I can't possibly do any worse this time around! Best of luck to everyone.

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I really enjoyed the interview. Don's voice was totally fine, fairly on par for a lot of sports podcasts (although the way he pronounced most Japanese names made me cringe), and I felt the questions were fair. Sumo's a beautiful sport, but there's good and bad in everything, and I felt Oosunaarashi handled the questions very well. On the subject of questions about improvement: I'm no boxing expert, but I do watch a lot of tennis, and the moment any of the active tennis greats - Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Serena - show any sign of weakness, any chink in their armor, they're hounded by the media in the press room. It can be incredibly hard to watch sometimes. The NFL, NBA, etc. get the same treatment; both players and coaches have to field negative question after negative question before they've even had time to really process a loss. The questions on this podcast were nowhere near that level of mean, and seemed fairly respectful to my ears. Plus, as RabidJohn pointed out, Oosunaarashi isn't quite a Federer yet - if you're talking tennis players, he's probably more along the lines of a Berdych or a Nishikori, a top 10 player with all the tools to take out the big guys, but can't yet make it to that highest point. Sorry for that little tennis-based aside there. Again, a fascinating interview! I feel like, between the manner he conducts himself during tournaments, his frequency in updating his Facebook and Instagram, and his transparency in interviews like this, Oosunarashi is one of the very few rikishi where you're able to get a fairly decent picture of what their daily existence is like. And for a foreign fan, that's remarkable. The only time sumo gets any coverage whatsoever out here in California is when Yama and Byamba are having another exhibition.

The one that really gets me is the guy that's actually trying to defend sumo by pointing out a Yokozuna's size - but he's not referring to an actual Yokozuna, he's referring to the 90s pro wrestler Yokozuna, a big scary guy who lost his only "sumo" bout... Rest in peace.

I'm the opposite - I became interested in pro wrestling years after I first started watching sumo. Still, I'd much rather send some donations to Kintamayama than subscribe to the WWE Network! ;-) Anyway, a very warm welcome to you.

Sekiwake Tochinoshin... I really like the sound of that. (Dancing of joy...)

I remember how thrilled I was in Natsu 2015 when Terunofuji took the yusho with 12-3. Both of his tournaments at sekiwake were so much fun, and such a showcase of calm, powerful sumo. And now, one year later, he'll be lucky to even make it to 3-12... between his injuries and Aminishiki's injuries, it's really put a damper on my mood. That match against Kisenosato was really hard to watch. I'm begging him to withdraw.

Absolutely loved seeing the juryo bouts, thank you. Go Sato Go!

A warm welcome from a fellow Californian! (Happy goodbyes...)

Welcome!! :-)

Two of my favorites, from very opposite ends of the spectrum: My Favorite Things - The Sound of Music Sweet Transvestite - Rocky Horror Picture Show

I agree with all of this. As a new player, I feel like I've spent far more time each day trying to log in and find the entry form than I have debating and choosing my picks! (Although, since I'm currently standing at 1-2, I probably could spend a bit more time thinking through my choices.)

I'm fairly new myself, but welcome!! :-)

A henka might not be "Yokozuna behavior", but banning the henka seems extreme. Are you suggesting it should be banned at all levels? It's a wrestling move - it might be a confrontation-avoiding move, but it still requires some wits and talent to pull it off with consistency. That being said, I'm a bit of an Aminishiki fan, so feel free to totally disregard anything I say.

What the heck, I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring! 15 * Daishomaru 13 * Daieisho 11 * Sadanoumi 10 * Amuru 9 * Tokushoryu 8 * Gagamaru 7 * Hidenoumi 6 * Mitakeumi 5 * Aminishiki Motemakuru

Greetings everyone! I was born in Japan in 1991, and was around 4-5 years old when I first started watching sumo. Little did I know then that I was in the boom years of the great Yokozuna Takanohana and Akebono - I just thought these were super cool big guys pushing each other around! Little me was so hooked on the sport, as was pretty much every kid in preschool. I moved to the United States when I was six, and totally forgot about Sumo for almost two decades, before out of curiosity I started watching again around the Aki Basho of 2014 (Ichinojo's makuuchi debut!) and got hooked all over again. In the tournaments since, I've done my best to gain knowledge and appreciate the technical side of the sport, and so I've been lurking around here and a few other places for a little while now. With the Natsu basho coming up, and my favorite rikishi Osunaarashi coming back from injury by dominating the Juryo ranks, I felt it was finally time to get an account. Looking forward to some lively discussion!

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A couple Akebono pictures from Odo's first major show, 「王道 THE BEGINNING」:

Concussions have become a super big deal in the scripted world of pro wrestling, too, especially newsworthy with the recent retirement of Daniel Bryan due to a series of concussions and post-concussion seizures. A lot of the top guys (John Cena, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, RVD) said they'll donate their brains to research after their death, and it seems like the recently deceased Chyna's brain is currently being studied for evidence of CTE. All of this is fairly recent news (the Wellness Program wasn't around a decade ago), but at least they're moving in the right direction. I wonder what EEG scans of rikishi would reveal - while they're not intentionally trying to bump heads, my guess is they're taking more hard head bumps than most pro wrestlers take.