ROFL @ hakuho-miyabiyama

[Hananotaka 8]

Kitanofuji's "Hazukashii" was self-effacing irony.

Miyabiyama really lost before he ever hit the ground; the top of his foot had flipped and touched the dohyo long before he started to fall. That's why Kitanofuji was so sure it was Hakuho's win. I think the judges called it a torinaoshi just to please the fans.

[aderechelsea 124]

the top of his foot had flipped and touched the dohyo long before he started to fall.

Name me one fight ever in the history of sumo where someone was declared the loser despite remaining standing because the top of his foot touched the dohyo. I think you are taking the soles of the feet thing too literally.

now i have to go watch all the Toyonoshima bouts in banzuke.com because i think that he lost once for such reason .... hmmmm

:-)

[Kaikitsune Makoto 209]

Pedantic debate has its role but massive majority of bouts is clear when it comes to winner. When the bout is close and both hang on the tawara and so, isn't it only natural the enforces gets the nod easier? Doesn't that make the rules serve sumou and not sumou serve the rules?`Mostly the call made are good, often the winner was the better rikishi in the bout and it is not very common that someone is simply robbed in terms of giving the opponent the win while the opponent was on the receiving end and the finish was close call that went the wrong way if pedantically looking at slow motions and so.

Of course one can think that "if rules are not explicit, why have rules at all? It is not fair!". Well, I think rules are there to serve the sumo, to make the final call as fair as possible. SO why would Hakuho not get the nod if he clearly hit the dohyo after Miya? Maybe the logic is simply that both rikishi pretty much fell on their own and were close enough to tie to warrant a rematch, on the basis that neither won that bout. Then again they do let those stupid matta-problems go through fingers sometimes. How idiotic is it when BOTH rikishi think it was matta and stop the fight, then the other rikishi notices sooner that the damn judges let it go and wins because he noticed earlier that that clear matta tachi-ai (which BOTH rikishi agreed on) was not matta after all. It is complete nonsense to let such bouts go on. It is different case when only one of the rikishi thinks it is matta and stops resisting, then it can be approved as otherwise that could also be tactics to stop playing when tachi-ai was bad yelling "matta!!!!!" and hoping for new tachi-ai.

All in all I do think gyoji and shinpan do good work in these close calls for most part. In many other parts Kyokai could pick up some new ways to handle things...

[Hananotaka 8]

the top of his foot had flipped and touched the dohyo long before he started to fall.

Name me one fight ever in the history of sumo where someone was declared the loser despite remaining standing because the top of his foot touched the dohyo. I think you are taking the soles of the feet thing too literally.

You're beef is with Kitanofuji, not me. And no one said anything about "remaining standing".