"The Business Of Sumo"

[Umigame 82]

http://www.askmen.com/sports/business_150/...s_business.html

This is on the top page of digg.com today, so it's sure to be receiving mega-pageviews.

Seems pretty accurate to me, but I'm curious if anyone here on the forum will find any mistakes or misleading info in the article.

Personally, I didn't know that the sumo association gives each heya "approximately $550 in monthly training payments" for non-sekitori rikishi, so I was happy to learn that.

[Orion 431]

This is on the top page of digg.com today, so it's sure to be receiving mega-pageviews.

Seems pretty accurate to me, but I'm curious if anyone here on the forum will find any mistakes or misleading info in the article.

Personally, I didn't know that the sumo association gives each heya "approximately $550 in monthly training payments" for non-sekitori rikishi, so I was happy to learn that.

It seems to be a fairly competent piece put together from a cursory hunt around existing information sources. I don't get the feeling that the writer has any real experience of sumo; it's more or less a cut-and-paste job. Since I don't use dollars, I can't comment on the accuracy of the amounts, but it is a fact that a stablemaster gets an allowance for each deshi according to rank. (This is why the stablmasters are normally keen to put a new recruit into maezumo as soon as possible, because up to that time they are providing free room, board and clothing to the newbie. Hence the present new regulation about foreign recuits having to wait one basho before being allowed to take the maezumo preliminaries has financial implications. (And, going back a number of years, Azumazeki oyakata held back his London recruit for a basho because he didn't think he was ready -- and how right he was!)

Orion signing off after a long day which included Tamakasuga's dampatsu -- you seen one, you seen 'em all -- but every one is also different because it's another man leaving active sumo life.

[Kimyouzan 2]

But the Japanese furor for baseball is superseded by the Pacific island nation’s love for its own creation, sumo wrestling.

I don't think this is true at all. All the teachers I work with here talk on and on about baseball during their breaks, and only a couple of the older teachers talk about sumo and not even that often. Plus, I don't think there are many young kids that are into it (a damn shame), whereas baseball is a major after school activity in every middle and high school in Japan.

Besides that though, it's an interesting and informative article.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Kimyouzan

[Takamizawa 0]

But the Japanese furor for baseball is superseded by the Pacific island nation

Edited June 6, 2009 by Takamizawa

[Kimyouzan 2]

Sumo's shinto associations prevent it from being an official bukatsudo club in schools right? I'm sure that contributes heavily to lack of interest in young people.

[Orion 431]

Sumo's shinto associations prevent it from being an official bukatsudo club in schools right? I'm sure that contributes heavily to lack of interest in young people.

No connection; the Shinto associations are not government-related, after all.

What happened to my previous post on this thread sent yesterday?

Orion

[brewdude 0]

when I taught at Yaizu Suisan Koko they had an official High School Club. That is where Katayama came from before he went on to the college level.

[Orion 431]

when I taught at Yaizu Suisan Koko they had an official High School Club. That is where Katayama came from before he went on to the college level.

Like other clubs, it's largely a matter of a teacher being willing to run it. Years ago I knew a group of young men who went round the schools giving demonstrations and trying to get sumo clubs started. (Didn't I say this before?)

Orion

[Sasanishiki 57]

I'm speculating a bit here, as I have no experience in schools, but i see three issues that potentially keep some schools from maintaining sumo clubs. The first is the matter of experience and someone wanting/feeling they have the ability to coach a team. The second is a matter of facilities. Most schools don't have a dohyo or have removed them if they ever had one. As such, trying to coach a team without having a dohyo means that you have to use other facilities at the school that may be being used by another club, or you have to arrange to use facilities where there is a dohyo (also not that common an occurence in Japan). This then ties into the third issue I see. It is easier to channel kids into community sumo clubs where there are skilled coaches and proper facilities. This leads sumo to be more specialised and less participatory than other sports which kids might try (because of the need to go to facilites out of school and be trained by someone who is seen as specialised). The schools that do have sumo programmes (and I'm thinking more of high schools here) are seen to be specialised schools for sumo (though not only sumo) - think Tottori Johoku and Meitoku. There is litlte in the way of "let's have a go, we'll have a team even though it is weak because the pupils want to have one" type mentality in the consideration of sumo as a sport for older school kids. Thus sumo is funnelled into clubs and mainly for those who are expected to do reasonably well. I think we see this with the shin deshi. Those with a sumo background are usually big, have had some success at age group tournament and are carrying on into ozumo. Young scrawny kids of the same age are coming into sumo to try it or because the don't have a career, or whatever. You very seldom get a shindeshi who is scrawny but has done sumo for 2-3 years if at all.

[James H 0]

at least it isn't soccer or baseketball that has captured the Japanese public's heart hehe.

Hugely off topic.... but

They may not have yet, but both soccer and basketball are making real inroads regionally, setting up clubs in places pro baseball has ignored for years. At a national level, the Japan soccer team is still very popular and the J.League has made a huge impact since 2002, and has a development plan that should help it break out of the corporate league mentality that stymies most sports' development here.

Anecdotally, I would guess that Japan's soccer team is seen as much cooler than say, the Yomiuri Giants, by junior high school kids, and the 4-year World Cup program gives soccer brilliant exposure. (It takes over the summer every 4 years, and in between you have qualifiers, friendlies and other high-profile games) Sure, the World Baseball Classic is a big deal (partly because Japan won it) but part of the reason baseball has had to adapt in recent years (interleague, postseason playoffs, lots and lots of 'fan service') is because soccer - j.league and national team - has taken away a lot of fans, especially young fans.

So it's a two-way pull - on one level, regional clubs are becoming more popular and tapping new markets (and so pulling fans away from Tokyo-based teams like the Giants) and on a national level, Japan's soccer team has given people something other than baseball to cheer on.

Japan is still baseball country, but yakyu doesn't have a monopoly on talent and exposure any more.

(Edits for clarity and spelling)

Edited June 10, 2009 by James H

[Asashosakari 19,319]

There is litlte in the way of "let's have a go, we'll have a team even though it is weak because the pupils want to have one" type mentality in the consideration of sumo as a sport for older school kids. Thus sumo is funnelled into clubs and mainly for those who are expected to do reasonably well. I think we see this with the shin deshi. Those with a sumo background are usually big, have had some success at age group tournament and are carrying on into ozumo. Young scrawny kids of the same age are coming into sumo to try it or because the don't have a career, or whatever. You very seldom get a shindeshi who is scrawny but has done sumo for 2-3 years if at all.

I think that makes a bit of a fruit salad of the whole matter. (I'm avoiding to say "apples and oranges" because that clich

Edited June 10, 2009 by Asashosakari