Araiwa

[Godango 984]

On 09/10/2020 at 23:34, Cal Martin said:

It's really funny, you hit the nail right on the head, as I was coming up through the ranks, it was our little joke, If i catch you, i am going to have my way with you. He always said that because of me, it pushed him harder and if you notice, when I hit his rank, he pushed into Juryo. Nothing changed when He got his sekitori status, in fact i think we worked out harder. Yes there were a lot of their rules I didn't like, if anyone was a higher rank than you, you were at their mercy, you had to do what ever they said, it is a incentive for you to move up, and then you could tell them what to do. I did witness plenty of the abuse, I personally would get in trouble for not participating, I really  got it once when I stood up and got into a real fight with a higher ranking wrestler, actually two of them, they came in drunk at 4:30 in the morning, got most of us lower ranking ones up, ( we got up at 5:30 anyway), but when they started beating them real bad, I found a 2x4 and got both of them. There were 58 in our stable, most were pretty good, but there is always some bad apples in the barrel. It is hard to compare this sport to football, any sport you are in, and if you want to be successful, you have to push yourself to the brink. When practice was over, Hanakago's daughter would get her Toyota out, and i would push it for a hour, through the back streets, i wore shoes that weighed 20lbs a piece, for my everyday wear. I do have plenty of pictures, but don't know how to post them, not a good tech savvy guy.

Cal

 

Thanks so much for the answers! What an interesting experience; I could talk your ears (or eyes in this context?) off about this.  

Regarding the pictures Cal, if there is anyway I can help; please let me know. If you're able to email them; share them via social media like Facebook or anything else; or even via a relative, I'd be happy to post them here on your behalf. I'm sure a lot of us here would get a real kick out of it.

I hope you're enjoying your pseudo-celebrity status among us sumo tragics.  

[Cal Martin 121]

It was the tournament where i won the nine man play off, was celebrating with one of the camera men from ABC (I think), we were in my truck and leaving a bar, the ally was blocked by a bunch of guys playing Majon, or some kind of gambling game in it. I asked them to move, I got a lot of cuss words back at me, gave them to the count of three, and then proceeded to run right through them. To make a long story short, after we got out and had a little brawl, my boss had to come get us out of jail, about 3 in the morning. I didn't know till the next day when he explained, those guys were all Yakuza. I wanted my passport, I was going to catch the next plane out of there, well the Godfather wanted a sit down meeting, Hanakago agreed, he was very cool, said it sounds like they had it coming, I offered to pay all hospital bills etc., he said not necessary, he just wanted to know how i felt about the next tournament, seems he bet very heavily, you could bet per fight or are you going to win 4 out of 7.I had been promoted to the next division and the odds were I wouldn't make the 4 out of 7. I even gave him some money to put down on myself. From then on we got along great, never did he ask to throw a fight or cheat in any way. He paid Hanakago a lot of money just to come and watch practice, and i would accompany him, if he had a special someone to impress, he would always give me a envelope full of cash at the end of the night. And that is how that all came about my friend.

Cal

[Cal Martin 121]

11 hours ago, Houmanumi said:

Thanks so much for the answers! What an interesting experience; I could talk your ears (or eyes in this context?) off about this.  

Regarding the pictures Cal, if there is anyway I can help; please let me know. If you're able to email them; share them via social media like Facebook or anything else; or even via a relative, I'd be happy to post them here on your behalf. I'm sure a lot of us here would get a real kick out of it.

I hope you're enjoying your pseudo-celebrity status among us sumo tragics.  

I think my nephew, put a lot of them on face book, i don't even know how to get to them, something about, Back in the Day? I know if you go to YouTube and put in Cal Martin/Sumo, sports illustrated put some on. I have several in my computer, but the file is to big to send.

[sumojoann 1,264]

3 hours ago, Cal Martin said:

I think my nephew, put a lot of them on face book, i don't even know how to get to them, something about, Back in the Day? I know if you go to YouTube and put in Cal Martin/Sumo, sports illustrated put some on. I have several in my computer, but the file is to big to send.

I found these on Facebook!!!  (NOTE:) NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN I CLICK ON "+15" ON THE LAST PICTURE SO I HAVE POSTED THE ACTUAL LINK WHICH SHOWS ALL OF THE PICTURES.  **** CLICK ON ANY PICTURE (OR NEWSPAPER CLIPPING) TO SEE IT ENLARGED **** IF YOU WANT TO SCROLL THROUGH THEM, CLICK ON THE FIRST PICTURE.  YOU WILL SEE AN ARROW ON THE CENTER RIGHT SIDE.  CLICK ON THE ARROW TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT PICTURE.  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=ms.c.eJw1zsENREEIAtCONoIiY~%3B~_NbSZ~%3BPL4oIirYwTAV~_cMng8I8ZSdVXI0oxVPlUI3VzfXm~_pjNvXkGbNfTWOzRJ4RAo1YDmit00tsOaujulUFvH~_6fnt1MDz27WRIPtq~%3BaPDhPvrOJP2O4NOI~-.bps.a.1402601392486&type=1

 

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by sumojoann

[sumojoann 1,264]

This time I WAS able to watch it, although it had no sound.

[sumojoann 1,264]

Here is an old photo of Cal Martin from 1971.  He was quoted as saying that sumo was "..... like playing football in the Nude".  https://outlet.historicimages.com/products/rsb73943

Edited October 12, 2020 by sumojoann

[Yamanashi 3,840]

I found the same Youtube you did, through googling.  I have gotten an error message on all three tries.

[sumojoann 1,264]

29 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

I found the same Youtube you did, through googling.  I have gotten an error message on all three tries.

Yamanashi, I finally got the video to work and I posted it above.  (I deleted my first post).  It's really strange.  If you do a search on Youtube and try to watch it from there, you get the error message.  However, when I did a general Google search (NOT on Youtube) for "Cal Martin sumo wrestler", I found a link to that same video and clicked on it.  It took me to Youtube and the video worked!!  Find my post above with the link to the video & click on it.  It should work. (NO SOUND, THOUGH).

Edited October 12, 2020 by sumojoann

[sumojoann 1,264]

(This is a quote from a 1986 Sumo World article)..............Second, article-after-article calls John Tenta the “first ever white sumo wrestler.”  Personally, I think this is problematic because there are often questionable connotations regarding who is considered “white”; however, I thought it was interesting that this prior issue of Sumo World directly stated that, “Cal Martin was the first Caucasian to enter sumo”, and, “Kototenta [John Tenta] – the third Caucasian to enter sumo”.

The above is from northamericansumo.com.  The quote was taken from a Sumo World article published in 1986.

[Cal Martin 121]

As far as I know, I was, but I did drink a lot back then.

Cal

[Cal Martin 121]

10 hours ago, sumojoann said:

I found these on Facebook!!!  (NOTE:) NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN I CLICK ON "+15" ON THE LAST PICTURE SO I HAVE POSTED THE ACTUAL LINK WHICH SHOWS ALL OF THE PICTURES.  **** CLICK ON ANY PICTURE (OR NEWSPAPER CLIPPING) TO SEE IT ENLARGED **** IF YOU WANT TO SCROLL THROUGH THEM, CLICK ON THE FIRST PICTURE.  YOU WILL SEE AN ARROW ON THE CENTER RIGHT SIDE.  CLICK ON THE ARROW TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT PICTURE.  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=ms.c.eJw1zsENREEIAtCONoIiY~%3B~_NbSZ~%3BPL4oIirYwTAV~_cMng8I8ZSdVXI0oxVPlUI3VzfXm~_pjNvXkGbNfTWOzRJ4RAo1YDmit00tsOaujulUFvH~_6fnt1MDz27WRIPtq~%3BaPDhPvrOJP2O4NOI~-.bps.a.1402601392486&type=1

 

The picture with the fag behind me, was the day I got my draft notice, the other one is at Yokota Air Base, I was at a celebrity baseball game for charity, the guy beside me is John Daily, he wrote for the Stars and Stripes back then, he also covered my nine man play off. Good pictures, where did you find them?

 

[sumojoann 1,264]

Cal,

I sent you a private message with a link to the Facebook page that has the photos and newspaper clippings.  I don't know if it's your Facebook page or your nephew's or someone else's so I didn't want to post it publicly.

[sumojoann 1,264]

Cal, can you comment on this picture?

[sumojoann 1,264]

This is an interesting picture.

[sumojoann 1,264]

Great picture!

[sumojoann 1,264]

I bet this brings back memories!

[sumojoann 1,264]

Good picture.

[sumojoann 1,264]

Was this during your 9-man playoff?

[sumojoann 1,264]

That looks like you when you won the Yusho (second from the left as you're facing the picture).

[sumojoann 1,264]

When was this picture taken?

[sumojoann 1,264]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1402612712769&set=ms.c.eJw1zsENREEIAtCONoIiY~%3B~_NbSZ~%3BPL4oIirYwTAV~_cMng8I8ZSdVXI0oxVPlUI3VzfXm~_pjNvXkGbNfTWOzRJ4RAo1YDmit00tsOaujulUFvH~_6fnt1MDz27WRIPtq~%3BaPDhPvrOJP2O4NOI~-.bps.a.1402601392486&type=3&theater

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This is a funny story.  It couldn't be displayed due to a Facebook error, but you can click on the link to read it.

[sumojoann 1,264]

I don't know f this is legible --- maybe with a magnifying glass!  Cal, do you remember being interviewed for this article?

[sumojoann 1,264]

Another interesting story!  Might need a magnifying glass OR you can click on the big link I posted above the Sports Illustrated video and read it on Facebook.  (The type is a little larger).

[Cal Martin 121]

52 minutes ago, sumojoann said:

Cal, can you comment on this picture?

Sure, that is Jessi, or Takamiyama, I don't remember why we stopped for this pose, but i think it was at one of the Base events.

[Cal Martin 121]

1 hour ago, sumojoann said:

This is an interesting picture.

That is Wakachichibu, and Hanakago, typical training day.