Does anyone know about the salt the use for the basho? Where does it come from, is it specifically made for the NSK? How much do they go through? How much does it cost? The reason I ask is that I was remembering a scene I saw at the Sumo World Champs in Germany this month. The Germans had supplied what looked to be sea salt, with large chunky crystals. Some of the shimpan were standing around fretting that it was too dry and the grains were too large (I would say crunchy or coarse). I suppose they were worried that it would not mix with the dirt on the dohyo but instead remain unsightly. Anyway, a couple of them tasted it (not sure what that would do), and they fretted for a while as only Japanese can do. Someone must have gone to get some more, because the stuff they ended up using looked pretty normal and mixed in with the dirt quite well. It just got me thinking about the pros, and whether anyone knew.