Kyushu Basho 2005

Next time you feel a tremor beneath your feet, it may not be the aftershocks of the latest ji shin. Dotted around Fukuoka in the coming weeks will be sumo’s greatest wrestlers, all here to prepare for the Kyushu Grand sumo Tournament, and there will be a lot of rumbling going on as they continue their hard daily training in preparation for the final basho of the year.

Since the last tournament, all eyes are on Bulgarian sensation and media-styled lady’s man Kotooshu, and Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu. These two well-fed lads are sure to make waves this tournament; Kotooshu, as well as being dashingly handsome (apparently) is currently enjoying a meteoric rise towards sumo’s higher ranks, while Asashoryu is aiming for his seventh consecutive tournament win and sixth basho in a calendar year, both of which have never been done before in modern sumo.
Sumo ﾐ Sport of the Gods

Historians say that since a supposed match between two gods of yore in what was perhaps Japan’s first leadership battle, sumo has existed in one form or another. In reality, over the past 2,000 years, this most simple of sports has developed gestures, actions, techniques, tactics and rituals that are unique to the archipelago of Japan. Still, that hasn’t stopped a strong foreign contingent poking their bellies in and doing pretty well for themselves. Mongolia, Russia, Bulgaria, South Korea, Brazil, Estonia, Georgia, China and of course Japan are just some of the nations represented in today’s international as never before. In case you haven’t heard, the 14 men from afar in the top makunouchi and juryo divisions, and the best of Japan’s sumotori will soon be in Fukuoka for the November 13th ﾐ 27th Kyushu Grand sumo Tournament ﾐ and there has never been a better time to go and see them in action.

What an event it will be! Between the record-smashing antics of yokozuna grand champion Asashoryu and the ladies swooning over Kotooshu, you’ll see a wealth of other talent is on its way up into the upper echelons of sumo, and not all faces are Asian. Youth mixes with experience and Japanese with their non-Japanese counterparts to make for a great day at the sumo nowadays so pick your fave and shout until your heart’s content.
A Day at the sumo

The Fukuoka Kokusai Center will be hosting this November’s basho, and with tickets ranging in price from the very affordable ｴ3,100 for a reserved seat to the more expensive ｴ45,200 for a four person box, there are seats available for all, rabid fan and awestruck newcomer alike.

For the early risers and those out for the ‘full monty’ sumo experience, try and get down to the Kokusai Center as early as possible. Bouts start at around 8.40am on any given day with the lowest ranked jonokuchi boys trying to outwit each other with the limited moves at their disposal. This early in the day, with a thin crowd made up of friends and family and sumo uber-fans, the opportunity is there to sit beside the dohyo and feel the action close-up. You might be lucky enough to find yourself sitting shoulder to shoulder with a former yokozuna.

As the day passes, you’ll notice the tension beginning to rise and get the feeling that people are waiting for something really big (stop laughing in the back). That ‘something’ generally comes along in introductory form at around 2:50pm when the sport’s second highest juryo division performs its colorful dohyo-iri entrance ceremony. Clad in beautifully decorated ceremonial aprons known as kesho mawashi, each competing wrestler is introduced by name, home town and stable and then walks around the dohyo for all to see. Whilst taking pictures is recommended at this time, as it is still possible to get down near the front, save some of the power in your batteries for the similar ceremony at 3:45pm or so when the top makunouchi division wrestlers enter followed by the yokozuna in his own special version of the dohyo-iri. Flanked by two other wrestlers, Asashoryu’s gestures are his attempt at appeasing the sumo gods.

From now on it’s back to the seat and eyes peeled as the big boys, the names that will make the next day’s headlines, do their thing. The senior ranked men may be big, but boy are they fast; don’t take your eyes off them as the average sumo bout lasts but six seconds.

Come 6pm, the day’s action peaks with the musubi-no-ichban, the day’s last fight, which will feature yokozuna Asashoryu. Feel the tension increase even more, hear the fans reach fever pitch and just go with the flow as past meets the present, domestic becomes just a little more international, and sumo takes another step on the road to becoming a world sport. But, above all else, enjoy it for what it is ﾐ the sights and the smells of Japan’s national sport. After all, how many times will your friends back home be able to say they saw sumo live and in all its glory?
Kyushu’s Finest

Kaio
Born Hiroyuki Koga July 24th 1972, the Fukuoka native more commonly known as Ozeki Kaio of the Nihon sumo Kyokai (Japanese sumo Association), will be returning to the town of his birth this November for perhaps the last time as an active rikishi. In a career spanning over 17 years, including five at the second highest rank of ozeki, Kaio has secured five Emperor’s Cups, a couple of lower division titles, fifteen ‘sansho’ (special performance prizes) and even six ‘kinboshi’ (victories over a yokozuna grand champion).
Chiyotaikai
Some three years younger than Kaio, and listing Oita as his home, the ‘pusher thruster’ ozeki known as Chiyotaikai is nearing his own ‘decision time’. The 181cm, 158kg wrestler has not performed as he could have in the past couple of years although he has collected a total of three makunouchi titles in the eight years since he broke into the top division. Famous for his in-your-face pushing and slapping down sumo, Chiyotaikai still has another year or two left in the boiler.
Sumo Info Chunks
– Sumotori sleep after eating to facilitate weight gain
– Lower ranks have to wake up earlier and cook and clean for the seniors
– Sumotori do not eat breakfast
– Beer at lunch? Yes please. Sumotori often drink beer to bulk up and maintain weight
– sumo wrestlers receive specialized intestinal massages to be able to accommodate the huge quantities of food they consume
– One reason sumo cannot be considered for the Olympic games is its strict no-female policy
– At the start of 2005, the number of registered, professional rikishi was 695 – of that number, 39 came from Fukuoka
– Women are not allowed anywhere near the dohyo lest the gods of sumo be offended!
– Each envelope collected by upper division winning rikishi is worth ｴ55,000, and the record amount collected is 49
– The first American national in sumo was actually of Japanese parentage, born in Colorado and named Harry

The Skinny on the Kyushu Basho

Where: Fukuoka Kokusai Center
When: Nov. 13th ~ Nov. 27th
Contact: The Nihon sumo Kyokai Fukuoka Office
Tel: (092) 291-9311 / 9312 (10:00~17:00, closed Sun. & hol., Japanese only)
Prices: 3,100 yen ~ 45,200 yen
Seating: From single ringside seats to different tiers of box seating, to various levels of arena seating. Check out the
official sumo home page listed below or get a Japanese-speaking friend to call.
English ticket information: www.sumo.or.jp/eng/ticket/

Sumo Speak

Don’t know your mawashi from your rikishi? Using this glossary, even the feeblest of sumo fans can pass themselves off as towering intellectual greats of the sport of the gods.

Basho
– A sumo tournament held over a two-week period. There are six each year.

Dohyo
– The raised clay platform where sumo bouts are held. Buried for traditional reasons within the dohyo are salt, washed rice, Torreya nuts, squid, kelp, and chestnuts.

Dohyo-iri
– Entrance ceremony performed before the juryo and makuuchi division begin their bouts.

Heya
– A ‘stable’; a building used to house and train rikishi. There are dormitories, cooking facilities and a training dohyo.

Makunouchi
– Also called makuuchi, this is sumo’s top division.

Mawashi
– The thick belt wrapped around a rikishi. Protects the genitals as well as offering a place to grip. Juryo level and higher wear silk of various colors, lower levels wear black cotton.

Ozeki
– The champion rank of sumo. Other ranks can be attained by consistent wins, this rank must be granted by the Sumo Kyokai.

Rikishi
– The big guys doing all the pushing and shoving.

Yokozuna
The rank of grand champion, the pinnacle of sumo.

Do You sumo?

You’ve read about it – so how about taking a shot at Japan’s national sport yourself. The Fukuoka City sumo club holds classes in Japanese twice a week, but as with many martial arts, it’s possible to learn through gestures. Classes areﾊfromﾊ18:30~20:30 on Wednesdays at Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata and Saturdays at the Budokan, near Ohori Park.ﾊPlease have a Japanese-speaking friend call Fujinata-san before you plan to visit atﾊ090-7927-4803. You can wear short pants, butﾊmawashi are provided if you have the ‘stomach’ for it.
Textﾊby Mark Buckton
Editor-in-Chief / Sumo Fan Mag
www.sumofanmag.com

 

 

 

 

Next time you feel a tremor beneath your feet, it may not be the aftershocks of the latest ji shin. Dotted around Fukuoka in the coming weeks will be sumo’s greatest wrestlers, all here to prepare for the Kyushu Grand sumo Tournament, and there will be a lot of rumbling going on as they continue their hard daily training in preparation for the final basho of the year.

Since the last tournament, all eyes are on Bulgarian sensation and media-styled lady’s man Kotooshu, and Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu. These two well-fed lads are sure to make waves this tournament; Kotooshu, as well as being dashingly handsome (apparently) is currently enjoying a meteoric rise towards sumo’s higher ranks, while Asashoryu is aiming for his seventh consecutive tournament win and sixth basho in a calendar year, both of which have never been done before in modern sumo.
Sumo ﾐ Sport of the Gods

Historians say that since a supposed match between two gods of yore in what was perhaps Japan’s first leadership battle, sumo has existed in one form or another. In reality, over the past 2,000 years, this most simple of sports has developed gestures, actions, techniques, tactics and rituals that are unique to the archipelago of Japan. Still, that hasn’t stopped a strong foreign contingent poking their bellies in and doing pretty well for themselves. Mongolia, Russia, Bulgaria, South Korea, Brazil, Estonia, Georgia, China and of course Japan are just some of the nations represented in today’s international as never before. In case you haven’t heard, the 14 men from afar in the top makunouchi and juryo divisions, and the best of Japan’s sumotori will soon be in Fukuoka for the November 13th ﾐ 27th Kyushu Grand sumo Tournament ﾐ and there has never been a better time to go and see them in action.

What an event it will be! Between the record-smashing antics of yokozuna grand champion Asashoryu and the ladies swooning over Kotooshu, you’ll see a wealth of other talent is on its way up into the upper echelons of sumo, and not all faces are Asian. Youth mixes with experience and Japanese with their non-Japanese counterparts to make for a great day at the sumo nowadays so pick your fave and shout until your heart’s content.
A Day at the sumo

The Fukuoka Kokusai Center will be hosting this November’s basho, and with tickets ranging in price from the very affordable ｴ3,100 for a reserved seat to the more expensive ｴ45,200 for a four person box, there are seats available for all, rabid fan and awestruck newcomer alike.

For the early risers and those out for the ‘full monty’ sumo experience, try and get down to the Kokusai Center as early as possible. Bouts start at around 8.40am on any given day with the lowest ranked jonokuchi boys trying to outwit each other with the limited moves at their disposal. This early in the day, with a thin crowd made up of friends and family and sumo uber-fans, the opportunity is there to sit beside the dohyo and feel the action close-up. You might be lucky enough to find yourself sitting shoulder to shoulder with a former yokozuna.

As the day passes, you’ll notice the tension beginning to rise and get the feeling that people are waiting for something really big (stop laughing in the back). That ‘something’ generally comes along in introductory form at around 2:50pm when the sport’s second highest juryo division performs its colorful dohyo-iri entrance ceremony. Clad in beautifully decorated ceremonial aprons known as kesho mawashi, each competing wrestler is introduced by name, home town and stable and then walks around the dohyo for all to see. Whilst taking pictures is recommended at this time, as it is still possible to get down near the front, save some of the power in your batteries for the similar ceremony at 3:45pm or so when the top makunouchi division wrestlers enter followed by the yokozuna in his own special version of the dohyo-iri. Flanked by two other wrestlers, Asashoryu’s gestures are his attempt at appeasing the sumo gods.

From now on it’s back to the seat and eyes peeled as the big boys, the names that will make the next day’s headlines, do their thing. The senior ranked men may be big, but boy are they fast; don’t take your eyes off them as the average sumo bout lasts but six seconds.

Come 6pm, the day’s action peaks with the musubi-no-ichban, the day’s last fight, which will feature yokozuna Asashoryu. Feel the tension increase even more, hear the fans reach fever pitch and just go with the flow as past meets the present, domestic becomes just a little more international, and sumo takes another step on the road to becoming a world sport. But, above all else, enjoy it for what it is ﾐ the sights and the smells of Japan’s national sport. After all, how many times will your friends back home be able to say they saw sumo live and in all its glory?
Kyushu’s Finest

Kaio
Born Hiroyuki Koga July 24th 1972, the Fukuoka native more commonly known as Ozeki Kaio of the Nihon sumo Kyokai (Japanese sumo Association), will be returning to the town of his birth this November for perhaps the last time as an active rikishi. In a career spanning over 17 years, including five at the second highest rank of ozeki, Kaio has secured five Emperor’s Cups, a couple of lower division titles, fifteen ‘sansho’ (special performance prizes) and even six ‘kinboshi’ (victories over a yokozuna grand champion).
Chiyotaikai
Some three years younger than Kaio, and listing Oita as his home, the ‘pusher thruster’ ozeki known as Chiyotaikai is nearing his own ‘decision time’. The 181cm, 158kg wrestler has not performed as he could have in the past couple of years although he has collected a total of three makunouchi titles in the eight years since he broke into the top division. Famous for his in-your-face pushing and slapping down sumo, Chiyotaikai still has another year or two left in the boiler.
Sumo Info Chunks
– Sumotori sleep after eating to facilitate weight gain
– Lower ranks have to wake up earlier and cook and clean for the seniors
– Sumotori do not eat breakfast
– Beer at lunch? Yes please. Sumotori often drink beer to bulk up and maintain weight
– sumo wrestlers receive specialized intestinal massages to be able to accommodate the huge quantities of food they consume
– One reason sumo cannot be considered for the Olympic games is its strict no-female policy
– At the start of 2005, the number of registered, professional rikishi was 695 – of that number, 39 came from Fukuoka
– Women are not allowed anywhere near the dohyo lest the gods of sumo be offended!
– Each envelope collected by upper division winning rikishi is worth ｴ55,000, and the record amount collected is 49
– The first American national in sumo was actually of Japanese parentage, born in Colorado and named Harry

The Skinny on the Kyushu Basho

Where: Fukuoka Kokusai Center
When: Nov. 13th ~ Nov. 27th
Contact: The Nihon sumo Kyokai Fukuoka Office
Tel: (092) 291-9311 / 9312 (10:00~17:00, closed Sun. & hol., Japanese only)
Prices: 3,100 yen ~ 45,200 yen
Seating: From single ringside seats to different tiers of box seating, to various levels of arena seating. Check out the
official sumo home page listed below or get a Japanese-speaking friend to call.
English ticket information: www.sumo.or.jp/eng/ticket/

Sumo Speak

Don’t know your mawashi from your rikishi? Using this glossary, even the feeblest of sumo fans can pass themselves off as towering intellectual greats of the sport of the gods.

Basho
– A sumo tournament held over a two-week period. There are six each year.

Dohyo
– The raised clay platform where sumo bouts are held. Buried for traditional reasons within the dohyo are salt, washed rice, Torreya nuts, squid, kelp, and chestnuts.

Dohyo-iri
– Entrance ceremony performed before the juryo and makuuchi division begin their bouts.

Heya
– A ‘stable’; a building used to house and train rikishi. There are dormitories, cooking facilities and a training dohyo.

Makunouchi
– Also called makuuchi, this is sumo’s top division.

Mawashi
– The thick belt wrapped around a rikishi. Protects the genitals as well as offering a place to grip. Juryo level and higher wear silk of various colors, lower levels wear black cotton.

Ozeki
– The champion rank of sumo. Other ranks can be attained by consistent wins, this rank must be granted by the Sumo Kyokai.

Rikishi
– The big guys doing all the pushing and shoving.

Yokozuna
The rank of grand champion, the pinnacle of sumo.

Do You sumo?

You’ve read about it – so how about taking a shot at Japan’s national sport yourself. The Fukuoka City sumo club holds classes in Japanese twice a week, but as with many martial arts, it’s possible to learn through gestures. Classes areﾊfromﾊ18:30~20:30 on Wednesdays at Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata and Saturdays at the Budokan, near Ohori Park.ﾊPlease have a Japanese-speaking friend call Fujinata-san before you plan to visit atﾊ090-7927-4803. You can wear short pants, butﾊmawashi are provided if you have the ‘stomach’ for it.
Textﾊby Mark Buckton
Editor-in-Chief / Sumo Fan Mag
www.sumofanmag.com

 

 

 

九州場所のみどころ
11月。会場である国際センター前にずらりと並ぶのぼり。時折、街ですれ違う和装姿の力士と瓶付け油の香り。福岡、冬の風物詩ともいえる大相撲十一月場所、通称「九州場所」がいよいよ開幕する。最近の取組で注目を集めているのはやはり、日本相撲界の頂点に君臨するモンゴル人初の横綱、朝青龍（高砂部屋）！今場所、前人未到の7連覇と初の年間完全制覇に望む。そして女性ファン急増中、相撲界のベッカム(!)と呼ばれるブルガリア出身の新進気鋭美男子力士、琴欧州（佐渡ヶ嶽）。先場所この2人の外国人力士が優勝争いで迫力ある大活躍を演じ、ここでイッキに相撲人気を押し上げたいところだ。大相撲九州場所では11月13日から27日まで。彼らをはじめ、日本相撲界の明日を担う力士達が集結し、勇戦を繰り広げる。今土俵はアツイのだ！

ニッポンの国技、スモー！
太古の日本からもとになる儀式が存在していたと言われている神のスポーツ、相撲。2千年の歴史、受け継がれるしきたり、格式と礼節を重んじる日本の国技でありながら、現在ではモンゴル、ブルガリア、ロシア、韓国等12カ国からの外国人力士が育っている。規定で各部屋に外国人力士の登録は1名のみという制限があるが、現在、幕内だけで12力士、実にインターナショナルな競技になりつつある。

知らないなんてモッタイない
なんだか「敷居が高い」イメージのある相撲の世界、実は意外とそうでもないのだ。観戦の料金は「枡席」と呼ばれる4人がけの席(42,500円／4名)から1人3,000円程度の椅子席までさまざま。そして後援会の会員しか座れなかった土俵すぐそばのタマリ席、通称「砂かぶり」(14,300円)も一般に手に入るようになった、間近であの迫力ある試合が見られるのだ。どっぷり相撲体験をしたければ、朝から国際センターに足を運ぼう。普段目にする事ができない序ノ口の一番は朝8:40から。十両の土俵入りの14:50頃には会場の熱気は高まり、伝統的な相撲の威厳を感じさせる。幕内力士や横綱の土俵入りは15:45ごろ、化粧まわし姿で土俵に入る力士たちの姿は壮観だ。そしてクライマックスは18:00頃、横綱朝青龍が登場する結びの一番は会場は緊張感と興奮の渦に包まれる。力士たちの勇姿を間近でみられる福岡にいるならば、是非足を運んでこのライブ感を味わってみて欲しい。外国人の友達にも日本の国技、伝統を知ってもらう絶好のチャンス。実際、相撲の人気は高く、日本人よりも相撲に詳しい外国人がいるのも事実。肩を並べて椅子に座り、酒をかわしつつ相撲観戦、なんてのもいいのではないだろうか。

＜相撲トリビア＞
● お相撲さんは昼寝好き？力士が食事の後、昼寝をするのは体重増加を促すため。
● ちゃんこ=鍋にあらず！相撲用語で、食事＝ちゃんこ。だから、カレーもハンバーグも「ちゃんこ」なのだ。
● 力士の食事は1日2回　早朝に起きて稽古、その後朝昼兼用のちゃんこ鍋を豪快に！
● お昼にビールOK？　これも体重のコントロールが目的。
● マッサージ 大食の力士、消化を助けるのに特別なお腹のマッサージを受けるとか。
● 相撲がオリンピック競技？　オリンピックの競技として選ばれない理由として、女子禁制の伝統を重んじるため、と云われている。
● 福岡ダンジ　2005年現在、相撲協会に登録されている力士は695名、そのうち39名は福岡出身なのだ。
● 女性は御法度　女性は土俵への立ち入りを認められていない。大阪の女性知事が知事賞を直接授与する事ができないのもこのため。
● 賞金ってお幾ら？　幕内の勝利力士に与えられる懸賞金は1本あたり55,000円。史上最多は平成17年九月場所千秋楽の結びの一番、朝青龍-栃東の49本！
● しこ名も張りー？　アメリカ人初の力士は、コロラド出身の「ハリー」という日系移民の子孫だった。

＜こっちもアツい！九州男児＞
魁皇: 幕内優勝5回、優秀な成績を修め、横綱候補筆頭とも云われていた地元福岡の人気力士の魁皇だが、最近は故障続き。再起をかける九州場所では、去年横綱朝青龍をも倒した得意の寄り切りや上手投げが炸裂する好戦を期待したい。友綱部屋。

千代大海: 北海道生まれ、お隣大分出身の大関、千代大海。突き、押し出しを得意とする迫力満点の一番は見物だ。ここ最近は元気がなかったが、8年間幕内入りした実力は正真正銘、ワルガキ千代大海健在。九重部屋。

～ スモウにトライ ～
知れば知る程面白い！相撲に興味を持ったら、実際に体験してみるのもいい。福岡市相撲連盟では週２回、有志が集まって稽古を行っている。まわしをキリリと締め、稽古する姿は真剣そのもの。水曜日 (住吉神社相撲場)、土曜日(福岡武道館)18:30～20:30。詳細は090-7927-4803（藤中氏）またはhttp://www.isamiashi.net/fsumo/のメールフォームからお問い合わせを。

 

 

 

Next time you feel a tremor beneath your feet, it may not be the aftershocks of the latest ji shin. Dotted around Fukuoka in the coming weeks will be sumo’s greatest wrestlers, all here to prepare for the Kyushu Grand sumo Tournament, and there will be a lot of rumbling going on as they continue their hard daily training in preparation for the final basho of the year.

Since the last tournament, all eyes are on Bulgarian sensation and media-styled lady’s man Kotooshu, and Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu. These two well-fed lads are sure to make waves this tournament; Kotooshu, as well as being dashingly handsome (apparently) is currently enjoying a meteoric rise towards sumo’s higher ranks, while Asashoryu is aiming for his seventh consecutive tournament win and sixth basho in a calendar year, both of which have never been done before in modern sumo.
Sumo ﾐ Sport of the Gods

Historians say that since a supposed match between two gods of yore in what was perhaps Japan’s first leadership battle, sumo has existed in one form or another. In reality, over the past 2,000 years, this most simple of sports has developed gestures, actions, techniques, tactics and rituals that are unique to the archipelago of Japan. Still, that hasn’t stopped a strong foreign contingent poking their bellies in and doing pretty well for themselves. Mongolia, Russia, Bulgaria, South Korea, Brazil, Estonia, Georgia, China and of course Japan are just some of the nations represented in today’s international as never before. In case you haven’t heard, the 14 men from afar in the top makunouchi and juryo divisions, and the best of Japan’s sumotori will soon be in Fukuoka for the November 13th ﾐ 27th Kyushu Grand sumo Tournament ﾐ and there has never been a better time to go and see them in action.

What an event it will be! Between the record-smashing antics of yokozuna grand champion Asashoryu and the ladies swooning over Kotooshu, you’ll see a wealth of other talent is on its way up into the upper echelons of sumo, and not all faces are Asian. Youth mixes with experience and Japanese with their non-Japanese counterparts to make for a great day at the sumo nowadays so pick your fave and shout until your heart’s content.
A Day at the sumo

The Fukuoka Kokusai Center will be hosting this November’s basho, and with tickets ranging in price from the very affordable ｴ3,100 for a reserved seat to the more expensive ｴ45,200 for a four person box, there are seats available for all, rabid fan and awestruck newcomer alike.

For the early risers and those out for the ‘full monty’ sumo experience, try and get down to the Kokusai Center as early as possible. Bouts start at around 8.40am on any given day with the lowest ranked jonokuchi boys trying to outwit each other with the limited moves at their disposal. This early in the day, with a thin crowd made up of friends and family and sumo uber-fans, the opportunity is there to sit beside the dohyo and feel the action close-up. You might be lucky enough to find yourself sitting shoulder to shoulder with a former yokozuna.

As the day passes, you’ll notice the tension beginning to rise and get the feeling that people are waiting for something really big (stop laughing in the back). That ‘something’ generally comes along in introductory form at around 2:50pm when the sport’s second highest juryo division performs its colorful dohyo-iri entrance ceremony. Clad in beautifully decorated ceremonial aprons known as kesho mawashi, each competing wrestler is introduced by name, home town and stable and then walks around the dohyo for all to see. Whilst taking pictures is recommended at this time, as it is still possible to get down near the front, save some of the power in your batteries for the similar ceremony at 3:45pm or so when the top makunouchi division wrestlers enter followed by the yokozuna in his own special version of the dohyo-iri. Flanked by two other wrestlers, Asashoryu’s gestures are his attempt at appeasing the sumo gods.

From now on it’s back to the seat and eyes peeled as the big boys, the names that will make the next day’s headlines, do their thing. The senior ranked men may be big, but boy are they fast; don’t take your eyes off them as the average sumo bout lasts but six seconds.

Come 6pm, the day’s action peaks with the musubi-no-ichban, the day’s last fight, which will feature yokozuna Asashoryu. Feel the tension increase even more, hear the fans reach fever pitch and just go with the flow as past meets the present, domestic becomes just a little more international, and sumo takes another step on the road to becoming a world sport. But, above all else, enjoy it for what it is ﾐ the sights and the smells of Japan’s national sport. After all, how many times will your friends back home be able to say they saw sumo live and in all its glory?
Kyushu’s Finest

Kaio
Born Hiroyuki Koga July 24th 1972, the Fukuoka native more commonly known as Ozeki Kaio of the Nihon sumo Kyokai (Japanese sumo Association), will be returning to the town of his birth this November for perhaps the last time as an active rikishi. In a career spanning over 17 years, including five at the second highest rank of ozeki, Kaio has secured five Emperor’s Cups, a couple of lower division titles, fifteen ‘sansho’ (special performance prizes) and even six ‘kinboshi’ (victories over a yokozuna grand champion).
Chiyotaikai
Some three years younger than Kaio, and listing Oita as his home, the ‘pusher thruster’ ozeki known as Chiyotaikai is nearing his own ‘decision time’. The 181cm, 158kg wrestler has not performed as he could have in the past couple of years although he has collected a total of three makunouchi titles in the eight years since he broke into the top division. Famous for his in-your-face pushing and slapping down sumo, Chiyotaikai still has another year or two left in the boiler.
Sumo Info Chunks
– Sumotori sleep after eating to facilitate weight gain
– Lower ranks have to wake up earlier and cook and clean for the seniors
– Sumotori do not eat breakfast
– Beer at lunch? Yes please. Sumotori often drink beer to bulk up and maintain weight
– sumo wrestlers receive specialized intestinal massages to be able to accommodate the huge quantities of food they consume
– One reason sumo cannot be considered for the Olympic games is its strict no-female policy
– At the start of 2005, the number of registered, professional rikishi was 695 – of that number, 39 came from Fukuoka
– Women are not allowed anywhere near the dohyo lest the gods of sumo be offended!
– Each envelope collected by upper division winning rikishi is worth ｴ55,000, and the record amount collected is 49
– The first American national in sumo was actually of Japanese parentage, born in Colorado and named Harry

The Skinny on the Kyushu Basho

Where: Fukuoka Kokusai Center
When: Nov. 13th ~ Nov. 27th
Contact: The Nihon sumo Kyokai Fukuoka Office
Tel: (092) 291-9311 / 9312 (10:00~17:00, closed Sun. & hol., Japanese only)
Prices: 3,100 yen ~ 45,200 yen
Seating: From single ringside seats to different tiers of box seating, to various levels of arena seating. Check out the
official sumo home page listed below or get a Japanese-speaking friend to call.
English ticket information: www.sumo.or.jp/eng/ticket/

Sumo Speak

Don’t know your mawashi from your rikishi? Using this glossary, even the feeblest of sumo fans can pass themselves off as towering intellectual greats of the sport of the gods.

Basho
– A sumo tournament held over a two-week period. There are six each year.

Dohyo
– The raised clay platform where sumo bouts are held. Buried for traditional reasons within the dohyo are salt, washed rice, Torreya nuts, squid, kelp, and chestnuts.

Dohyo-iri
– Entrance ceremony performed before the juryo and makuuchi division begin their bouts.

Heya
– A ‘stable’; a building used to house and train rikishi. There are dormitories, cooking facilities and a training dohyo.

Makunouchi
– Also called makuuchi, this is sumo’s top division.

Mawashi
– The thick belt wrapped around a rikishi. Protects the genitals as well as offering a place to grip. Juryo level and higher wear silk of various colors, lower levels wear black cotton.

Ozeki
– The champion rank of sumo. Other ranks can be attained by consistent wins, this rank must be granted by the Sumo Kyokai.

Rikishi
– The big guys doing all the pushing and shoving.

Yokozuna
The rank of grand champion, the pinnacle of sumo.

Do You sumo?

You’ve read about it – so how about taking a shot at Japan’s national sport yourself. The Fukuoka City sumo club holds classes in Japanese twice a week, but as with many martial arts, it’s possible to learn through gestures. Classes areﾊfromﾊ18:30~20:30 on Wednesdays at Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hakata and Saturdays at the Budokan, near Ohori Park.ﾊPlease have a Japanese-speaking friend call Fujinata-san before you plan to visit atﾊ090-7927-4803. You can wear short pants, butﾊmawashi are provided if you have the ‘stomach’ for it.
Textﾊby Mark Buckton
Editor-in-Chief / Sumo Fan Mag
www.sumofanmag.com