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Kokkai
K – Being separated from my family was the worst thing, but I thought if I didn’t stay I can’t help them financially, so I tried hard to overcome that. With the food, the Japanese always seem to use mayonnaise. I hated it. It was the worst food I tried but now is no problem.
MB - Who taught you Japanese?
K – The stable master’s wife – okamisan.
MB – You say the hardest thing was being separated from your family – can you elaborate?
K – I was really lonely but I didn’t want to go home if I was weak, so I persisted. Now is no problem. I am not lonely at all.
MB - When you were starting out in sumo, some were pointing out your old wrestling habit of pulling. How did you overcome that?
K – Yeah, my oyakata taught me. I know the fans don’t like the pulling, so I try to keep myself from doing it now. My boss said it is bad, so now I always push the teppo pole to get over it and learn to move forward.
MB - So far your most memorable bouts were probably when you defeated Asashoryu-zeki - twice? Any comments or thoughts there?
K – I was really really happy (big smile). Inside I felt ‘yosh’ (he says with a clenched fit pose). I also got the kanto-sho
Next
K – I talked to him (Levan Ebanoidze) and started but I didn’t really meet anyone – Levan only. Ah, no, Levan introduced me to Mr. Tanaka (International Sumo Federation head).
MB - Why did you join Oitekaze-beya?
K - Through Mr. Tanaka – he is a friend of the oyakata.
MB - What were your first impressions of Japan? Did you know anyone here from your participation in amateur sumo?
K – I didn’t really see anything as I went straight to the stable and (then) straight into sumo. It was hard work – very strict. Outside the heya is completely different and very relaxed. My hardest problem was the ranking system of seniority – my senior was 15! (Kokkai was 19 at the time) I
At the time I did know one Georgian in Japan though, in Osaka. He is an orchestra member. He plays bass. There are many Georgians in Japan – about 50 / 54? (When told how that there were almost 100 British in the small area to the immediate south of the heya, he laughed and retracted the word ‘many’).
MB - Your dohyo debut was in May of 2001. How much did you weigh back then and how much do you weigh now?
K – I was about 140kg. Now I am about 160kg.
MB - And what about your ideal weight?
K – (pondering) 152 or 153 kg. Now I am a bit fat (laughs and pokes himself in the stomach area).
MB - Many foreigners coming to Japan suffer from culture shock – what points stood out for you? The