Mark Kent
Interview by Mark Buckton
Mark Kent's first mawashi adventure was
less than a year ago but within months of being introduced to the sport he was
representing the United Kingdom at the Sumo World Championships in Sakai City,
near Osaka. During the tournament he caught the SFM Editor-in-Chief's eye -
sadly for all the wrong reasons - as he left Japan without a single shiroboshi
to his name.
Subsequently contacting SFM regarding a post-Sakai article written by (Ed-in-Chief) Mark Buckton, Mark (Kent) in England agreed to 'sit-down' with Mark (Buckton) in Japan to answer a few questions about his life in sumo to date, the future of the sport in the UK and the ongoing issues surrounding amateurs chasing the greenback.
MB: How did you get into amateur sumo?
MK: I was actually appearing in a local pro-wrestling show for the Dropkixx Wrestling Academy when the promoter came up to me and said there was someone in the audience who wanted to talk to me. It turned out he was from an amateur wrestling club, and had been asked by the British Sumo Federation if he knew anyone interested in doing sumo. He gave me their number and two days later I was driving 130 miles to Derby for my first taste of sumo.
MB: What were your initial impressions of the sport?
MK: Having taken part in many other contact sports, I enjoyed the physicality of the training, although my legs ached a lot the next morning. I wasn’t looking forward to wearing a mawashi but it wasn’t as bad or as uncomfortable as I (had) thought it would be - in saying that I wouldn’t like to wear one all day.
MB: Had you ever seen sumo on TV or live prior to giving it a go?
MK: I used to watch sumo on British TV’s Channel 4 and it was then that I found out just how technical it could be; not just two big guys pushing each other. My favorite rikishi was Chiyonofuji. His physique was second to none and in my opinion he was in a class of his own.
MB: How does sumo compare to other sports you have tried?
MK: In football (soccer), rugby, gridiron, boxing, strongman and pro-wrestling, if you make a mistake you normally have time to make up for it but in sumo you have no such luck as one mistake normally means the other wrestler wins – something I found out to my cost in Japan. I suppose judo is the closest sport to sumo in that respect but you can still drop to the ground to prevent being thrown.
MB: What did / do your family and friends think about your donning a mawashi and entering a traditional Japanese sport?
MK: Most people who know me know how seriously I take sport so they knew I wasn’t doing it for the proverbial ‘laugh.’ I did get the usual ribbing about wearing a “nappy,” but that’s the British sense of humour I suppose. My wife has been very supportive and when I was asked to go to Japan with only three weeks notice she said I couldn’t let an opportunity like that pass.
MB: You visited Japan in October 2006 to participate in the Sumo World Championships in Sakai near Osaka – can you share your feelings from that time?
MK: Looking out of the window as we flew over Japan the landscape looked so rugged that it seemed inhospitable, and when we landed the airport seemed so sterile and the staff were very efficient. I don’t know if it was the long flight or just the change of environment but I was beginning to think I had done the wrong thing in coming.
The first day was a bit of a blur; jet lag is a horrible thing. At the first training session I felt dreadful – it was early in the morning, in the open air and on a REAL dohyo. This, coupled with very little sleep over the previous 48 hours meant that all I wanted to do was go home. The next day, however, my eyes were open, Japan hit me and I was knocked off my feet. The park containing the dohyo looked stunning in the morning light and the training went great.
Walking back to the hotel later I noticed how neat and tidy the streets were kept although I must say I was disappointed with how westernized it all was; I was expecting it to be more oriental I suppose. Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to travel anywhere outside of the city so I never got to see the Japan I wanted to see.
As for the locals - the people of Japan were wonderful – polite, respectful and friendly, but most of all – patient. As I can’t speak a word of Japanese it took some time to make myself understood. I just can’t imagine a foreign visitor getting the same treatment in England.
Training on a real dohyo was great in all respects bar one – sliding on the sand for a couple of hours a day ripped most of the skin off the bottom of my toes but what’s a bit of pain when you’re having fun.
The day of the tournament I was buzzing, and couldn’t wait to get up there. When it was time to get ready I went to the practice dohyo to psyche myself up; and then the call came and into the main arena I went. There was a bit of a wait and I found it hard to keep psyched but after my bout started I felt I was doing ok, pushing my opponent towards the tawara and, in my opinion, I was in control. Then my hand started to slip towards his throat and my natural reaction was to pull my hand away. He quickly capitalized on this movement and was under that arm using it to lever me out: so ended my championship. When I found out he was the South American champion I did feel a bit better but not much. Overall I enjoyed the experience although I did miss my wife and children.
MB: Where do you see yourself going in amateur sumo? Is it a long-term commitment on your part?
MK: I only started sumo in March 2006 and as I live about 130 miles from the BSF training gym, I can’t just pop up there. My son plays football in the winter and my daughter does athletics in the summer so that’s most of my weekends taken up. From when I started to when I was asked to go to Japan I only had about 4 or 5 training sessions. For that reason, unless I can get more training in I really can’t see myself winning any major tournaments although that won’t stop me trying.
MB: Do you have any plans to enter the next World Championships (2007) in Switzerland or any other Europe based events?
MK: I would like to compete in both the European (Ed. Hungary) and World Championships (Ed. Switzerland) this year if I can impress enough to be picked to represent Britain.
MB: What kind of training regime do you follow?
MK: Most of my training (when I get the chance to train) is pro-wrestling based as I’m a highly ranked wrestler over here. Some of the wrestlers I know help out with a bit of sumo practice that helps, yet I could really do with more all-round training. That said most of my time is taken up as the kids’ taxi.
MB: Do you think sumo could take off in the UK?
MK: I personally don’t think the UK is open-minded enough for sumo. They still see the ‘Fat Bloke’ as an object of fun and ridicule, unable to see beyond the shell to the skill, balance, power and agility of the sumo wrestler. I’m afraid it would just be a novelty. I hope I’m wrong though.
MB: On the wider stage, some in Japan are pushing for amateur sumo to be included in the Olympics. Is this a viable option or pie in the sky, in your opinion?
MK: if you had asked me that a year ago I would have said it wasn’t a global sport. Seeing how many countries are into sumo in the past 10 months, I’d now say, “Why not?” I’ve always thought the Olympics should be about individual (participant) sports with no team games, so sumo fits in, in my book.
MB: Rifts have appeared in the ISF (International Sumo Federation) over the past year concerning amateur rikishi making profits from sumo. (The ISF is against this whilst senior officials at the ESU (European Sumo Union) have appeared more active in chasing the greenback). Where do you stand on this issue of allowing those who won't ever have a chance to enter the professional game to make a few dollars / pounds / yen from the sport?
MK: As with most sports these days money carries weight. No one wants to take part in sport just for the sake of competing. In saying that if someone gave me money to do something I love, then who am I to stop them? Seriously though, if anyone turns ‘pro’ in any sport, that’s fine by me, as long as they don’t want the best of both worlds and expect to compete as a pro one day and an amateur the next.
MB: Given the opportunity of shaving off a few years, would you like to have entered the professional game, knowing what you do know about the sport?
MK: That’s an easy question to answer - OHH YES! When I watched sumo on TV years ago I dreamt of being up there with them and wanted to be the first English Grand Champion. Anyone out there with a time machine, please get in touch.
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Subsequently contacting SFM regarding a post-Sakai article written by (Ed-in-Chief) Mark Buckton, Mark (Kent) in England agreed to 'sit-down' with Mark (Buckton) in Japan to answer a few questions about his life in sumo to date, the future of the sport in the UK and the ongoing issues surrounding amateurs chasing the greenback.
MB: How did you get into amateur sumo?
MK: I was actually appearing in a local pro-wrestling show for the Dropkixx Wrestling Academy when the promoter came up to me and said there was someone in the audience who wanted to talk to me. It turned out he was from an amateur wrestling club, and had been asked by the British Sumo Federation if he knew anyone interested in doing sumo. He gave me their number and two days later I was driving 130 miles to Derby for my first taste of sumo.
MB: What were your initial impressions of the sport?
MK: Having taken part in many other contact sports, I enjoyed the physicality of the training, although my legs ached a lot the next morning. I wasn’t looking forward to wearing a mawashi but it wasn’t as bad or as uncomfortable as I (had) thought it would be - in saying that I wouldn’t like to wear one all day.
MB: Had you ever seen sumo on TV or live prior to giving it a go?
MK: I used to watch sumo on British TV’s Channel 4 and it was then that I found out just how technical it could be; not just two big guys pushing each other. My favorite rikishi was Chiyonofuji. His physique was second to none and in my opinion he was in a class of his own.
MB: How does sumo compare to other sports you have tried?
MK: In football (soccer), rugby, gridiron, boxing, strongman and pro-wrestling, if you make a mistake you normally have time to make up for it but in sumo you have no such luck as one mistake normally means the other wrestler wins – something I found out to my cost in Japan. I suppose judo is the closest sport to sumo in that respect but you can still drop to the ground to prevent being thrown.
MB: What did / do your family and friends think about your donning a mawashi and entering a traditional Japanese sport?
MK: Most people who know me know how seriously I take sport so they knew I wasn’t doing it for the proverbial ‘laugh.’ I did get the usual ribbing about wearing a “nappy,” but that’s the British sense of humour I suppose. My wife has been very supportive and when I was asked to go to Japan with only three weeks notice she said I couldn’t let an opportunity like that pass.
MB: You visited Japan in October 2006 to participate in the Sumo World Championships in Sakai near Osaka – can you share your feelings from that time?
MK: Looking out of the window as we flew over Japan the landscape looked so rugged that it seemed inhospitable, and when we landed the airport seemed so sterile and the staff were very efficient. I don’t know if it was the long flight or just the change of environment but I was beginning to think I had done the wrong thing in coming.
The first day was a bit of a blur; jet lag is a horrible thing. At the first training session I felt dreadful – it was early in the morning, in the open air and on a REAL dohyo. This, coupled with very little sleep over the previous 48 hours meant that all I wanted to do was go home. The next day, however, my eyes were open, Japan hit me and I was knocked off my feet. The park containing the dohyo looked stunning in the morning light and the training went great.
Walking back to the hotel later I noticed how neat and tidy the streets were kept although I must say I was disappointed with how westernized it all was; I was expecting it to be more oriental I suppose. Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to travel anywhere outside of the city so I never got to see the Japan I wanted to see.
As for the locals - the people of Japan were wonderful – polite, respectful and friendly, but most of all – patient. As I can’t speak a word of Japanese it took some time to make myself understood. I just can’t imagine a foreign visitor getting the same treatment in England.
Training on a real dohyo was great in all respects bar one – sliding on the sand for a couple of hours a day ripped most of the skin off the bottom of my toes but what’s a bit of pain when you’re having fun.
The day of the tournament I was buzzing, and couldn’t wait to get up there. When it was time to get ready I went to the practice dohyo to psyche myself up; and then the call came and into the main arena I went. There was a bit of a wait and I found it hard to keep psyched but after my bout started I felt I was doing ok, pushing my opponent towards the tawara and, in my opinion, I was in control. Then my hand started to slip towards his throat and my natural reaction was to pull my hand away. He quickly capitalized on this movement and was under that arm using it to lever me out: so ended my championship. When I found out he was the South American champion I did feel a bit better but not much. Overall I enjoyed the experience although I did miss my wife and children.
MB: Where do you see yourself going in amateur sumo? Is it a long-term commitment on your part?
MK: I only started sumo in March 2006 and as I live about 130 miles from the BSF training gym, I can’t just pop up there. My son plays football in the winter and my daughter does athletics in the summer so that’s most of my weekends taken up. From when I started to when I was asked to go to Japan I only had about 4 or 5 training sessions. For that reason, unless I can get more training in I really can’t see myself winning any major tournaments although that won’t stop me trying.
MB: Do you have any plans to enter the next World Championships (2007) in Switzerland or any other Europe based events?
MK: I would like to compete in both the European (Ed. Hungary) and World Championships (Ed. Switzerland) this year if I can impress enough to be picked to represent Britain.
MB: What kind of training regime do you follow?
MK: Most of my training (when I get the chance to train) is pro-wrestling based as I’m a highly ranked wrestler over here. Some of the wrestlers I know help out with a bit of sumo practice that helps, yet I could really do with more all-round training. That said most of my time is taken up as the kids’ taxi.
MB: Do you think sumo could take off in the UK?
MK: I personally don’t think the UK is open-minded enough for sumo. They still see the ‘Fat Bloke’ as an object of fun and ridicule, unable to see beyond the shell to the skill, balance, power and agility of the sumo wrestler. I’m afraid it would just be a novelty. I hope I’m wrong though.
MB: On the wider stage, some in Japan are pushing for amateur sumo to be included in the Olympics. Is this a viable option or pie in the sky, in your opinion?
MK: if you had asked me that a year ago I would have said it wasn’t a global sport. Seeing how many countries are into sumo in the past 10 months, I’d now say, “Why not?” I’ve always thought the Olympics should be about individual (participant) sports with no team games, so sumo fits in, in my book.
MB: Rifts have appeared in the ISF (International Sumo Federation) over the past year concerning amateur rikishi making profits from sumo. (The ISF is against this whilst senior officials at the ESU (European Sumo Union) have appeared more active in chasing the greenback). Where do you stand on this issue of allowing those who won't ever have a chance to enter the professional game to make a few dollars / pounds / yen from the sport?
MK: As with most sports these days money carries weight. No one wants to take part in sport just for the sake of competing. In saying that if someone gave me money to do something I love, then who am I to stop them? Seriously though, if anyone turns ‘pro’ in any sport, that’s fine by me, as long as they don’t want the best of both worlds and expect to compete as a pro one day and an amateur the next.
MB: Given the opportunity of shaving off a few years, would you like to have entered the professional game, knowing what you do know about the sport?
MK: That’s an easy question to answer - OHH YES! When I watched sumo on TV years ago I dreamt of being up there with them and wanted to be the first English Grand Champion. Anyone out there with a time machine, please get in touch.
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