|
|
SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo |
|
Chris Gould
Wrapping up his look at increasing the popularity of sumo, Chris Gould caps a series the NSK would do well to refer to.
|
|
|
Sumo Souvenirs |
|
Mark Buckton
Souvenirs are a part of every sport and sumo is no different - or is
it? A look at collectibles and the downright trashy, the bona fide
versus the unproven.
|
|
|
Rikishi of Old |
|
Joe Kuroda
Joe Kuroda's latest look at times past focuses on former makunouchi man Dewagatake.
|
|
|
Eric Evaluates |
|
Eric Blair
Eric takes a no-nonsense look at the claims of fixed bouts in the Japanese media.
|
|
|
Rikishi Diary |
|
Mark Kent
Mark Kent - English pro-wrestler and amateur heavyweight sumotori -
takes us through the first month or so of his training and preparation
for the various European events lined up in in 2007.
|
|
|
Heya Peek |
|
Chris Gould
SFM's Chris Gould was in Japan for the Hatsu Basho and popped along to
the new Shikoroyama Beya to give SFM an online exclusive peek into
sumo's newest heya.
|
|
|
SFM Interview |
|
Mark Buckton
Mark interviews Mark - Buckton on Kent that is as Mark Kent, the UK's
only active heavyweight amateur answers a few questions on his own
recent entry into the sport.
|
|
|
Photo Bonanzas |
|
Sumo Forum stepped in to take the weight off the shoulders of SFM as
far as Hatsu went so we could sit back, relax, enjoy the sumo and take
a few more select pics you won't see anywhere else.
|
|
|
Hatsu Basho Summary |
|
Lon Howard
Lon wraps the Hatsu Basho and chucks in a few bits on the rush of henka
that threatens to sully the good name of at least one foreign ozeki.
|
|
|
Sumo Menko |
|
Ryan Laughton
Sumo cards of old brought to life by expert collector Ryan Laughton. None of your BBM here.
|
|
|
Haru Ones To Watch |
|
Carolyn Todd
Carolyn ponders and puts fingers to keys on the ones to watch come March and the Haru Basho.
|
|
|
Kimarite Focus |
|
Mikko Mattila
Mikko's latest look at sumo's kimarite offers unequalled analysis and in depth explanations.
|
|
|
Amateur Angles |
|
Howard Gilbert
Howard looks at the 'sumo factory' of lore - Nichidai.
|
|
|
Kokugi Konnections |
|
Todd Lambert
Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best the WWW has to offer.
|
|
|
Fan Debate |
|
Facilitator - Carolyn Todd
Moti Dichne comes back for more and takes on Bradley Sutton on the subject of 'Modernize the heya - yea or nay?'
|
|
|
SFM Cartoons |
|
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample Benny's artistic offerings.
|
|
|
Sumo Odds & Ends |
|
SFM's interactive elements - as always includes Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke!
|
|
|
Let's Hear From You |
|
What was it that made you a sumo fan? Ryan Laughton - sumo fan and menko expert reveals all.
|
|
|
Readers' Letters |
|
See what our readers had to say since we last hit your screens.
|
|
|
Sumo Quiz |
|
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself a genuine banzuke.
|
|
|
 |
|
that
he became totally incapacitated and was carried out on a
stretcher. It was the last time Tachihikari competed on the
dohyo, as he severely injured his back and legs, and he was never able
to fully recover.
The following day Dewagatake faced yokozuna Nishinoumi, who was
fully aware of what had transpired on the previous day. If the
yokozuna had a fear he did not seem to show it as the bout became
spirited when Dewagatake unleashed his favorite saba-ori and repeatedly
swung the yokozuna with kote-nage. Dewagatake again finished the
bout by using his own body weight and won by abisetaoshi. Even
though Dewagatake was komusubi, sumo fans became ecstatic as they
thought they were seeing the birth of a new ozeki, as Dewagatake had
defeated ozeki and yokozuna consecutively.
On Day 6 his opponent was sekiwake Noshirogata (promoted to ozeki after
this basho). Noshirogata quickly went into moro-zashi while
Dewagatake countered with tsuri and his favorite kote-nage.
Putting his body close to Dewagatake, Noshirogata hooked his foot
around Dewagatake and Dewagatake lost his balance, falling down hard on
the dohyo, hitting his knees and lower back on the ground. The injuries
turned out to be severe enough that Dewagatake had to withdraw from the
basho. This injury signaled the beginning of the end for
Dewagatake even though he came back from this injury the following
basho.
Dewagatake kept a sanyaku ranking for 10 basho from 1926 to 1928 but
due to knee joint problems he fell down to hiramaku and was never able
to achieve a sanyaku ranking again.
|
|
|
|
During this period, despite his relatively low makuuchi ranking,
Dewagatake was the most popular rikishi in Ozumo, single handedly
saving the sumo association as the fans came to see him and loved to
call him by his nickname, “Bun-chan”. At an age when the average
height of Japanese men was less than 160 cm, Dewagatake stood out from
the crowd but it was seeing his awkwardness on the dohyo that gave the
crowd as much enjoyment. It may be somewhat similar to seeing
Takamisakari’s movement today.
In the Shujuen Incident in January 1932, when
Dewanoumi-beya rikishi
headed by Tenryu walked out of the Kyokai in a dispute over
compensation and improved living conditions, Dewagatake was forced to
join as he was a member of the heya. But his commitment to the cause
was halfhearted and he refused to cut his mage as a symbolic gesture,
as all the other departed rikishi had done. Dewagatake became the
first rikishi among the renegades to come back to the fold of the
Kyokai a few months later. Though most of the rikishi eventually
returned to the Kyokai within a year, many attributed Dewagatake’s
early return to the collapse of newly established sumo enterprises
founded by Tenryu and others. Dewagatake ended up losing peer
support after the incident and it caused additional grief in his later
years when he was all but down and out.
Dewagatake essentially lacked the skills and sharp execution required
to be ozeki. He was not mentally competitive and was never
intense enough. In fact the only thing going for him was his
large frame and stopping his opponent with his long arms. But
even with this advantage
|
|
|
|
he was no match against more powerful and
technically proficient opponents. And once he started
experiencing a disc degenerative disease, he was simply no match for
anyone.
His last makuuchi basho was in January 1935 and for the next four years
until he made his official retirement at the 1939 May basho, his dohyo
life was nothing but misery as he fell down to sandanme. He
became a former sekiwake who could no longer even beat a sandanme
rikishi. By the 1938 May basho, his banzuke ranking fell down to
sandanme east 11 and he was assigned to be a tsukebito for maegashira 9 Dewaminato.
“Hey why do I have to work as a tsukebito of Dewaminato?
Why?” Dewagatake complained loudly to everyone but they all knew
the rules of the sumo world where banzuke ranking determined one’s life
in the heya. In fact, all were tired of his whining and petty
nagging. When Dewaminato joined the heya, Dewagatake was a
sanyaku but Dewagatake could not face the new reality.
By this time Dewagatake’s heya life had become unbearable. Even
low ranking rikishi were asking loudly when Dewagatake would eventually
quit. There was even one washroom in the heya with a notice of
‘No Admittance by Dewagatake.’ Despite his large frame, Dewagatake was
a sensitive man with a variety of hobbies such as billiards,
photography and fishing. He
Next
|
|