Fw: [sumo] asashoryu and SUMO reality

[Joe Petrow]

On 8/2/07, Scott Kahn <smk1 at columbia.edu> wrote:
> Takanomizu wrote:
>
> >
> > If Sumo became a free-for-all, like other sports, would it still be
> > the Sumo we love?
> >
> > Irene
> > Takanomizu
>
> Free-for-all is a bit dramatic, but that raises an interesting
> question.  Why is Takamisakari so adored and promoted?  Would such
> antics be accepted, were Takamisakari ever to rise to Yokozuna?  If not,
> wouldn't that be hypocritical?

Takamisakari is cheered because he has a gimmick.  Mitoizumi (and his
successor Kitazakura) threw out a big geyser of salt.  Asanowaka was
cheered because he crouched down like a frog.  Katayama is cheered
because he can do shikiri like a ballerina.  Takamisakari is cheered
because he whacks himself before the tachiai.

None of these rikishi have ever come close to yokozuna promotion, but
I think that Mitoizumi was asked to limit his salt geyser to the last
throw, and that Asanowaka was ordered to stop his frog-like crouch
(the cheers died down soon after)  So far the psyche-up thing has been
deemed innocuous, but I'm pretty confident that someone would tell
Takamisakari to stop his histrionics if he were ever promoted to
ozeki.

  - Peterao