[sumo] Business as usual

[JZ8D-SMMN at asahi-net.or.jp]

Hi gang,

Took three visitors to watch keiko yesterday. These are the best times,
in the runup to the basho.We started at Dewanoumi, but I had been warned 
that the sekitori would be meeting at Kasugano that day. (The Dewanoumi Ichimon
in particular holds very active intra-ichimon exchanges. When one heya trains on its
 own, each division has limited time, as the next division finishes its warm-up
 exercises and is ready to start the practice bouts.

To maximise keiko time for each division,it is common to divide horizontally 
instead of vertically; turn and turn about,the top two divisions and the very 
best of the makushita move to one heya, while the rest of the makushita and 
 maybe the best of the sandanme congregate in another heya, where they can use 
all the time that would normally be taken up by their seniors.

When the time came for the split, I cycled round to Kasugano to check on whether 
to take my visitors there -- but Mr. Doya the semi-retired ex-Asahi TV man was taking 
a party of around 20, and there were about 15 other people; so I decided that my guests were better off 
with front seats watching a good makushita session, rather than be ten rows back and watching 
sekitori. 

The only sekitori at Dewa, Futen'o, is still nursing an injured right elbow, but he did his warm-up 
thoroughly and stepped into the ring for the final 20 minutes, taking on his juniors in true 
sekitori style, that is, not doing the jump-off but rather accepting their charge. He was also very much the 
teacher, telling each man where he was going wrong.

Afterwards on the step he took off the bandage, and said it was coming along well -- but his tsukebito had a fancy bag of ice
and gently bounced it against the elbow.

Futen'o was very pleasant again; last week when I wished him 'Happy Birthday' a couple of days late,
he seemed a bit down -- I later realised it was Soken day and he wasn't taking part.

Five days to go! 



Doreen Simmons
jz8d-smmn at asahi-net.or.jp