[sumo] Everybody's Favorite Old Man !!

[Jack Gartin]

Great Article !!  Sounds like a really good guy, too.

BEST
Tamagoyama

Homo Sapiens: Fighting against all the odds

09/15/2007
BY JUNICHI BEKKUTHE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Mitsuru Ichinoya never seemed cut out for sumo.
 [image: photo]Mitsuru Ichinoya during practice at the Takasago Stable in
Tokyo's Sumida Ward (SHINICHI IIZUKA/ THE ASAHI SHIMBUN)

At 100 kilograms and 165.5 centimeters, he struggled to meet the height
requirements to become a trainee.

But the Kagoshima Prefecture native who dreamed of entering the ring since
boyhood wasn't daunted.

To make himself tall enough, he had silicone implanted on the top of his
head.

And when injury sidelined him, he combined his passion for physics with
ancient martial arts to help him overcome opponents, many more than twice
his size.

Despite a lackluster career--he ranks jonidan, the second-lowest of the four
sumo trainee divisions--Ichinoya is admired for his staying power. At 46, he
is Japan's oldest sumo wrestler, having fought nearly 1,000 bouts since his
debut in 1983.

Now, as he contemplates retirement, Ichinoya is planning to write a handbook
to help other underdogs.

"Ranked at (lower) jonidan, I am ashamed to develop theories," he said.
"However, I hope that I will be able to contribute as much as possible to
the sumo circle and continue to be engaged in sumo-related works throughout
my life."

Born in the remote island of Tokunoshima off Kyushu, Ichinoya has devoted
his life to sumo, joining the Takasago Stable in Tokyo's Sumida Ward and
never marrying.

His performance never matched his dedication. His career statistics are 481
wins, 511 losses and six defaults.

He got interested in ancient Japanese martial arts at 29 while recuperating
from an injury.

In an effort to beat larger rivals, he had trained frantically, and
dislocated a hip joint.

When he feared he had reached his physical limit, he came across a book on
ancient Japanese martial arts that taught him ways to defeat an opponent
without muscle power.

"I thought I might be able to take advantage (of the techniques) to improve
my sumo skills," he said.

Ichinoya combined the ideas with his knowledge of physics, acquired as a
student at the University of the Ryukyus. He once had dreamed of being a
brilliant physicist like Albert Einstein, and the book rekindled his
enthusiasm.

It gave him the answer to a question that had long puzzled him--how to head
butt a larger opponent to win the advantage hand in the tachiai initial
charge.

"The point in the initial charge is to keep my weight on my toes and move
forward as if I were falling, taking advantage of the force of gravity,"
Ichinoya said.

He tries to maneuver, parrying his opponent's thrust, using his body
flexibly, like a willow in the wind.

"In theory, I could beat an opponent weighing 200 kg," Ichinoya said.

But theory and practice don't always measure up. Part of the problem is
Ichinoya is now too old to get his body to perform how he wants.

Since he was 29, he has kept notes on training sessions, filling more than
100 notebooks. He has read widely on medicine and nutrition.

One of his specialties is shiko foot stomping.

He once thought foot stomping was simply for strengthening the thighs but
after watching an old video, he realized there was more to it.

"I changed the way of foot stomping to pay more attention to keeping balance
using stomach and back muscles, instead of thigh muscles," he said.

He said he never tires of the exercise.

"There is something profound in the simple act of stomping feet," Ichinoya
said.(IHT/Asahi: September 15,2007)