[sumo] 100 Years Ago

[Jack Gartin]

Great article, Rowan, thanks for putting it up.

A nice change from Asa-gate and the Tokitsukaze-beya scandal.

Don't you love the hyperbole of the old journalism?
"extraordinary taste the sweets of adulation"
I want to use that in a sentence sometime.

Then, does this mean there were jungyo a hundred years ago?
"Before this meet at the capital, and after it, smaller parties visit other
cities and provinces,"

That's gotta hurt when you go out oshitaoshi or worse. Was this true?
"The walls of this stage, or rather the circular wall, are of stone; the
substance of the stage is earth, rising a little above the stone lining.

Does anyone know when the modern two shikirisen came into use?  Looks like
there wasn't any shikirisen100 years ago.
"Then the contestant face one another, taking position at equal distance from
an imaginary line upon which the umpire stands."

Can you imagine Kokonoe-oyakata putting up with this?  The TV schedule has
certainly changed sumo, but we all knew that.
"usually there are 8 or 10 or more of these false starts..."

More great hyperbole:
"their brown bodies wriggling about in the strenuosity of contest"

WOW!  Was Ama wrestling then?
"I have seen a tall, lithe (wrestler) make a sudden twist when the odds
seemed all against him and with apparent ease toss a man of almost twice his
weight over his shoulder and out of the ring."

Best
Tamagoyama