[sumo] Hakuho Changing Mawashi

[Jeanne Hedge]

At 06:16 PM 1/1/08, sumorina at mac.com wrote:
>Too "hard" probably means too stiff.  When a mawashi is new it is
>very stiff and not easy to move in comfortably.  You can see sekitori
>'breaking in' their silk mawashi at keiko or during the jungyo.
>Interestingly, whether due to the weaving or the dyeing, some are
>more difficult to soften up than others, which may be why Hakuho has
>not yet used this one in honbasho.


Too bad they don't wash the mawashi used in matches, because I would 
imagine multiple washings might help with the problem.


>You can recognize a new mawashi, not only by it's sheen, but by the
>fact that it makes squeaky, scratchy noises when the wearer moves.  I
>once thought there was a sandstorm outside the tent-like keiko area
>at the Kitanoumibeya's temporary quarters in Osaka.  In fact it was
>Ganyu and Kanechika in new mawashis!

:)  Sounds a little like my school back when corderoy trousers were 
in fashion. You'd hear this zzzt-zzzt sound all the time as people 
walked around. :)


>Because of the inflexibility of a new mawashi, sekitori are often
>reluctant to wear them in honbasho when they don't want any
>restriction of movement.   You will sometimes see someone start off
>in a new mawashi only to revert to old faithful during the tournament.

Yes, I recall several times when a rikishi would start in one color 
and change after a day or two, or even start in one color, go to a 
different one, then change back.  Too bad that they can't really wear 
them in practice to break them in a bit, as baseball players do with 
new gloves.


>The new mawashi syndrome is not helpful to shinjuryo rikishi who
>don't have a well worn shimekomi (silk mawashi) to fall back on.
>Maybe it's not only first basho as a sekitori nerves that make the
>new juryo promotees walk so stiffly.

:)


Thanks for the info Katrina!


Regards,
Jeanne Hedge