[sumo] [spoiler] Asashoryu vs Hakuho

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

>Mike Charlton said:
Just out of interest sake, I thought I'd mention that getting hit with a shinai
>isn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be ;-)  I played some kendo
>recently for the first time and was curious.  At least the kendo shinai
>are relatively painless (for me anyway).  They seem to be designed to
>dissipate the energy.  

Doreen replies: OTOH, kendo people wear a lot of gear -- special clothing plus protective armor. 
(The Asiatic Society had a Kendo lecture and demonstration last month at the NZ embassy, Tokyo. 

>The sumo shinai actually looks way more painful
>since it looks like it can be used like a whip (anyone ever try it???)

D:I've seen it used often, in my 30-years-plus of watching sumo training; but I've never seen it raised above the head
 and used like a bludeon or a whip; the normal way is to swing it sideways or at below-the-knee level. 

Incidentally, I think the fuss being made over Magaki oyakata is plain stupid, and I think it's time the Kyokai Rijikai 
started facing up to the bureaucrats in the Education Ministry. It is unreasonable to put what Magaki did, hitting an apprentice on the body 
with a shinai and causing some bruises, on the same level as Toyozakura's hitting an apprentice over the head with a large metal ladle, 
causing an injury that required a number of stitches. 

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