[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Sumo stories from the past

[Jeff A]

Moti

Best regards,
Jeffrey Anderson
Gaijingai
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
- John Greenleaf Whittier


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Aug 30, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Sumo stories from the past
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Unexpected things happen in the world from time to time. This is especially
true in the world of sumo. And not just occasionally, but all the time.
Yokozuna Hakuhou, who had won the yusho in the previous basho of Aki 2021
with a perfect record and was expected to be at the forefront of the
championship race, was forced to take a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's unbelievable, isn't it? But, well, that's life..  The beauty of  life
is in facing and overcoming these kinds of challenges. The question is how
to deal with these unexpected events. So, how did the rikishi cope with
these unexpected happenings?



*The dangerous area dohyo-side*

There's no place more dangerous than dohyo-side, where giant rikishi fall
with great force. Some rikishi have been forced into retirement after being
hit directly. Speaking of Kisenosato (now Nishonoseki Oyakata), in May of
2017, in his second tournament as a Yokozuna, he made a dramatic comeback
yusho despite suffering an injury to his upper left arm the previous
tournament, and sumo fans all over Japan worried that he might have not
recovered or that he was overdoing it. On the second day after losing to
Yoshikaze (now Nakamura Oyakata), Kisenosato was waiting in the wings for
his match against Okinoumi (now Kimigahama Oyakata), and as he looked up at
the dohyo to watch Terunofuji (now Isegahama Oyakata) vs. Tamawashi,
Terunofuji was pushed out and fell on top of him. At the time, Terunofuji
weighed 187 kg. The blow hit him directly on his already injured left
shoulder, and then he was stepped on his left foot. It was literally a
double punch of being stomped and kicked. Even Kisenosato, as expected,
could not bear it, his face contorted, and he writhed in agony, clutching
his left ankle with both hands. The atmosphere in the arena went cold.
"Here we go again," he thought. However, when it was his turn, Kisenosato
stepped onto the dohyo as if nothing had happened, and, despite Okinoumi's
attempts, he easily won by using a right upper hand grip and an inside left
hand and winning by yorikiri, earning his first victory. Truly an immortal
man. Needless to say, the fans who witnessed this easy victory breathed a
sigh of relief. Kisenosato himself must have been very relieved, as he said
this to the surrounding press, making them laugh. "Well, all sorts of
things happen (when you're dohyo-side). That took my mind off the bout."
The direct hit was like a tonic. However, this was the last smile
Kisenosato ever showed. As expected, the injury to his left shoulder had
not healed, and he finally withdrew from the tournament on the 11th day. In
fact, it was not just this tournament that he withdrew from, but eight
tournaments in a row starting from this one, and he went on to retire.

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