[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - For serious sumo fans only - two obscure news items

[Jeff A]

Moti

Best regards,
Jeffrey Anderson
Gaijingai

Get ready for a news deluge!


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: Fri, Sep 5, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Subject: [Sumo news] - For serious sumo fans only - two obscure news items
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


The Natsu jungyo ended at the end of August. Top Gyoji the 39th Kimura
Shounosuke was asked about the most memorable event from the roughly
month-long jungyo. Perhaps it was the seafood bowl he ate in Hokkaido, or
perhaps his favorite local junk market. While expecting a "normal" answer,
he gave a completely different response. "It was the day we were traveling
from Hakodate to Shin-Aomori, but the train we were supposed to take was
canceled due to heavy rain. The gyoji in charge of transportation really
worked hard. I was worried about him, but thanks to him, we were able to
get to Aomori." It was an episode in which he praised his junior gyojis. It
was August 19th. It was travel time to the next stop on the jungyo. The
rikishi, approximately 200 of them, were scheduled to travel from Hakodate
to Aomori in two groups. The first group was scheduled to board Hayabusa
24, departing from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station at 12:48 PM, but the train
was canceled due to heavy rain. The group was traveling from their hotel in
Hakodate City on a tour bus to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station when the call
came. More than 20 gyoji accompanied the group, including five in charge of
transportation. The gyojis in charge of transportation, including
Makuuchi-ranked Kimura Motoki, contacted a travel agency and devised a
workaround. The agency negotiated with JR, and ultimately, all of the group
was able to board the next Shinkansen train with the second group. The
delay at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station was reportedly only about two hours.
Motoki recalled, "Not only the transportation team, but my fellow gyoji
also worked hard, and everyone, including the Oyakata, rikishi, and lower
rankers, cooperated. If we had been in a rush, we could have become
anxious, but that didn't happen. Everyone, led by (Tour Department)
Director Sakaigawa  understood that it was unavoidable due to the weather,
and remained calm." Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station is not a large station, so
the bus company quickly accommodated them by leaving the busses parked in
the parking lot so the rikishi could rest and kill time. When Motoki heard
Shounosuke's words at the beginning, he said, "Those are such good words.
I'm grateful that he said that." [Sasaki Ichiro]

It was announced today that one of the Kyokai's official YouTube
channels, "Oyakata
Channel,
<https://www.youtube.com/@%E8%A6%AA%E6%96%B9%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%82%93%E3%81%AD%E3%82%8B%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F/videos>"
will cease live streaming during Aki Basho. The Kyokai  prohibits Oyakata
and rikishi from appearing on television or at events during tournaments,
and has decided to extend this policy to YouTube as well. Oyakata Channel
staff have already been informed of this policy. Oyakata Channel's live
streaming during tournaments is a program in which Oyakata watch footage of
the dohyo and provide real-time commentary. This program has been in place
since the 2020 Haru basho which was held without spectators due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. According to Kyokai officials, since the dohyo is the
main focus during the basho, the aim is to encourage viewers to pay
attention to the rikishis' matches. While the Oyakata live streaming has
helped attract new fans, there have also been cases where their behavior
has been criticized as being inconsistent with the atmosphere of the
tournament.

*I didn't know this even existed. I know of the channel, but didn't know
they had live commentary. They do have some very funny interviews with the
rikishi, usually after a basho. I used to translate some of them till I got
hit with a copyright claim for attempting to help make it accessible to
non-Japanese speakers as well on my own time, as usual. So I stopped.
Amazingly, the world did not stop turning.

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