[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - The slippery dohyo in Kyushu

[Jeff A]

Moti
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Nov 12, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Subject: [Sumo news] - The slippery dohyo in Kyushu
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Kinbouzan was really angry when he slipped and lost on day 4 to
Wakamotoharu. During the Kyushu Basho in November, the air is dry, which
causes the clay of the dohyo  to dry out quickly. Following that bout ,
Kinbouzan) was furious. In the shitakubeya, he vented his anger, demanding,
"Why didn't they take care of it properly? I had such a great tachiai —how
could I not be upset?" He had lost to Wakamotoharu via tsukiotoshi; his
feet slipped during the tachiai, and the match was decided in a mere 0.9
seconds. He was angry that the dohyo had not been watered to prevent such
slipping. "The surface had turned completely white [from being dried out],"
he insisted, questioning, "They know it dries out—why don't they water it?"

However, watering the dohyo is not a simple task, as it depends on specific
timing and personnel requirements. First, there is the issue of timing. The
dohyo cannot be maintained at any given moment; there are only two
pre-established opportunities. The first is during the rotation of the
shinpan. The five oyakata who oversee the bouts from dohyo-side are
replaced on a rotating schedule. Between the start of the matches just
after 9:00 a.m. and their conclusion at 6:00 p.m., there are six such
rotations. Each time, the dohyo is swept and watered. The second
opportunity occurs when only three bouts remain in Makuuchi, just before
the Yokozuna, Ozeki, and other high-ranking rikishi take the stage and the
excitement reaches its peak. While water may occasionally be applied
between bouts to adjust the schedule, such instances are irregular and
depend on the flow of the day's proceedings; it is not uncommon for no
watering to take place at all before the next scheduled rotation of judges.
Then there is the issue of personnel. The individuals who decide when the
dohyo should be maintained are different from those who actually perform
the work. The task of preparing the dohyo falls to the yobidashi, who are
also responsible for calling out the rikishis' names before each bout.
However, the decision regarding when this maintenance should occur rests
with the shinpan. The yobidashi cannot decide on their own to sprinkle
water on the dohyo; they may only do so when instructed.

The incident involving Kinbouzan was a combination of poor timing and human
judgment. The bout between Kinbouzan and Wakamotoharu was the 11th match of
Makuuchi, the final match of the first half. Since a rotation of the judges
was scheduled to take place immediately after this bout—at which point the
dohyo would be watered—it was highly unlikely that water would have been
sprinkled just moments before that. Furthermore, no water had been applied
throughout the entire first half of Makuuchi that day, meaning the clay was
at its driest. According to Onoe Oyakata, who served as the head shinpan
for the first half of Makuuchi, there was nothing particularly unusual
about the state of the dohyo; given the flow of the tournament, he saw no
reason to signal for maintenance. Consequently, the yobidashi did not
intervene. Onoe remarked, "Some rikishi actually find it easier to perform
when the dohyo is a bit slippery. If a rikishi dislikes the slipperiness,
they can simply adjust their footing or exert more force—the conditions are
the same for both opponents." The decision not to sprinkle water was not a
mistake, but rather a standard judgment call. While the surface may have
been slightly slippery, this is a common occurrence at the Kyushu Basho and
does not appear to have been a significant issue. The following day, Day 5,
Kinbouzan won against Kotoshouhou. "On my way back, I realized I needed to
shift my mindset," he said, reflecting calmly. "I have to keep in mind that
it might be slippery. It was a good learning experience." By composing
himself and focusing on his sumo, he managed to get a win. [Daiki Iioka]

--
Gaijingai
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