Grand Sumo March
March 13, 2022- March 27, 2022
Daily matches rerun few times a day on NHK TV. Channel 560 on MOD.
l watched some of the bouts on the first two days. It looks like Terunofujiās knees are bothering him a lot. Wouldnāt be surprised if he was retiring from this tournament and from Sumo soon.
Then there would be period of no Yokozunas for a while. Canāt see anyone who has the fire an consistency to deserve that rank. Maybe Mitakeumi.
I think (not sure) you have to win two in a row (among all the other stringent requirements) to be considered for Yokozuna.
So it would at least make Mitakeumi eligible for Yokozuna if he wins this one since he won the last tournament New Year tournament in January.
Nah, he just made it to Ozeki, usually takes longer to make the next step, first he has to make sure that he has a winning record in this tournament.
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I lived in Japan, 1997-1999, during which time Takanohana, Akebono and a young Dejima were on the scene. Sumo quickly became fascinating to me, checking the results in the Daily Yomiuri, discussing Sumo with colleagues and of course, practising it when drunk. It culminated in taking the bullet train one day from Osaka to the Nagoya Basho to see all the greats showing their stuff. Nothung can prepare you for the sheer energy and ceremony that goes into each fight.
My favourite wrestler will always be Musashimaru.
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I watched a lot of those tournaments with the -hana brothers and the Hawaiians on NHK. Was a different time. Never saw Konishiki, though, he retired before I started watching. Was a big fan of Takanohana back then. He could handle the big boys, like Akebono. Kind of sad how some sumo wrestlers, like Akebono and āBiomassā Baruto went to Western style pro-wrestling after retirement.
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Sounds like a good premise for a book.
Climaxing with the train ride to the Final Destination
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That was a constant source of beer soaked conversation in the late 90ās. Happy times.
I didnāt know they moved on to pro-wrestling. Thanks for that info.
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Wow listen to the screaming in those matches
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Nobody came home with a face tattoo or an arrest for setting light to booze though 
Oh wow that gave me goosebumps. Thank you.
The richest guys had their own tatami mat box to sit in. Each guy had a Japanese woman in the box, pouring the tea and beer and serving food. As they spoke, the women covered their mouth with their hand as a sign of respect (?) but once the fight started they would turn into maniacal anime characters, yelling leaping and cursing like experienced dockyard workers.
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Well you can add that part as fiction.
But itās already been done so you need to find your own
Warning, watching this is painful, if you have nostalgic feelings about Sumoā¦
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I couldnāt watch much. Akebono kept going for Sumo holds while Sapp beat his head bloody. Akebono looked out of his depth. Still, the guy is a fighter so respect to him for doing it.
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I miss the 90ās. 
l like Wakakatakage, though I have trouble saying his nameā¦
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Appears Terunofuji has dropped out Day 6 shoulder injuries.
Told you. Heās retiring soon I guess.
Grand Sumo is live now on NHK TV.