The Osaka Basho has begun and sakura are beginning to blossom as if to mark the occasion. For any fellow gaijin readers out there making an effort to figure out what all this sumo fuss is about, I’ve put together a few English language resources that should make things a little clearer as you watch. I especially urge you to browse the banzuke, which is a list of all rikishi (listed by name, rank, and hometown) that was released prior to the tournament.
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When Asashoryu beat fellow Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho in the last sumo bashi, his delight was plastered all over his face. As he walked away from the dohyo he raised his arms in victory, obviously overcome with the emotion of such an important and hard-fought win. Such overt celebration is new to sumo, where rikishi have traditionally been expected to keep their emotions in check. Not surprisingly, there are many who say that Asashoryu’s celebration was inappropriate and offends the two thousand-year-old history of the sport.
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