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.
If you have any resources that you’d like to suggest, please add them in the comments.
- 2009 Haru Banzuke
- 2009 Haru Banzuke & Past Banzuke
- List of Fighting Techniques Explained
- Sumo Talk
- SumoForum.net
- Josh Hornik’s Blog
Personally, I’ll be watching this basho very closely since I have a bit of a bet going with my father-in-law. He’s a huge Hakuho fan, which is understandable because he’s very much in favor of keeping the old traditions of sumo. As such, he doesn’t especially like the eccentric badboy Asashoryu (see my last post for more on that). Now I enjoy watching both of these guys, but I find myself strangely rooting for Asa because I think it’s kind of a shame that so many people hate him. Sure, he’s a bit of a spectacle (a cruder man than me might even call him a jackass), but you gotta admire anyone that continues to succeed in the midst of so much hating. I hear he has some fans down in Osaka though, so this might bode well for Asashoryu in this particular tournament.
Having said all that I have to admit that Hakuho, at 24 years of age, is likely the future of sumo. He’s a little bit of a leaner model of sumo machine and, even though he’s had a ton of success so far, his best days are likely ahead of him if his body type is any indication. Fatter wrestlers tend to burn out earlier, while “fitter” sumo (like the legendary Chiyonofuji for example) can perform exceptionally well even after hitting the age of thirty.
So I’ll root for the older Asashoryu (28) for now, even if it puts me at risk with the in-laws. I expect I’ll have plenty of time to catch the Hakuho bandwagon in the years to come.
