Rain and Tears- When rikishi cry
Moti Dichne
They cry when they win, and they cry when they lose. At the Aki Basho in 2013, there was a scene where Musouyama and Aoiyama burst into tears after getting a kinboshi against Yokozuna Harumafuji. Lately, there are more and more people who can't openly cry even when they want to, but perhaps rikishi still have pure hearts. In the past, many of them have cried profusely in a variety of situations, unable to contain their emotions. This time, we'll share some episodes related to tears. *This is an edited version of "The Tears and Laughter Sumo Theater," which was serialized in the November 2010 issue of the monthly magazine "Sumo." It will be published every Tuesday. And I will translate.
The Tears of a "Lone Wolf"
No rikishi suited the term "lone wolf" better than Yokozuna Asashouryuu. He made enemies of those around him, bickered with them, and transformed that into energy, breaking many records. He had a sad, and in a sense, unfortunate, nature. However, deep down, he must have been incredibly lonely. In 2005, Asashouryuu achieved the triple crown, becoming the first ever to win seven consecutive yusho, perfect calendar - year yushos, and the most wins in a year with 84 victories. At the Kyushu basho, which could be called the "Asashouryuu Year," he started strong from the beginning, and on the 14th day, he faced a crucial match where a win would secure the yusho without waiting for the final day. His opponent was KaioU (now Asakayama Oyakata), a popular Ozeki from Fukuoka, and the arena was filled with cheers for him. However, Asashouryuu was not intimidated by this unusual atmosphere at all, and he grabbed KaioU's right hand, brought him into a left-uwate, and quickly pushed him out by yorikiri for a decisive victory. He easily secured the triple crown. Usually, when Asashouryuu wins, he puffs out his chest and glares at everyone around him as if to say, "How about that, got a problem with that?" But on this day, he didn't do that, and his expression changed when he received the 35 kensho envelopes. With tears welling up, he walked down the aisle and ran straight into the arms of his tsukebito, Kimenryuu, who was waiting in the wings, and burst out crying. Everyone around him was stunned and dumbfounded by this unbelievable sight. After a while, Asashouryuu finally regained his composure and said with a shy expression: "Everyone was shouting 'KaioU, KaioU,' and I suddenly felt lonely. It was like I was a lone wolf. But that also made me determined all the more not to lose. I didn't tell anyone, but the pressure of winning seven consecutive titles is immense. No one has ever done it before. I didn't know where I was at that moment. That's how I felt. All three records - that's heavy. I'm grateful to Asashouryuu for achieving them in one go." That was the first time Asashouryuu had shown his true self. One can't help but think that if he had shown more of this side of himself, he wouldn't have had to leave the sumo world in such an anticlimactic way.