SUMO: Article...British bonkers for sumo
Richard Sadowsky
By James Daniel
Special to The Japan Times
LONDON--The bulky presence of the top 40 sumo _rikishi_ is a
pretty daunting sight even in Japan, and so when the British
were recently treated to a sumo spectacular in London, there
was a commotion of giant proportions. The 5-day London _koen_
was billed as the first sumo tournament to be held outside
Japan in the sport's 1,500-year history, and not surprisingly it
attracted an enormous amount of interest.
Although sumo is still very much a fringe sport in Britain,
Channel 4 TV's coverage over the past two years has brought
this most ancient form of wrestling into the nation's living-
rooms. When the big men arrived in Britain, it was clear they
were to be given all the attention deserving of their size and
growing cult status.
Photo opportunities began to fill both the quality and tabloid
press as Britain was overcome with its first bout of sumo
madness. Favorite shots included Chiyonofuji having his body
measurements taken at Madame Tussaud's Wax Muserum. (His
figure will be unveiled next summer), Konishiki being felled by a
puny 3-year-old would-be British sumo wrestler, and Kirishima
picking up a dapper suit from a Savile Row tailor. But there was
obviously something deeply mysterious about these quiet men
dressed in Japanese robes.
Most of the serious newspapers recognized this and began to
wrestle with the weighty question as to whether sumo is sport,
art, religion or just a good way to score with the ladies.
A highly lyrical piece in the Financial Times, by Channel 4
commentator, Lyall Watson, described sumo's religious
implications and asked the reader to see the sport against its
historical background. "The beauty and potency of the sumo rites
is that they invade the real world, taking place in front of a
community which is carried along by ancient energies." He added
"history is the only true source of spirit and skill."
If such analysis is a little too intellectual for most, it does
reveal the apparent contradictions the British audience saw in
sumo. The Sunday Times showed that appearances were not
everything. Alghough 300 kg of flesh, muscle, bone and
_chankonabe_ colliding across a ring hardly seems to offer
great sporting entertainment, "the dignity of its staging, the
unemotional perfection of behavior and the lightening (sic)
flashes of effort" revealed that behind the beast in sumo, there
is beauty to be found.
The Hawaiian, Konishiki, known as the "dumptruck" by sumo
aficionados here, naturally attracted a great deal of interest.
His eye-catching corpulence made him an immediate target not
just for the tabloid press, but also the quality papers. As the
heaviest of the "40 nappy-clad monsters" (Today) he was
subjected to all manner of undignified comparisons. With his "70
inch waist, double Z-cup breasts," the female Today reporter
found him "about as sexy as a hippo on mogadon." The Times was
no more complimentary, "just 27 years old, he weighs 36 stones
(236 kg) and looks in urgent need of medical treatment."
After being fed a staple diet of sensationalist "fat man"
stories, the revelations about the average sumo wrestler's
prodicious sex life were more difficult to swallow. The News of
the World, The Sun's Sunday stablemate, ran a two-page
exclusive on "Japan's King Kong Love Machines." Those people
looking for the gossip on such greats as Chiyonofuji or
Hokutoumi were sorely disappointed. The sumo wrestler
featured turned out to be Britain's very own Nathan Strange, who
had a 7-month trial at the Takasago stable back in 1989. Even
allowing for a pinch of tabloid hyperbole, his stories of rampant
Japanese women are quite outrageous. "I had sex behind
warehouses in cars and even in street doorways. I was only 17
and randy as hell, and the girls were really forward. They make
all the running."
The News of the World presumably has all the answers as to
why Strange did not have the stomach for the sumo way of life
in Japan, but few people will be interested in reading them. For
the newly converted fans in Britain, the chance to enjoy sumo
for real has been one of the great sporting events of the year.
(Some people said there was a rugby world cup happening at the
same time, but few noticed it.)
As for the rikishi, they also seemed to have a good time. I
bumped into (fortunately, noy literally) the affable Kirinishiki
outside his London hotel. Clutching one of those famous green
Harrods bags, crammed full of _omiyage_, I asked him what he
thought of bringing sumo to London. With a broad smile across
his face, he muttered in broken English, "Good idea desu."
Note: The London Koen which ran from Oct. 9-13 was won by
yokozuna Hokutoumi after a play-off with Kotogaume.
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Posted by: Richard Sadowsky Kobe, Japan
e-mail: frisbee%aegis...@kyoto-u.ac.jp