Musoyama - the ultimate Warrior

["ShiroiKuma" <ShiroiKuma@shiroikuma.com>]

Hey all:

Don't know if anyone felt the same, but ever since the basho ended, and I
was still in Japan, wanted to write about this.

When I was in Musashigawa-beya for practice, it was day 14, and by that time
it was evident that Musoyama was in the yusho race, along with Miyabiyama.

Musoyama was really serious about it. Although Miyabiyama did a lot of
butsukari practice with lower ranked rikishi, lending his chest, Musoyama
did only shiko and suriashi. Not fighting or anything. All the time, he
seemed to be really concentrating and was very serious.

Now, Musoyama and Dejima have been my favorites for a long time, ever since
they quit amateur sumo. So, I've been wishing them luck and was really
rooting for Musoyama this basho.

Then, on day 15, Musoyama went up against Kaio. And it was evident Kaio was
going to try a henka, no way was he going to take Musoyama head on.

Well, at least, that's what was going through my head, as I was thinking
what I would be thinking about was I in Musoyama's shoes. And I kept
thinking: "What's he gonna do? How's he gonna cope with the fact, that Kaio
will probably do a henka and try to slap him down." And I kept hoping that
Musoyama wouldn't give in to the pressure and try to come up with some funny
tactic to defeat Kaio.

And then, when the match came up, I was sitting in the Kokugikan with a
couple of friends, and could feel the air crack with pressure.

Musoyama came up on the dohyo and you couldn't see what was going through
his head. And all the time it seemed he'd be conscious of the yusho-race
prospects laying in front of him, just within his reach...

And then it happened, the tachiai, and Musoyama cracked ahead, Kaio tried a
henka and Musoyama just came in low, like himself, without any regard to
what was happening and went ahead with his sumo, demolished Kaio, not
worrying about any henka and won by oshitaoshi.

And I was sitting there breathless, thinking: "Yeah, this is it..." This was
what sumo was about, not winning, losing, but doing your best, overcoming
yourself. He was just perfect, disregarding any occasion, just trying to do
his best sumo, and took the yusho via that.

And then, when the award ceremony went on, Musoyama was standing there like
the ultimate Warrior, like the God of War, the ultimate rikishi, composed,
focused, statuesque, perfect...

Just unbelievable.

Man...

ShiroiKuma
^Ô^Ò^¢^ÌF
ShiroiKuma@ShiroiKuma.com

Visit the Czech Sumo Union at http://sumo.cz
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"...and the inner fire of his spirit was so visible on the face of his that
in the countries through which he had passed, there has remained a legend
that the devil himself passed through..."
                           Ladislav Klima, The Great Novel