Re: baby sumo

["Nashinokawa" <nashinokawa@parbrook.free-online.co.uk>]

This is at least an annual event and basically involves rikishi, or others
"shaking" the babies more like swinging them rhythmically towards each
others, no risk to the child involved) until the "winner" starts crying.
Supposed to be a sign of a child who'll grow up healthy and strong.

The tradition goes back a long way I would guess.

If they are real rikishi they are almost certainly lower ranked ones, there
are approx 700 rikishi in the non-sekitori divisions.

Another possibility is that they are amateurs.  In generally pro-rikishi
have dark mawashi and amateurs have white mawashi.  (The pro's will also
have the usually chon-mage hairstyle too of course)

Sekitori (Makuchi, Juryo) also have white training mawashi, but with a
distinctive loop in the front piece.

Cheers

Peter

----- Original Message -----
From: lesprit <maladodo@club-internet.fr>
To: sumoML <sumo@brooks.statgen.ncsu.edu>
Sent: 14 June 2000 09:31
Subject: baby sumo


> hello
>
> monday i saw a strange thing on a french tv show.
> There was two men dressed like sumo wrestlers on a dohyo ,they had young
> babies in the arm and throw them up several time until one on them start
to
> cry.a dressed like gyoji man called the crying baby as the winner.
> they presented the two men as sumo wrestler stars but i didn't regognize
> them at all.
> Do you know more on this strange habit?
>
> Ps:
> if you like japan animation movies:the german-french tv channel arte will
> show a beautifull 1989 film named
> "le tombeau des lucioles:hotaru no haka" from isao takahata.
> it starts at 1h20 the next 17-18.06 night.
> you can have it in french on hot-bird or in german on astra
>
> dominique
>
>
>
>