June Bits and Pieces

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

Some items I have collected in the last little while: 
 

Kitakachido Danpatsu Ceremony
-----------------------------
Former Makuuchi Kitakachidoki, 35, had his Danpatsu
Ceremony at the Kokugikan on June 3.

Three hundred thirty people including Hokkaido
Governor Tatsuya Hori participated in the cutting.
After Isenoumi oyakata made the final cut.

Kitakachidoki, now Katsunoura oyakata, told the guests
now his calling is to  "raise the next generation of
rikishis."  


Chiyotenzan Gets Married
-------------------------
Makuuchi Chiyotenzan (real name: Daihachiro Sumi from
Osaka), 25, of Kokonoe Beya had his wedding reception
at a Tokyo area hotel on June 3.  He already filed his
marriage certificate with Kazumi, 27, last January.


Dejima has a surgery
--------------------
Ozeki Dejima had a surgery done in his right ankle. He
has been suffreing from ankle ligamament injury for a
while.  He plans to participate in the Nagoya Basho
which will become a kadoban basho. 


Takanohana resumes training
---------------------------
Takanohana resumed light training at Futagoyama
training room on June 5. He did an hour of light shiko
and walking.   According to Futagoyama oyakata it
appears that Takanohana did not suffer any serious
tears in knee ligaments but did damage a meniscus. 
"He is not yet at a stage where he can work hard
enough to sweat.  It will probably take three weeks
before he can go back to a serious training program,"
said the oyakata,  

Takanohana's NHK interview on June 7
------------------------------------
"When I fell and lost the bout on Day 14, I twisted my
right leg and tore a meniscus. I had the loose
meniscus put into place once I returned to the
dressing room but there was a lot of pain."

"Before going to the Kokugikan on the morning of the
Senshuraku, I had a shot of pain killer at a hospital.
 During the shikiri on the dohyo, I felt the meniscus
coming loose again and thought it was all over but I
somehow managed to put it back again."

"When I lost the match the first time I felt I could
not end it this way and got really psyched up.  Before
the Yusho Deciding match I decided to go 
with 'tsupparis'. 
 
"I believed I had the devil look when I won because
when I faced the last match, I was totally focused on
the match alone, letting go of the thought I even had
the injury.  I've seen the video later but I can tell
you it's definitely the first time I've seen my face
like that."

"I was really moved when the Prime Minister talked to
me on the dohyo and all the cheers from the audience.
I felt it's been all worthwhile dedicating my whole
life on nothing else but sumo."   


A Mitoizumi Story (from the Asahi Shimbun)
------------------------------------------
Former ozeki and popular rikishi known for his wild
salt throwing Mitoizumi, 38,
has had his danpatsu ceremony at the Kokugikan on June
9.  

It's been six years since he lost his mother.
He believes it was his mother who supported him all
through his active sumo life.  After losing her
husband, she became a door-to-door sewing machine
salesperson as well as supporting her family by doing
dress alterations at home.  Mitoizumi hoped he could
provide an encouragement to kids in similar situations
by inviting 200 families without a parent or parents. 

Mitoizumi was born in Mito City in 1962.  His father
who was in transportation business passed away when he
was 43 years old of a pancreatic cancer.  Mitoizumi
remembers he was scolded then as a five year old, he
thought his father was just sleeping and took off a
cloth covering his father's face. He says he once came
back home crying after getting lost looking for his
father on train as he could not believe his father was
really dead.         

He still recalls many days he and his brother waited
for his mother to come home.  Never once showing how
tired she was, she made sure she cooked enough food so
they would not go hungry.  He remembers once he was
slapped on face by his mother when she discovered he
stole and brought some vegetables home.  "I believe
she felt betrayed as however we were poor,  she did
her best to bring home enough food, working hard and n
long."

He entered in the sumo world as soon as he graduated
from a junior high school. "I wanted to make sure her
life would become easier".  But he faced many
hardships soon as he suffered a series of knee and
ankle injuries.  He did everything to motive himself
before bouts by throwing salt harder and slapping his
cheeks and chins.  When he won the yusho as a hiramaku
in the Nagoya Basho in 1992, his mother rushed to see
him win from Mito and cried and collapsed into his
arms.  


In August 1995, suffering from ill health, she brought
her own cooking to him during the Mito Jyungyo as she
has always done.  But it became the last as a couple
of weeks later she had a heart attack and passed away.
 She was 65 years old.  Though a sumo heya is a
co-operative community of rikishis emphasizing a group
atmosphere, Takasago oyakata allowed Mitoizumi to
bring their family buddhist alter to the heya. "I knew
there wasn's anyone to take care of it in the
country," said the oyakata.

"In my own way I believe I did the best I possible
could," said Mitoizumi looking back of his active sumo
life.  He talked to his supporters and through the
office, he sent out invitations to 200 parent-less
families to his Danpatsu Ceremony.   "I hear news of
parents killing their kids and kids killing their
parents.  I wanted everyone to appreciate how precious
and special this bond really can be."     

=====
.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique     ^ÐS   ^ËZ   ^ÑÌ  >

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