Re: Please help:

[sumoml@searchspell.com]

On Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 07:05:39AM +0000, Sumo Hopeful wrote:
> 
> On to the help part:
> 
> I need to know the best way to go about joining a sumo-beya.  I know this is 
> going to be almost impossible, but I have to try.  With all of the 
> restrictions placed on foreign rikishi, and living so far away from Japan 
> and Hawai'i (I am on the East Coast), I'm sure things are going to be even 
> more difficult. But I figure that if Sentoryu could find a way, then perhaps 
> I can as well.
> 
> Would it be best to contact an oyakata or a scout for a particular heya? And 
> should this be done by mail, phone, or (and I leave this last on purpose) in 
> person? Or is there some other way I should go about this?
> 
> Any help that can be provided is greatly appreciated. I suppose if Ozumo 
> ends up being out of the question, I could always try amateur sumo, or even 
> fall back onto programming (a jock that knows how to program?! what's the 
> world comin' to?! ;-)  ).  I just hope that doesn't have to happen...

First off, it's good to see you at least have a good idea of your
chances of success.

I would recommend trying to get into sumo as a Japanese college student,
but seeing as you're already a high school senior, you probably don't
have too much chance of that, unless you're willing to cram in Japanese
studies like mad after graduation and pass the Level 1 Japanese
Proficiency exam in December 2002.

Given that you still want to try to enter a brutally harsh,
hierarchical world that made even Akebono cry on the phone every
night with his mama for many months, the best advice I could come
up with would be to NOT try to contact any heya directly.
Connections are everything in Japanese society, especially in the
tradition-bound societies like the sumo world, and not even the most
elegant keigo in the world would help a foreigner like you even get
someone to listen to him.  Your best chance is to find someone who
knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who MIGHT know
somebody at a sumo stable.  Put together a little PR video introducing
yourself (in Japanese), maybe showing you lifting weights, studying
Japanese, basically anything that shows you are malleable enough to
be molded into a sumo rikishi, smart enough to learn Japanese quickly,
and tough enough to handle the years of hazing you will encounter.
Then search for the indirect conact I mentioned earlier, give that
person your video, and wait for someone to contact you someday.

Your best bet at searching for a contact would probably come from
somebody on this list.  Anybody willing to help?  Maybe we can't
purchase a kesho mawashi, but if we get this guy up to Juryo he might
donate one to us someday out of gratitude.  :-)

  - Joe