Re: Takatoriki intai sumo

[Doreen Simmons <jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp>]

I inadvertently sent this reply only to Mr. Takayama, but it may be of 
interest to others on the list.


> I reported: I don't have a lot of time to write at the moment, but it was 
> great
> >to see three yokozuna dohyo-iri!
> >
>
> and he asked: Who were the gyojis to attend 3 yokoduna dohyou-iri? I guess 
> they were
> Inosuke and somebody at sanyaku rank.

You are quite right. Inosuke led in Takanohana and Musashimaru from the 
east, after which Asashoryu came in from the west led by a sanyaku-kaku 
gyoji -- my program is at the office but I think it was Kimura Asanosuke, 
as the more senior Shigetaka was off sick.

> >Then, while Takatoriki sat on a chair in the center of the circle,
> > Daishi mounted the dohyo behind him and sang a specially-written
> > jinku in his honor. Daishi was in excellent voice and it was a
> > beautiful and moving performance.
> I wondered at 2 points as follows;
>
> 1. Oyakata sang jinku at an official show (even though NSK hadn't been
> concerned with it directly).
> 2. The jinku-singer was singing on the dohyou while the retiring
> rikisi was also on there at hair-cutting ceremony.

1. Retirement sumo is organized by the retiree for his own benefit, and if 
he invites an oyakata to sing  and the oyakata agrees, then it has nothing 
to do with the Kyokai, which merely rents the Kokugikan out.  The 
celebratory jinku has normally been sung at the end of the customary jinku 
performance given by makushita men earlier in the program. It has sometimes 
happened that a talented sekitori has sung with them, wearing his own 
kesho-mawashi instead of needing to borrow one. But since Daishi is an 
oyakata, singing with the lower-ranked men who do the jinku performance 
would be below his dignity. I suppose this was one reason for giving him a 
special spot.

Usually the retiree sits on the chair while a TV announcer hired for the 
occasion reads out the man's career. Daishi's performance was instead of 
this.

2. My sentence begins with "Then" so this happened after what has gone 
before. My previous paragraph referred to the final haircut, which was 
followed by the presentation of bouquets. Then (after that), with his hair 
all messy from so may snips, Takatoriki continued to sit on the same chair 
he had occupied during the danpatsu-shiki, and Daishi  mounted the dohyo 
from the rear and sang as I have described.

~Doreen Simmons
     <jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp>~