[sumo] Re: West Japan College Sumo - amateur

["Katrina" <katrina@shoin.ac.jp>]

Babanoshuzan wrote:

> I'll second that, and add Katrina Watts' postings as well.  How else would
> we learn about the happenings in amateur sumo

Thanks for the kind words, but did they come with a (hint hint)?

Maybe I'm just feeling guilty for coming home late yesterday and not posting
the results of the West Japan College League.

Kinki University swept the pool winning the 1st division teams event and
filling the best 4 individual positions.  Ryukoku University took the 2nd
division defeating Tokai Gakuin, coached by former Makuuchi rikishi, Hattori
Ryuji (Fujinokawa, Isenoumi Beya ex Doshisha University Champion).  Mr
Hattori was particularly miffed as this meant his team has to remain in the
2nd division and doesn't get another chance at promotion until next year.
The winner of the 2nd division gets the chance to compete in the afternoon's
1st division competition and possibly gain promotion to the 1st division.
Since this is only the second year of the Tokai Gakuin Sumo Club, runner up
was a pretty good result, but not good enough for their ambitious coach.

A brief explanation:

The teams have 5 competing members plus reserves.  The teams meet every
other team and are awarded points for the overall win - 5-0, 4-1 or 3-2 - as
well points for each individual win of the five.  Kinki finished with by
winning every round:

Kinki vs Aichi Gakuin Daigaku 5 - 0
Kinki vs Asahi Daigaku        4 - 1
Kinki vs Doshisha Daigaku     4 - 1
Kinki vs Kansai Gakuin Daigaku 4 - 1
Kinki vs Ryukoku Daigaku      5 - 0
Kinki vs Ritsumeikan Daigaku  4 - 1

6 win points and a total of 26 individual wins.

Their closest rival and subsequent runner up was Ritsumeikan University
with 5 wins and 21 individual points.

Aichi Gakuen and Asahi University were third and had a play off for the
right to take part, representing West Japan, in the national tournament.
Aichi competitors won the first three matches to clinch their place.

Kansai Gakuin University failed to win a single round and scored only 6
individual wins.  They will drop back to the 2nd division next year,
replaced by this year's 2nd division winner Ryukoku University, who managed
to win 1 round (over Kansai Gakuin) and 8 individual points.

Perhaps Kansai Gakuin University missed their cheer squad.  No, not girls
with pom poms.  Uniform clad, white gloved young men who beat a drum and
chant in chorus:  "Let's Go ......"  With the competitor's name ie. "Let's
Go, Let's Go Hirayama" Cheering loudly if he wins and chanting if he loses,
"Do Mai. Do Mai Hirayama" (Don't mind!!!)

In the 2nd league there are many interesting competitors, some very thin and
un-rikishi-like, in particular the teams from Osaka Dental University and
Nara Prefectural Medical University presumably have more in the brain than
brawn department.  They must compete against the more robust boys from
Ryukoku U.  Nagoya U. Kansai U.  Recently many of these second division
competitors sport a variety unusual hair styles and colours.  The Nara
Prefectural Medical University boys all had dyed brown hair, two had short
beards and one had a hair style that looked like he'd stuck his finger in an
electrical socket.  They looked particularly striking when competing against
the Koyasan University boys with their severely cropped, priest-like hair
styles.

Unfortunately Hiroshima University didn't make it this year.  Their sumo
club has dwindled down to a few foreigners. Kyoto University has an Austrian
member who managed to win one of his matches, an improvement over last
year's effort.  He alone wears something under his mawashi - pants like
those worn for cycling.  He said they do have their own individual mawashis
(the Aussie boys in Sydney, when I visited them several years ago, used the
fact that the club members had to share the mawashis as their excuse for
wearing something underneath) but he said that the pants were more
comfortable - less chafing from the mawashi - and kept the sand out when
you'd been thrown down on the dohyo.  Hmmm... makes you think!

Back to serious matters.  For the record, the individual winners were all
from Kinki University.  Sorry, I don't know how to read their given names.

1st Ito, a 4th year student.
2nd Kanbayashi, 4th year
3rd Hakiai, 3rd year & Sugita, 4th year

Also impressive in the team competition, though not in at the end of the
individual contest, was Kinki's new boy, 1st year student Takeru Okuya, whom
I remember from the Japanese team at last year's World Junior Championships.
At 185 cm and weighing 142 kg he makes a big contribution to the team!

For those of you who might be in Tokyo next weekend, you can see the East
Japan version of this competition at the Kokugikan from 9:00 AM to about 5
PM on Sunday 8th June.  The entrance fee, if there is one, is minimal, the
sumo is exciting, and if you've been wondering why Takamisakari slaps
himself into a frenzy before his bouts, you can see the next guy up getting
similar encouragement from his teammates!

Katrina


[EndPost by "Katrina" <katrina@shoin.ac.jp>]