[sumo] More henka

["lon howard" <itsulon@msn.com>]

Sorry for dredging up a week old subject but just got back from a road trip and this is my first peek at it.  Anyway, since henka is a product of the tachi-ai, let's ask why have a tachi-ai in the first place?  Why not just have the guys stand apart and then approach each other at a given signal, like all other one-on-one confrontations within a small confined space (that I know of anyway)?  Maybe some real historians can help me out on this one but the only thing that makes sense to me is that sumo's founding fathers wanted contests to begin with a robust impact to get immediate attention (possibly because the actual torikumi is brief).  You can certainly tell the present-day Kyokai feels that way by how they generally criticize henka when it happens, and by the way they describe a good tachi-ai (words like sharp, strong, bruising, etc.). During or after most matches, commentators invaribly have something to say about the quality of each grappler's tachi-ai, and much of the!
  time mention that the winner's good tachi-ai was what eventually led to his victory.

With this in mind it's clear that henka doesn't fit sumo as it was and is conceived because it makes moot of what is considered a good tachi-ai, and since most sumo insiders consider a good tachi-ai as critical to success on the dohyo, it makes the whole match moot when it's used.  Otherwise, henka would be called a "good" tachi-ai since it usually leads to victory.

So if henka is generally scorned by most rule-makers and rule-changers, why is it allowed?  Because determining one is too subjective?  Couldn't that be managed by allowing the match to conclude and requiring all shimpan (except same-heya ones) to agree that one occurred?  I believe that henka would completely disappear after about two or three wins were reversed due to a henka determination...the rikishi who do henka know it when they do it and they just wouldn't do it anymore.

The only thing more "regrettable" (according to Chiyotaikai) about Asashoryu's henka was Chiyo's comment itself since he's done it on occasion too and I suspect he'll do it again...probably sooner now that kosho is no more.

Henka no more!

Lon Howard 
  

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[EndPost by "lon howard" <itsulon@msn.com>]