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[sumo] Futabayama and Rooster
* Again I am not sure if I posted this here but it's
such a nice story (about the rooster) I think it bears
re-telling.
A story about Futabayama only taking Chikara-mizu
water once and never spitting the water on the dohyo
has been told by many. I believe it is an expression
of his Sumoudou that the dohyo is a holy place. You do
wash your mouth with the water but it is to cleanse
yourself and you should have focused enough to only do
it once aand properly.
Futabayama was always ready to face his opponent
however way they may come out and never attempted to
do a matta despite having handicaps only a few knew.
Here's Futabayama stats:
Futabayama Sadaji - Yokozuna, Tatsunami
Beya/Futabayama Dojo
Real Name: Sadaji Akiyoshi
Born: February 9, 1912
Died: December 16, 1968
From: Usa City, Oita Prefecture
Dohyo Debut: March 1927
Juryo Debut: May 1931
Makuuchi Debut: February 1932
Last Basho: November 1945
Height: 179 cm
Weight: 128 kg
Yusho: 12 (8 with no loss)
Favorite: Migi-yotsu, Uwate-nage
Win/Loss: 276 wins, 68 losses, 1 draw, 33 kyujo
Toshiyori: Tokitsukaze
Record: 69 Consecutive bouts winning streak from the
1936 Haru Basho Day 7 to the 1939 Haru Basho (January
12) Day 4.
Beaten by Maegashira East 4 Akinoumi by soto-gake.
Akinoumi did a keiko practicing soto-gake to beat
Futabayama with it. His keiko partner that morning was
Komanosato who was the 69th loser of Futabayama on the
previuos day.
Futabayama had a couple of serious handicaps only a
few knew at the time:
- His right little finger was crushed before he joined
Ozumo and he could not use it.
- He was totally blind in his right eye.
He hurt his finger while working in a machine shop. He
was hit by an arrow on his right eye accidentally when
he was a child. His father never told him who actually
did
it saying he never wanted to his son living all his
life hating another person.
--------------------------------
Here's a story of Futabayama and the origin of
Woodcarving Fighting Rooster telegram I discssed in
the previous post.
One day Futabayama was invited to have a few drinks
with a foremost authority in Oriental philosophy, a
man named Masahiro Yasuoka. He was a graduate of the
University of Tokyo Law School and has been an advisor
to Prime Ministers, company presidents and academics (
note: the current Japanese era, Heisei, this name is
attributed to him).
Both relaxed after quite a few drinks when Yasuoka
said to Futabayama, "You are still not an accomplished
man". A modest man Yokozuna Futabayama was, he asked
him why he wasn't yet. Then Yasuoka told him a story
about the woodcarved fighting rooster by Chinese
philosopher/writer Souji.
Futabayama was moved by Yasuoka's story so much that
he hang Yasuoka's writing in his room and did a
meditation twice a day to train his mind to become
this woodcarved fighting rooster.
After his defeat to Akinoumi, he sent a telegram to
Yasuoka who was en route to Europe on an ocean
voyager.
"ware imada mokkei itarizu futabayama."
"I Yet to Become the Woodcarved fighting rooster.
Futabayama"
Only Yasuoka knew its meaning on that ship.
Futabayama's winning streak was stopped. Even during
his streak, Futabayama was no longer concerned about
his
winning and losing but achieving the ultimate goal to
become the woodcarved fighting rooster.
----------------------------------------
The story of Wood carved fighting rooster by
Souji(Chuang Tze) as told to Futabayama by Masahiro
Yasuoka
Once upon a time, in China there was a king who loved
cockfighting. One day he was able to acquire a
formidable rooster and asked his master rooster
trainer to make him the strongest rooster ever in the
whole kingdom.
Ten days passed and the king inquired if the rooster
was ready to fight..
The master answered, "No, no, he is still not ready.
He is still arrogant and behaving, Me, Me."
Further ten days passed and the king inquired again.
The master replied, "Oh, no. Not yet. He gets excited
when he sees his opponents or their sound."
And ten more days have gone and the king inquired.
The master said, "He is not ready yet. When he sees
the opponents, he is scowling with a fierce look,
trying to overwhelm his opponents."
Then after ten days, the king asked his master again
if the rooster may be ready.
Finally the master quietly nodded and said, "I believe
he is well prepared now. When other roosters cry, he
does not change his expression and maintains his
normal demeanor. He is like the rooster on woodcarving
and does not even budge an inch. He has achieved
ultimate virtue. If someone brings a rooster to fight
him, once the rooster sees his composure, the other
rooster will run away without fighting."
Souji's Mokkei (Woodcarved fighting rooster) was so
invincible that whether there was an opponent or not,
he was above it all and remained absolutely calm and
aloof. The rooster won 100 fights out of 100. The
other roosters were cowering even before the fight
started.
Even after establshing such a superhuman record,
Futabayama was humble enough to admit he has not yet
achieved the virtue of "Mokkei".
After winning the bout, Akinoumi (who later became a
yokozuna) also sent a telegram, to his mother, "Mother
I won".
Akinoumi then went to see his shisho, Dewanoumi
oyakata and reported his winning over Futabayama.
Known for his wisdom, Dewanoumi oyakata quietly told
his dear recruit, Akinoumi, that night, an advice
Akinoumi never forgot.
"Strive to become a rikishi who makes news when he
loses than when he wins".
=====
.....Jonosuke
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