Discussion I - responses to introductions

["Martin Hughes (Biochem)" <mjgh@mbfs.bio.cam.ac.uk>]

Hello everyone!
Well, it has been great to read everyones introductions.  I thought
that perhaps now we know one another, we could possible get some Sumo
related discussions going?
Firstly though, a couple of technical points. 
Welcome to the 3 new members!  I hope this message has their 
addresses on it (although, thinking about it, if it doesn't they
won't know anything about it :-) )
Has anyone elses introductory message to Tim Matthews bounced? Or
is something "up" with my posting mechanism?

OK - I will keep the discussion here to responses from the introductions.
There are a couple of other things I am interested in, but I will
post them later, and with different headings.
Now, I am pretty computer illiterate (I am a Cell Biologist/Biochemist/
Molecular Biologist), and although I want to import quotes from
the intro's, I cannot seem to get my machine to do it for all the
different intro's, so I will try to summarize what I am responding to.
My apologies if you feel I am misrepresenting you!

Tony Austin said...
That his favourite Rikishi were the Hawaiians, because they were
Hawaiians.
Now, I can empathize with this point of view, but I found that I
got a much better reaction in Japan when I said that my fave
wrestlers were NOT the Hawaiians.  In a similar fashion to the
"you are a gaijin, therefore you must be American" attitude, there
was definitely (I found) an assumption that as a Gaijin, you must
be rooting for the Gaijin Sumo.  I found this to be most prevalent
during the Konishiki controversy, with everyone assuming that 
I believed he should have gained promotion (I did not at the time,
though I would dearly have loved to see what his performance would
be like if he had have been promoted - much better than he is
doing now, I imagine, but Yokazuna standard?).
I found that the response I had when I admitted to liking wrestlers
in Juryo, or even at times, Makushita, was amazing - so, Tony,
if you REALLY want to impress the Gaijin (  :-)  ) down in
Little Tokyo, pretend your fave wrester is someone that even
they havn't heard of!

Hiroki Kimata said....
About Wakaonhana being Oniichan.
Sorry about this, Hiroki (no offense meant), but this attitude
REALLY used to annoy me in Japan.  I mean, the guy is a great 
wrestler in his own right - not just a cute attachment for his
younger heart-throb brother.  I used to gain great satisfaction
from standing at the Kokugikan entrance when the big guys were
coming in, and shouting when Takanohana cam in (very loudly) 
"ototo-chan".  He he, you should have seen the looks on the 
female fan-clubs faces!

Nathan Hoover, and someone else (sorry, I deleted the mail) said....
About Mitoizumi looking good winning the basho.  Yes, he looked
absolutely brilliant I thought.  It was really great to see him
get that Yusho.  One of the nicest moments in sport that I have
witnessed.
Also, about Kirishima.  I think his "downfall" is really sad.
does anyone know if there are any "retirement" positions coming
up in the near future, so at least he won't suffer the ignominy
of being demoted to Juryo?

OK - thats it for these comments.  I hope I have not offended anyone,
and that we can get a bit of discussion going.  
I will post a couple of other questions/comments later in the 
day, if I have time!



Martin J. G. Hughes
Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Email: mjgh@mbfs.bio.cam.ac.uk  OR  hughes@rkna50.riken.go.jp