[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Go to: Mailing List Archive | Makunouchi Banzuke Page

Sumo-ML (fwd)

This is a message from Steve that I thought I would forward (I hope you
don't mind Steve), re: how to set up a ML, and also some other interesting
news on the juryo and some of the rikishi's names.

Yoroshiku, Pete.



 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
 Date: Wed, 21 Jul 93 10:19:20 EDT
 From: "Steve E. Kissel" <sek@space.mit.edu>
 To: p-kaub@possum.murdoch.edu.au
 Subject: Sumo-ML


Thank you for the efforts you and the others have invested in
forwarding sumo news.  I have sent this message and the appended
little story to you only since my first comment is that the ML
should have an editor or compiler.  Perhaps you would be kind
enough to assume this role as a test?

Current sumo news is often in the fj.sports newsgroup, but
readers without facility to display japanese text cannot derive
much from this.  Perhaps if an ftp site were available the
more interesting articles (the banzuke and standings - neither
of which require language proficiency to understand) could
be scanned and stored?  Most readers have capabilities to
display some image format, such as gif, tiff or whatever.  Also
photos of the more notorious rikishi could be exchanged.  I
know I would gladly scan (BW) and contribute from my collection.

By the way, for those interested, Juryo was won by Tatsuhikari
(12-3).  This fellow has been recently sent down from the
bif league - I know he was once maegahira 12.

Anyhow, thanks again - and here is a little something I learned.

Everyone knows about the Hanada brothers and the association
with the former Hanada Ozeki, but it seems that most sumo
names have some story to tell.  I was curious to see how
foreign sumo wrestlers might be named since in Japan generally
foreign names are spelled using kana, but this wouldn't seem
proper for a rikishi name.

The most well known foreign sumo rikishi are of course Konishiki,
Akebono and Musashimaru.  Looking at the banzuke one finds other
foreigners.  From Argentina, Hoshiandes and Hoshitango come to
mind.  Both have been at the Juryo level.  I suspect an intended
pun in the names - "Star of the Andes" and "Star of the Tango".
(In both cases the characters after Hoshi- seem to be used
phonetically with no intended meaning.)
Perhaps the former's home town is in the mountains and the later
is proficient in the latin dance?  Also in the lower ranks are
a few rikishi from Brazil and a number from Mongolia.
The Mongolians interested me since they all had names which
started with the character with On-yomi "Kyoku".  This is almost
always an indication they belong to the Oshima stable.  The
most well known current "Kyoku"s are Kyokudozan and in Juryo
Kyokugozan.  Also, the former Yokozuna Asahifuji was from
the Oshima team, "Asahi" (rising sun) is the other reading
of the same character.  The head (Oyakata) of the Oshima-beya
is the former Asahikuni.  Perhaps if Kyokudozan becomes Ozeki
he will change his name to Asahi-nanika?  Does anyone remember
if Asahifuji was once a Kyoku- ?