Re: Mainoumi, height, etc...

[abe@kaleida.com (Masumi Abe)]

The greatest sumo rikishi went through this agnizing experience was Ozeki
Asahifuji, currently Ohshima Oyakata. When he got into the sumo heya, older
rikishi thought he was a new hair dresser-to-be.

He failed the phisical exam for five times because of his short hight. It
was before Silicon Era. He was determined to pass the exam the sixth time,
and he asked an older rikishi to hit the top of the head with a "surikogi",
a baseball bat-like stick for glinding food and seeds, to get a big bump on
the top of his head. He also used a big "ke-tabo" or a bunch of human hair
to set a Japanese traditional hair style. In spite of all these, he needed
to stand his toe when a doctor at Sumo Clinic move his sight from heel to
the top of head to measure his hight. The doctor said, "just 173 cm.
Congratulations, you have passed."

-Masumi

Asahikuni became a great Ozeki and received nicknames of "Piranha" and "Dr.
Sumo".
Phisical Record: 174 cm, 121 kg
Makuuchi Record: 418 wins, 330 losses, 57 absents
Makuuchi winning percentage: .559
Total Makuuchi Basho: 54 basho
San-sho: Gono-sho 5 times, Kanto-sho 1 time
prefered hand and typical technique: Migi-yotsu, Shitate-nage, Tottari
the first basho: July, 1963
the first Makuuchi: July, 1969
the last basho: September, 1979

At  5:21 PM 7/8/94 -0500, Tracy Lynn Kaneshiro wrote:
>> Mainoumi's existance is enough reason for Sumo Kyokai to abandon the hight
>> and weight requirements for good. It is more exciting to see this Super
>> Mighty Mouse than fatty blub banging each other.
>
>
>I agree as well.  (I am a little biased, since I am short!)
>
>This reminded me of an article posted in clari.sports.misc (and also posted
>in clari.living.bizarre) recently:
>
>Subject: Sumo Chiefs Outlaw Height-Boosting Scalp Implants
>Copyright: 1994 by Reuters, R
>Message-ID: <XRjapan-sumo-siliconeURa0c_4l6@clarinet.com>
>Date: Wed, 6 Jul 94 1:20:03 PDT
>Expires: Wed, 13 Jul 94 1:20:03 PDT
>ACategory: international
>Slugword: JAPAN-SUMO-SILICONE
>Xref: rice clari.world.asia.japan:1565 clari.living.bizarre:357
>clari.sports.mis
>c:13167
>
>         TOKYO (Reuter) - To gain the minimum height requirement to
>be a Sumu wrestler, a Japanese teenager had six inches of
>silicone implanted under his scalp.
>         The Japan Sumo Association said Wednesday that, because of
>health fears, it will no longer accept aspirant wrestlers who
>artificially boost their height with silicone implants.
>         An association spokeswoman said the action was prompted by a
>case in which one teenager underwent four such implants over 12
>months and ``grew'' to 5 ft 8 inches, the minimum height
>requirement to enter the ancient sport.
>         Takeji Harada, 16, who had failed six previous eligibility
>tests, finally made the grade in June -- thanks to the huge
>bulge on his head, which added about 6 inches to his height.
>         ``Yes, you could say that that incident made us think of
>banning the implants,'' the spokeswoman said.
>         She said she had heard in the past of would-be wrestlers
>using implants to boost height, but Harada's case seemed to be
>the most extreme.
>         This is not the only ruse young sumo fanatics have used to
>get accepted. Several years ago, one young man finally made the
>grade after repeatedly banging his head against a wall so that
>the bump gave him extra height.
>
>
>
>Why don't they just let all the short people in?  Are there too many
>short sumo aspirants?  
>
>
>--
>Tracy Kaneshiro
>tkaneshi@owlnet.rice.edu
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Masumi Abe                               阿部　加史（あべ　ますみ）
Kaleida Labs, Inc.                              Tel: (415) 966-0824
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Mountain View, CA 94043                  Internet:  abe@kaleida.com
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