Musashimaru (Re: nicknames)

[abe@kaleida.com (Masumi Abe)]

Speaking of nicknames, 
Musashimaru is called "Maru" in Japanese and it is originally from the part
of his own name.
I don't know how you spell it correctly in alphabet, though. Anyone?

Maru means circle and round in Japanese, and well-integrated when it is
used for describing personality. Physically, Konishi is closer to a circle
than any humanbeing, round face, round eyes and round body, but
personality-wise, "maru" is better suited to Musashimaru based on the
articles and interviews.

Musashimaru is getting one of the most popular rikishi these days. One of
the reasons is that he looks like Saigoh Takamori, the most popular
politician and general from early Meiji Era. If you have lived in Japan,
you must remember his statue with a dog at Ueno Park in Tokyo. He is one of
the founders of Meiji government, but later fought against Japanese
government in a small civil war in Kyushu Island, called "Seinan-no Eki".
He is from Kagoshima prefecture. 

People in Kagoshima prefecture has acknowledged their physical and
personality similarlities between these two men, and recently formed the
Kagoshima Musashimaru Koenkai (Kagoshima Musashimaru Fan Club) and
presented a gorgeous kesho-mawashi to Ozeki Musashimaru. A Kesho-mawashi
costs at least $10,000, and some cost more than $100,000. They are made of
silk.

Look out, if and when he becomes a naturalized Japanese citizen (I have not
heard his intention, yet), he might change his shusshin-chi (place he is
from) from Hawaii, US to Kagoshima-ken.

By the way, "shusshinchi" is not "honseki" or "birth place". A rikishi, his
oyakata and his patron sponsor(s) just jointly decide and report to Sumo
Kyokai as his shusshin-chi. They could choose virtually anywhere they want.

-Masumi
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Masumi Abe                               阿部　加史（あべ　ますみ）
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