Re: run away!

[mabe@netcom.com (Masumi Abe)]

Sheri:

I think the significant of Kototenta/Kototenzan/Earthquake/etc.'s case
is not the fact that he "run-away" but he quit in spite of his successful
records in sumo.

The Japanese quitters are the ones failed to win. On the other hand,
Kototenzan, originally named Kototenta, left sumo without loosing a
single official match during his stay in Ozumo.

Naturally, he felt he is stronger than most of his "superiors" and
deserved to be treated accordingly. Unfortunately, for him, you only
promoted step by step in sumo society. Even if you are the greatest
sumo wrestler the day you started, you can't be yokozuna a basho later.
Kototenzan could not understand this and could not be patient enough
to follow the tradition of sumo, including being tsukebito or servant
to sekitori.

Nankairyu was another gaijin who were successful and failure at the same
time. He was the first non-Hawaiian gaijin maegashira rikishi, but he
chose alcohol over sumo and quit sumo while he was near the top of maegashira.

Many Tonga rikishi quit because they refuse to join the merged heya
after their oyakata passed away. They could not understand the sumo
system that rikishi need to belong to one of official heya to be recognized
as rikishi.

Rather recently, some of Mongolian rikishi of Oshima-beya ran-away
because they could not understand sumo tradition and the way treated
at sumo heya.

Most of these cases, rikishi's records were not the one you expected 
from quitters.

Those are the significant difference from the Japanese "quitters".

-Masumi