Re: [SUMO lite] Yobidashi and Towel

[jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp (Doreen Simmons)]

At 21:09 98.4.3 +0200, achimp@t-online.de wrote:
>The Yobidashi at the water and salt reservoir has to be ready to give water
>to the Rikishi on the Dohyo and to offer him his towel (wet). He also
>sweeps his corner of the Dohyo (other Yobidashi sweep all around the Dohyo,
>to keep the "snakes-eye"-sand around the inner circle clear for
>footprints).

The yobidashi who is calling the bout is the one who sweeps the circle of sand.

>After the Torikumi he hands the Chikara-mizu and Chikara-kami (water and
>paper) to the Rikishi presenting it to the Rikishi on the Dohyo.
>For the winning Rikishi, he meanwhile holds the Sagari (the stripes hanging
>in front of the Rikishi Mawashi) and Kensho (the 30000 Yen envelopes for
>every banner carried around the Dohyo before the Torikumi), binds them
>together, wraps the towel around it and returns them to the Rikishi.
>To the looser on his way out he just hands the towel.

He tucks the envelopes into the folded sagari and hands it to the rikishi. 
The towel is never wrapped around them - it's damp!

>A Tsukebito waiting outside gets the towel afterwards, but even a Yokozuna
>has to carry his towel down the Hanamichi by himself. He also keeps it
>while waiting for the Musubi no Ichiban after his bout.

I can only say that I have never, never seen a sekitori carrying his own
towel. The tsukebito who carries out the basho-buton normally takes charge
of the towel as well, and hands it to the waiting tsukebito of the man
whose towel it is.

>The Yobidashi seem to have individual ways of putting the towels of the
>present and the next Rikishi on the water bucket at the same time.

Yes, the towel for the current bout is up on the handle, while the towel
for the next bout is down on the lid.

>The west (always?) Yobidashi also hands the Gyoji the Kensho-envelopes, who
>presents them to the winner.

Yes, always west.

>Questions: Who hands the Yobidashi the towel and where does it come from in
>the first place ? Why is it, that some Rikishi have no towel ?

The tsukebito who brings in the basho-buton (zabuton). It is normal for all
sekitori to have a towel, but not all choose to use it.
 

 Doreen Simmons in sumoland, Tokyo        jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp 

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