Rikishi of the Year Revisited

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

---RJ Friedman <rjf@comasia.com> wrote:


> On Wed, 2 Dec 1998 11:06:14 -0800 (PST), Joe Kuroda wrote:
<..snip..>

>>  For "Rikishi of the Year", I don't think any other
>>rikishi came close to Waka whether he turns out to be a great Yokozuna
>>or not, this was his year.
> 
> I have to disagree. If nothing else convinced me that at least some
> of SUMO match outcomes are the result of factors other than the
> ability of the rikishi (a polite way of saying match fixing), it was
> Wakanohana's rise to Yokozuna. There were numerous matches in that
> string that were so obviously rigged they were downright
> embarrassing. I can remember one match that was by far the worst, in
> which the opponent stood frozen in a defect position for what seemed
> like several seconds *waiting* for Waka to get around to delivering
> the coup de grace. Don't even mention Wakanohana to me. For my money,
> without the Futa factor and Papa's behind the scenes activities, Waka
> would never have made it as an Ozeki, much less a >Yokozuna.


Well, for the risk of sounding a sumo "mark", it takes two to tango. 
I haven't been reading Weekly "Shukan Post"  lately so I am not up on
the latest dark forces behind the scene or if the Cancer Man has been
seen around the Kokugikan but the question then becomes  who is
"pushing" Waka.  Is this only Futagoyama- driven event or more wide
spread, after all the man faced 15 non-Futagoyama rikishis ?  

As he came up he must have faced just about every rikishi currently in
the Maku-uchi.  In any case it would have involved more than a few
rikishis to get to a Yokozuna level. By using this logic there is no
point at all in any of us discussing the next basho's ranking nor
matchups as after all they are more or less predetermined by some
booker/oyakatas. Does a rikishi become a Yokozuna because he happens
to be popular as Steve Austin or Goldberg in wrestling ? Or just well
connected ? Or stronger or skilled ?    

Waka may not end his career as a great Yokozuna but one must admit he
is a great technician. He never got those leg muscles by smiling to
his daddy. He almost had a career ending injury but he came back as
strong as ever.  Just prior to the Kyushu, again he had a knee injury
during a match against Kyokushuzan.  He took some time off and then
the  first day he came back for training he hoisted a young rikishi
weighing 105 Kg and did 15 squats non-stop. There are many matches in
sumo that look strange and wonder how could a rikishi stumble like
that but a pro running back fumbles a ball occassionally and not many
people point a finger one way or the other as sometimes it happens. In
every sport things happen for no apparent  reason.                

If we want to talk about "yaocho" in sumo then we really have to wait
for sumo's answer to  Tiger Mask's "Kay Fabe" but until then we can
all be marks and enjoy the ride. It's fun that way.             .       

Anyway  that is irrelevant to *my* selection of "Rikishi of the Year"
because the rikishi of the year does not need to be necessarilly the
best rikishi around. He just happens to be the highlight of the year -
and in my view the fact that he won two champsionships, won more
matches and was then promoted to Yokozuna would certainly qualify as
the highlights of the year, deserving or not. He made the history this
year. I just hope he will develop more Yokozunal like demeanor.

Jonosuke Shirimochi
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