Falling gyoji

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

In a private message, a friend complained of the gyoji Shikimori Kandayu
being knocked flat on Day 14 of the Kyushu basho. This is my reply:

>I managed to get three photos from three different papers. In the first, he
>was on the tawara, in the only possible place from which he could see the feet
>of the contestants; his gunbai was widely outstretched in his right hand,
>while his left was loosely clenched in the regular position. In the second
>photo, he is falling back, but his eyes are still on the feet of the rikishi;
>the fingers of his left hand have straightened out and the hand is going
>behind him, to break the fall; the right elbow is also going back, both to
>break the fall and to protect the expensive gunbai.  The third photo, taken
>from behind, shows Kandayu on his back - but with his head raised, still
>looking at the feet of the rikishi. His left hand is flat on the dohyo, his
>right elbow (still protecting the gunbai) is also on the outside of the dohyo
>and about to propel him up again in one seamless motion. For the rest, I have
>to rely on my television recording. The moment he struck the ground, he was
>already rolling up - and while still on the way up, he was already pointing
>his gunbai to the correct side. It isn't good for a gyoji to fall, but I have
>never seen a better example of how it should be done when it was inevitable.

Doreen in sumoland

  Four degrees Celsius outside and dropping --
         aaah, the season of toasted teacakes is upon us