Sumo world championship tachi-ai rule difference

[Achim Pawelczyk <achimp@herten.de>]

According to the Asahi shimbun and what I read in the Japanese Sumo-ML,
because of the strong wishes of other participating nations, the tachiai at
the
sumo world championships was according to the rules of shin(new)-sumo
(the new sumo women association).

No longer tachi-ai, in that the gyoji brings in the rikishi into the same
(breathing) rythm, 
makes sure, both rikishi start in one breath (that's the main function of
the gyoji).

There they have to start to the signal of "hakke-yoi", like "hajime" in
judo or karate.
In the usual Oo-zumo the gyoji shouts "hakke-yoi" when they start, to say:
on they go, that was a good, energy outbursting start.

Is this westernizing sumo ? - or just another tachiai-rule reform, like the
recent one for Oozumo,
where both hands visibly (more or less) must touch the ground.

That rule would make Takatoriki unemployed.

Akinomaki

Achim Pawelczyk

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