Re: [SUMO] Quiz - May 31

[Masumi Abe <abe@accesscom.com>]

I don't know about that.
But I know that Tokei-gakari Shimpan or the judge in charge of keeping track of
time has the rights to adjust the shikiri-jikan based on how the earlier
matches consumed time.

He is responsible to keep the end of the "Musubi-no Ichiban" or the last match
of the day within a reasonable range probably between 10 minutes to 6 pm and 5
minutes to 6 pm or so. If the earlier matches spend too much time, then he will
shorten the "seigen jikan" for the next few or several matches. If the earlier
matches were too short and forsees to have too much extra time at the end of TV
coverage, then he will give extra time for more shikiri.

Particularly when a very important match is set for the end of the day,
Tokei-gakari Shimpan will give them the extra time for shikiri with shorten the
shikiri of earlier matches. Most serious sumo fans have the sense of 4 minutes
even if they don't keep checking their own watches, and when the time getting
closer, they will pay attention to the dohyo and fill the Kokugikan and other
sumo site with the high tension. Giving extra shikiri makes this tension even
much higher and give all people the extra excitement for anticipation of
exciting match.

So, the Tokei-gakari Shimpan's sense of marketing sense and ability of
manipulating people psychologically is very important factor to add more
excitement to the important match. I don't know who do this type of
manipulation these days, but when I was still in Japan, there were such cases.
And I apprecited the way they created the excitement that way.

-Toshiyori Masumiriki


Nashinokawa wrote:

> Although its normally 4 minutes, I'd heard that the time-keeping shimpanin
> just kept a note of the number of times the rikishi went back to collect
> salt so that the real time could be much shorter or longer, depending on the
> style of the slow one.  Konishiki was deliberately slow I believe, with
> languid stretches, long stares and slow walks back etc....
>