Jejima's Tokyo sojourn - Part 4 (Ichinoya)

[Jezz <jezz@urban.ne.jp>]

Jejima's Tokyo sojourn - Part 4 (Ichinoya)

There's more.....

Josh, Jim and I made our way into arena, which was again very empty.  We
decided that we would sit right at the front on the zabuton, on the
opposite side of the dohyo (behind where the gyoji stands, to get a
different view of the action.....)  This also had the 'advantage' of
being directly in the TV camera's centre of vision...;-)  We were there
in time to watch the Jonidan matches.  There was one bout in which one
losing rikishi hit the dohyo VERY hard, and went out cold, except for a
couple of spasmodic jerks....  He was 'revived' by the Yobidashi and
helped out, down the East Hanamichi....

For some reason, Josh and I started talking about Ichinoya (the oldest
warrior, and Sumo ML favourite), and by complete coincidence, he came
and sat down ready to fight!!!!  Not only, at 38, is he the oldest
rikishi still fighting, he is (at about 166 cm - I think) the shortest!
However, he does not look his age, and is quite pumped up, muscle-wise.
Hopefully, he will be around for some time yet.  The shimpan changed
just before Ichinoya's bout, with Ichinoya's boss, Wakamatsu-Oyakatta,
sitting down to our left, next to where Ichinoya was waiting.
Wakamatsu-Oyakatta is very jovial looking - the sort of guy you would
like to have as a favourite, batchelor uncle.  Probably some of his
charisma has rubbed off onto another of his rikishi, Asanowaka.  When
Ichinoya's name was announced, Josh and I started cheering loudly - very
strange for such a low-ranked match in an empty stadium - which was
otherwise quiet, except for the sound of a low murmuring, as people
chatted and investigated the contents of their Bentos and Omiyagi bags.
This caused a few of the shimpan to turn around and look at us.
Ichinoya and his Oyakatta exchanged a knowing glance....  (I am guessing
that some of the Sumo ML sent Ichinoya encouraging emails from around
the world, and that it is possibly an in-joke amongst their heya, that
Ichinoya is a gaijin celeb!  - Let's keep the support / emails going!)
Anyway, Ichinoya was going into the bout with a 2-4 record, and REALLY
needed a win, to stop him plunging too far down the banzuke.  Josh has
already written a report on that fight, much better than I could do, so
in case you missed it, here it is again:-

(Without Josh's permission, but I'm sure he won't mind!):-

"Well, let me tell you this.  He won and he looked damn good doing it.
The
tachiai was fast and at the first crash Ichinoya pushed back his
opponent
with a mighty thrust.  His opponent bounced back and kind of went to the

side, but Ichinoya watched him well, and followed up with another mighty

thrust, pushing his opponent even further back, up against the shomen
(north
side) of the dohyo.  He came up to his opponent again, and this time
they
grappled.  But Ichinoya had the momentum and pushed his opponent out for
the
yorikiri."

All that I can add, is that Ichinoya, when he had his opponent against
the edge, seemed to hesitate a bit, but our cheers of encouragement
helped give him that extra bit of strength, and he pushed his foe out of
the dohyo..... ;-)

We again cheered wildly, and his Oyakatta briefly joined in the clapping
(other people in the stadium, seemed to have looked up from their
lunches, possibly to see why the crazy gaijin were making such a fuss,
and gave him a polite congratulatory applause).  As Ichinoya was going
down the West Hanamichi, he tried to hide his smirk....!


.....to be continued (quite quickly, I think!)

Jejima