Re: Kyokai News - Danpatsu Ceremony

[Doreen Simmons <jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp>]

At 21:15 -0700 1/10/99, Joe Kuroda wrote:
> The Sankei Sports - October 1, 1999
> ---------------------------------------
>
> At a meeting held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on
> September 30, the Kyokai's Board of Directors has
> announced that they have lowered the requirements for
> the retired rikishis to hold their "danpatsu shiki"
> (Mage Cutting Ceremony) at the Kokugikan.
>
> Up to now, only retired rikishis who stayed in Juryo
> or Maku-uchi rank for a total of 30 bashos or more,
> were permitted to have their ceremony at the
> Kokugikan.

In fact the requirements for the record in the two divisions have always
been different.

> Those sekitoris who did not meet the qualification
> usually held their "danpatsu" ceremony at a hotel but
> many expressed to have their last career sumo ceremony
> performed on the "hon-basho" dohyo.
>
> The Board of Directors agreed and lowered the
> requirement to a total of one basho or more in Juryo
> or Makuuchi rank.

Just one basho even at juryo? Are you sure, Joe? At a time when most
retirees can't quite sell all the ground floor, this sounds like opening the
floodgates and, cheapening the retirement ceremonies by vastly increasing
their number, making it even harder for a man to sell tickets. I haven't
seen the  newspaper report yet myself, but lumping the two divisions makes
me suspicious, about the translation at least.



Doreen in sumoland
♪Why knock yourself out to win the approval
    of people whose opinions are valueless?♪