Trashed elbow

(As with most sumo vids, you have to wait a bit of a while for the action to start: try around 5m20s if you're in an indecent hurry- DM)

***

The last day of the sumo was something else entirely: got interviewed by some local-ass TV network in the line in the morning, the VMM produced a brilliant impersonation of a sumo in a post-match interview, answering with low sibilants which could have represented "desu" "sou desu" "sou omoimasu" or pretty much any other term of agreement in the Japanese language. Better still, sumos tend to pull these out even when they're being asked open-ended questions, to the frequent bafflement of reporters. Post-fight interviews are characterised by the mike havering in that no-man's land mid-way between reporter and wrestler as the former is unsure whether his interviewee is going to expand, or whether he ought to rephrase the question. Classic TV.

What's more, we got in early enough to watch some of the bumfights. Highlights were a couple of undercards from Asashoryu's stable: Asadoryu (nice name, card) and Minanosato, who made himself famous by ballsing up the bow-twirling ceremony last week (see previous post). I was particularly interested in the latter.

"Let's see if he chucks his opponent round the ring anything like he chucks the bow around the ring," I remarked to the VMM. He didn't, but he did at least mash out a victory over some other palooka.

More wrestlers came and went, as did the beers. Ama, 19-year old Russian Wakanoho and local boy Goeido (graduate of Neyagawa 4th JHS) secured those all-important kachikoshi 8th victories.

And, finally, the two yokozuna faced off. From the back of the gymnasium with a fair amount of beer impairing my vision, I got the impression that Hakuho had the advantage at the start: Asashoryu seemed to get upright a bit too quickly, perhaps remembering how he'd been side-stepped the previous year. Asa was driven back towards the bales, then, in the blink of an eye, it was over: Hakuho was standing at the bottom of the ring, wondering what on earth had gone wrong, Asa above, pumping his fist in celebration. And we were going mad up in the rafters.

And I thought to myself: thank god that taxi came along when it did this morning, otherwise we'd never have been in time to get tickets.

Labels: BUNKA