Sumo

[PAULCFC]

Live from the royal albert hall on bbc red button......know nothing about it but looks interesting!

[Super_horns]

I remember it being on channel 4 back in the day !

[Wymsey]

Have only watched the sport on Takeshi's Castle..

[MPH]

Remember watching the great chionafugyi late 80s on Channel 4. On soon after Kabaddi on a Saturday morning! Made me want to be a sumo wrestler and I always thought if I was, just how many kabaddi players I could drag back over the line! That’s if I maintain my breath for that long!

[sm1]

I also enjoyed watching Sumo on channel 4 in the 80s and 90s. Still remember a few nicknames, the dumptruck and one was called the wolf.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

6 hours ago, sm1 said:

Still remember a few nicknames, the dumptruck and one was called the wolf.

And don't forget the not-so-wee Scottish sensation, Fat Bastard...

 

[OntarioFox]

Anyone go to this? I've been a fan for years and was kind of gutted I couldn't make it because of work. Sounds like it was a massive success though, so hopefully makes a return sooner rather than later.

Few rikishi I'm a personal fan of:

• Aonishiki - Ukrainian and shooting up the ranks - there are always a handful of overseas wrestlers in and around the top division but he's been absolutely smashing it, talks of him being the first Yokozuna (top rank) from outside the far east one day.
• Takayasu - AKA Papayasu, the hairy angel. Came second in the very first tournament I ever watched and has gone from being a bit of a "heel" to a much-loved Rikishi who always gets close but has a remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Lost count of how many times he's lost the final day playoff now - truly the Spursiest man in Sumo, but I love him anyway.
• Shodai - old dog who was once on the cusp of the top ranks but then fell off big time. Honestly a lot expected him to retire but he's stuck around and, while you can flip a coin as to whether he shows up at a tournament or not, he's still capable of causing mischief - finished September's basho with a 10-5 record.

You'd be surprised how much athleticism is on show in these tournaments. Some fighters are absolute units but the smaller guys often go for speed rather than power, which can lead to some fascinating bouts. A curse on anyone who henka's at the start though.

[AdcockFox]

In the post- Hakuho era the sport is evolving and it seems wide open for some of the young fighters to move up rapidly, like Aonishiki. 
 

I’ll be honest, my son and I made fun of Shodai after he started to fall down the rankings from Ozeki. However, we loved Takayasu and felt bad when he came close to winning but faltered at the end. 

[AdcockFox]

The November sumo tournament has started and if you're interested in following along, here's some links:

 

For a general day-by-day commentary, this provides a good summary of developments over the 15-day tournament:

https://tachiai.org/

 

NHK provides a summary of the top-level matches each day, but always posted a day late:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nhk+grand+sumo+highlights

 

If you want a match summary that is not a day late, highlights are often posted here (because NHK has really clamped down on rebroadcasting, this guy is posting the top-level matches using a Russian description, so click on those videos;, the lower-level matches he lists in english):

https://www.youtube.com/@Sumotop/videos