Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

TotallyGreen posted:

This thread has been really great and I'm enjoying watching the matches. One question: Is there anywhere I can find the results of previous tournaments in english? This Site has the current tournament's results, but I couldn't find a way to look backwards, other than just finding the person who won. I'd like to see who won each mach for previous tournaments.

If you click on the link underneath the icons showing their ranks for the last however many contests, you can get the results for that tournament.

However, a much better site is sumoreference.com - you can roll up and drill down in many different ways. I need to add that to the OP...

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

TotallyGreen
Jun 30, 2002

REMIND ME AGAIN, HOW
THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED
ONES MOVE.
Thanks, sumoreference is great!

BDA
Dec 10, 2007

Extremely grim and evil.
Day 14 is up.

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

Not a very exciting day, and the nail in Baruto's coffin. :smith:

I'm tempted to stay up tonight (or wake up loving early) to watch live and see if Kakuryu can seal his victory. Even if he doesn't, I think we have a loving 6th Ozeki next basho. Has that ever happened before?

Supradog
Sep 1, 2004

A POOOST!?!??! YEEAAAAHHHH
Last day is up.

I'd say this tournament has been very good. Good action even on the last day.

seorin
May 23, 2005

2 Sun's Dusk (Day 78)
Of the Seven Visions of Seven Trials of the Incarnate, I have now fulfilled the Fifth Trial.
I have to admit I wish it had ended differently, but that was a hell of a final match.

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

seorin posted:

I have to admit I wish it had ended differently, but that was a hell of a final match.

Exciting yet so disappointing. Can't complain about a competition like that, though - all the Ozeki evenly matched, a surprise contender, a playoff, and no sign of match fixing.

Now can Kotooshu please gently caress off and quit embarrassing the Ozeki?

Pvt. Public
Sep 9, 2004

I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.
Wow, what a basho! I haven't been that into the final in some time. I was hoping for a Kakuryuu win (as I'm guessing most were), but either way I quite enjoyed the tournament.

Hopefully Kakuryuu can keep his momentum up and Baruto can come back in May and be strong and we could be in for another fantastic basho.

seorin
May 23, 2005

2 Sun's Dusk (Day 78)
Of the Seven Visions of Seven Trials of the Incarnate, I have now fulfilled the Fifth Trial.
I must have missed it earlier, but I just saw Kakuryu's Ozeki promotion on the news. I think he definitely earned it this basho and I hope it comes down between him and Baruto in the next. :)

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

seorin posted:

I must have missed it earlier, but I just saw Kakuryu's Ozeki promotion on the news. I think he definitely earned it this basho and I hope it comes down between him and Baruto in the next. :)

Well deserved! And just like I had a hunch on, this is the first time in history there have been 6 ozeki. Just got that much harder for one to stand out enough to become yokozuna...

downtimejesus
Apr 24, 2007

Fryhtaning posted:

Well deserved! And just like I had a hunch on, this is the first time in history there have been 6 ozeki. Just got that much harder for one to stand out enough to become yokozuna...
Considering the 6 ozeki are pretty much on par with each other, is it theoretically possible that there won't be another yokozuna since any of the ozeki can beat the others on any given day? For consideration for promotion you need to go at least 13-2 in a tournament from what I'm gathering and how possible is that even going to be to do consistently when there are six ozeki?

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

downtimejesus posted:

Considering the 6 ozeki are pretty much on par with each other, is it theoretically possible that there won't be another yokozuna since any of the ozeki can beat the others on any given day? For consideration for promotion you need to go at least 13-2 in a tournament from what I'm gathering and how possible is that even going to be to do consistently when there are six ozeki?

The first part of that is spot on and exactly why I think this is such an exciting time for sumo. To have 6 Ozeki you almost mathematically have to have 6 guys who beat each other up while losing at most 1 or 2 matches to the sekiwake and lower wrestlers.

To get yokozuna is even harder than what you described. The de facto standard is to win 2 straight basho. 12-3 could do that, but not likely with a bad tournament for Hakuho being 12-3. As long as Hakuho is dominating, it pretty much takes 14-1 or 15-0 to beat him in a tournament. It probably won't happen for years unless he retires or gets hurt.

12-3 is what Kakuryu needed for Ozeki, I believe. 33 wins over 3 tournaments is usually what it takes for Ozeki.

Pvt. Public
Sep 9, 2004

I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.
Massive congratulations to Kakuryu. Definitely earned that promotion.

As for the historical 6th ozeki now being a reality, I can't really see another yokozuna happening until Hakuho retires. He just has so much skill in the ring that I can't see him losing 3 matches in consecutive tournaments. And if he did start to slide to 3 losses consistently, he may very well hang it up at that point. He doesn't have anything left to prove to this crop of wrestlers, either.

Then it is just going to be a riot to get that yokozuna promotion. And I for one will love every minute of it. :)

Mornacale
Dec 19, 2007

n=y where
y=hope and n=folly,
prospects=lies, win=lose,

self=Pirates
There aren't actually strict rules on what it takes to get to yokozuna, correct? Is it possible that the people in charge would adjust for this sort of historically competitive field?

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

Mornacale posted:

There aren't actually strict rules on what it takes to get to yokozuna, correct? Is it possible that the people in charge would adjust for this sort of historically competitive field?

That's right, but the de facto standard is to win two tournaments in a row. I'm not sure when the last yokozuna who was promoted by "de jure" instead happened.

Looking back in history, Takanohana was nominated for yokozuna after winning 6 tournaments, but failing to ever string two in a row. He was rejected in the voting by the elders and wasn't promoted until he finally did win two in a row.

Found it - Onokuni was promoted to yokozuna in 1987 by winning one basho with a 15-0 record, then a runner up in the next two when Chiyonofuji was dominating. He went on to be a pretty terrible yokozuna. So, 8 yokozuna ago, in 1987, was the last wrestler to attain yokozuna without the current standard of two basho in a row.

So actually, I wonder if Baruto would have made yokozuna if he had been runner-up this tournament instead of making GBS threads the bed. He won the previous one, and he was sort of a runner-up in the one before (Kotoshogiku was also 11-4, and rank-and-filer Wakakoyu got 12-3 without having to wrestle a single Ozeki). :iiam:

Either way he is basically back to square one after a 10-5 this last tournament. So funny enough, Kakuryu is currently the closest to promotion with the runner-up performance. If he wins one and runner-ups again, he has a chance.

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

Nice article about Kakuryu. The natural underdog has finally become a force to reckon with.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/sports/sumo/AJ201204030059

tarepanda
Mar 26, 2011

Living the Dream
I ran into a sumo wrestler yesterday after I got off the bus. He was super kind and talked with me for a bit. He said his name was Tamaasuka. Again, he was a super nice guy.

Can anyone tell me a bit more about him?

Dr.Radical
Apr 3, 2011
drat, somehow I completely missed that this thread exists. Cool! I also post on a sumo forum called... Sumoforum.net. I'm Dr.Radical over there too. Some of my favorite rikishi are Aminishiki, Takamisakari, Harumafuji, Kotoshogiku, and I guess I'm pretty interested to see what Chiyotairyu does in makuuchi.

Dr.Radical
Apr 3, 2011

tarepanda posted:

I ran into a sumo wrestler yesterday after I got off the bus. He was super kind and talked with me for a bit. He said his name was Tamaasuka. Again, he was a super nice guy.

Can anyone tell me a bit more about him?

You met a former makuuchi (top division) wrestler! That's pretty awesome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamaasuka

Edit: Also where do you live, if you don't mind me asking and where did you see Tamaasuka? Getting into sumo makes me want to go back to Japan so loving bad to go to a tournament, see if I could get into a sumo practice in the morning, etc.

Dr.Radical fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Apr 12, 2012

tarepanda
Mar 26, 2011

Living the Dream

Dr.Radical posted:

You met a former makuuchi (top division) wrestler! That's pretty awesome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamaasuka

Edit: Also where do you live, if you don't mind me asking and where did you see Tamaasuka? Getting into sumo makes me want to go back to Japan so loving bad to go to a tournament, see if I could get into a sumo practice in the morning, etc.

I got a picture with him, too. Such a nice guy. He and his family were waiting at a stoplight while going home from a public bath or something. This was in Ryogoku. It was all chance since I stayed on my bus too long and missed my normal stop.

Meeting him made me want to go to some matches and cheer for him, honestly.

Dr.Radical
Apr 3, 2011

tarepanda posted:

I got a picture with him, too. Such a nice guy. He and his family were waiting at a stoplight while going home from a public bath or something. This was in Ryogoku. It was all chance since I stayed on my bus too long and missed my normal stop.

Meeting him made me want to go to some matches and cheer for him, honestly.

Ha, that picture is awesome. It's hard not to root for a rikishi when you get to see what their personality is off the dohyo. Go to a day or two of a tournament for sure. He's in juryo now which is still awesome, even if it's not the absolute top division. It makes sense you saw him in Ryogoku, though. A lot of stables are in the Ryogoku area as well as chankonabe restaurants.

tarepanda
Mar 26, 2011

Living the Dream
I've read/heard that Baruto is one of the nicest guys ever, but it's really hard to believe in things like that when they're about famous people you've never met.

I know next to nothing about sumo, though. Do you know how I'd go about finding out when Tamaasuka competes and how I could get tickets for those events?

I've heard that tickets are much easier to get for big events with sumo's declining popularity; I'm assuming that would be doubly true for events that don't have big headlining yokozuna/ozeki?

Dr.Radical
Apr 3, 2011
The kyokai's website has ticket info: http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/ticket/index.html

I'm pretty sure if you're a foreigner, you can't buy tickets off the internet or phone unless you have a Japanese bank account (can anyone confirm this?). There are a certain number of tickets available that you can buy at the box office at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, though. You have to get in the line in the morning, though to get them day of. If you get there early enough, you'll for sure get tickets. If you have any Japanese friends who would like to go with you, I'd bet you could just get them to buy off the internet and save yourself some trouble.

As far as which events to go to, you should really just go to the grand tournaments. The grand tournaments have every division up to the top division with ozeki and yokozuna and you can get tickets. There are exhibition matches and stuff when they tour Japan but if you're in Tokyo, I really don't see a reason why you shouldn't just go to an actual tournament where things are actually on the line and it can get very interesting, plus you can see all the big names! Since Tamaasuka is juryo now, he'll be competing in the division before the top division with ozeki, yokozuna (makuuchi). Makuuchi starts at 4pm and goes to 6pm so I'd say juryo is probably 2 or 2:30 to a bit before 4. As far as Baruto, I've read the same things and I've never read anything or seen anything in interviews that disproves that. He also seems to make sure all of his opponents are ok if he knocks them down hard or throws them off the dohyo. From what I've read, Baruto is basically thankful that he's in sumo because when he was in Estonia, he really didn't have many choices besides being a thug and he got mixed up with some bad people and doing stuff like that is kind of against his nature.

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

tarepanda posted:

I know next to nothing about sumo, though. Do you know how I'd go about finding out when Tamaasuka competes and how I could get tickets for those events?

I've heard that tickets are much easier to get for big events with sumo's declining popularity; I'm assuming that would be doubly true for events that don't have big headlining yokozuna/ozeki?

There's a lot of intro info in the OP - check it out when you have a little time to kill.

Basically, if he isn't injured, he'll be wrestling 6 times a year in the major tournaments, 3 of which are in Tokyo (where you are I'm assuming, since you met him literally blocks away from where the Tokyo tournaments are). Juryo and makuuchi both wrestle 15 matches over 15 days, so he'll wrestle once a day over a two-week period, against a different wrestler each time. In other words, you'll be there several hours just to see him wrestle once - but seeing several dozen matches live is loving awesome anyway, even if you're just there for one person.

What's surprising to me is that he's wearing a t-shirt... I thought they had strict rules 24/7 about attire and appearances?

tarepanda
Mar 26, 2011

Living the Dream

Fryhtaning posted:

There's a lot of intro info in the OP - check it out when you have a little time to kill.

Basically, if he isn't injured, he'll be wrestling 6 times a year in the major tournaments, 3 of which are in Tokyo (where you are I'm assuming, since you met him literally blocks away from where the Tokyo tournaments are). Juryo and makuuchi both wrestle 15 matches over 15 days, so he'll wrestle once a day over a two-week period, against a different wrestler each time. In other words, you'll be there several hours just to see him wrestle once - but seeing several dozen matches live is loving awesome anyway, even if you're just there for one person.

What's surprising to me is that he's wearing a t-shirt... I thought they had strict rules 24/7 about attire and appearances?

I live in the area, so it would be very easy for me to hop over there to watch a tournament. My working schedule is very flexible, too.

Buying tickets shouldn't be a problem once I know which ones and where to get them, since I have a Japanese bank account and live here, etc.

I don't know about attire... but I wouldn't want to get him in trouble. He and his family were obviously heading home from the bathhouse, though.

Dr.Radical
Apr 3, 2011

Fryhtaning posted:

There's a lot of intro info in the OP - check it out when you have a little time to kill.

Basically, if he isn't injured, he'll be wrestling 6 times a year in the major tournaments, 3 of which are in Tokyo (where you are I'm assuming, since you met him literally blocks away from where the Tokyo tournaments are). Juryo and makuuchi both wrestle 15 matches over 15 days, so he'll wrestle once a day over a two-week period, against a different wrestler each time. In other words, you'll be there several hours just to see him wrestle once - but seeing several dozen matches live is loving awesome anyway, even if you're just there for one person.

What's surprising to me is that he's wearing a t-shirt... I thought they had strict rules 24/7 about attire and appearances?

You could just come for juryo and makuuchi or (and I have no idea why) just juryo and only be there for a couple hours. I think a lot of people do that anyway. Few people come for all of the divisions and stay for the day (although I think it would pretty interesting to go to some lower level matches, pick out a wrestler you think is doing well, and then follow them throughout their career). Seeing all the matches in at least juryo and makuuchi would definitely get somebody more interested though and you might even come out with some new favorites. Just get some tickets and go man!

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

tarepanda posted:


Buying tickets shouldn't be a problem once I know which ones and where to get them, since I have a Japanese bank account and live here, etc.


The next tourney is in May, and it will be at Ryogoku, so your timing is good! Ticket info and other important dates are up on the official site. I'm thinking you'd want to be there around 2pm to catch Juryo (and then Makuuchi), but someone else might want to chime in to give a better time estimate.

Pvt. Public
Sep 9, 2004

I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.
Well, I'm almost 100% that I will be at the January tournament. The only thing left to do it make sure work doesn't try any pull some "major project" poo poo to prevent me from going. I'll be putting up the money for the best tickets I can manage. Hopefully I can score something in the first few rows on the camera side.

downtimejesus
Apr 24, 2007

Dr.Radical posted:

Seeing all the matches in at least juryo and makuuchi would definitely get somebody more interested though and you might even come out with some new favorites. Just get some tickets and go man!
Yeah, this is what I did when I was in Japan in 2008, one of my co-workers was like, let's go watch sumo and I pretty much had no idea. It was really fun.

Apraxin
Feb 22, 2006

General-Admiral

tarepanda posted:

I live in the area, so it would be very easy for me to hop over there to watch a tournament. My working schedule is very flexible, too.

Buying tickets shouldn't be a problem once I know which ones and where to get them, since I have a Japanese bank account and live here, etc.
Unless something's changed in the last year, the easiest way to get tickets should still be the ticket machines in Lawson and the other combinis (Loppi machines, or whatever they're called). Just look under the sports section, they should be pretty easy to find.

Like Fryhtaning said, 2PM to 2:30 is a good time to arrive if you just want to see Juryo and Makuuchi. A year or two ago I'd have said that it was worth coming early, as even with a cheap ticket you could go and sit in an empty seat close to the ring and get to watch the lower division guys from up close, but apparently they've been cracking down on that since the yakuza scandal broke.

Oh, and yeah, the rules on clothing can be incredibly strict. Tochinoshin got the poo poo knocked out him in November (2-13 record), mainly because the stablemaster refused to let him train for the tourney after he was caught breaking curfew in western dress. I think if Tamaasuka was out with his family then it was probably ok, though.

Apraxin fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Apr 15, 2012

Funkysauce
Sep 18, 2005
...and what about the kick in the groin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wrj3kW7MsI&feature=g-all-u

Ariaiba is no longer doing sumo videos. That sucks because he did ALL the matches. I liked his page, shame.

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

Funkysauce posted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wrj3kW7MsI&feature=g-all-u

Ariaiba is no longer doing sumo videos. That sucks because he did ALL the matches. I liked his page, shame.

What a drat shame. Like you said, he was the only reliable source of every individual match.

Fortunately, Kintamayama seemed to get all of the digests last tournament, and I even saw that he commented on Araibira's farewell video, so hopefully he keeps up the good work.

Sucks about not having easily searchable individual matches, for sure. At least for the purposes of this forum, we can link to them using the timestamp of the individual matches within the digests.

Someone did make a good point though... ffs the sumo organization should make this stuff more accessible. Hell, just having an archive of the daily streams would suffice for starters.

Pvt. Public
Sep 9, 2004

I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.
Well poo poo. :(

Dr.Radical
Apr 3, 2011

Fryhtaning posted:

What a drat shame. Like you said, he was the only reliable source of every individual match.

Fortunately, Kintamayama seemed to get all of the digests last tournament, and I even saw that he commented on Araibira's farewell video, so hopefully he keeps up the good work.

Sucks about not having easily searchable individual matches, for sure. At least for the purposes of this forum, we can link to them using the timestamp of the individual matches within the digests.

Someone did make a good point though... ffs the sumo organization should make this stuff more accessible. Hell, just having an archive of the daily streams would suffice for starters.

I sent an email to the Kyokai basically saying what Araibira said in his video about them having their own Youtube channel and posted something on Sumoforum.net about suggesting everyone else do the same but it was met with mostly silence and I think one person saying "there's no point in trying." Sigh. Would it really kill you sumo nerds to take 5 minutes to send a letter? It's worth a try. Simply point out that a large number of Araibira's viewers were Japanese, not just a few thousand foreigners, and that having a Youtube channel opens up the possibility of literally hundreds of thousands of views.

seorin
May 23, 2005

2 Sun's Dusk (Day 78)
Of the Seven Visions of Seven Trials of the Incarnate, I have now fulfilled the Fifth Trial.
You might make more progress making that petition to NHK. They're the ones with the television broadcasting rights, and they're pretty progressive on the internet for a Japanese company. You can download their radio news programs on their website and via RSS, and they also run a show once a week or so where they highlight popular and interesting youtube videos. If anyone's going to put sumo online, it'll be them, and even if they'd need permission from the Kyokai, they're a lot more likely to make a moving appeal than a bunch of foreigners on the internet. It wouldn't hurt to mail both, of course. Anything helps. :)

Supradog
Sep 1, 2004

A POOOST!?!??! YEEAAAAHHHH
First day of the new tournament is out.

Can't wait for the next days action, gonna be fun.

seorin
May 23, 2005

2 Sun's Dusk (Day 78)
Of the Seven Visions of Seven Trials of the Incarnate, I have now fulfilled the Fifth Trial.
That was the best possible first day.

It's going to be hard to find now that he's not makuuchi, but if anyone can find Takanoyama's match, that was a good one, too.

a false
Mar 5, 2009

I DECIDE
WHO LIVES
AND WHO DIES
holy gently caress baruto :stare:

also aminishiki, goddamn

Fryhtaning
Jul 21, 2010

yskohyama had digests up quickly as well, so I hope we're in the clear for getting our highlights online this tournament!

Baruto would have lost if that was anyone but Toyonoshima, who is probably the smallest now that Takanoyama is in juryo. Standing straight up and letting the wrestler have full shoving privileges so you can attempt practically a Zangief suplex - not very smart. Still rooting for the guy to win every time he wrestles...

I'm convinced that roughly 87% of Kotooshu's matches end up with some kind of ungraceful finish. I'm surprised the first two rows don't clear out when he's entering the ring. Jesus.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

tarepanda
Mar 26, 2011

Living the Dream
I only saw a quick summary of the scores while we were flipping around looking at tornado coverage, but I did see that my man Tamaasuka won a match!

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply