I met Doreen Simmons at 8:30 at
Ryogoku station (important note: know your way around Tokyo by train,
and especially learn by heart all the lines that lead you to
Ryogoku station..).
We took a walk around the block, passing Kasugano Beya, where some
green -mawashied rikishi were standing out in the sun.
(Green Mawashi- lower than Juryo, non
Sekitori; White Mawashi- an entirely different story..)
We turned
left, and passed Izutsu -beya (Terao's family Heya run by brother
Sakahoko).
But wait!! Who were these guys lolling in the morning sun, taping
themselves
up and getting ready for asa-geiko?
Akinoshu, Elvis Presley, and Chiyotaikai
This is the time to note
something that I immediately noticed from day one:
The Rikishi are much bigger than they look or seem to look on TV.
Chiyo is big, and even Asanowaka is not small.
It took me a minute to recognize
Chiyo because of his size. Only Akinoshima
seemed smaller to me than I had imagined.
And on their left, another familiar face..
If this isn't the biggest smile you've
ever
seen, it must be Kaiho..
(these pictures were taken by Doreen)
Then, it was onward on our quest for
one
of my two ultimate goals: The Tango-man!!
Since he belongs to Michinoku, and
there
are very few challengers there,
he does a lot of de-geiko (practice at other
heyas). That seemed to have helped,
seeing how he has developed
recently. Doreen was hoping he would be at Dewanoumi.
We turned the corner
and BOOM!! There he was, my man Hoshitango. It took me a second to
get over
my excitement, and then we became real chummy. I gave him
presents
from Israel
(a good luck charm and a shirt), which seemed to have helped
a little :-)
Elvis (again??) with Hoshitango-
Omiyage in left hand, and in full White-
Mawashi splendour (finally, and let's hope
for a while yet..).
Notice the bicycles in the background. They're the Rikishis'
main means
of transportation around Ryogoku. I even saw Chiyotaikai peddling
away incessantly..
Then, we went to Doreen's house
which is
right opposite the heya for some refreshments.
After that, down to Dewanoumi for Asa- Geiko. Doreen whispered some
words to someone,
and I was promptly seated next to the Oyakata on a carpeted floor
(whew..) and a zabuton.
Present
were: Tochinonada, Kushimaumi, Mainoumi, Kinkaiyama, Tochinofuji,
Tochinowaka,
Hoshitango, the other Argentinian Hoshiandesu, and Makushita East 1 and
soon
to be Juryo
again Tochinoiwa, who beat all of the others constantly..Even
Kyujo Oginishiki was at hand..
"Hey! I thought Elvis was dead.."
Oginishiki looks as if he's seen an Obake
(ghost),while Kushimaumi tries to move the building
counter-clockwise..
Mainoumi mostly stood around
doing
nothing and sizing up the opposition.
He had three bouts only, and won them
all.. I think the guy next to him is
Tanimura, who is the shortest guy in
Sumo, but I'm not sure..
Kushimaumi, Hoshiandesu ( the other
Argentinian,
still in green, but not for long....),
and Tochinonada. Dewanoumi Oyakata
right next to me..
Kinkaiyama, Hoshitango, his
tsukebito, and Tochinoiwa ( today known as Tochisakae..).
The back of the head of Dewanoumi
Oyakata in the foreground.
After the keiko ended, I made my way
back
to the station via Izutsu-beya, hoping
to catch the inevitable Terao who
was teetering on the verge of the Juryo abyss..
Soooooo.....
out he comes in gym shorts- no
mawashi for him.. He cracked some jokes at my expense,
and when I countered in Japanese he was quite surprised..We know how
HIS Basho ended..
So, altogether, another good day at the
office....
P.S. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Doreen
for
everything.
She is an extraordinary person. In person, she is even more angellic
than on TV, if that is at all possible..