Found another sumo word made from lower level kanji today: 番付 - level 8 and 7 respectively. Partway through Level 8, WK has not yet taught me the づけ reading for 付 yet, unless you count つける plus rendaku.
If it’s “deleted” okurigana, it’s in good company. There’s a few kanji readings in sumo where okurigana is omitted, especially in names like 勢 and 輝 which are usually spelt 勢い and 輝き.
Then there’s only-slightly-weird readings like 照強 (照る and 強い).
Yes. Yes it is. Just when you think it can’t get any better than Gagamaru, along comes the aforementioned Ikioi - singer and Hakuho impersonator (according to Hakuho).
Always sportsmanlike, really making an effort to improve his sumo lately, pleasing orange mawashi, also a bit of a ham. The face he pulls after this match against retired yokozuna Kisenosato is fantastic.
I listened to yesterday’s results over and over while I worked in the garden (in the snow) today. Shortly, I recognized the pattern:
A にB はWINNERがWINNINGTECHNIQUE.
I managed to figure out today’s results fairly easily. But it is still tough to read.
I will keep doing this exercise until it is easy!
(it is very weird and satisfying to read a wall of text like that )
I will try to do a better job on the next day’s results. They also say when 力士 withdraw and such, but I need to listen a few more times, and spend some time with Jisho, to transcribe what they are saying.
It takes much work to transcribe these. Many of the things they throw in on the broadcast are still beyond me. But, Iearned many things, just in the last few days.
On the board, it always looked to me like everyone’s name is just made of two kanji. But they may actually be up to four or five kanji all squished together by a creative calligrapher.
Some of the bouts are E. vs. E. or W. vs. W.
Some of the 力士 get very simple names with easy kanji, like 正代. Others get more complicated ones like 御嶽海. I feel for the foreign born 力士 just trying to learn to write their own name!
Thank you for that link, @quollism. Somehow I have never been able to find the results on the Japanese language website. Transcribing the spoken results has been a good exercise for me. It is something that I will do with other radio broadcasts as my skills improve.
During the day 8 bout, did you hear them discussing 白鵬’s future? They say that 白鵬 has expressed an intention to win a 場所 at the record oldest age, and I believe an intent to be the oldest ever practicing 横綱. He has about a year and a half to two years to go for each.
I have to say that to me, he looks healthy enough to do it. I had some doubts when he missed some 場所 for I guess a toe injury. But, he is back in beautiful form now. (except for a few near misses and dubious judgments…)
There is no one else remotely comparable. The number of techniques that he has internalized are way beyond anyone else competing. In so many situations, like in close contact with a much bigger 力士, he has just the right move instantly available, such as in day 8 against 碧山. It looked effortless.
Haha I know what you mean. I mouse over the links until I see the characters 取組 (fixtures) - knowing 組 helped with a bit of vocab on Level 8 too!
I didn’t! He’s definitely 元気 this 場所 which is great to see. My perception of 白鵬 is a bit odd though because I began following sumo in 2018 when he was plagued with injuries. I didn’t get to see the 大横綱 in full effect until late in the year - his 全勝優勝 back in September was even more stunning considering what was going on with his knee.
Right now I’m hoping 貴景勝 manages to keep his 大関 hopes alive. And of course hoping 照強 cracks his 勝ち越し so he can do his trademark super-size 塩撒き in 幕内 in 大阪!
Hello, longtime and current resident of Japan and a big Sumo fan here! Been fortunate enough to go twice to 両国国技館 to see Sumo. I was interested to see two veterans who have worked their way back. One is 豊ノ島！Personally never been a big fan of his, but I greatly admire his tenacity! He was demoted from the highest rank to the very lowest in the 八百長 (bout fixing) scandal some years ago and he has worked his way back all the way to 十両
Another 力士 that grabbed a lot of attention with his pre 立ち合い ritual of letting out a whoop before the elders put the kabosh on…is 琴勇輝！I believe he is just back at 幕内 for the first time in over a year at least
Yeah day 10 was an utterly brutal day for injuries. This basho has been one of the more bloody and painful ones I’ve watched.
Ura’s injury is the saddest of them all - word is he’s stuffed his ACL yet again. Very possibly a career-ending injury for him. Poor guy was mounting his sekitori comeback through makushita after getting surgery for his knee, only for it to go again. Really sad for him.
I didn’t know who he was before he got back into juryo but I try to catch his matches now. I really enjoy watching the older more experienced rikishi outsmart the youngsters while they can still get around the ring.
I suspect a certain Uncle Sumo might be going for a haircut soon though… he’s not looking genki at all anymore.
So I haven’t watched day 12 yet, but I sneaked a peek at the results. This whole 場所 is getting way more competitive than I thought that it would be!
I am going to post a few more Sumo terms up top. Anyone else who wants to add terms, please feel welcome. Ultimately, I will create a nice learning list of terms.
So, I love watching 白鵬 when he is superhuman. He reminds me of the martial arts movies where the hero knocks down opponents one after the other.
But, it is nice to see him brought back down to size. Especially in a 場所 where it didn’t look like anyone else had what it took to win, in the first few days.
Is anyone else disappointed to see 白鵬 withdraw? I can’t help but thinking that he is withdrawing because he is losing. I look at those 力士 with records like 2-12, who have the courage to keep fighting anyways, and I can’t help but to be disappointed in him.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens eight hours from now!
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