[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Shishi villain or not exactly?

[Jeff A]

moti


Best regards,
Gaijingai

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
- John Greenleaf Whittier

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 27, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Shishi villain or not exactly?
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Shishi defeated Tamawashi on Day 9 of the Natsu basho by a blatt henka. On
Day 13, he was called in by the judging committee and reprimanded for
giving Asahakuryuu a dame-oshi. Unexpectedly, he ended up looking like the
villain. However, knowing the truth might change your perspective a little.
Immediately after his victory by henka over Tamawashi, there was a murmur
in the arena. Henka is legal. However, his opponent, Tamawashi, is the
oldest active sekitori at 41 years old and had suffered eight consecutive
losses since the first day. Tamawashi's right leg from below the knee to
the ankle was heavily taped. It was clear that his injury was serious. The
arena was filled with support for Tamawashi. In such circumstances, a
tachiai henka may have seemed like a merciless way to win. There were some
harsh comments on social media. Some even said, "Go back to your country."
In fact, Shishi was also injured. It wasn't visible because he wasn't
wearing any tape. He himself hasn't publicly acknowledged his injury.
According to his Oyakata Ikazuchi, Shishi had injured his left shoulder and
was getting painkiller injections almost every day before mounting the
dohyo. The Oyakata had heard of the criticism on social media, but he
didn't utter a single word of resentment, saying, "It's natural for fans to
have all sorts of opinions. Sumo is a very profound sport." He repeatedly
emphasized, "Don't write about the injury." He was concerned that revealing
the injury would be disrespectful to his opponents. I asked him, "Is it
okay to write about it after the basho?" and he agreed. There's also a
story behind the incident where Shishi was cautioned by the judging
committee. After pushing Asahakuryuu out of the dohyo, he didn't let go of
Shishi's mawashi, so the two got entangled and fell off the dohyo. It
looked like Shishi pushed his opponent's chest because of Asahakuryuu's
dangerous actions. Neither move was commendable, but if Asahakuryuu had let
go of the mawashi, this wouldn't have happened.

After the match, Shishi was called to the judging panel and reprimanded by
Chief Judge Onoe, who was serving as the chief judge for the first half of
the Makuuchi division. However, it was Ikazuchi Oyakata, who was also on
the judging panel, who urged Chief Judge Onoe to "please give him a
warning." The rikishi had fallen to the opposite side of the dohyo, and
Ikazuchi, who was on the judging panel, was at the bottom of the dohyo on
the west side. Regarding the incident, he said, "I wanted someone to reach
out to him. I made eye contact with Shishi at that moment. I almost said,
'Give him a hand,'" and put his hand to his throat. If Ikazuchi hadn't
urged Onoe, Shishi would not have been reprimanded, and it would have been
an incident that most people wouldn't have even noticed. Yet he still went
to the trouble of asking Onoe to reprimand his disciple. Why? "This is also
a learning experience for Shishi. He has to be a good role model for the
younger rikishi." He was being strict for Shishi's sake. When Onoe
reprimanded Shishi, Ikazuchi stood next to him as his Oyakata.  Shishi's
Japanese is not yet perfect. he intended to supplement his understanding if
there was anything he didn't understand. What did Ikazuchi say to Shishi
when he returned to his heya that night? "If I say too much, he'll lose his
spirit. I told him, 'Wrestle with energy.' He's feeling anxious, too."
Shishi also has a life to live. Three years ago, when he was promoted to
Juryo-, he said, "Things are tough in Ukraine. I'll become a Sekitori and
help my mom and dad." That feeling hasn't changed. He finished this
tournament with a record of 6 wins and 9 losses. After his final match on
the last day, when asked about Day 13, Shishi said, "I didn't intend to do
it. I was told to be careful (by the judging committee) so I will be more
careful." Regarding his injury, he only said, "I'm going to the hospital
tomorrow." The Oyakata and disciple are trying to embody what a rikishi
should be. [Ichiro Sasaki]

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