Sumo!

Sumo hiatus – Many of you know that I worked in Japan for three years before I married and moved here to Honolulu. That was 28 years ago! I had a wonderful time there and immersed myself in the culture, history and language – my wife (girlfriend at the time) helped a lot – but I also studied Japanese archery and became fascinated with sumo wrestling on my own. Just this year we started to subscribe to NGN, Japanese TV, and so now, every two months I am lucky that I can watch the Grand Sumo Tournament.

The tournaments are held six times a year, for 15 days. During this time, I watch every night from 9 PM to 11 PM – thus, my hiatus from this blog. No time to watch movies!

This is exciting stuff for me, but borders on ridiculous boredom for my 23-year-old son. That's okay, I love the ritual and the history of the sumo, so indulge me while I jot down some of my impressions. If you watch sumo, indulge me further for any inaccuracies:

The feeling this ancient sport conveys is, to me anyway, complex and deep. The sumo wrestlers train in stables (clubs) and have very specific rank. They are professionals – they earn salaries. The Higher ranked wrestlers are treated like royalty. Even the referees, judges, the hair groomers, and the men who sweep the ring, have ranks and belong to different clubs or stables. Sumo is a sport of hierarchy. Sumo is a sport of tradition.

The matches between the 300 to 400 pound gladiators take place on an elevated platform made of hard packed earth. When it is their turn to fight, the wrestlers come out from the locker rooms and sit patiently, on their own private pillow below the ring, waiting for their name to be called. The caller, usually a tiny little Japanese man, is dressed in a plain workingman's kimono, but when he comes to the center of the ring, everyone goes quiet. The audience listens to his powerful voice as he sings the wrestlers' names.

The wrestlers step onto the platform, into the circular ring, wearing their traditional sumo belt – this covers about as much as a Brazilian thong, but it is thick and strong around the belly. Facing each other, they bow, stomp their feet, and show their outstretched naked muscular arms – a signal that they are unarmed, but ready to fight. Make no mistake about it, these are big, strong, muscular men. The wrestlers strut slowly to their designated corners – the East and the West. They are given purified water to drink from a fellow wrestler, and from an attendant, a cloth to wipe their sweat.

After a few moments of contemplation, they grab a handful of salt from an overflowing basket, face the center of the ring and toss it high into the air – purifying the ring. Moving to the center, they face off just a few feet from each other, squat and stare into each other's eyes – sizing up the competition. Usually the higher ranking of the two will break the stare, stand up and turn away, like a bull who knows he is superior in every way. This facing off ritual repeats itself four more times, until finally they come to the center ready to do battle. The suspense builds. Some audience members yell words of encouragement to their favorite.

The referee, dwarfed by the tremendous bodies of the warriors, stands between them dressed formally in a colorful kimono – one that rivals the most beautiful garments worn by Japanese women. He holds a lacquer fan at just the right angle, signaling the wrestlers that he is ready to judge their bout. There's no starting bell ring, gunshot or whistle – the wrestlers know instinctively when to begin. Suddenly, the wrestlers slam together, like huge buffalo during the rut.

"Wham!" They slap, push, grab and pull with all of their considerable weight and might, trying to throw each other on to the ground or out of the ring. Most matches last only a few seconds. They sacrifice their entire bodies for the win, often flying off the earth platform into the audience at the same time. The man who touches the ground first, loses. The crowd cheers loudly if it has been a good fight. Sometimes when the highest-ranking wrestlers lose to a lower ranking wrestler, the crowd will jeer and throw their pillows into the air – either showing their dismay at the loss or their joy at the upset.

When the match is over, the wrestlers return to their respective side of the ring. The loser bows and leaves the arena. The referee announces the winner with a resounding flourish, and often gives him several envelopes – cash reward for a job well done. The commentators chatter incessantly, analyzing every detail of the match. There are hundreds of ways to describe the winning technique. They speculate on injuries and the next day's matchup.

The sweepers ready the ring. The caller announces the next match. The sumo continues...

Hitchcock

Hitchcock, starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Scarlett Johansson, is a nicely done Bio-picture, focusing on the twilight of Hitchcock's career, specifically during the time when he made the horror film – Psycho (1960). Those of us that are old enough to remember Mister Hitchcock from his movies, The Room with a View, Vertigo, The Birds, and his television shows "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone," should appreciate this movie and enjoy learning more about this great filmmaker. For example, I didn't realize that the original Psycho had a budget of only $800,000, that's amazing considering that movies today run well into the hundreds of millions – and are usually junk... And, I did not realize that his wife was a integral part in Hitchcock's success as his principal screen writer and film editor, or that Alfred was a womanizer and infatuated by his blonde bombshell starring actresses. I did not realize that Hitchcock had to fight the "censors" to create the movie that he wanted. "Too much skin, too much violence, you can show the blood, but not the knife cutting her flesh." – Films have sure come a long way. The acting is superb. Anthony Hopkins does a wonderful job! His mannerisms, the makeup, his voice, and his ability to show Hitchcock's weaknesses and strengths are absolutely marvelous. Helen Mirren was also excellent. Caution, however, this movie has no action, little suspense, not much drama, but still it's a great story about a wonderful character. I recommend it for those with enough nostalgia to remember being scared to death by this fantastic director. Younger folks, less than 40 years old, may find the film boring, unless they are interested in learning more about one of the greatest filmmakers ever. I enjoyed it!

The Man with the Iron Fists

The Man with the Iron Fists, 2012 remake by hip-hop artist RZA, starring Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu. With all of its obvious flaws, I found myself enjoying this decent attempt at a traditional Chinese kung fu movie. RZA made some partial attempt to stay true to the traditional format, but he gave the movie his own hip-hop, cowboy-like feel and atmosphere – I applaud that, but sometimes it fell flat and just seems to be downright silly. The dialogue was absolutely comical. I wonder if the writers really wanted it to be funny? Perhaps they did. The acting was pretty decent, but over the top in some places. I think RZA could've easily made the movie without Russell Crowe. He seemed fat and lackluster as the British expatriate –Emperor's emissary. RZA himself, did a decent job, though he didn't really have much to say. Lucy Liu is always great. The story was typical Chinese kung fu, good guys versus bad guys, with lots of interesting characters in between. The plot had enough twists and turns, and semi-believable intricacy to keep me engaged. The kung fu fighting was pretty decent, but there was heavy emphasis on swords and knives – lots of gratuitous blood and limbs flying everywhere. The music was interesting, in fact, this is perhaps what I enjoyed most about the movie – the fusion of hip-hop music with traditional Chinese kung fu story and characters. Picture the protagonist sauntering down the main street of a Chinese village to hip-hop music, wearing a hoodie – pretty cool if you're willing to just sit back and suspend all sensibility for a while. If you like these types of movies, this one is probably worth a rental.

Blackfish

I watched the CNN documentary Blackfish this weekend, and wanted to recommend it to anyone who still believes that the mammals of the sea, whales and dolphins, should be kept in captivity. The film effectively documents the tragedy of large organizations like Sea World that attempt to keep Killer Whales in captivity for show – there are billions of dollars at stake. The tragedy is twofold – it's a tragedy for these beautiful, intelligent creatures to be captured from the wild and forced to live in prison for no reason other than to make money and entertain humans; it is also a tragedy for the trainers and their families who have fallen in love with these animals and have been injured or killed. I must say, it can also be considered a tragedy for us, the unsuspecting and uninformed public, who believed the myth that Sea World, Disney World, and other aquariums were protecting and preserving these animals. The film is admittedly biased, (As I am), but it still attempts to show both sides of the issue.

I remember going to Sea World as a young boy, totally amazed and infatuated by the Dolphins and whales – their beauty and their intelligence. Yes, it's true, had not these animals been captured in the wild or raised in captivity, I would've not been able to see them up close. However, I could've easily watched documentary films about these creatures and learned just as much. I could've read a book and felt their presence and beauty. I do remember watching them swim in their small pools and wondering if they were "happy." NO, they are not happy! They are prisoners, isolated from the open ocean and kidnapped from their families. They should not have to suffer their entire lives, so that little boys and girls can receive a few minutes of awe-inspiring entertainment. How selfish and self-centered we are...
Watching this documentary prodded me to return to two of my earliest attempts at writing fiction – Dolphins Dance and Sealand 1001. In both of these stories, I tried to convey the beauty and intelligence of Dolphins and whales, and tackled the issue of protecting and preserving the ocean and these beautiful creatures. Please consider checking them out on the Amazon, available in print and Kindle version.