Table of Contents
Introduction 7
Chapter 1 The Pit 19
"Death Valley" 23
Rhythm and Recognition 24
Chapter 2 Big Al, Mad Dog, Tokyo Rose and the Silver Spoons 29
Nomenclature: Proper and Improper 32
Chapter 3 The "Grouping Urge" Blubberbutts and Thoroughbreds 43
Left/Right/Up/Down and All That 45
Genus and Species 49
Chapter 4 Backstage: Choking Up in the Church 57
Napoleon and Konishiki 59
The Locker Room 65
Aprons and Ads 68
The Meditations of the Beast 70
Chapter 5 The Sumotori Rag: Pose-striking, Time-killing and the Eight Forms of Screwing Around 73
The Importance of the Overture 77
"Kokoro" and KITSH 79
The KITSH Pecking Order 81
Eight Ways to Screw Around 83
Chapter 6 Tachiai: Hookers, Bulldozers, Boxers, Stranglers, Matadors and Low-down Yankee Liars 97
Jumpers and Receivers 99
Bohr's Constant vs. The Human Factor 101
"Fast Is Good, Heavy Is Better" 104
The Five Styles of Tachiai 106
To Live and Die at Tachiai 110
Chapter 7 The Fistfight at the Malamute Saloon and Other Japanese Cultural Treasures 113
The Expert 114
Hands, Feet and Angle 116
The Guy in the Pajamas 121
The Finish 123
Extra Terms 129
Chapter 8 The Ripsnorter in Nagoya 133
Chiyonofuji's Ghosts 135
Asahifuji's Jinx 138
The Match 144
Chapter 9 Afterward: "Keep Up Appearances Whatever You Do" 153
The Membrane of Sportsmanship 155
The Rite of Withdrawal 159
The Interview 163
Chapter 10 The Basho Beat:"Give That Rhythm Everything You've Got" 171
Banzuke: Confucian Confusion 173
The Real Ranks: Upper Echelon 175
The Real Ranks: Down Below 180
The Weight of Concentration 185
Good Basho, Bad Basho 187
Chapter 11 Tank This One for the Gipper 189
Little Spoon, Tamaryu, and the Politics of Mono-ii 192
A Sense of Honor 196
"Yaocho Doesn't Exist" 199
The Last-Day Blues 202
How to Take a Dive 206
The Rite of Passage 207
Chapter 12 The Statistical Imperative 211
The Data Deficit 214
Rating the Rikishi 215
Chapter 13 Whither Sumo Especially With All These Gatjin 225
The Mongol Hordes 226
Cracks in the Façade 231
An American Solutio 232
Jusc a Game 241
Acknowledgments 245
Glossary 247
Index 251
