Famous People: Konishiki Yasokichi

Born Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e in Hawaii in 1963 the 6 foot 4 inch 600 pound monster, was the heaviest Sumo wrestler in the history of the sport, or any other sport for that matter. Since retiring from sumo in 1997 he has gone on to become a moderately successful musician and TV entertainer.

Konishiki made his wrestling debut in July of 1982 and 5 years later became the first Hawaiian-born wrestler to reach the position of Ozeki. He never made the top rank of Yokozuna that his Hawaiian counterparts Musashimaru and Akebono did and despite the controversial denial of his promotion he remained famous because of his massive size.

He was one of the first foreigners to excel in the sport and achieved 733 wins prior to his appointment as Stable Master. Following his retirement and with the retirements of Masashimaru and Akebono there are no top Hawaiian wrestlers left in sumo much to the disappointment of many who watch the sport.

Konshiki can be seen on TV programs and, like any good Japanese celebrity, promoting all sorts of things from cars to kids drinks. In January 2004 he announced his engagement to 26 Chie Iijima, a medical clinic worker. 12 years his junior and quite a few hundred pounds lighter. He may need to shed a bit of weight if he wants a long and prosperous marriage as the strain on his heart will become too much for him soon. Would a slimmer Konishiki be as popular on Japanese TV? If he let the cameras record his progress then perhaps he might..........

Superstitions: Bad luck whilst your eating

Two of the more common superstitions related to eating concern chopsticks and food:

Do not stick your chopsicks into rice, because at funerals chopsticks are stuck into the rice which is put onto the altar.

Another superstition connected to funerals is connected to giving food food from one set of chopsticks to the other. This is only done with the bones of the cremated body at funerals.

Japanese Customs: Tea Ceremony

The tea ceremony (Sado) is a popular Japanese custom and has been strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. Detailed below is a very traditional ceremony but nowadays more emphasis is put on how the tea should be drunk, how the bowl should be held and so on, rather than the actual aesthetics.

Performed with up to five guests, the traditional ceremony is often divided into three parts. In the first part, windows are covered by bamboo screens to darken the room, the scroll which is in the room is removed, and a new one is put in its place.

In the second part of the ceremony a simple meal is served, followed by sweet cakes. After which the guests could go and relax in the inner garden of the temple or building that the tea ceremony is being held at.

The final part of the tea ceremony is called nochiseki. The scroll is replaced by a floral arrangement, and the water jar, tea caddy and the tea utensils will be placed in the area where the ceremony will take place. The room is brightened up by the bamboo screen being rolled up. The main guest will then speak to the host while the other guests remain silent. Once the tea has been drunk, silence continues. The fire is smothered by adding more charcoal to the fire pit and the sound of the boiling kettle dies down. Then, thin tea is served, which signifies that the tea ceremony is coming to an end.

There will be a more in depth article on the Japanese tea ceremony in the "Things Japanese" section of the Newsletter in a future issue.

Information taken from:
http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/tea/ceremony.html

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