Zunbara Zuihitsu Chapter 10 “Supporting Ancient Spirits”

 It's now been around 12 years, in late summer 1988, that I made my album debut with 'THE Pokopokkon'.

My beloved admin from the Nakano-sakaue corp called from beneath the window of my workspace. "Oy, Mr. Yamamoto, are you awake?" It was 2:00 at dawn. I think I was probably in the middle of composing for the History Series. I pulled the curtains, opened the window, and popped my head out, "Yeah, I'm awake, what is it?" The elderly hurled something about the size of a softball, "Look!" (my workspace is on the second floor)

I hurriedly held both hands out to take it. It was a Häagen-Dazs ice cream. The elderly was staggering around, his face red. He was in good spirit. "Thanks, man. Wanna bite?"

"It's alright, I'll eat with my mom"

The elderly grew up downtown and used to be a construction worker in Kiba.

"Mr. Yamamoto, you wouldn't be able to do that anymore", the elderly's scaffold, a courtyard the width of a bungalow, sandwiched between the mansion and the Kanda river, in front of an azalea hedge. "Construction's about to start, ya know."

What? Did I hear that? "Huh!? Construction?"

"Oh, river maintenance. You see, this garden I'm renting is on metro property. I'll handle return procedures tomorrow. We'll also be moving the bronze statue from the mansion owner."

Wha--!? There's no way you gotta be kidding me---! "So what's gonna happen then?"

"There's a promenade!"

There's gonna be a promenade right under my sacred workspace (pronounced mashita; not the surname of an anime director)? So are couples gonna get mushy and lovey-dovey late at night? Are vagabonds gonna lick 1 liter bottles of sake while having a ball? Are cats gonna have sex? Are examiners gonna take gymnastics to relax? Really? "I'm not kidding, damnit!"

The next day, they began looking for a new home.

After leaving Nakano-sakaue, he hoped to live in Edo next, along the Sumida river, between the Sumida and Koto wards. I was walking from the Morishita crossing towards Kiyozumi. On the left side is Fukagawa Elementary, and on the right is Tokiwa [Museum]. Then, the traffic lights turn red. As I halted, gazing at the old woman's cane nearby, a bicycle approached from behind. My right eye caught of a Japanese patterned yukata.

That fellow hung his worn-out geta [Japanese clogs] on the guardrail, and pressed the pedal down with his other geta. That's a sumo wrestler!

He silently glanced down slowly. He wears glasses yet he looks so young, carrying a shopping basket with green onions, tomatoes, coconut sablé, etc. The traffic lights didn't flash green-- wait, I thought it did flash green.

It was springtime in 1970. When I came to Tokyo and saw a sumo wrestler around town for the first time, I was thrilled. I felt so lucky. I felt very ecstatic the entire day. This is the moment when I can especially confirm that I am a Japanese. It was when I met a sumo wrestler that I might'd lived nearby unconsciously. 

Asagaya housed the Nichidai [Nippon University] sumo club and the Hanakago stable, while Nakano-shimbashi, before it became Nakano-sakaue, has the Futagoyama stable (formely the Fujishima stable). By Sunday, while chewing on a sweet roll during my walk, I passed by the Fujishima stable, where the landlady (the woman she's been talked about recently) was diligently washing the master's car in her rubber boots. (Don't mess with her around mass media!). Two boys were playing nearby. Damnit, I got sidetracked. Was it along the Sumida River where the traffic lights turn green?

I somehow spoke to the young sumo wrestler, who was wriggling awkwardly. "Excuse me, but where is your stable?"

"There, in the Taiho stable," the sumo wrestler answered.

I encouraged him. "Stand firm and become like the giant gingko tree."

"Alrighty. I'll do my best."

The light turned green and the sumo wrestler slowly pedaled his bicycle (one of the the most beautiful bicycles I've remembered seeing). He then turned halfway round.

"You're a sekitori [a professional rank in sumo wrestling], eh?" I said softly. "I'll do my best," the sumo wrestler softly replied.

Five years later, he moved not to Edo, but to a new high-class rental mansion near Nakano Station -- that was me with a careless policy. It was around 1PM, during break time, and I was watching a pro sumo satellite broadcast on NHK. He was either the third lowest or the third highest of his division. A unforgettable face appeared onscreen.

It's that sumo wrestler! He's doing it! He's hanging in there! The captions appeared on the right side. "DAIDEN! DAIDEN!! DAIDEN!! DA-I-DE-N!!! FROM THE TAIHO STABLE, DAIDEN!!!!"

It is the Taiho stable, no doubt! "So that's how they called him Daiden!?"

Alrighty! I'm rooting for you! I love this man! DAIDEN! DAIDEEEEN! STAND FIRM AND GO FOR IT DAIIIDEEEN!!!!

Then the taiho [wrestler] gradually climbed up and reached the Makushita ranks within two years. Two more years later and he finally became a sekitori, one rank away from the juuryou ranking. Did he reached the juuryou rank, or the sekitori rank? I ended up going to New York at that subtle time, so I couldn't know the truth.

But then, it might'd been good timing to take action, but it's most likely that the taiho must've been injured. Afterwards, I never saw him ever again during the satellite broadcast time slot of the sumo match on NHK. He's (currently) estimated to be around his thirties. Had he retired, or perhaps he went out of business?

However, at the Kyushu Tournament in November 2000, after returning from my 14th visit to New York while recovering from jet lag, the taiho appeared as I lay idle watching TV. He was on the 42nd rank of West Makushita with the same blocking technique, armpit push, right-handed grip and locked-in pushback. At the traffic light between Morishita and Kiyozumi, that face that murmured 'I'll do my best' by simply taking off his glasses, the taiho is at it! It's not over yet. He's still had much to go. Not that one, not that one! He's still at it! I'm rooting for him!

By sheer coincidence, it appears that the Taiho Stable had made a structure to offer donations to the Japanese Red Cross every year. They are accepting donations on a station wagon for disabled people every year. I presume it would be the same, but at least they did something similar.

If you can understand other's pain, you can be intense to your own pain. It would be of great help in overcoming adversity like flowing from the river to the sea. Somewhere and somehow that person's life always watches over and encourages me.

Hang in there, Taiho, I'll support you wholeheartedly. Stand firm, Taiho!

Original Japanese: http://bellabeaux.co.jp/yamamoto/zunbara/zun010.html