Oyakata All Stars/Osumo-san All Stars -- Hakkiyoi! Ozumo Hiyonoyama Kazoe Uta (ハッキヨイ！大相撲 ひよの山かぞえ歌)

Over the past year, I've been seeing that folks worldwide are taking the "Stay Home" opportunity to learn a whole bunch of new things: Baking Basque cheesecakes, picking up a new skill, cleaning the house, working out - the list goes on. Perhaps you've done some or all of these. For me, I developed a liking for Japan's national sport... of all things.

I think it began last year when Dad entered the sumo craze for some reason; I'd recieved complaints from Mom that every weekend he'd be tuning in to some random American sports channel to catch highlights from past sumo wrestling tournaments, and I got to experience it firsthand when I was home for my first summer break. At the time I couldn't get behind watching a bunch of massive fellows in nothing but a colourful silk cloth shoving each other around. But, somehow, when one gets stuck at home because of Corona and this clash of the titans becomes a nightly occurrence, it'll grow on you.  

This was from before I was into the sport.

Recognizing one wrestler by the name Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), the Georgian giant, whom I was acquainted with via NHK news years ago when he won a tournament furthered my curiosity. And the fact that each fight usually lasts 10 seconds or less with the possibility of one fighter being flung out of the dohyo like a ragdoll managed to amuse me, who dislikes spectating sports because of how long a game can last. Plus, deciphering wrestler names was a fun (but difficult) kanji game. So, by July 2020, with Tochinoshin as my wrestler of choice, I was into the sport enough to catch the month's tournament live on TV. It was at that very moment when I tumbled down the sumo rabbit hole. 

Of course, I had to subscribe to the official Sumo Association's YouTube channel, and some digging around led me to "Hakkiyoi! Ozumo Hiyonoyama Kazoe Uta", a fun little counting song to teach kids about the way of sumo. This was shot in 2015, so 10 popular wrestlers at the time were tasked with conveying sumo values and morals to a whimsical ondo-style melody, albeit with varying degrees of aptitude and awkwardness. The wrestlers are as follows: Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Toyonoshima (豊ノ島), Gagamaru (臥牙丸), Yoshikaze (嘉風), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Ikioi (勢), Endo (遠藤), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Kakuryu (鶴竜), and Hakuho (白鵬). The first four have retired and the others are still active and as popular as ever. I do like a few of them, and I have to say that my favourite part is Terunofuji's 8th stanza and Yokozuna-ranked Kakuryu's 9th stanza, which is about fearlessly and confidently facing one's opponent, and keeping one's cool in battle respectively. Very resonating. I can't get it out of my head. It's driving me nuts. 

I actually don't know who wrote the song, though, but to give a little insight, the term Hakkiyoi is yelled by the referees at the start of a match and when wrestlers are locked into a stalemate. It's like a combination of "Go get 'em!" and "Put your back into it!". Then Hiyonoyama is the name of the official sumo mascot who's a little chick/chicken. I'm guessing the chicken (called tori in Japanese) was chosen as it's a play on the term Sekitori, which refers to salaried-level wrestlers in the second and top division, and the fact that it stands on 2 legs, the stance a wrestler must maintain.

A little more digging around YouTube had me coming across the original version of "Hakkiyoi!...", which was recorded even earlier in 2012, but this time by the OG wrestlers who've by then become sumo stable masters (stables are where wrestlers train). As with the wrestlers above, a number of these stable masters have retired, and I think one has left mortal coil too. That being said, the aptly named Oyakata All Stars at the time consisted of the Nishonoseki oyakata (二所ノ関親方), Shikoroyama oyakata (錣山親方), Takasago oyakata (高砂親方), Nishikido oyakata (錦戸親方), Oguruma oyakata (尾車親方), Ajikawa oyakata (安治川親方), Tamanoi oyakata (玉ノ井親方), Sanoyama oyakata (佐ノ山親方), Tokiwayama oyakata (常盤山親方), Mihogaseki oyakata (三保ヶ関親方). The last two have actually released their own music, and if you're a fan of enka I think the former Mihogaseki oyakata will look and sound very familiar. :) And if you'd like more background on them and if you can read Japanese, you can check it out on the association's site here.

In my opinion, the oyakatas were able to carry the song a lot better, but the point is not about the wrestlers' vocals but allowing the kiddies see their hefty heroes as role models and as an example to follow. Even as an adult, it's rather heartwarming and funny to see. Well, on the note of vocals, wrestler Ikioi is actually well-known for his aptitude in enka, so you may be able to pick that up. Maybe he can follow the former Mihogaseki oyakata's footsteps once he retires from wrestling.

When my family came over to Tokyo to visit in December 2019, Dad was keen on going to the Ryogoku Kokugikan (両国国技館), the heart of sumo, to check things out. There, my brother and I found Dad's favourite wrestler, the legendary Hakuho...'s standee. He dwarfs my 178cm tall sibling. Granted it's a cardboard figure, but the Mongolian Yokozuna is said to be 192cm... Imagine being shoved by someone like that. It'll probably be no different from being hit by a car.