The Fall and Rise of Yumenishiki Anko and the Sumos from Nerima －練馬出身、夢錦安子の栄枯盛衰－

My son’s nursery holds a sumo tournament every year, and it has been taking place over the last week.  The nursery students are each asked to choose a sumo name, and then they fight each other in a round robin style tournament.  They each fight two bouts a day, and if they win they get a star next to their name. 

My son’s sumo name is “Yumenishiki Anko”.  He fought as Yumenishiki last year, when he was four, and got no stars next to his name at all.  He lost every bout.  If I were a nursery teacher, I would probably set up the tournament so that every child could win at least one time.  But at this nursery, it’s a hard lesson in life. 

I didn’t want my son to lose every bout again this year, so I have been practicing sumo with him at home.  “Push, push!” I encourage, or, “Go for my shoulders.  Oh, no – I’m falling over!” 

Sadly, on the first day of the tournament, my son lost both bouts.  Then on the next day, he lost both bouts again.  He seemed quite upset. 

Then on the third day he fought against another student who had also lost every bout.  And Yumenishiki won!  He lost the other bout that day, but he came home very happy. 

“Daddy, Daddy, I won!” he said.  Then he switched language, talking to me in Japanese.  “Ore mecha yowai no ni, X-kun wo taoshita!  X-kun ga mecha mecha yowai, ne!”  In English I might translate that as, “Even though I’m dead weak, I pushed over X.  He’s dead, dead weak!” 

I feel sorry for the boy I have called “X-kun”.  It is very early in life to feel weaker than your peers. 

But Yumenishiki took great confidence from knowing that he was no longer considered the weakest.  On the next day, he won both bouts.  “Ore sugoi tsuyoi yo ne, Daddy,” he now tells me – “I’m amazingly strong, aren’t I Daddy?” 

Perhaps in a few years he will be able to beat me, even if I don’t crouch down.

 

Vocabulary:

a round robin – A style of competition in which each competitor plays every other competitor.  The football World Cup starts with a round robin section

a bout – a match, especially in some combat sports

one’s peers – one’s social equals