A Flower on the Rock

This is the story of a young man from the countryside of the Tohoku region of Japan who entered the world of sumo wrestling with great ambitions after being recognized for his potential as an amateur sumo wrestler. Although he was a beginner, he won the first tournament of his career. After that, he rose steadily in the rankings to meet the expectations of those around him. However, he suddenly found out that he was in poor health and was hospitalized during the main tournament. After leaving the hospital, he was unable to regain his strength and was unable to practice. “Iwa no hana” [“Flower on the Rock”], as he was called, quit sumo wrestling a few years later. Having failed to make a career as a sumo wrestler, he had to make a new life for himself. He trained in cooking from scratch at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo, then returned to his hometown and started his own chanko nabe [typical stew for sumo wrestlers] restaurant. After that, he continued to be involved in sumo wrestling by opening sumo wrestling schools, teaching sumo wrestling, and managing tournaments.

He spent about seven years in the sumo world, chasing his dreams, experiencing things he had never done before, and spending time with his fellow sumo wrestlers as if they were his family. It is certain that his short time in the world of sumo wrestling had a great impact on the rest of his life.

Today, he …… my father leads a quiet life. From there, it is hard to imagine that he was once a sumo wrestler. Sometimes, however, I feel that sumo wrestling is still faintly alive in his life. When he turns his eyes to a sumo wrestling article in the corner of a local newspaper. When the manager of a trendy restaurant tells him that he is a junior member of the sumo-beya [a sumo wrestling organization] to which he was previously affiliated. When he does a shiko [typical sumo wrestler stamp] while walking. Each of these things seems to indicate that he is affirming his own life.