Interview with Ootake Oyakata

Interview with Ootake Oyakata (former Takatoriki)
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-What type of leadeship will you be receiving from
Taiho oyakata?

O: Actually he is complaining of my lack of
preparation already.  He always plans everything in
advance and never neglects preparation. Like "always 
hitting the ground several times before crossing the
stone bridge..."  

For instance if there is a supporters party, he will
start preparing for it six months ahead and if there
is something missing he will be making sure to fix it
by himself.  That's why he never makes a mistake.  

When we were flying to Fukuoka (for the Kyushu Basho),
I managed to get to the airport just prior to the
departure time but my father-in-law was already at an
airport lounge two hours ahead. He says, "You 
never know what or whom you may enoucouter".  

He is now 63 years old. While I was growin up, I've
have not known of his active career.  But I believe
his distigushed active career was literally the medal
of honor he earned through his sheer perseverance and
through preparation.         

--Currently Taiho Beya is a small household with six
recruits. And at the end of December you will be
staging a "Taiho Dojo/Ootake Beya Reception Party" at
a Tokyo area hotel to kickstart the new heya.  What
are your thoughts at the moment?     

O: Considering my father-in-law's age, I knew I would
have to inherit the heya someday, I was prepared
mentally. To be honest, we have a small number of
recruits. However rather than taking over an
over-abundant heya, I feel I can be more motivated to
work hard when I can build from a scratch and can do
things in my own way. 

--It appears that you have two shishos.

O: No, that's not correct. My dear Shisho is
Futagoyama oyakata (former Ozeki Takanohana).  After I
left home at the age of 15, he was the man who has
taught me everthing about life.  Taiho oyakata is a 
great senior, and father to my wife and me as well as
a grandfather to my four kids.  Even now every evening
we have a few drinks together. My father-in-law
suffered a stroke at the age of 36, the same age as I
am now, and since then he has not been able to use his
limbs to full extent. Despite the handicaps he is
working extremely hard and doing his best. I really
admire him.         

--Since your retirement from active career last
Akibasho and start working as an oyakata with Taiho
Beya, what have you learned from Taiho oyakata through
the training sessions?  

O: That just building large muscles visual from
outside surface is a cause of injuries.  Simply
lifting barbells will not strengthen those lean
muscles connecting the major muscles. I learned that
by using your own weight by doing "shikos" and
"teppos", the exercises that are carried over through
the many generations, you can build a body that 
can sustain a long active sumo career.

--Your recruit, Roho, from Russia is a new Juryo.
Other recruits are also all young and in their early
20s. What are your aspirations as the oyakata?

O: Both Roho and his brother (Makushita Hakurozan)
came from Russia alone and there is noone else in
Japan they can can depend on.  Kids like them can
endure enormous hardships so we get them go through
rather brutal training regimen, like even hitting them
occasionally.  That would surely get them stronger in
the end.  

However that would not work at all with most kids we
have today.  This may be a bit of over-generalization
but nowdays if we ever raise our voice a little too
loud, we get a kid coming over and saying he will be
quitting.  So I intend to first find out their 
personality and then provide them with a coaching and
instruction with love.     
   
--What about pressures of taking over the Taiho name?

O:I will be builing my own "Ootake Beya" by
introducing those good points that I was blessed to
receive from my Shisho and father-in-law. So I won't
have any pressure at all. I have so many things to
teach to the recruits that I have no time to think
about such things.