The first time I saw sumo wrestling was in San Jose in the ’90s, and for a week before the match, it was like the world stopped.
As a reporter at the Mercury News, we followed the wrestlers everywhere: where they slept, what they ate. They were like rock stars—or, to make a modern comparison, like baseball player Shohei Ohtani today, or Paul McCartney in Japan.
Writer Ryan Masters spent years abroad, including a stint in Japan where he became fascinated with sumo.
“In 1995, I spent a month or so in Tokyo,” he writes. “My parents were living there at the time, and we watched a lot of the championship tournament on TV. My dad and I became deeply invested in the sport and, over the course of the two-week tournament, we drank loads of beer and watched the first American grand champion, Akebono, narrowly lose to the Japanese-born grand champion Takanohana.
“I fell in love with the sport’s pageantry, its ancient traditions, the way the bouts were all instant, intense action. Every second counted in the sumo ring. It was also crazy to me that there were no weight classes. Some of these dudes were out there fighting purely with technique. I loved how fast these large men could move and how they looked like enormous trees when they toppled. Now, more than 30 years later, I look forward to seeing it in person right here in Santa Cruz!”
It was really a celebration of what it meant to be Japanese, he added when we talked. The action seemed simple, but it’s really not. It’s nuanced. You see the strategy after you watch a few matches.
In other news, there is so much going on locally the next few weeks, it’s impossible to see it all. Santa Cruz Guitars is having a 50th anniversary celebration at the Rio Theatre, with music and a free afternoon fair featuring more music and food. It’s an internationally famous local business that draws artists from around the world. I once played with David Knopfler from Dire Straits, and the first thing he did when he got here was buy a premium model.
In a feel-good brief on this page, a 10-year-old is putting on a get-together at Charlie Hong Kong’s on Saturday. Love it.
Finally, I want to make sure Shelby Graham gets credit for last week’s cover photo of Jonathan Franzen, who packed Bookshop Santa Cruz on Sunday for a book signing and celebration of the 25th anniversary of his novel, The Corrections.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
BEAR NECESSITIES This must be a new UCSC student, looking appropriately Sluggish, checking out his new town from a bench on campus. I could bear-ly contain my love of Santa Cruz in all its wild and crazy forms. Photograph by Ross Levoy.
GOOD IDEA
Join GO Santa Cruz and Ecology Action for a Bike Commuting 101 workshop on Thursday, Sept. 17, at noon at Ibiza Downtown or virtually via Zoom. For in-person attendees, lunch from Ibiza is on us!
Staff from Ecology Action will share the need-to-knows of bike commuting, troubleshoot your commute and after-work errands, and help cyclists of all levels plan for a safe and satisfying ride. Free bike helmets and bike lights are available for attendees.
GOOD WORK
“Heal the World” was created by Dotty, a local 10-year-old, around a simple idea: she wants people to share more love and kindness with the world.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, from 2–7 p.m., Charlie Hong Kong will help bring Dotty’s idea to life with a community gathering centered around exactly that—love, kindness, music, creativity and connection.
Dotty will open the event by singing a couple of songs with her friends. Surf City Line Dance will join around 3 p.m. for music and line dancing, followed by local band Not Yet Old Dog around 3:30 p.m. and others. There will be face painting, along with food for purchase, music, dancing and plenty of opportunities to simply spend time together as a community.
