大相撲ロンドン公演1991
来年10月15日〜19日、34年ぶりに大相撲がロンドン公演をすると聞いて、当時の熱狂を伝える「相撲」を取り寄せた。
「連日大入満員の盛況」で英国民の反応は「異文化への興味から賞賛へー」。Royal Albert Hall が天井桟敷一杯に埋まって、壮観。友好親善大使群には曙や小錦のような巨大の米国人🇺🇸力士もいて、英国プレスをさばいている。現地で人気最高はウルフ(当時既に元横綱千代の富士！)
人気沸騰で急遽拵えた立見席200枚がダフ屋出現で前半一席7.5£から後半300£にまでハネ上がったとか。
ウルフ人気は、遡ること1991年より15年前1976年に(当時の)高見山(アメリカ人力士)と訪英したことを記憶していた英国人の記憶ゆえとのこと。まだまだ相撲タイムカプセル、楽しめそうです！
Sumo wrestlers will be returning to London for the first time in 34 years, with performances scheduled from October 15 to 19 next year. Intrigued, I ordered a copy of Sumo magazine that captures the excitement from 1991.
The event was described as being “a massive success with sold-out crowds every day,” and the British audience’s reaction evolved from “curiosity to admiration.” The sight of the Royal Albert Hall packed to the rafters was truly spectacular. Among the goodwill ambassadors were towering American sumo wrestlers like Akebono and Konishiki, who skillfully handled the British press. However, the most popular figure locally was Wolf (the retired former Yokozuna Chiyonofuji by that time).
The soaring popularity even led to the creation of 200 standing-only tickets, which scalpers sold at dramatically inflated prices—from £7.50 per seat in the early days to £300 in the later stages.
Wolf’s popularity, it seems, could be traced back to a visit in 1976, 15 years earlier, when the then-Takamiyama (another American wrestler) toured the UK. The British fans’ memories of that time likely fueled their enthusiasm.
It seems there’s plenty more to enjoy from this sumo time capsule!