From a Town On the Hudson
“However, I thought he was a professional worthy of being praised.
At 7:30 P.M., Saturday, June 15th, 1985, the seats of Madison Square Garden were filled. The opening ceremony for the second day of the three-day grand sumo tournament in New York had begun. Everyone rose. As soon as the first part of Japan's "Kimigayo" sounded, the noise of the crowd in the large hall ebbed away. I recognized the voice of popular baritone singer Sumito Tachikawa. He looked very neat in a formal, black Japanese kimono and was singing near the dohyo (the raised sand-and-clay ring where sumo wrestlers fight) in the center of the pit. The middle-aged singer, who stood erect, seemed to overwhelm the tens of thousands of spectators with his sonorous voice before his appearance attracted their attention. The song affected me strongly at once. I wondered if it was nostalgia, but it seemed different. The stillness of the hall as well seemed distinguished from a mere sense of respect for the national anthem.
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