Chanko


Chanko is a dish cooked by sumo wrestlers and it is not a special one kind of food.
The most popular chanko is Chanko-nabe.
(Nabe means one-pot dish. It's cooked at a table and served from the pot directly.)

There are a variety of chanko-nabe such as miso flavor, soy sauce, salt,
beef, chicken, pork, etc.
Maybe each Heya (stable) has its own flavor.

Chanko are served by sumo wrestlers


Etymology of "chanko"

After Hitachiyama Taniemon (1874-1922) became Ozeki (high ranking wrestler following Yokozuna) in 1901,
he made his heya (stable), Dewanoumi-beya, a prosperous stable.
He was very popular and the number of pupils had increased.
He decided to bring his friend from his home town of Mito over to his stable in Tokyo for a cookout.
It was a hard job to cook for lots of big eaters.
He then brought over his son to help him.
His son always asked his father one question after another, such as
"Chan (Daddy), is this fish filleted ?"or "Chan, taste this."or " Chan, ...." etc.
At last "Chan (Daddy) Ko (children/son)" became sumo wrestlers' slang which means meal.

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Chanko Party/Chanko-kai


anko-gata (fat sumo wrestler) and
sop-gata(thin sumo wrestler).
Anko means angler fish and
Sop means soup.
Sop is thin like a chicken bone
for making soup stock..
smile with a Mongolian
sumo wrestler!

Gambatte !

Gottsuan's !
'Thank you' in sumo words
After the chanko dinner


Tokusegawa with Nagoya Univ. international students.
June 23, 2007


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Chanko Restaurant 
Chanko Yatai   Open only during the Nagoya-basho Tournament
in Aichi Pref. Gym.		  Yagura

Official website is here		  3-19-1, Tateyama-cho, Konan C. Aichi Pref.
TEL: 0566-48-8500
Hours: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-23:00
Closed: Mondays, 3rd Tuesday
Manager: Former sumo wrestler, Miyanohana 宮之花
       
       


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Tips
Sumo wrestlers eat chicken-chanko-nabe (*Soppu-daki) on the first and last day of each tournament.
Chicken stands on two feet. It means they don't touch their hands on the ground.
In the sumo fight, landing on hand(s) spells defeat for them.
This is a sumo wrestlers' superstition/験担ぎgenkatsugi..
*Soppu is a lean sumo wrestler, the opposit word of "anko"of fat wrestler, who looks like a chicken bones.

On the basement of the Ryogoku-Kokugikan両国国技館 in Tokyo (Gym for national sports),
there is a "yakitori factory" !!! :D




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