Tosatsu: Young Challenger Beats 77-Year-Old Master Gonzo Sawatari for the First Time
At the Shiomibashi Shopping District Tosatsu Club's monthly meet on the evening of the 28th, tile-throwing master Gonzo Sawatari, 77, lost to Yu Hatanaka, 20, a member in his second year, 9 boxes to 11 out of 12 tiles each. It was Sawatari's first loss at a monthly meet in roughly three years. "It wasn't so much the win I felt as how easy it was to just say 'you got me' and move on," Hatanaka said.
Gonzo Sawatari, 77, the master of the tile-throwing game tosatsu, lost to newcomer Yu Hatanaka, 20, at the Shiomibashi Shopping District Tosatsu Club's monthly meet on the evening of the 28th, 9 boxes to 11 out of 12 tiles each. It was Sawatari's first loss at a monthly meet in roughly three years. Hatanaka is in his second year with the club and practices only at its twice-weekly meets.
A longtime club member who watched the match said Sawatari held the lead into the final stretch before missing his boxes on three straight throws at the end. "I was bound to lose to a younger player eventually. It just happened to be today," Sawatari told this paper matter-of-factly, adding, "Losing badly doesn't do you any good going forward. Losing gracefully is part of the practice too."
"I don't really feel like I beat the master yet," Hatanaka said. "What I liked more was how easy it was to just say 'you got me' and have that be fine." Tosatsu is played year-round, though winter is its main season. The Shiomibashi club holds its meet monthly, with the next one set for mid-October.
