The cherry blossom viewing parties are right around the corner. When it is hanami season in Japan, it is time for sumo in Osaka. The Haru basho is hosted at the Edion Arena Osaka, also known as the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasiumin, in the Namba neighborhood. At this tournament, we have two rikishi new to silk mawashi and two rikishi returning to the paid ranks.
Ms3w Wakamotoharu (7-0) clinched his second makushita yusho with a perfect score. Any rikishi ranked at Makushita 15 or higher automatically gets promoted to Juryo with a perfect record (7-0). Wakamotoharu’s first Makushita yusho was way back at Nagoya 2013, less than two years from his maezumo or sumo debut. His maezumo was at Fukuoka basho in 2011. He had one more non-sekitori yusho, which interestingly was his second basho ever, at Hatsu 2012, where he yusho the Jonokuchi division, the 6th and lowest division in sumo.
With Wakamotoharu’s promotion to the paid ranks, we now have two Onami brothers that are sekitori at the same time. Both of them belong to Arashio beya. Watakakage was promoted after last year’s Osaka basho. They are the 20th pair of brothers who have been active sekitori at the same time. Their grandfather is none other than komusubi Wakabayama, who had a 19-year career in sumo, retiring in 1961. Hopefully, we will see one of these brothers take their grandfather’s shikona one day.
The brothers hail from Fukushima city in Fukushima prefecture. You may recall that when Wakakakage got the silk mawashi last year, he promised to do his best on behalf of his home prefecture, which suffered during the 2011 Tohoku disaster.
Ms1w Kiribayama (4-3) is the other rikishi who will wear a silk mawashi for the first time this March. He is the first sekitori at Michinoku beya since 2011, when Toyozakura retired from sumo. He will be the only sekitori from Michinoku beya this tournament. Oyakata Michinoku, ex-Ozeki Kirishima, must be very proud of having a sekitori in his heya.
Ms1e Daiseido (4-3) is our first returnee for this tourney. It was a tough journey back to the paid ranks of Daiseido. Starting so very close to the curtain, at Makushita 2 East, just third slots from Juryo, he posted three consecutive 4-3 results in 3 basho to finally break through the curtain.
Ms3e Takanofuji is our last rikishi going up to the paid ranks in Osaka. Whereas Daiseido posted three 4-3 records in a row, Takanofuji finished 5-2 in 3 consecutive tourneys to returned to the paid ranks within just one year.
For rikishi to step out in front of the curtain, other sekitori must go back behind it. At the end of the Hatsu Basho, we had 3 retirements; Kisenosato, Takanoiwa, and Takekaze. Finally, J13w Jokoryu managed a 5-9-1 record and that result has sent him back to Makushita. Jokoryu has been in sumo for almost 8 years, and this is his second time failing from the paid ranks and back to wearing a white cotton mawashi. Jokoryu reached the 4th highest rank in sumo, Komusubi, at the Aki basho 2014. At this stage, it seems doubtful he will reach those heights again. Let’s hope that Jokoryu is back in front of the curtain for the Natsu Basho in Tokyo.
Ms3w Wakamotoharu (7-0) clinched his second makushita yusho with a perfect score. Any rikishi ranked at Makushita 15 or higher automatically gets promoted to Juryo with a perfect record (7-0). Wakamotoharu’s first Makushita yusho was way back at Nagoya 2013, less than two years from his maezumo or sumo debut. His maezumo was at Fukuoka basho in 2011. He had one more non-sekitori yusho, which interestingly was his second basho ever, at Hatsu 2012, where he yusho the Jonokuchi division, the 6th and lowest division in sumo.
With Wakamotoharu’s promotion to the paid ranks, we now have two Onami brothers that are sekitori at the same time. Both of them belong to Arashio beya. Watakakage was promoted after last year’s Osaka basho. They are the 20th pair of brothers who have been active sekitori at the same time. Their grandfather is none other than komusubi Wakabayama, who had a 19-year career in sumo, retiring in 1961. Hopefully, we will see one of these brothers take their grandfather’s shikona one day.
The brothers hail from Fukushima city in Fukushima prefecture. You may recall that when Wakakakage got the silk mawashi last year, he promised to do his best on behalf of his home prefecture, which suffered during the 2011 Tohoku disaster.
Ms1w Kiribayama (4-3) is the other rikishi who will wear a silk mawashi for the first time this March. He is the first sekitori at Michinoku beya since 2011, when Toyozakura retired from sumo. He will be the only sekitori from Michinoku beya this tournament. Oyakata Michinoku, ex-Ozeki Kirishima, must be very proud of having a sekitori in his heya.
Ms1e Daiseido (4-3) is our first returnee for this tourney. It was a tough journey back to the paid ranks of Daiseido. Starting so very close to the curtain, at Makushita 2 East, just third slots from Juryo, he posted three consecutive 4-3 results in 3 basho to finally break through the curtain.
Ms3e Takanofuji is our last rikishi going up to the paid ranks in Osaka. Whereas Daiseido posted three 4-3 records in a row, Takanofuji finished 5-2 in 3 consecutive tourneys to returned to the paid ranks within just one year.
For rikishi to step out in front of the curtain, other sekitori must go back behind it. At the end of the Hatsu Basho, we had 3 retirements; Kisenosato, Takanoiwa, and Takekaze. Finally, J13w Jokoryu managed a 5-9-1 record and that result has sent him back to Makushita. Jokoryu has been in sumo for almost 8 years, and this is his second time failing from the paid ranks and back to wearing a white cotton mawashi. Jokoryu reached the 4th highest rank in sumo, Komusubi, at the Aki basho 2014. At this stage, it seems doubtful he will reach those heights again. Let’s hope that Jokoryu is back in front of the curtain for the Natsu Basho in Tokyo.
