Behind the Curtain - July 2023

It is time to journey to Nagoya for the July Basho.  We have five rikishi stepping out from behind the curtain this tourney.

 

Ms1e Shiden (4-3) got a kachikoshi from the first slot of Makushita to guarantee his wearing of the silk mawashi this basho.  This is his second time getting promoted to the paid ranks.  However, the last time, he didn’t get to do one bout at Juryo because he reprimanded from the Kyokai for going gambling and did not even gamble, but got suspended by his Oyakata, causing him to drop back to Makushita, again, without having a single bout.

 

Shiden was born in Machida, Tokyo.  His grandfather loved sumo and influenced him to join a local sumo dojo at a very young age. He attended Oyamada-minami Elementary School where he won a local child sumo tournament in the fourth grade. He went on to attend Machida Shiritsu Oyamada Junior High School where he wrestled in multiple national competitions. After graduating junior high school, he studied abroad at Saitama Sakae High School and was a member of the school's prestigous sumo club. During his third year, he won the national group sumo championship with his school and also notched a strong record in the individual competitions. Upon graduating from high school, he enrolled at Nihon University's College of Commerce and was also a member of the university's sumo club. However, he did not win any major titles during his time in collegiate-level sumo. Nevertheless, he opted to turn professional upon graduation from college.

 

Ms1w Kawazoe (5-2) put up 5 wins to get promoted to Juryo.  He was born in Uto, Kumamoto, and he began sumo wrestling during his time at Hanazono Elementary School. In his third year at Uto Kakujo Junior High School, Kawazoe won both the National Junior High School Sumo Championship Lightweight Class and the Hakuho Cup. For high school, Kawazoe attended Buntoku Gakuen Gymnasium where he performed well on the national stage. After graduating, he enrolled at Nihon University's College of Humanities and Sciences where he studied physical education. During his college career, Kawazoe won a total of four titles, including the National Student Sumo Championship which made him eligible for makushita tsukedashi. Upon graduating, Kawazoe joined Miyagino stable.

 

Ms2w Shishi (6-1) had a near perfect record to be able to step in front of the curtain.  Sergey Sokolovsky was born in Ukraine and grew up in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He began wrestling at the age of 6 and won many amateur tournaments. He transitioned to sumo at the age of fifteen and won the European championship. He was runner-up in the 2018 World Sumo Championships. He joined Irumagawa stable in November 2019 but did not make his debut until March 2020.

 

Ms3w Chiyonoumi (4-3) managed to get moved up the banzuke to the paid ranks with a simple kachikoshi.  He was born in Kuroshia, a small town in Kochi Prefecture. He attended Kochi Prefectural Sukumo High School and belonged to their sumo club. He enrolled in Nippon Sport Science University and joined their sumo club. His most memorable college match was against Endo, a future makuuchi division wrestler, who he beat in a team competition. Endo was a 4th year student (senior), and Hamamachi was only a 2nd year student (sophomore). As a senior, Hamamichi was team captain in the National Student Sumo Championship tournament and led them to a team championship.

 

Ms5e Yuma (5-2) managed to get the open slot in Juryo to get to wear a silk mawashi this basho. He was born the second of three sons in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. He started sumo wrestling during his fifth year of elementary school and participated at the National Wanpaku Sumo Tournament later that year. 

He attended Hirakata Municipal Nakamiya Junior High School, however, from his second year the school's sumo club was suspended, so he continued his training at Kindai University High School's sumo club. After graduating junior high school, Nakao was introduced to Onomatsu stable by the director of Kindai University High School's sumo club.

 

To make space in the paid ranks for these rikishi the following changes took place.  J5e Tochinoshin retired. His intai and Ichinojo’s create two openings in the second division. Two more slots will be vacated by winless veteran J9w Chiyonokuni (0-10-5), who may be next on the intai watch, and Juryo debutant J14e Tokihayate (6-9).

Behind the Curtain - May 2023

 The cherry blossoms left us after the Haru basho, and now after the Golden Week holidays we get to the Natsu basho.  Who is stepping in front of the curtain this tourney?

Chiyosakae Eita Ms 2w (5-2) posted a strong result to put on the silk mawashi for the 2nd time.  He spent half of 2022 in a silk mawashi.  Chiyo is from Fukuchiyama, Kyoto.  He debuted in January 2009.  He is a member of the Kokonoe-Beya.

Chiyosakae was born in the town of Kasuga (currently the city of Tamba) in Hyogo prefecture. Chiyosakae began practicing judo at the age of 3 and attended judo classes while in elementary school. During his fifth year of elementary school, Chiyosakae began attending judo classes in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, and would use this as his official birthplace when joining professional sumo. He attended Sanda Municipal Ai Junior High School in Sanda, Hyogo, before transferring to Fukuchiyama Municipal Nisshin Junior High School in Kyoto during his second year. During his time in school, Kishi won many prefectural judo tournaments. After graduating from Kyoto Kyoei Gakuen High School, the director of Kishi's high school judo club recommended that he join professional sumo since he was a fan of ozeki Chiyotaikai. Chiyosakae agreed and subsequently joined Kokonoe stable.

Fujiseiun Tatsuki Ms 2e (4-3) just cleared the hurdle of a kachikoshi result to make it to the paid ranks for the first time.  Fuji is from Kumamoto City, Kumamoto-ken.  He debuted in March 2021.  He is a member of the Fujishima-beya.  

Fujiseiun started sumo wrestling during his first year at Kawachi Elementary School, but stopped sumo wrestling in his third year and played baseball from his fourth year to sixth year. He then attended Kumamoto Shiritsu Kawachi Junior High School where he was a member of the judo club. He went on to attend Buntoku Gakuen Gymnasium and was a member of the school's sumo club. He continued his sumo career at Meiji University where he made top 32 at the Kokutai Sumo Tournament.

After graduating university in 2020, Fujiseiun got a job with Toppan, a printing company, and was planning to work at a factory in Saitama prefecture while simultaneously continuing his sumo career at the corporate level. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic he could not participate in training or tournaments so he decided to go pro instead.

Tokihayate Hideki Ms 3e (4-3) got his 4th win to secure a visit in front of the curtain.  He is from Kurihara, Miyagi-ken.  He made his debut in March 2019.  He is a wrestler from Tokitsukaze-beya.

Tokihayate began sumo wrestling during his second year of elementary school because he was bigger than most of his other classmates. In addition to sumo, he also participated in soccer and volleyball, but after entering junior high school, Tokihayate solely focused on sumo. For high school, he attended Miyagiken Kogotanorinkoto School where he finished third at the National High School Sumo Championship during his third year.

Behind the Curtain - March 2023

The cherry blossoms are on their way coming up Honshu from the south and may reach Osaka in time for the basho. This basho we have 4 rikishi stepping in front of the curtain, 2 returnees, and 2 newcomers. 

Tokyushoryu Ms2w (4-3) finished his one basho visit to the unpaid ranks and is our first returnee. 

Tomokaze Ms2e (4-3) is a former Maegashira 3 but suffered a terrible leg injury in 2019, dropping him behind the curtain. He is our second returnee of this basho.

Tamashoho Ms1e (4-3) is a Mongolian rikishi who is the brother-in-law and stablemate of Tamawashi. After 11 years in sumo, he is making his sekitori debut this basho. He beat Asanoyama in November to secure the Makushita Yusho at that basho.

Ochiai Ms15 TD (tsukedashi) (7-0) won the Makushita Yusho. Being ranked in the top 15 slots, means automatic promotion to the paid ranks, though there was some question of this rule applying to him. In a previous Ms15 TD zensho, the rikishi was not promoted to Juryo, due probably to a lack of open slots. Since he started sumo at Ms15 TD, he will be a sekitori in only his second tourney, and without a chomage but a crew cut.

For these 4 rikishi to step in front of the curtain, four rikishi have to trade their silk mawashi for cotton and get behind the curtain.

One of the four slots opened when Okinoumi retired from sumo, becoming an oyakata. The other 3 slots were opened by rikishi that managed 5-10 records at the Tokyo basho; J12w Kaisho, J11e Chiyosakae, and J10w Terutsuyoshi.

Behind the Curtain - March 2022

Spring is in the air so it must be time for the Osaka Basho. At this Basho we have 2 new faces and 2 returnees to the silk belt. Let’s get rolling with the new faces first.

Atamifuji Ms1w 4-3, Isegahama-beya, Shizuoka, 19 years old. Born Takei Sakutaro in Chiba, he moved to Atami and his shikona is a nod to his hometown. He joined Isegahama stable at age of 18. Atami has a very controlled approach to his bouts and doesn't seem to get fazed much by anything. He belongs in Juryo and ought to have an extended stay.

Shimazuumi Ms2w 4-3, Hanaregoma-beya, Kagoshima, 25 years old. Shimazuumi, formerly known as Nakazono, is from the new Hanaregoma-beya. Shimanoumi's first appearance in juryo ended in failure as he won only four of his fifteen matches and was relegated back to makushita. Competing towards the top of the third division for the rest of 2016 and throughout 2017 he performed consistently before a 5-2 result in January 2018 secured his second promotion to Juryo.  After stepping behind the curtain again, he has been close to the curtain for over a year now, and he finally nailed it after three consecutive kachi-koshi basho. He has been in sumo since 2012. He's been in Makushita consistently since 2017. It took him 5 years but he is finally in the paid ranks.

Takakentou Ms3e 4-3, Tokiwayama-beya, Kumamoto, 25 years old, 2nd promotion, back after 2 basho. He made his debut in January 2014 and currently wrestles for Tokiwayama stable. He reached the Juryo division in March 2021. His highest rank as of 2022 is Juryo 4. Now he returns to wearing the silk mawashi. He ought to be able to get beyond Juryo 4 in a couple of tournaments.

Ryuuden Ms5e 6-1, Takadagawa-beya, Yamanashi, 31 years old, 3rd promotion, back after 3 basho, former komusubi. He made his professional debut in March 2006 and reached the top makuuchi division in January 2018. He was the youngest of three brothers and had a background in judo. However, he was persuaded by the former sekiwake Akinoshima, a coach at Takadagawa stable who was visiting his junior high school to scout a judo classmate, to give sumo a try. Ryuden gradually rose the ranks through the lower divisions and reached the makushita division in March 2008 at the young age of 17. He bounced back and forth between makushita and sandanme for a couple of months, before becoming a makushita regular beginning in November 2008. In July 2009, Ryuden produced a 6-1 record and was placed in an eight-man playoff for the makushita yusho, however, he lost to Sotairyu in the first round. He reached the makuuchi division in January 2018 and has two special prizes. His highest rank as of 2021 is komusubi.

My Introduction to Sumo

My introduction to sumo was twofold. When I was a kid in Honolulu, the Japanese superhero shows were super popular. Before the show started, if it was basho time, there would be sumo highlights. I wasn't interested but I had a glimmer of what it was about from KIKU TV, channel 13. Then in 1990, I left America to work in Japan. My homestay family helped me find a job. My flatmate introduced me to foreign friends, that circle of friends grew and I meet an American on a 1-year assignment, Andy. Andy was a sports freak, he wanted to see every sport live. He asked me about sumo. I had no clue. We started getting in line for tickets and kept failing. Finally, we got in line before the JR trains started running, and landed last row tickets. That first time sealed it, I was hooked. The atmosphere of a basho, the bouts, the people meeting and people watching. It turns out my neighborhood in Koto-Ku was near many stables. So we would write a letter, asking if we could visit morning practice. A couple of times we got a reply. It was a blast. Later on, I had lady friends who dated junior sumo wrestlers from Hawaii. That got me into the inner circle, all the Hawaiian wrestlers called me Kawika and I started to hang out with the lower-ranked Hawaiian wrestlers. That got me the opportunity to show Konishiki how to use the laptop he got for his birthday. I also went to Akihabara with Akebono's tsubeito and brought his first laptop. Later I took Yamato and his tsubeito to Akihabara to buy his first laptop. I was lucky to have been from Hawaii. I was lucky to have lived in Koto-ku. I was lucky that I had friends that wanted to go to sumo and would wait in line with me from 4:45 am to get tickets. As time went by, I would organize groups of 10-20 or more to see sumo. I learned to buy from the box office, if you buy more than 20 you get a discount, after filling out some paperwork, which I couldn't really read 100%, but they helped me fill out anyway. I was able to watch sumo practice at Musashigawa beya, and with his manager's help, get box seat tickets. I have attended the big stable party on senshuraku. Sumo is a big part of my life. Not to mention, in the late 90s, I decided that I could do the play-by-play on the foreign channel of NHK for sumo. I approached the writers of Sumo World for an introduction. I get one, but I became a columnist for Sumo World. I have a regular column that reviews the newly promote or returning rikishiki to sekitori. So that is a summary of my introduction to sumo. Please reach out to me with any feedback or questions. Mahalo, Kawika

Behind the Curtain - July 2021

 Good news!  The July basho will be held in Nagoya.  The rijicho said "We will hold the Nagoya basho and it will be a success. We will make sure that the sumo culture will not be forgotten around the country." It will be the first time in a year and four months that a local basho will be held. It was held in March 2020 in Osaka but with no spectators. It will be the first local basho with fans since November 2019. The number of spectators will be limited to 3800, half the capacity in Nagoya. "All Kyokai members will undergo PCR tests and only negative people will be allowed to travel to Nagoya. Stringent measures similar to the Kokugikan will be taken at the venue to prevent infection. As a general rule, going out from the lodgings will be strictly forbidden, " summed Hakkaku rijicho.

What does this mean?  The lucky rikishi stepping from behind the curtain will step on the Nagoya dohyo and not the dohyo in Kokugikan.  Who are these lucky rikishi?  We have one new face entering Juryo and 3 returnees to sekitori.

Kotoukuzan (ms 1e) racked up a 5 - 2 record to move upwards.  Koto is interesting since he from the Philippines.  His name is Jasper Kenneth.  His mother is Catherine and his father is Japanese.  His father was the one who encouraged Jasper to join sumo.  He lived in the Philippines until he was 12 years old.  He entered sumo at 15 years old.  He debuted in makushita at 20 years old.  He is a pusher-thruster who models himself after Mitakeumi and Chiyotaikai.  Interestingly his least favorite class in school was Japanese.  Also, his least favorite food is natto.  Thanks to his mom, who sometimes brings Filipino food to the heya, so he is not homesick for Filpino food.   

Abi (ms 7e ) scored 7 - 0 to take the makushita yusho and thereby putting on the silk mawashi back on.  Abi was stuck behind the curtain for 4 basho since his demotion.  You may recall that a year ago, Abi stepped out for a night out during the last basho, when there are strict orders not to do so, particularly with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.   This lead to his suspension, which ended with a demotion to makushita.

Yago (ms 4w) managed a 4 - 3 to step out from the curtain after wearing a cotton mawashi for the last 2 basho.  Yago was a college sumo champion who entered sumo at makushita tsukedashi 15.  He hails from Hokkaido.

Kaishou (ms 2w) notched a 6 - 1 to get his silk mawashi back after 18 months.

Behind the Curtain - May 2021

 The cherry blossom season is behind us, Golden Week has arrived and it is time for sumo at Kokugikan. Joining the rikishi with silk mawashi are two returnees for this basho, Oho Konosuke and Daishoho Kiyohiro are in the paid ranks once again.

Oho (Ms2e) posted a 4-3 record to secure his return to Juryo. Taihō's grandson continues to show us that he has sekitori DNA in his body. Oho won his 4 bouts primarily via his tsuki/oshi technique, which is pushing and thrusting. In general, Oho most common winning technique or kimarite is oshidashi, known as straightforward push out. His father, Takatoriki, was also a big oshidashi fighter.

The last time he was promoted to the paid ranks, his Oyakata changed his shikona from Naya to Oho (王鵬) which means King Peng (phoenix). 

Oho is the third of four sons and his father was the sekitori Takatoriki. And of course, his mother is the 48th yokozuna Taiho’s daughter. In his fourth year at Arima Elementary School, he was the runner-up in the national tournament.

Oho attended Saitama Sakae High School that has a strong sumo program. One of his classmates with the future Kotoshoho. In Oho’s third year at high school, he won both the group and individual championships on the national level. After high school, he joined Otake stable, which was founded by his grandfather. 

Fun fact. Oho is also the second third-generation sumo wrestler after Kotonowaka to become a sekitori.

Daishōhō (Ms2w) notched 5 wins and 2 losses to punch his return ticket to the paid ranks. Now where Oho is a pusher, Daishōhō is a traditional grappler, with his main technique yotsu sumo. Over his career, he has won mostly via tori-kiri or force out. He is also a right hand grip the mawashi kind of guy, migh-yotsu.

Daishōhō spent his childhood in Ulan-Bator and was a good student. He was sent to Japan to study after his fourth-grade year seeking a better education. He attended Kashiwa City Daini Elementary School and after 3 months he was able to speak basic Japanese.

Daishōhō attended Chiba Prefectural Nagareyama Minami High School. One of his classmates with future makuuchi wrestler Abi. In the New Year Chiba Prefecture sumo tournament, Daishōhō led his school to a team championship for the first time in 19 years. The next year the in the national competition he lost to sekiwake Ichinojo . Daishōhō would train with the Meiji University sumo club. Daishōhō graduated at the top of his class academically. It was in high school where he was introduced to Oitekaze Oyakata. Eventually, Daishōhō joined Oitekaze stable.

Fun fact. Daishōhō was the 25th Mongolian to be promoted to makuuchi.

Behind the Curtain - September 2020

 COVID-19 is still part of our day to day lives, but at least sumo keeps going, and we have another basho with butts in seats, although with limited attendance. After all this time, semi self-isolating, it is a treat to have sumo to watch for 15 days. We have a couple of newcomers to the sekitori ranks, along with two returnees.

Kitaharima Ms3w (5-2) is coming out from behind the curtain after dropping out of Juryo back in 2017. He made his professional debut in March 2002. To date, his highest rank has been maegashira 15. He wrestles for Yamahibiki stable, which is run by ex-yokozuna Kitanoumi. Interestingly enough, He is a member of the generation born between April 1986 and April 1987 (Showa 61) known as the "Flower of 61" that also includes yokozuna Kisenosato, ōzeki Gōeidō, and sekiwake Myōgiryū.

Chiyonokuni Ms12w (7-0) got the Makushita yusho with his perfect record. As you may know, if you get a perfect record ranked Makushita 15 or above, it is just about guaranteed you get to step out from behind the curtain.  He fights for Kokonoe beya, run by ex-yokozuna Chiyonofuji. He has the highest rank of maegashira 1. He got hurt and fell all the way down to Sandanme in 2015. This time around, he is returning to Juryo after stepping behind the curtain last year. Interesting story, when sumo took a black eye from the baseball gambling scandal, that uncovered a match-fixing scandal, Chiyonokuni, along with many other upper makushita wrestlers was promoted to salaried ranks of jūryō for July 2011 though his actual performance so far would have not merited promotion. Chiyonokuni had very mixed feelings about the scandal and admitted it felt surreal to be promoted to jūryō under such strange circumstances. Chiyonokuni did however exceed expectations and about recorded three strong winning tournaments in a row to earn promotion to the top makuuchi division in January 2012.

Ouki Ms2w (5-2) will wear a silk mawashi for the first time! He hails from Shikoroyama beya. This stable is the center of some drama because sekitori Abi stepped out for a night out during the last basho, when there are strict orders not to do so, particularly with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ouki promotion may be a small consolation for Shikoroyama oyakata, ex-sekiwake Terao, who established this stable in February 2004. I am pretty sure it is kitty-corner from the Denny’s in Morishita.

Nishikifuji Ms3e (5-2) is the first time visiting the paid ranks this basho. His promotion was a big deal back home in Aomori, where many great rikishi have hailed from. Usually, rikishi from the unpaid ranks do not have lots of freedom to travel, yet his oyakata escorted him back home for the big celebration, where Nishikifuji reported his jury promotion in person the mayor of Towada, which is Nishikifuji hometown. Fun fact pointed out by some online sumo pundits, we know have sekitori that shares the exact same kanji characters, only in a different order, called 錦富士 and 富士錦.

Behind the Curtain - March 2020

Wow, no audience at the Haru Basho in Osaka! How many things can change between two Basho. Sumo is only following the trend, the Japanese baseball league has decided to play the remaining 72 games without fans, watering down the home-team advantage. 8 years ago, the same Osaka was canceled, the first time a basho had been canceled in over 50 years, because of exposure of Yaocho.

Lots of action at the Curtain after the Hatsu Basho, only one newcomer to the silk mawashi, along with 4 returnees.

Ms2e Midorifuji (5-2) is a first-timer going into the Osaka Basho. Midorifuji-zeki belongs to, Isegahama-beya, hails from Shizuoka and is 23 years old. At 168 cm and 91 kg, he is one of the smaller rikishi in sumo. Rikishi under 100 kg tend to have strong fan followings since they come across as the underdog in each bout, not mention their speed, the main advantage they have, makes for very exciting sumo.

Ms3w Chiyonoumi (5-2) is back from behind the curtain for the 2nd time. He has spent the last two tourneys wearing a cotton mawashi. Chiyo is rikishi at the Kokonoe-beya, hence the Chiyo in his shikona, because the stablemaster of Kokonoe is famous Chiyonofuji. His home prefecture is Kochi-ken, and he has lots of sumo in front of him, he is only 27 years old.

Ms1w Wakamotoharu (6-1) has returned to the paid ranks for the 3rd time.  Wakano is somewhat a social media star, he was cautioned by the Sumo Kyokai, along with Abi for a video they posted on Instagram. If you forget, in the video, they 2 use adhesive tape to tie the other's legs together and stick it on the mouth. Funny but the NSK did not agree. Wakano's home prefecture is Fukushima-ken. He is another young Turk at 26 years old. He is a member of Arashio stable. Interestingly, Arashio oyakata will be 65 years old by the time you read this and will have retired. Keep a lookout for his successor. The best bet is that Sokokurai will get the nod since he now has his Japanese citizenship. He hails from Inner Mongolia, China.

Ms4w Hakuyouzan (6-1) is also making his 3rd appearance in front of the curtain. His first time to wear the silk mawashi was back at Natsu Basho 2018.

Ms4e Akiseyama (4-3) just slipped into the paid ranks. It is his 7th time to put on the silk mawashi. You would think that it is some kind of record, yet he has only the 3rd most promotions to Juryo. Sumanofuji was promoted 8 times to the paid ranks, managing to stay sekitori for 19 tourneys, and never ranked higher than J9. The record-holder is Kizenryu, he was promoted 9 times over 9 basho in the silk mawashi. In his case, each time he reached Juryo, he got make-koshi the following tourney, and went back to Makushita! You can still find on the banzuke, he is ranked at ms11w this basho.

Behind the Curtain - November 2019

The year is coming to a close, and the last basho is held in Fukuoka.  At this tournament, we have two rikishi new to silk mawashi and one rikishi returning to the paid ranks.

Ms2e Akua (6-1) returned to Juryo after spending a year back behind the curtain.  Akua is a little long in the tooth, having debuted on the dohyo at Fukuoka 2010 basho.  He will be 30 next November, so now is the time to climb up while his body can still handle it.

Ms4w Kotoshoho (4-3) got the bare minimum of wins to break through the curtain and put on the silk mawashi.  He has had an impressive climb to sekitori.  He debuted 2 years ago at Fukuoka.  He has only had a losing record once, just once.  He turned 20 years this year, so he is all lined up to have a very fruitful career as a sekitori.  It will tough to win 8 his first time in Juryo but it is possible. 

Ms5e Hoshoryu (4-3) also only won 4 and just slipped in front of the curtain.  Like Kotoshoho, he has only had a losing record once.  And like Kotoshoho, his future as a sekitori is very bright indeed.  And he is somewhat of a celebrity already, since his uncle is Asashoryu.  The writer is very excited about seeing his nephew have a successful career in sumo, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if he could fight to a tsuna.  OK, premature though it is a nice scenario to dream about.

With 3 rikishi moving upward and becoming sekitori, we have 3 rikishi turning in their silk mawashi for the white cotton mawashi.

J5w Takanofuji (0-0-15) is having a brutal time of it because of his bad behavior in September.  He finds himself at Ms5w, and if he gets to compete for this basho, he can get back to the paid ranks at Kokugikan in 2020.  If you missed Takanofuji’s screw-up, here is an excerpt.

“Nihon Sumo Kyokai announced that Takanofuji, Juryo 5, committed an act of violence against his tsukebito, a Jonidan wrestler, and as a result would be absent from the Aki basho. Chiganoura Oyakata reported to the Kyokai that the incident occurred after returning to Chiganoura-beya following the August 31 Soken. The basho absence is not a punishment on the part of the Kyokai, but a voluntary decision by Chiganoura Oyakata.”

His oyakata made the right move, voluntarily staying out of the Aki basho, and it cost him his silk mawashi.  The writer has some difficulty with the crackdown.  There is some hazy in sumo and perhaps out of hand, yet it is the culture.  The writer does believe that this behavior does not align with today’s morals, yet one of the attractions of sumo is that it is not from this period.  It is one of the three Japanese subcultures that attempts to remain the way it has been for 300 years or more.

J11w Chiyonoumi (2-13) had a terrible record at Kokugikan and tumbles into Makushita.  It lands at Ms6e, which makes getting back in front of the curtain possible.  Notice that Hoshoryu reached sekitori winning just 4 bouts from Ms5e.

J14e Asagyokusei (5-10) fell from his highest rank in his entire career.  It only drops to Ms2e, well within striking ranging to start 2020 in the paid ranks.

So as we close 2019 with the Fukuoka basho, of the rikishi in Juryo from the good results at Kokugikan, will one of them reach sanyaku?  Could one of this rikishi become our next yokozuna?

Behind the Curtain - May 2019

It is the beginning of a new era, the Reiwa Era.  It is auspicious time to step out in front of the curtain, especially for the first time.  For the Natsu Basho, we have one rikishi who will have the honor of making his sekitori debut this tourney.  Along with him, we have two returnees to the paid ranks.  Our debutante is making his way into Juryo after exactly 12 years in sumo.

Irodori hails from Saitama prefecture.  He is a member of the Shikoroyama stable.  The stablemaster is none other ex-Sekiwake Terao.  Irodori has two sekitori stablemates, Seiro and Abi.  Seiro is making a return to the paid ranks this tournament.  Irodori has had a long climb up the banzuke to reach the Juryo division.  He made his Makushita debut 8 years ago!  Irodori was East Makushita #1 last Basho and won 5 and loss 2.  Sitting at the top tier of Makushita, winning the majority of your bouts pretty much guarantees getting to put on the silk mawashi.  Over the last 6 tourneys, Irodori has won over a quarter of his bouts using Tsukidashi, or lift out, fighting technique.

Seiro is one of our foreign rikishi from Mongolian.  He's also a member of the Shikoroyama stable.  He dropped behind the curtain after the 2019 Aki Basho, having only won a single bout.  At the last tourney, he was ranked at West Makushita #3.  He completed the tournament with 6 wins and only 1 loss.  This easily propelled him up to Juryo for the Natsu Basho.  Seiro is keen on Yorikiri, or frontal force out.  He prefers the belt oppose to pushing and shoving.  Over the past year, he has won a handful of bouts via Uwatedashinage, or pulling overarm throw. 

Churanoumi is from the sunny beaches of Okinawa.  He is a member of Kise stable.  He fell down the banzuke to the third division after the Nagoya Basho last year, having on managed 5 wins.  At Osaka Basho, ranked at East Makushita #5, he notched a perfect record of 7-0, making him the Makushita Division Champion.  Remember, a perfect record when a rikishi is ranked Makushita 15 or above, is automatic promotion to the paid ranks.  Churanoumi has been favoring Oshidashi, or frontal push out, the past 6 tournaments.  He loves winning with the belt!

Three rikishi step back behind the curtain, making slots available for Irodori, Seiro, and Churanoumi.  The three rikishi had just one tournment visit to the paid ranks this time around.  It has been over a year since we have seen that. 

Takanofuji and Wakamotoharu looked good in Osaka, yet have to give back their silk mawashi for black cotton ones.  They are young, 21-years-old and 25-years-old respectively, so we will see them back in front of the curtain before long, probably this year.  Wakamotoharu is now at West Makushita #1 for Natsu Basho, so 4 wins gets him back in the paid ranks.  Takanofuji is at West Makushita #2 this tourney, so 4 wins might do it, 5 wins would make it more likely he gets back up to Juryo.

Daiseido had an awful tourney in Osaka, winning only 3 bouts.  He has taken a big fall down into Makushita, all the way down to East Makushita #7.  He will be hard-pressed to get back to Juryo for Nagoya Basho.

It is great to have Irodori, Seiro, and Churanoumi as sekitori for the Natsu Basho.  However it looks like it will be a tough time for all three of them.  It is always hard stepping in front of the curtain and then actually staying in front of it.  As rikishi will tell you, this is the toughest part of the banzuke.  Being near the cutoff point, between unpaid and paid, between cottone mawashi and silk mawashi, between being a tsukebito and having tsukebito.  

Behind the Curtain - March 2019

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.

Behind the Curtain - May 2018

The Natsu basho is upon us, time to find out who is stepping out from behind the curtain and joining the paid ranks.  This Kokugikan tourney we have two rikishi making their first visit to sekitori world.  With some hard work and a little luck, perhaps they can stay there.  In addition, we have one rikishi returning to the paid ranks.

Ms1w Wakatakakage (4-3) got the minimum number of wins to become a sekitori.  He is from Fukushima city in Fukushima prefecture.  At the promotion interview, he made a point of saying that he was going to do his best on behalf of his home prefecture, which suffered during the 2011 Tohoku disaster.  

Wakatakakage entered sumo at sandanme tsukedashi, “where an amateur wrestler finishing in the top 8 of either the All-Japan Championships, All-Japan Corporate Championships, National Student Championships, or the National Sports Festival Adults tournament is allowed to skip the bottom two divisions and start at the bottom of the sandanme division.”  Hence, he was allowed to skip maezumo, Jonokuchi, and Jonidan.  It still took him 7 basho to reach sekitori, the slowest of all wrestlers who started at sandanme tsukedashi.

For his stable, Arashio-beya, he will be the second Fukushima rikishi to reach Juryo.  Incidentally, Wakatakakage’s older brothers are also rikishi at the same stable.  His oldest brother, Wakatakamoto, went 5-2 from Ms22w, while the middle brother, Onami, went 4-3 from Ms12e.  Fun fact.  Their grandfather is none other than komusubi Wakabayama.  Perhaps one day, one of the brothers can take their grandfather’s shikona in the paid ranks.

Ms1e Hakuyozan (6-1) hails from Yamagata prefecture and is only 23 years old.  Yamagata prefecture’s last shin-sekitori was Hokutokuniin back in 2008.  In an interview, Hakuyozan said his goal is to reach the same rank as his stablemaster, Takadagawa oyakata, AKA, ex Sekiwake Akinoshima.  His oyakata replied that he needs to stretch further and reach the Yokozuna, just like another Fukushima rikishi, Yokozuna Kashiwado.

Ms3w Asabenkai (6-1) is from Kanagawa Prefecture.  He is making his second trip in the paid ranks.  He had spent 6 basho in Juryo from his debut at the 2015 Kyusho basho, then dropping behind the curtain at the end of the 2018 Aki Basho.  Asabenkai will be the sole sekitori from Takasago-beya on the Natsu Basho banzuke.

With three rikishi going up, there will be three rikishi trading their silk mawashi for cotton.  J14w Ehno could manage 4 wins and will return to Makushita.  Since he started sumo at the 2017 Osaka basho, this is the first time he posted a losing record.  J14e Takayoshitoshi got 3 wins, and he was the last 6 days of the tourney with an injury.  J7e Amakaze could also only get 3 wins and will join the others behind the curtain.

Behind The Curtain - March 2018

Once a year, the March basho is hosted in Osaka.  The tourney is held at Edion Arena Osaka, a short walk from Namba station.  At this tournament, we will see seven rikishi stepping out in front of the curtain.  Of the seven, we have three first-timers and the other four have put on the silk mawashi before.

East Ms6 Enho of Miyagino stable made a huge leap into juryo from six steps away from the curtain.  He did this with the bare minimum kachi-koshi, 4-3.  It was at 2017 Osaka basho where he first stepped on the dohyo for his maezumo.   He joined sumo along with his Kanazawa Gakuin University sumo club teammate, Masataka Tanabe. By the way, Tanabe is still using his family name for his shikona.  And he is nipping at Enho’s heels.  Like Enho, Tanabe has only recorded kachi-koshi results since his debut.

Unlike Tanabe, Enho is now a sekitori, just one year after his maezumo.  He got here by getting three straight yusho in a row; at the Jonokuchi, Jonidan, and Sandanme divisions.  After that, it took just two tourneys in Makushita, posting records of 5-2 and 4-3.

East Ms7 Takayoshitoshi of Takanohana stable has reached the paid rank, with a respectable 5-2 record.  Having seven sekitori being demoted helped.  Interestingly enough, it was the final bout, against our returnee, Terutsuyoshi, which Takayo got his critical 5th win.  It took Takayo 5 years to step in front of the curtain.  His sumo debut was at 2013 Osaka basho.

East Ms1 Yago of Oguruma stable only needed 4 wins to cross the line into Juryo.  He did one better than Enho, it only took him five tourneys to do so, having debuted at the 2017 Natsu Basho.

West Ms4 Akiseyama of Kise stable is a returnee.  He finished the 2018 Hatsu basho at 4-3.  He made his dohyo debut back at the 2008 Hatsu Basho.

West Ms1 Terutsuyoshi of Isegahama stable posted a 4-3 to move up to the paid ranks for the second time in his 8-year career.  He spent the entire 2017 year in Juryo and only fought in Makushita for the last basho.

West Ms2 Shimanoumi of Kise stable notched a 5-2 record at the Hatsu Basho.  Like Terutsuyohi, he is also stepping out from behind the curtain for the second time.  However, unlike Terutsu, he only spent one basho at the paid ranks.  Here’s hoping he can manage to stay a sekitori a lot longer this time around.

West Ms3 Tobizaru of Oitekaze beya is another rikishi going to the paid ranks for a second.  And like Shimanoumi, he only lasted one basho at the paid ranks last Nagoya Basho.

What goes up, must go down, and with seven rikishi moving up, there are seven moving down, including a couple fan favorites.  Toyohibiki, Ura, Osunaarashi (1-8-6), Yamaguchi (2-12-1), Tochihiryu (4-11), Akua (4-11), and Kizenryu (3-12) have been demoted down to Makushita for the Osaka basho.  

Of the stepping behind the curtain, a couple flat out did not step on the dohyo for the Hatsu Basho.  Toyohibiki (0-0-15) and Ura (0-0-15) did not participate.  Worse still, Ura has not stepped onto the dohyo since Day 2 at the Aki Basho.  Having been unable to compete, he continues to fall down the banzuke.

Ura will be in Makushita for the first time in two years next basho. He has stopped using crutches.  ”I am slowly rehabilitating myself. I still can't put much pressure on it but I'm training to get there eventually... March? I  go with the feeling that I can always do it.." he said. 

During the annual physical health check at Kokugikan,  he said, ”…I was happy because, during the grip tests, I managed to grip 70 kilos with my left hand, which is my most ever. (In 2016 he fractured a bone in his left hand and had surgery after which he managed 35 last year.) When I entered sumo, I managed 50 kilos, then 60, and it went way down again with that hand injury. I thought I could never return to my original strength. So if I can do the same with my knee, I hope to reach the same condition as before the injury. I want to return even stronger.”  Ura should return to the paid ranks in 2018.

Cherry blossom ought to be out by end of this basho.  And more sekitori will blossom as well, joining the paid ranks at the Natsu basho!

Behind The Curtain - January 2018

Happy New Year!!  Happy Year of the Dog, ‘bow wow’, or in Japanese, ‘won won’.  It would be nice to put behind us the “dog’s breakfast”, which we collectively experienced the week after the Kyushu Basho.  What might have got lost in the noise, is that we will see 2 new sekitori step out in front of the curtain, along with 3 rikishi returning to the paid ranks.

Our first shin sekitori is Mitoryu - Ms4e 6-1, Nishikido-beya, Mongolia, who is 23 years old (makushita tsukedashi debut May 2017).  Interestingly his first sumo gig was Sumo World Championships for amateur sumo competition organized by the International Sumo Federation.  He won the Openweight at both the 2014 and 2016 tourneys. 

Our other new sekitori is Akua - Ms4w 5-2, Tatsunami-beya, Ibaraki, who is 27 years old.  Was he the beneficiary of Harumafuji’s intai?  We will never know, but we can see what happened on the banzuke, folks only move up when another rikishi moves down or retires.  Interesting, his shikona has a cool story.  His oyakata supposedly got the idea for the name from the Aqua World public aquarium in Akua's hometown.  Akua followed the typical path into sumo as other of his countrymen.  He attended Tottori Johoku High School, and from there he entered Nishikido-beya.  One benefit of attending high school first is that their Japanese language is significantly better, after this year in high school

Moving on to our returnees, let’s begin with Kizenryu - Ms2w 4-3, Kise-beya, Kagawa, 32 years old, 8th promotion (joint all-time record).  He has been in and out of the paid ranks since he debuted back in Natsu basho 2013. He is one of Ura’s preferred asageiko partners. Ideally, all this practice with Ura has contributed to his ability to return the paid ranks an 8th time.  It must be noted that he hails from a famous sumo college, Nihon University, which only adds to his sumo portfolio.  Let’s hope he can keep climbing the banzuke ladder, making this his last promotion from Makushita.

Our next returnee is Daishoho - Ms3e 5-2, Oitekaze-beya, Mongolia, 23 years old, 2nd promotion.  Born in Sapporo, he took up skiing as a young boy, as he came from an area famous for its ski slopes. He also played basketball at school. However, his father was an amateur sumo enthusiast and encouraged his son to try the sport.  In his third year of junior high, he took part in the National Junior High School Sumo Championships, held in Tokyo.

And finally let’s congratulate our last returnee, Tochihiryu - Ms10w 7-0 Y, Kasugano-beya, Shizuoka, who is 30 years old, this is his 5th promotion.

As always, what goes up, something or someone goes down.  There is the 5 rikishi turning their silk mawashi for cotton.  Here’s a few of the rikishi stepping back behind the curtain.

Yago (J14w 7-8) .  This is only his 3rd tournament.  You may recall from our previous issue, Yago nailed a perfect 7-0 record and the Makeshita Yusho!  Again as a college sumo champion, he was allowed to enter sumo at the Makushita Tsukedashi 15 rank.  

Terutsuyoshi (J9e 4-11). He is 22 years old, 168cm, 115kg is Isegahama’s lowest-ranked sekitori.  With his small stature and his bad knees, his body has not been able to manage the paid ranks level.

Daiseido (J12s 2-9)  Since changing his shikona from Sasanoyama, this is only the 2nd time he has posted a losing record.

Behind The Curtain - November 2017

All the rikishi have traveled south, to Kyushu, to participate in the last basho of this year in Fukuoka.  It is the last chapter/tourney of 2017.  Unfortunately, there is little action regarding that rikishi switching to sekitori for November’s tournament.  There is one rikishi returning to the paid ranks.  There is one rikishi putting on the silk mawashi for the first time.  Let’s start with the rikishi debuting in the paid ranks this November.

Our first timer is Takanosho.  He was ranked Ms3e and notched 6 wins against just loss.   He belongs to Chiganoura-beya.  He is 22 years.  If you look for his name on the previous banzuke, you will find him listed as Masunosho.  For the writer, I always find it cool when a newly promoted rikishi gets a new shikona.  It emphases the accomplishment the young man has achieved. 

His hometown is Kashiwa, Chiba.  Unrelated fact, Kashiwa is home of the professional soccer team Kashiwa Reysol.  More importantly, the Kashiwa soccer stadium is where Ireland tied with Germany in the 2002 World Cup group play.  Apologies, the writer was there, so Kashiwa always brings back found memories.

Our returnee is Takagenji from Takanohana-beya, His hometown is Oyama, in Tochigi prefecture.  He is only 20 years old.  At the Aki Basho, he was ranked Ms1e, on the fringe of the paid ranks.  He managed to squeak out from behind the curtain with a 4 win and 3 loss record.  This is his 2nd promotion to juryo.  His first appearance in front of the curtain was only at the 2017 Natsu Basho.

What is really nice is that Takagenji is from Takanohana-beya.  There was a time when Takanohana oyakata was assigned the jugyo manager role within the koenkai, that pundits commented that it would weaken Takanohana oyakata’s ability to train his rikishi.  Takagenji is an example that this predication was false.  Takagenji joins his stablemates Takakeisho and Takanoiwa as sekitori at Fukuoka basho.

If two rikishi step in front of the curtain, then two must step behind.  These two rikishi that turned in their silk mawashi for black cotton.

Kitaharima could only manage 5 wins, losing 10 bouts at the Aki Basho.  From J12e, he will most likely have fallen back into makushita.  His highest rank was all the way to Maegashira 15, but it was a one basho visit.  At 31 years old, he may be running out of juice for sekitori level performance.  On average, 32 years old is the average retirement age of a rikishi.

Kizenryu loses 6 bouts, won 6 bouts, then had to drop out after that due to injury.  It is sad, cause if he could have stayed in and won 2 out of 3, he would not be in this article.  He has been in and out of the paid ranks since he debuted back in Natsu basho 2013.  Like Kitaharima, he is long in the tooth, at 32 years old. 

In closing, please allow the writer to extend to all our readers a happy holiday!  I look forward to discussing rikishi stepping out from behind the curtain next year, the year of the dog!

Behind The Curtain - September 2017

The leaves are falling on the ground, and sumo is returning to Tokyo for the Aki Basho.  In addition to the tournament returning to Tokyo, for the final Tokyo basho of 2017, but we have a couple rikishi that are returning from behind the curtain.

Kizenryuu Ms1 East tallied up a 4-3 to finally make it over the line and land back into Juryo.  This was his 3rd consecutive 4-3 record.  He posted 4-3 from Ms2 West, next 4-3 from Ms1 West, and finally 4-3 from Ms1 East.  This also the 7th time he has been promoted to Juryo, talk about elevator rikishi.  It should be expected that Kizenryuu can stay in the paid ranks a little longer.  He is one of Ura’s preferred asageiko partners.  You figure he must be getting better since he gets to train with a superior rikishi. Kizenryuu belongs to Kise-beya.  He is from Kagawa prefecture.  He is 32 years old.

Kitaharima Ms2 East smashed out a 6-1 record to him back into the paid ranks.  His shikona is interesting.  The first kanji in his shikona is Kita or North, and it stands for Kitanoumi-beya, where he is a rikishi.  The second kanji, harima, is an ancient name for an area in the west of Hyogo prefecture where he is from.  In addition, as of the last basho, Kitaharima has had 829 consecutive matches in honbasho.  Kitaharima belongs Yamahibiki-beya.  He hails from Hyogo prefecture.  He is 31 years old.  Like his fellow rikishi Kizenryuu, this marks his 7th promotion to Juryo, yet another elevator rikishi.

In addition to these two rikishi putting their silk mawashi again, we have two rikishi who will be putting on a silk mawashi for the very first time.

Daiseidou Ms3 East produced a nice 5-1 record to step out from behind the curtain.  Since changing his shikona from Sasanoyama, he has had only one losing record.  Maybe he had ought to have done that sooner, he has spent 32 basho in Makushita, a long slog in the unpaid ranks.  At 24 years old, he should have plenty of good sumo left in him.  Daiseidou belongs to Kise-beya.  He is from Aomori-ken, very famous prefecture for sumo rikishi.  Supposedly Aomori boys do good sumo from all the walking through deep snow.

Yago at Ms11 East nailed a perfect 7-0 record and the Makeshita Yusho!  What is even more impressive, he did this in only his 2nd tourney in sumo!  As a college sumo champion, he was allowed to enter sumo at the Makushita Tsukedashi 15 rank.  He posted a 5-2 record at that rank in May.  At this point, his shikona will remain Yago.  Yago belongs Oguruma-beya.  He is from Hokkaido, another prefecture with deep snow, get for future sumo rikishi to build up leg and core strength.  He is 23 years old.

Behind the Curtain - November 2016

Ending the year of the Monkey, we’ve got a handful of rikishi stepping out from behind the curtain.  This is a bumper crop of young men, 2 are returnees to wearing the silk mawashi, and 3 first timers to the paid ranks. 

Our first returnee is Yamaguchi (Mk2e, 7-0 Yusho, Miyagino), an ex-college rikishi from Nihon University.  He’s been a rikishi for over 4 years now.  11 years ago, when he was 16 years old, he was the second rookie student to win the Japan High School Sumo Championship.  The only other rookie student to take the high school championship was Maegashira Kushimaumi.

Our second returnee is Ryuden (Mk2w, 4-3, Takadagawa), a 10-year sumo veteran.  He’s another ex-college rikishi from Nihon University.  For those readers new to sumo, you might see a trend and yes, Nihon University is one of the sumo rikishi “factories”.  When Ryuden was promoted 4 years ago, he discontinued his tsukebito role with Kisenosato.  Now, we can suspect he will return to that job.

Next, there is Daishoho (Mk1w, 5-2, Oitekaze), another Mongolian rikishi, is a first-timer to the paid ranks.  He’s part of the force that is Mongolian sumo, the highest represented country, besides Japan, in sumo.

Then there is Oyanagi (Mk1e, 4-3, Tokitsukaze-beya), an ex-college rikishi from another good sumo school, Tokyo University of Agriculture. Upon entering sumo, based on his college sumo record, he was placed at the Sandanme 100.  From there, he went undefeated in his first two basho, then back-to-back kachikoshi, landing him in Juryo, an incredible pace.  More incredible was when he was 17-0 at the Nagoya basho and needing one more win, to be automatically promoted to Juryo.  Unfortunately, Wakanoshima was able to defeat him and put the brakes in his rise to the paid ranks until this Fukuoka basho.

Finally, there is Meisei (Mk3e, 4-3, Tatsunami), in his sixth year of sumo, who just squeezed out from behind the curtain. 

Now one last thought on promotions for November, there are some pundits out there that believe we ought to have a 6^th rikishi stepping out in front of the curtain.  Sakamoto (Mk3w, 4-3, Oitekaze) entered sumo at Makushita 15 due to his outstanding college sumo career, at you guessed it, Nihon University.  Since the first basho of 2016, he has gone 4-3 5 consecutive times!  With his trend, we will definitely see him in the silk mawashi in 2017.

Now with a handful of rikishi going up the banzuke, we need to have an equal number of rikishi falling down the banzuke.

Wakanoshima (J13w, 6-9, Shibatayama) had a losing record in Tokyo.  He is the same Oyanagi that squashed Oyanagi’s shot at 18-0.  His drop down the banzuke contributed to the opportunity on the banzuke for Oyanagi to become a sekitori.

Kizenryu (J11w, 5-10, Kise) was another rikishi that could not manage 8 wins at the last tourney.  He’s been a rikishi since his debut at the Haru basho 2008. 

Asabenkei (J11e, 4-11, Takasago) will put his silk mawashi in the closet and put his cotton mawashi back on for the next basho. 

Fujiazuma (J14e, 5-10, Tamanoi) will go back to be someone’s tsukebito this tournament.

Toyonoshima (J8e, 0-0-15, Tokitsukaze) has been a sekitori for a dozen years.  Falling out of Juryo is harsh, giving up all the sekitori benefits, very harsh from over 12 years of the paid ranks.  Harsher still that he jun-yusho at the Shogatsu basho, followed by 2 makikoshi, and 2 outright absences.  Let’s hope he quickly recovers to climb the ladder back to the paid ranks in 2017.  He has the honor one of only three sekitori to who, to be able to enter sumo, took a secondary physical exam and reached Juryo.

It was a wonderful year of sumo!  Can’t imagine what next year has in store for us.  See y’all next time, in the year of the Rooster!

Behind The Curtain - September 2016

With the Nagoya Basho in our rear mirror, we have the Aki basho right around the corner.  Before we make that turn, we should take a look at the rikishi that have broken through to the paid ranks, and also those that had to take a demotion, returning to their tsukebito ways.  Let’s start with those turning their cotton black mawashi for a sleek silk mawashi.

Kizenryu (Ms1e 5-2) did more than enough to step in front of the curtain.  This is not his first time up to the sekitori ranks.  He has already fought 4 tournaments in Juryo.  He has spent the bulk of his sumo career in Makushita, 42 out of 50 basho.  Kizenryu hails from a famous sumo college, Nihon University.  At 31 years old, now is the time for him to make a real push into Juryo, cause time is against any rikishi after 30.  Coming into the Nagoya basho, he had won half his bouts by uwatenage.  Then in Nagoya, he won half with that kimarite.  It seems that really likes getting an outer grip throw.

Wakanoshima (Ms3w 5-2) is in the paid ranks for our upcoming tourney in Tokyo.  This is a return visit to Juryo for Waka.  Here is another rikishi over 30 and only a handful of tourneys in the paid ranks.  He needs to really drive hard to remain a sekitori and rise up the banzuke.  During the Nagoya tourney, he got to play spoiler to Oyanagi's 17-0 career start.  If Oyanagi would have defeated Wakanoshima on the dohyo, he would have got a 7-0 record, and being Ms15 or above, automatic promotion to Juryo.  Instead, Wakanoshima beat him, ending his unabated streak.  Since entering sumo, Oyanagi is 17-1.

Dewahayate (J11e 3-12) took a huge tumble to put the black mawashi back on.  He as been as high as Juryo 9. At 27 years old, he still has time to add on to his 6 basho in Juryo. I suppose it will take him 2-3 basho to get back into the paid ranks.

Shimanoumi (4-11 J14w) is our final rikishi demoted to Makushita for the Aki Basho.  His Juryo debut did not pan out as Shima would have hoped.  With a new shikona, changing from his family name shikona of Hamaguchi, we all wanted him to get a kachikoshi in the paid ranks.  He will need a few basho to step back in front of the curtain.

It appears that Kitataiki (J12w 6-9) was extremely lucky to remain in the sekitori ranks.  You have not remembered, he’s been a sekitori for 9 years now.  He is 33 years old, not sure how much for sumo his body can take it.  Let’s hope he can kachikoshi during the Aki Basho, and continue as a sekitori.

Behind The Curtain - July 2016

The heat of the summer and the Nagoya basho go hand in hand.  With the summer heat, there will be 5 rikishi stepping out in front of the curtain.  There will be two first time sekitori, while three rikishi are returning to the paid ranks.  This time, the promoted rikishi, each represents a different sumo stable and a different sumo ichimon.

Daiki Ms1 West tallied up a 4-3 record to step out in front of the curtain for the Nagoya Basho.  Daiki entered sumo the March 2015 basho with his fellow college rikishi, Mitakeumi.  Mitakeumi only needed two basho to get the paid ranks, since he entered at Makushita 10, as Makushita Tsukedashi, due to his outstanding record as collegiate rikishi.  Daiki started from maezumo to work his way to the silk mawashi in Nagoya.  He is from the Hakkaku beya, which is part of the Takasago ichimon

Hamaguchi Mw5 West squeeze out a 4-3 record, and with several demotions from Juryo to Makushita, he made a huge stretch to reach the paid ranks for Nagoya.  The rikishi at Mw6 West, Kizenryu, posted a better record of 5-2, yet he will remain behind the curtain for Nagoya.  Along with debut as a sekitori, Hamaguchi has taken a new shikona.  He will be listed as Shimanoumi on the July banzuke.  This shikona is made of kanji representing his hometown of Shima, in the Mie prefecture.  The other part of his shikona is taken from his oyakata’s fighting name, Higonoumi., hence Shima-noumi.  He trains at the Kise beya, which belongs to the Dewanoumi ichimon.

Kyokutaisei Ms2 West notched up a 5-2 record at the Natsu Basho, allowing him to wear a silk mawashi again.  His first debut in Juryo was exactly 2 years ago at Nagoya  This will be his third time as a sekitori.  Kyokutaisei is from Tomozuna beya, that belongs to the Isegahama ichimon.

Onosho Ms3 West produced a perfect 7-0 record and lost in the Makushita yusho in a playoff (yusho-doten).  On Day 10 of the Natsu Basho, Onosho made an earlier appearance on NHK with a bout against Juryo sekitori Tamaasauka.  He defeated the veteran rikishi and basically sealed his promotion to the paid ranks.  

Oyanagi at Ms58 West was the other rikishi to finish at 7-0,.  Oyanagi entered sumo at Sandanme 100, due to his collegiate record.  He went 7-0 his first basho earning the Sandanme yusho.  At the Haru Basho, he again went 7-0 giving him the opportunity to battle Onosho in the yusho deciding playoff.  Keep your eye on Oyanagi, he is blazing a fast track to the paid ranks.  He ought to be ranked in the top 15 slots in Makushita for Nagoya, meaning another 7-0 record and automatic promotion to Juryo!

Onosho first basho as a sekitori was in January 2015, with the 2016 Natsu basho being a one time visit behind the curtain.  He is a member of the Onomatsu beya, a stable in the Takanohana ichimon.

Kotoeko Ms4 West scored a 5-2 record and slipped into the Juryo ranks for the 3rd time.  He belongs to the Sadogatake Beya, which is a member of the Nishonoseki ichimon.