For the Nagoya basho, two wrestlers will be make their first appearance at juryo. At west makushita 3, Tomikaze of Oguruma stable, finished with 5 victories and 2 defeats, assuring him of a promotion to juryo. The other newcomer will be from east makushita 5, Takahama of Oitekaze stable, with a respectful 5 victories and 2 defeats in May. Takahama entered at the bottom of makushita after competing in sumo at the famous Nichidai University, where likes of Dejima, Musoyama, and Miyabiyama, to mention only a few, hail from.
Two wrestlers will be returning to the juryo division. Kitazakura of Kitanoumi stable finished at west makushita 2 with 5 victories and 2 defeats. His previous 5 basho he has hung on at the bottom of juryo. Along with Kita, Kotiwakuni of Sadogatake, east makushita 3, could return to juryo. Koti completed the Tokyo tournament with 4 victories and 3 defeats, which could be enough to get to move in front of the curtain. He last appeared in juryo back in September 1999 and has been in makushita every since.
Mushigawa's sixth sekitori lasted only one basho in juryo. With 6 victories and 9 defeats from west juryo 12, Buyuzan will have to return to makushita for another tournament. With the kind of stablemates Buyuzan has at Mushigawa stable, his return to makushita will be a short one. Hopefully the same will be true for Toki's stablemate, Senshuyama of Takasago stable. He had the same record of 6-9 from west juryo 13. This result will send him back to the upper makushita ranks.
The poorest result in the juryo division will ensure that extra large (210 kg.) Susanoumi, only 2 victories and 13 defeats from east juryo 10, will go to makushita. Although his sumo is one dimensional, his extra bulk ought to make he easy for him to return to lower juryo sometime this year.
Finally Wakatoryu of Matsugane stable just barely missed staying in juryo with a record of 7 defeats and 8 victories from east juryo 13. It was his first appearance in juryo, but surely will not be his last.
If there is a fifth sumotori promoted from makushita for the Nagoya basho, then it might be Wakanojo from Magaki stable. He managed a record of 4 victories and 3 defeats from east makushita 2. Here is a wrestler that has made it as high as maegashira 6, but a series of injuries have pulled him down to makushita. If he does get promoted back to juryo, then his visit behind the curtain would have only been for the May basho.
The twist is that if it is decided to promote Wakanojo, then the sekitori most likely to be demoted from juryo could be his stablemate, Gojoro. Gojoro only managed 6 victories and 9 defeats at west juryo 9. He made his juryo debut at the same Nagoya tournament five years ago. It would be somewhat ironic if his stablemate's promotion back to juryo results in Gojoro's return to makushita.
Kawika ©
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Behind the Curtain - May 2000
He was one of the first to wake up early every morning to train, everyday. He was one of the last to eat at every meal, waiting for the senior members, or senpai, of the stable to eat their fill. He has spent 8 years living in a sumo stable. Training hard. Working hard. He has helped care for the senpai of his stable, from fetching their things, to washing their backsides. Stepping out from behind the curtain, from that of stable junior to one of the stable seniors, from sumotori to sekitori, this May Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo, will be Senshuyama; along with 6 other makushita wrestlers to join the elite rank of juryo.
Senshuyama is from Takasago stable, where he once served as the attendant, or tsukebito, of Hawaiian ex-sumotori Nanfu. It is rumored that Nanfu trained him especially hard. Today, Nanfu can be proud of the results. Senshuyama build is small and light. While struggling in lower ranks he found that if he worked out extensively with weights, his weight would go down, but he would gain the extra power his small build needed to compete against the bigger wrestlers. Then if he focused on bunking up to get bigger, staying away from weight training, he would lose the extra strength, yet get bigger. It seems he has figure out a balance to weight training and putting on weight. At Osaka, from the west makushita 5, Senshuyama just made the cut to juryo, with 4 victories and 3 defeats. This will be Senshuyama first time ranked in juryo.
At the opposite side of the banzuke, at east makushita 5, Tamanokuni scored a perfect 7 victories, to win the makushita championship. If a wrestler wins all his makushita bouts, while ranked makushita 15 or above, he automatically gets promoted to juryo. This will not be Tamanokuni's first trip to juryo, he was ranked juyro 13 last year's Nagoya Basho. With his size of 192 cm. and weight of 163 kg, he should have an extended stay in juryo.
Tamanokuni's younger brother, Tamanonada (5-2), is also returning to juyro in May. These two brothers are both members of Katanonami stable. Their home prefecture is Fukushima, famous for delicious rice and rice wine, or sake. Both entered sumo during the 1998 Osaka Basho. Tamanonada first entered juryo in last year's Aki basho at Tokyo. Tamanokuni beat his younger brother to the juryo division by just one basho, debuting in last year's Nagoya Basho. However Tamanonada stayed in juryo longer, rising up as far as juryo 7. The younger Tamanonada is also smaller and lighter, at 186 cm and 144 kg. And though this might not be another Taka-Waka in the making, it always interesting watching brothers compete in sumo, though like Taka-Waka, since they are from the same stable, under the current rules we will never see them compete against each other, except in a playoff. What makes it more interesting is their difference in style, older Tamanokuni likes to push while younger Tamanonada likes going for the belt.
Along with Senshuyama, there will be two other first timers, out from behind the curtain, in May. Musashigawa stable gets it sixth sekitori, Buyuzan, who produced a fine 5 victories and 2 defeats from east makushita 3. Also Mastugane stable's Nodera racked up 4 victories and 3 defeats from west makushita 2 to earn his ticket to sekitori.
Along with the Tama brothers, two other sumotori are making return appearances from out behind the curtain in Natsu basho. Kasugano stable's Tochisakae had a brilliant 6 victories and 1 defeat from east maksushita 1. Finally, Tatsutagawa stable's Toyoazakura created a respectable tally of 5 victories and 2 defeats from west makushita 1.
The last time 7 sumotori were promoted from makushita to juryo was way back at 1984 Nagoya. Here's hoping that March will have been the last time that we see Senshuyama behind the curtain, serving his senpai.
Kawika ©
Senshuyama is from Takasago stable, where he once served as the attendant, or tsukebito, of Hawaiian ex-sumotori Nanfu. It is rumored that Nanfu trained him especially hard. Today, Nanfu can be proud of the results. Senshuyama build is small and light. While struggling in lower ranks he found that if he worked out extensively with weights, his weight would go down, but he would gain the extra power his small build needed to compete against the bigger wrestlers. Then if he focused on bunking up to get bigger, staying away from weight training, he would lose the extra strength, yet get bigger. It seems he has figure out a balance to weight training and putting on weight. At Osaka, from the west makushita 5, Senshuyama just made the cut to juryo, with 4 victories and 3 defeats. This will be Senshuyama first time ranked in juryo.
At the opposite side of the banzuke, at east makushita 5, Tamanokuni scored a perfect 7 victories, to win the makushita championship. If a wrestler wins all his makushita bouts, while ranked makushita 15 or above, he automatically gets promoted to juryo. This will not be Tamanokuni's first trip to juryo, he was ranked juyro 13 last year's Nagoya Basho. With his size of 192 cm. and weight of 163 kg, he should have an extended stay in juryo.
Tamanokuni's younger brother, Tamanonada (5-2), is also returning to juyro in May. These two brothers are both members of Katanonami stable. Their home prefecture is Fukushima, famous for delicious rice and rice wine, or sake. Both entered sumo during the 1998 Osaka Basho. Tamanonada first entered juryo in last year's Aki basho at Tokyo. Tamanokuni beat his younger brother to the juryo division by just one basho, debuting in last year's Nagoya Basho. However Tamanonada stayed in juryo longer, rising up as far as juryo 7. The younger Tamanonada is also smaller and lighter, at 186 cm and 144 kg. And though this might not be another Taka-Waka in the making, it always interesting watching brothers compete in sumo, though like Taka-Waka, since they are from the same stable, under the current rules we will never see them compete against each other, except in a playoff. What makes it more interesting is their difference in style, older Tamanokuni likes to push while younger Tamanonada likes going for the belt.
Along with Senshuyama, there will be two other first timers, out from behind the curtain, in May. Musashigawa stable gets it sixth sekitori, Buyuzan, who produced a fine 5 victories and 2 defeats from east makushita 3. Also Mastugane stable's Nodera racked up 4 victories and 3 defeats from west makushita 2 to earn his ticket to sekitori.
Along with the Tama brothers, two other sumotori are making return appearances from out behind the curtain in Natsu basho. Kasugano stable's Tochisakae had a brilliant 6 victories and 1 defeat from east maksushita 1. Finally, Tatsutagawa stable's Toyoazakura created a respectable tally of 5 victories and 2 defeats from west makushita 1.
The last time 7 sumotori were promoted from makushita to juryo was way back at 1984 Nagoya. Here's hoping that March will have been the last time that we see Senshuyama behind the curtain, serving his senpai.
Kawika ©
Behind the Curtain - March 2000
Anyone who follows sumo knows that the January Grand Sumo Tournament was won by sekiwake Musoyama. Most of you already know that it was Musoyama's first yusho ever. But how many of you know who took the yusho in the Makushita division, otherwise know as behind the curtiain; The yusho winner was Makushita West No. 36, Nodera from Matsugane stable.
If when Nodera gotten his perfect 7-0, he had been ranked Makushita 15 or higher, then he would have been automatically promoted to the Juryo division, and literally would have come out from behind the curtain; Only sumo wrestlers in Makuuchi & Juryo fight everyday of the 15 day tournament, all other sumo wrestlers only fight 7 of the 15 days the tournament is held. Of course Nodera could repeat his 7-0 result at the next basho in Osaka, then he would be promoted into Juryo and become a sekitori. The upper layer of Makushita is probably the toughest part of sumo, it is not likely that Nodera will do this.
Who will be stepping out from behind the curtainin the March 2000? The one Makushita wrestler who is to definitely be moving up to the ranks is Makushita West No. 1 Tamarikido from Katanoumi stable, whom finished with a very good 6-1 record. His shikona, or fighting name, should look familiar to you, because this is not his first trip to Juryo. He spend two tournaments in Juryo, September 9 in Tokyo and November 9 in Kyushu. It was his poor 6-9 in November that send him back behind the curtainfor this past tournament. Look for Tamarikido to stay ranked in Juryo most of 2000 and beyond.
It definite that Tamarikido gets to step in front of the curtainfor a 2nd time, due to Juryo West No. 10 Tamanonada and his poor 5-10 showing. We can expect Tamanonada to travel down the ranks, back into Makushita for the next tournament. Interestingly enough, Tamanonada is also from Katanonami stable, so they will see one stablemate dropped back to Makushita while the other takes his place, rising to Juryo. Like Tamarikido, Tamanonada entered sumo at the very bottom of Makushita because he did sumo in college. Tamanonada spend three straight tournaments in Juryo, getting as high up the banzuke as Juryo No. 7. Look for his return visit to Makushita to be a brief one, he ought to return to Juryo for the May tournament, held in Tokyo.
Besides Tamarikido and Makushita champion Nodera, there were no outstanding tournament performances from the remaining sumotori that would qualify for promotion. No other Makushita wrestlers will be moving up to Juryo for March.
On the foreigner Makushita beat, there is good news regarding Makushita West No. 25 Hoshiandesu, who got a nice 5-2 result for this past basho, along with his very good 6-1 result in last November's basho. He appears to be making a solid charge up the banzuke to return to the Juryo division. Ex-maegashira Yamato, now owner and chef of Kama`aina's in Tokyo, mentioned that Hoshiandesu had dinner in his restaurant recently, and told him that he was thinking seriously about retiring this year. Perhaps his recent above average results means that he want to make a final run for Juryo, or maybe even better, before he leaves the Sumo World.
By the way, dining at Kama`aina's seems to bring good luck to a sumo wrestler. Musoyama was seen having dinner twice during the last basho. See what happened to him.
Finally, another foreign sumotori we don't hear much about is Brazilian Makushita East No. 8 Kuniazuma. One reason why is that he was kyujo for the past two tournaments, which is very dangerous since being out injured that long could plummet a wrestler from Makushita all the way to Jonokuchi!
Kawika ©
If when Nodera gotten his perfect 7-0, he had been ranked Makushita 15 or higher, then he would have been automatically promoted to the Juryo division, and literally would have come out from behind the curtain; Only sumo wrestlers in Makuuchi & Juryo fight everyday of the 15 day tournament, all other sumo wrestlers only fight 7 of the 15 days the tournament is held. Of course Nodera could repeat his 7-0 result at the next basho in Osaka, then he would be promoted into Juryo and become a sekitori. The upper layer of Makushita is probably the toughest part of sumo, it is not likely that Nodera will do this.
Who will be stepping out from behind the curtainin the March 2000? The one Makushita wrestler who is to definitely be moving up to the ranks is Makushita West No. 1 Tamarikido from Katanoumi stable, whom finished with a very good 6-1 record. His shikona, or fighting name, should look familiar to you, because this is not his first trip to Juryo. He spend two tournaments in Juryo, September 9 in Tokyo and November 9 in Kyushu. It was his poor 6-9 in November that send him back behind the curtainfor this past tournament. Look for Tamarikido to stay ranked in Juryo most of 2000 and beyond.
It definite that Tamarikido gets to step in front of the curtainfor a 2nd time, due to Juryo West No. 10 Tamanonada and his poor 5-10 showing. We can expect Tamanonada to travel down the ranks, back into Makushita for the next tournament. Interestingly enough, Tamanonada is also from Katanonami stable, so they will see one stablemate dropped back to Makushita while the other takes his place, rising to Juryo. Like Tamarikido, Tamanonada entered sumo at the very bottom of Makushita because he did sumo in college. Tamanonada spend three straight tournaments in Juryo, getting as high up the banzuke as Juryo No. 7. Look for his return visit to Makushita to be a brief one, he ought to return to Juryo for the May tournament, held in Tokyo.
Besides Tamarikido and Makushita champion Nodera, there were no outstanding tournament performances from the remaining sumotori that would qualify for promotion. No other Makushita wrestlers will be moving up to Juryo for March.
On the foreigner Makushita beat, there is good news regarding Makushita West No. 25 Hoshiandesu, who got a nice 5-2 result for this past basho, along with his very good 6-1 result in last November's basho. He appears to be making a solid charge up the banzuke to return to the Juryo division. Ex-maegashira Yamato, now owner and chef of Kama`aina's in Tokyo, mentioned that Hoshiandesu had dinner in his restaurant recently, and told him that he was thinking seriously about retiring this year. Perhaps his recent above average results means that he want to make a final run for Juryo, or maybe even better, before he leaves the Sumo World.
By the way, dining at Kama`aina's seems to bring good luck to a sumo wrestler. Musoyama was seen having dinner twice during the last basho. See what happened to him.
Finally, another foreign sumotori we don't hear much about is Brazilian Makushita East No. 8 Kuniazuma. One reason why is that he was kyujo for the past two tournaments, which is very dangerous since being out injured that long could plummet a wrestler from Makushita all the way to Jonokuchi!
Kawika ©
Behind the Curtain - January 2000
The Kyusho Basho has come and gone, time to take a look at what is happening at the curtain of sumo, the barrier separating the have's from the have-not's, the line between Makushita (behind the curtain) and Juryo (10 Ryo which was the salary of a Sekitori at this rank was at one time).
As always there are winner and losers, those who move up the banzuke from Makushita, those who move down the banzuke from Juryo, it is meritocracy at it's best. With Mainoumi going intai (retirement from the dohyo), this opens up one more slot for some lucky kachi-koshi (major wins) Makushita Sumotori to become a Juryo Sekitori. Which bottom-feeders of Juryo had a bad enough record to be sent back behind the curtain?
Juryo No. 13 Tamarikido looks likely to step back behind the curtain for the Hatsu Basho in Tokyo on January 2000. He finished the Kyushu basho with a record of 6-9. Tama has been in Juryo for two basho now. He won the right to move up to Juryo when he got a 5-2 record at the Nagoya 1999 basho. This guy has the right stuff to return to Juryo for the March basho in Osaka, so we will see him back in front of the curtain sooner than later.
Juryo No. 11 Towanoyama had an awful basho in Kyushu walking away with a 3-12 record. Towa moved up to Juryo with one of those perfect 7-0 records. If a Sumotori ranked in the top 15 levels of Makushita wins all 7 of his bouts, he is automatically prompted to Juryo. Since that 7-0 record he earned in March 1999 at Osaka, Towa went 8-7, 8-7, 6-9, and his recent 3-12. Again, here is a guy only 22 years old and all the right tools to return
to Juryo, barring a major injury.
The winners moving into Juryo from Makushita ought to be three Sumotori, due in part to Mainoumi's retirement.
Makushita No. 2 Kato from Azumazeki stable with a 6-1 record at Kyusho basho will definitely be one of the new Sekitori stepping up to Juryo. Kato will change his skikona, or fighting name, from Kato to Takamimori. He is the second Sekitori following Kotomitsuki among the three rikishi that entered sumo before the Haru Basho earlier this year from Nichidai. Nichidai is a college with a well-known sumo power-house club. Watch for the kanji characters for Nichidai on the kesho-mawashi, the silk aprons worn during the dohyo-iri, one those Sekitori from the college. You will be surprise how many there are. Note that the last of the three from Nichidai, Takahama of Oitekaze stable and ranked Makushita 14, went 4-3 at the Kyushu Basho. Takamimori's (previously Kato) entry to Juryo will mark the first time that Yokozuna Akebono has had a Sekitori stable-mate since Daiki in 1995.
Both Makushita No. 1, Wakakosho and Aminishiki have had consecutive 4-3 records for at least the last 3 basho. They will both be prompted to Juryo. It happens that Aminishiki's father is the cousin of Ajigawa Oyakata, former Yokozuna Asahifuji. Also Aminishiki's younger brother, Asofuji, was 5-2 at Kyushu, ranked at Makushita No. 31.
On the Musashigawa stable side of things, Makushita No. 3 Buyuzan dropped the ball with a 3-4 record at Kyushu. His previous two basho he got 5-2 and 4-3 respectively. Shiro Kumo of the Sumo ML saw Buyuzan in action during his visit to the Kyushu basho. His words, "Buyuzan is for real, we will be seeing him in Makuuchi before too long." So it looks like another possible Sekitori will join the members of the new Musashigawa "factor."
Kawika ©
As always there are winner and losers, those who move up the banzuke from Makushita, those who move down the banzuke from Juryo, it is meritocracy at it's best. With Mainoumi going intai (retirement from the dohyo), this opens up one more slot for some lucky kachi-koshi (major wins) Makushita Sumotori to become a Juryo Sekitori. Which bottom-feeders of Juryo had a bad enough record to be sent back behind the curtain?
Juryo No. 13 Tamarikido looks likely to step back behind the curtain for the Hatsu Basho in Tokyo on January 2000. He finished the Kyushu basho with a record of 6-9. Tama has been in Juryo for two basho now. He won the right to move up to Juryo when he got a 5-2 record at the Nagoya 1999 basho. This guy has the right stuff to return to Juryo for the March basho in Osaka, so we will see him back in front of the curtain sooner than later.
Juryo No. 11 Towanoyama had an awful basho in Kyushu walking away with a 3-12 record. Towa moved up to Juryo with one of those perfect 7-0 records. If a Sumotori ranked in the top 15 levels of Makushita wins all 7 of his bouts, he is automatically prompted to Juryo. Since that 7-0 record he earned in March 1999 at Osaka, Towa went 8-7, 8-7, 6-9, and his recent 3-12. Again, here is a guy only 22 years old and all the right tools to return
to Juryo, barring a major injury.
The winners moving into Juryo from Makushita ought to be three Sumotori, due in part to Mainoumi's retirement.
Makushita No. 2 Kato from Azumazeki stable with a 6-1 record at Kyusho basho will definitely be one of the new Sekitori stepping up to Juryo. Kato will change his skikona, or fighting name, from Kato to Takamimori. He is the second Sekitori following Kotomitsuki among the three rikishi that entered sumo before the Haru Basho earlier this year from Nichidai. Nichidai is a college with a well-known sumo power-house club. Watch for the kanji characters for Nichidai on the kesho-mawashi, the silk aprons worn during the dohyo-iri, one those Sekitori from the college. You will be surprise how many there are. Note that the last of the three from Nichidai, Takahama of Oitekaze stable and ranked Makushita 14, went 4-3 at the Kyushu Basho. Takamimori's (previously Kato) entry to Juryo will mark the first time that Yokozuna Akebono has had a Sekitori stable-mate since Daiki in 1995.
Both Makushita No. 1, Wakakosho and Aminishiki have had consecutive 4-3 records for at least the last 3 basho. They will both be prompted to Juryo. It happens that Aminishiki's father is the cousin of Ajigawa Oyakata, former Yokozuna Asahifuji. Also Aminishiki's younger brother, Asofuji, was 5-2 at Kyushu, ranked at Makushita No. 31.
On the Musashigawa stable side of things, Makushita No. 3 Buyuzan dropped the ball with a 3-4 record at Kyushu. His previous two basho he got 5-2 and 4-3 respectively. Shiro Kumo of the Sumo ML saw Buyuzan in action during his visit to the Kyushu basho. His words, "Buyuzan is for real, we will be seeing him in Makuuchi before too long." So it looks like another possible Sekitori will join the members of the new Musashigawa "factor."
Kawika ©
Behind the Curtain - July 2007
It is that time of year for sumo to make its annual visit to lovely Nagoya, and there we will see not only Hakuho dohyo iri for the first time at a hombasho, but we will see 5 men step out from behind the curtain, 3 first timers and 2 returnees. Lets start with the first timers.
Sakaizawa (Ms1e, 5-2) has taken 8 basho to get to sekitori, pretty impressive, though it could be a direct result of having good stablemates to train with in Baruto and Satoyama. Even more impressive was Sakai beating former sekiwake, Takanowaka, in his final bout, which should sent Takanowaka behind the curtain. Then again, this guy is former Nichidai sumo club star, so he carries some high expectations on his shoulders. This will be his first appearance in the silk mawashi.
Regarding his promotion, Sakaizawa offered, "All I can say is that I'm so happy." Sakaizawa started the this May basho out 0-2 but won his last five bouts to guarantee his promotion. "My legs weren't firmly planted at first, so I had to make that adjustment. In the Juryo ranks, I want to hit straight on and charge forward." Sakaizawa indicated that his goal is to reach the same rank or better of Kotomitsuki, his senpai from their high school in Tottori. Regarding his prodigy's reaching sekitori status in just eight basho tying Konishiki and Baruto for third place all time, Onoe-oyakata commented, "That's fantastic. He has all the tools, so I think he'll do well even higher in the ranks." Sakaizawa's promotion puts the Onoe-beya in sort of a jam. With four sekitori now in the stable, there are not enough younger rikishi to perform tsukebito duties, so Onoe-oyakata indicated he will probably have to ask Chiganoura-beya for more help.
Hoshihikari (Ms1w, 4-3) first stepped on the dohyo at Fukaoka back in 2000. Since his injury, Hoshihikari has come back stronger and bigger, and with more gusto, demonstrated by his consistently impressive results in the last few basho, and he won the makushita yusho against Matsutani with a clean slate, although there was a dodgy mono-ii moment. He is another solid Mongolian wrestler to keep an eye on. This is his first time in the paid ranks.
Kitataiki (Ms3e, 5-2) joins his stablemates in the paid ranks, Kitazakura and Hakurozan. He is 24 years from Tokyo. It has taken him 9 years to step out from behind the curtain for the first time, having entered sumo way back in 1998. Kitanoumi Oyakata must be overjoyed to have another sekitori in his stable, he might have soften the grief he is dealing with ex-Juryo Kanechika at the moment.
Wakakirin (Ms3w, 7-0) steps out from behind the curtain with style, taking the Makushita Yusho with a perfect record! Back in the March 2006 issue we reported his demotion from about Day 10 at the New Year tourney when he notched his 8th loss and could only finish 4-11. The outlook is for this 23-year-old to do much better than 4-11 in Nagoya.
Takamifuji (Ms2e, 4-3) shows that it pays to be ranked on the east side of the banzuke, cause he just slips out in front of the curtain, whereas the young hopeful, Ichiahra, posted the same 4-3 record from Ms2w and will spend Nagoya in the unpaid ranks again. With Oga now officially retired from sumo, heading down to Fukaoka to open a chanko restaurant, Takamifuji needs to rise to the challenge and post 8 wins this basho, so that he can stay a sekitori along with his stablemates Ushinomaru and Takasakari. He was excellent an amateur wrestler, he has the tools to do it in Ozumo, he just needs to get the mental part sorted.
The banzuke has not been published at the writing of this article, so we can only speculate as to the who is stepping behind the curtain to make space for the 5 wrestlers discussed above. First, Tochiazumas retirement opened a slot, then Chiyohakuho (J14e, 7-8), Takanowaka (J9e, 4-11), Tochisakae (J3w, 0-11-4) and perhaps Bushuyama (J12w, 6-9) will go to the unpaid ranks for the Nagoya basho.
Sakaizawa (Ms1e, 5-2) has taken 8 basho to get to sekitori, pretty impressive, though it could be a direct result of having good stablemates to train with in Baruto and Satoyama. Even more impressive was Sakai beating former sekiwake, Takanowaka, in his final bout, which should sent Takanowaka behind the curtain. Then again, this guy is former Nichidai sumo club star, so he carries some high expectations on his shoulders. This will be his first appearance in the silk mawashi.
Regarding his promotion, Sakaizawa offered, "All I can say is that I'm so happy." Sakaizawa started the this May basho out 0-2 but won his last five bouts to guarantee his promotion. "My legs weren't firmly planted at first, so I had to make that adjustment. In the Juryo ranks, I want to hit straight on and charge forward." Sakaizawa indicated that his goal is to reach the same rank or better of Kotomitsuki, his senpai from their high school in Tottori. Regarding his prodigy's reaching sekitori status in just eight basho tying Konishiki and Baruto for third place all time, Onoe-oyakata commented, "That's fantastic. He has all the tools, so I think he'll do well even higher in the ranks." Sakaizawa's promotion puts the Onoe-beya in sort of a jam. With four sekitori now in the stable, there are not enough younger rikishi to perform tsukebito duties, so Onoe-oyakata indicated he will probably have to ask Chiganoura-beya for more help.
Hoshihikari (Ms1w, 4-3) first stepped on the dohyo at Fukaoka back in 2000. Since his injury, Hoshihikari has come back stronger and bigger, and with more gusto, demonstrated by his consistently impressive results in the last few basho, and he won the makushita yusho against Matsutani with a clean slate, although there was a dodgy mono-ii moment. He is another solid Mongolian wrestler to keep an eye on. This is his first time in the paid ranks.
Kitataiki (Ms3e, 5-2) joins his stablemates in the paid ranks, Kitazakura and Hakurozan. He is 24 years from Tokyo. It has taken him 9 years to step out from behind the curtain for the first time, having entered sumo way back in 1998. Kitanoumi Oyakata must be overjoyed to have another sekitori in his stable, he might have soften the grief he is dealing with ex-Juryo Kanechika at the moment.
Wakakirin (Ms3w, 7-0) steps out from behind the curtain with style, taking the Makushita Yusho with a perfect record! Back in the March 2006 issue we reported his demotion from about Day 10 at the New Year tourney when he notched his 8th loss and could only finish 4-11. The outlook is for this 23-year-old to do much better than 4-11 in Nagoya.
Takamifuji (Ms2e, 4-3) shows that it pays to be ranked on the east side of the banzuke, cause he just slips out in front of the curtain, whereas the young hopeful, Ichiahra, posted the same 4-3 record from Ms2w and will spend Nagoya in the unpaid ranks again. With Oga now officially retired from sumo, heading down to Fukaoka to open a chanko restaurant, Takamifuji needs to rise to the challenge and post 8 wins this basho, so that he can stay a sekitori along with his stablemates Ushinomaru and Takasakari. He was excellent an amateur wrestler, he has the tools to do it in Ozumo, he just needs to get the mental part sorted.
The banzuke has not been published at the writing of this article, so we can only speculate as to the who is stepping behind the curtain to make space for the 5 wrestlers discussed above. First, Tochiazumas retirement opened a slot, then Chiyohakuho (J14e, 7-8), Takanowaka (J9e, 4-11), Tochisakae (J3w, 0-11-4) and perhaps Bushuyama (J12w, 6-9) will go to the unpaid ranks for the Nagoya basho.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Promoting sumo event mammoth undertaking By Ferd Lewis
His cell phone rings incessantly. His seventh floor office off Kapi'olani Blvd. is a beehive of activity. Shigemitsu Inohana surveys the scene, leans back in a chair and allows himself a hearty laugh. "I came to Hawai'i to get away from stress," he says between phone conversations, shaking his head. Six years after selling off most of his business interests and moving here for his health, the 57-year-old has his hands ・and hours ・full promoting the Hawai'i Grand Sumo Tournament.
The quickly approaching June 9-10 event at Blaisdell Arena will mark the sport's return here after a 14-year absence and Hakuho's debut as the 69th yokozuna in the centuries-old sport. It is also the furthest departure from the relaxed, laid-back retirement Inohana said brought him here originally. After running a magazine in Osaka and a satellite TV channel in Tokyo, Inohana said doctors told him in 2000 he needed to lighten his load. So, he reluctantly followed a friend to Maui for golf. Inohana said he liked the Valley Isle so much he told his wife and daughter they were moving. He sold his holdings, which friends say were worth millions of dollars, bought a residence in Wailea and began taking English courses at Maui Community College. Inohana said he met many students from Japan and began a business, Dormtech Hawai'i Inc., in Kihei to help supply visiting students with places to stay in Maui and Honolulu.
Meanwhile, he maintained ties with sumo, a sport he had followed since the late 1950s when Tochinishiki was a yokozuna and in which he had become a patron. "People told me I should try to bring sumo back to Hawai'i," Inohana said. "I thought that would be a good idea." Inohana sold the Japan Sumo Association on the plan and plunked down a six-figure rights fee, the beginning of what will be a nearly $2 million investment in the tournament.
He becomes the first individual to promote the sport here. Previously, back to the 1960s, other tournaments were run by the 442nd Veterans Club or, in 1993, a promotional group out of Japan. Most of them had, at least, a Hawai'i sumo figure ・Takamiyama, Konishiki, Akebono or Musashimaru ・to build a crowd around. But, for the first time since 1970, there are no sumotori from Hawai'i active in the sport.
Still, Inohana said more than half the tickets have been sold, including nearly all the highest-priced ones. "I'm hoping it will be a good show," he said. "I hope for good sumo ・and nobody gets hurt." Then, "I'm going back to Maui and relax for a while."
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.
The quickly approaching June 9-10 event at Blaisdell Arena will mark the sport's return here after a 14-year absence and Hakuho's debut as the 69th yokozuna in the centuries-old sport. It is also the furthest departure from the relaxed, laid-back retirement Inohana said brought him here originally. After running a magazine in Osaka and a satellite TV channel in Tokyo, Inohana said doctors told him in 2000 he needed to lighten his load. So, he reluctantly followed a friend to Maui for golf. Inohana said he liked the Valley Isle so much he told his wife and daughter they were moving. He sold his holdings, which friends say were worth millions of dollars, bought a residence in Wailea and began taking English courses at Maui Community College. Inohana said he met many students from Japan and began a business, Dormtech Hawai'i Inc., in Kihei to help supply visiting students with places to stay in Maui and Honolulu.
Meanwhile, he maintained ties with sumo, a sport he had followed since the late 1950s when Tochinishiki was a yokozuna and in which he had become a patron. "People told me I should try to bring sumo back to Hawai'i," Inohana said. "I thought that would be a good idea." Inohana sold the Japan Sumo Association on the plan and plunked down a six-figure rights fee, the beginning of what will be a nearly $2 million investment in the tournament.
He becomes the first individual to promote the sport here. Previously, back to the 1960s, other tournaments were run by the 442nd Veterans Club or, in 1993, a promotional group out of Japan. Most of them had, at least, a Hawai'i sumo figure ・Takamiyama, Konishiki, Akebono or Musashimaru ・to build a crowd around. But, for the first time since 1970, there are no sumotori from Hawai'i active in the sport.
Still, Inohana said more than half the tickets have been sold, including nearly all the highest-priced ones. "I'm hoping it will be a good show," he said. "I hope for good sumo ・and nobody gets hurt." Then, "I'm going back to Maui and relax for a while."
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.
EDITORIAL: Hakuho's ascension 05/30/2007
A young man from Mongolia, the land of Asia's vast steppes, is to be professional sumo's 69th yokozuna, or grand champion. His ring name, Hakuho, is a homonym for the 1960s' golden age of sumo--the Hakuho era, which itself was named for two great yokozuna, Kashiwado and Taiho. (The kanji characters for kashiwa in Kashiwado are also read haku. This, combined with ho in Taiho, produces Hakuho.)
Mongolian wrestler Hakuho's name uses a different kanji from Kashiwado's, apparently in deference to the inimitable sumo superstar of the 1960s. But Hakuho is ascending to the same top rank of yokozuna.
Hakuho's father was a grand champion in Mongolian wrestling who became a national hero as Mongolia's first Olympic silver medalist in wrestling. But it was not only his father's legacy that helped Hakuho achieve so much in sumo.
Hakuho was 15 when he left Mongolia with six other youths, aspiring to a career in sumo here. He was 1.75 meters tall, but weighed less than 70 kilograms. All the other boys were assigned their stables quickly, but no stable was interested in this skinny lad. He would have gone back to Mongolia had a senior Mongolian wrestler not, on the eve of his departure, interceded and persuaded a stablemaster to take him in. From then on, Hakuho stuffed himself with food to get bigger.
Today, at 22 years, two months old, Hakuho is the third-youngest ever promoted to yokozuna, after Kitanoumi and Taiho. Despite his youth, he has overcome many difficulties.
For the first time in a long time, the next Grand Sumo Tournament, to be held in Nagoya in July, will have two grand champions--Asashoryu and Hakuho, both from Mongolia.
Remarkably, of the six recent grand champions, including Hakuho, four are wrestlers from overseas. And more foreign-born wrestlers are aiming for the highest rank, Kotooshu from Bulgaria, Kokkai from Georgia and others. Thus, it could be said that internationalization is saving Japan's national sport. Yet just 15 years ago, a member of the yokozuna promotion council said of then-ozeki (champion) Konishiki from Hawaii, "We don't need a foreign yokozuna." Sumo has since undergone a dramatic
transformation.
One nice thing about the arts and sports is that anyone who works hard to succeed will usually gain due recognition, even if he or she does not speak the language of the land and has to start from scratch.
Sumo's popularity is growing in Mongolia, and so is the public's interest in Japan. And opening the doors to foreign wrestlers is certainly helping to strengthen Japan's amicable relations with those countries. One unfortunate development recently concerns suspicions of bout-rigging.
The Japan Sumo Association is now involved in three civil lawsuits against the weekly Shukan Gendai magazine. The magazine's latest report is that there exists a tape of Hakuho's stablemaster, Miyagino, confessing to fixing a bout between Hakuho and Asashoryu during the Nagoya Tournament last July.
A court of law must decide the truth, and Shukan Gendai must prove this alleged scandal. That being said, however, the sumo association also has much work to do. Some wrestlers' and stablemasters' behavior is just asking for trouble, and the association must warn them. The conduct of some non-Japanese wrestlers has bothered some fans, who complained recently when Asashoryu kicked away a zabuton seat cushion tossed into the ring after an exciting bout.
Naturally, foreign-born wrestlers have grown up in cultures different from Japan's. But we believe in helping them understand and appreciate sumo's age-old culture and tradition. It is the entire sumo community's responsibility to set up a system to ensure they are more fully versed in sumo's traditions.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 29(IHT/Asahi: May 30,2007)
Mongolian wrestler Hakuho's name uses a different kanji from Kashiwado's, apparently in deference to the inimitable sumo superstar of the 1960s. But Hakuho is ascending to the same top rank of yokozuna.
Hakuho's father was a grand champion in Mongolian wrestling who became a national hero as Mongolia's first Olympic silver medalist in wrestling. But it was not only his father's legacy that helped Hakuho achieve so much in sumo.
Hakuho was 15 when he left Mongolia with six other youths, aspiring to a career in sumo here. He was 1.75 meters tall, but weighed less than 70 kilograms. All the other boys were assigned their stables quickly, but no stable was interested in this skinny lad. He would have gone back to Mongolia had a senior Mongolian wrestler not, on the eve of his departure, interceded and persuaded a stablemaster to take him in. From then on, Hakuho stuffed himself with food to get bigger.
Today, at 22 years, two months old, Hakuho is the third-youngest ever promoted to yokozuna, after Kitanoumi and Taiho. Despite his youth, he has overcome many difficulties.
For the first time in a long time, the next Grand Sumo Tournament, to be held in Nagoya in July, will have two grand champions--Asashoryu and Hakuho, both from Mongolia.
Remarkably, of the six recent grand champions, including Hakuho, four are wrestlers from overseas. And more foreign-born wrestlers are aiming for the highest rank, Kotooshu from Bulgaria, Kokkai from Georgia and others. Thus, it could be said that internationalization is saving Japan's national sport. Yet just 15 years ago, a member of the yokozuna promotion council said of then-ozeki (champion) Konishiki from Hawaii, "We don't need a foreign yokozuna." Sumo has since undergone a dramatic
transformation.
One nice thing about the arts and sports is that anyone who works hard to succeed will usually gain due recognition, even if he or she does not speak the language of the land and has to start from scratch.
Sumo's popularity is growing in Mongolia, and so is the public's interest in Japan. And opening the doors to foreign wrestlers is certainly helping to strengthen Japan's amicable relations with those countries. One unfortunate development recently concerns suspicions of bout-rigging.
The Japan Sumo Association is now involved in three civil lawsuits against the weekly Shukan Gendai magazine. The magazine's latest report is that there exists a tape of Hakuho's stablemaster, Miyagino, confessing to fixing a bout between Hakuho and Asashoryu during the Nagoya Tournament last July.
A court of law must decide the truth, and Shukan Gendai must prove this alleged scandal. That being said, however, the sumo association also has much work to do. Some wrestlers' and stablemasters' behavior is just asking for trouble, and the association must warn them. The conduct of some non-Japanese wrestlers has bothered some fans, who complained recently when Asashoryu kicked away a zabuton seat cushion tossed into the ring after an exciting bout.
Naturally, foreign-born wrestlers have grown up in cultures different from Japan's. But we believe in helping them understand and appreciate sumo's age-old culture and tradition. It is the entire sumo community's responsibility to set up a system to ensure they are more fully versed in sumo's traditions.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 29(IHT/Asahi: May 30,2007)
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