Behind the Curtain - September 2009

The colors of the leaves have not started to change here in Tokyo, but the Fall Tournament or Aki Basho is here. This tourney we have 5 men stepping out from behind the curtain. There are 3 new faces making their debut to the paid ranks and 2 guys we have seen before in the silk mawashi.

Ms1w Sotairyu 6-1 from Tokitsukaze-Beya is putting on the silk mawashi for the first time this September. He entered the dohyo for the first time back in the summer tourney of 2005. After 4 years, he enters the paid ranks. Sotairyu is also the 10th college wrestler for Tokitsukaze stable.

Sotairyu was the only low-ranker who did not change his shikona in January 2008 after the Tokitsukaze-Beya scandal and remains with the shikona given to him by the former Oyakata. "After the scandal, I was so depressed I couldn't do any sumo. I thought of quitting and even consulted my parents on this". He is 115 kilos light, but "I'll move around furiously and get the fans all excited!" he promised.

Sotairyu joins 4 of his stablemates as sekitori representing Tokitsukaze stable: East Maegashira #7 Toyonoshima, West Maegashira #10 Tokitenku, East Maegashira #14 Shimotori and West Maegashira #14 Tosayutaka.

Ms2w Tokushinho 4-3, from Kise-Beya, must have breathed easier after Dejima’s retirement announcement, which sealed Tokushinho’s promotion to Juryo. He is the first guy from Asahi University to become a sekitori. It will also be his first tournament fighting in a silk mawashi.
Kise Oyakata explained, “I will have you know, young man, that new promotee Tokushinhou weighs 220 kilos.”

Tokishinho shared, "I'd like to see how I measure up today to the guys I did sumo with back in college and could never beat.”

Tokitsukaze Oyakata added, "At first, he couldn't do shiko or teppo or push-ups. He did serious training, but I felt it may take him more time to become a sekitori", said his Oyakata Kise. He is 25 years old and is 1.92 meters tall. "He looks like a tall tree to me", added the awe-yakata, who decided he will use a green mawashi. "I hope he utilizes his outside grip well and does 'big' sumo!", he summed.

It is said that last Basho Yamamotoyama met Tokishinho in the shitakuBeya and called out: "Get up (the ranks) quickly and let's rumble!!"

Ms1e Sagatsukasa 4-3 from Irumagawa-Beya did not need to win his last bout in Nagoya, against, Toyazakura, cause he only needs 4 victories to guarantee his return to the paid ranks, after a one Basho visit behind the curtain.

Ms2e Hoshikaze 4-3 from Oguruma-Beya got his promotion on day 12th in direct exchange bout with an uwatenage win against another Mongolian Hoshihikari. "I want to do strong, forward-moving, my own kind of sumo!" He joined sumo together with Kotooushuu. "Now that I'm closing in on him in the ranks, I'd really like to face him on the dohyo". He is known for having difficulties getting in sync with his opponents at the tachiai because of his over-enthusiasm. "I hope he becomes a rikishi who does a nice tachi-ai", said his Oyakata, Oguruma.

Ms4e Fukuoka 4-3, who is renaming himself to Okinoumi, again, is from Hakkaku-Beya and is our last man stepping out from the curtain, plus along with Sagatsukasa, our 2nd returned to the paid ranks.

With 5 men rising to the Sekitori tier of sumo, and with Deijma opening up one slot, 4 men must fall behind the curtain to make room. J13e Hoshihikari 5-10, J13w Kitazakura 3-12, J14e Kotokuni 1-14 and J14w Kotoyutaka 7-8 will drop to Makushita.

Behind the Curtain - July 2009

Summer is in full swing, the heat and humidity are draped over most of Japan, and during this time, men will step out from behind the curtain to accept their silk mawashi, in some cases, for the first time, and defend their elevated rank of Sekitori, the top of the sumo pyramid. This Nagoya Basho we will have two first time Sekitori and one returnee.

First to get a promotion for this July tournament is Tokusegawa, who is one of the almost 40 Mongolians in sumo. He has the honor of being the very first wrestler to reach Juryo for the Kiriyama stable. Kiriyama Oyakata formed his stable 15 years ago, and now he has his first Sekitori, “That is good. I was beginning to wonder if I’ll ever see the day.” It took Tokusegawa 6 years and surgery on his right elbow to reach this milestone, “I knew that someday I’d get my chance.” During those 6 years, Tokusegawa did win his division twice, once Makushita and another time Sandanme. Let’s see if he can string together a good run and add a Juryo yusho to his resume!

Next, there is Kotoyutaka is a man known for his sense of humor, smarts and overall sweetness, which is not always traits that come to mind when you like about a sumo wrestler. He has been known to be quite the clown on the Jungyo tours. His wit has been on display on television when doing an interview on of numerous wide shows with Kotomitsuki and Kotomisen, where he shut down the obnoxious host with some seriously sharp retorts. Besides his skills off the dohyo, he also managed to get one Makushita yusho in his climb up the banzuke. Upon hearing of his promotion, Kotoyutaka remarked, “I’d like to send my very first salary to my parents, with the envelope still sealed!” His coach, Sadogatake Oyakata shared, “I remember how the old shisho (the deceased ex-Kotozakura) used to say to him ‘If you ever make it to Juryo I’ll walk around the neighborhood on my hands!” Now, wouldn’t that be a sight to behold?

Finally, we have our returnee, Kitazakura from Kitonoumi stable. Surprisingly, after getting demoted back behind the curtain for his poor showing at Juryo 11, posting only 5 wins for the entire tourney, he did not retire as many predicted. Instead, he fought behind the curtain, and at the rank of Makushita 2 West, he won the majority of his bouts, finishing 4-3, including a win against a Sekitori, Juryo 13 East Wakatenro. This did not get him back in front of the curtain, since he was bumped from getting one of the 3 open slots in Juryo by Sagatsukasa, Jumonji, and Tamaasuka. So he went on to post another 4-3 result in the Natsu Basho at Tokyo, to earn him his return to the paid ranks. He is the 2nd oldest wrestler ever to earn a promotion back to Juryo, after the great basho.

To make room for these boys, someone must have retired or gotten sent back behind the curtain. At writing, the official standings are not released but it is very likely that Sagatsukasa will return to Makushita, limited his visit in front of the curtain to just one basho. Okinoumi will join him, along with Hoshihikari. Don’t forget, the promotion to Juryo are announced the first Wednesday after a tournament ends to give the wrestler time to find the money and get his silk kensho mawashi made, for his grand entrance via the tournament dohyo-iri (entering the dohyo) ceremony.

Behind the Curtain - May 2009

There is post-Golden Week holiday buzz in the air, along with the sounds of a curtain fluttering in the wind. It is from behind this curtain that men of sumo step out into the glory of the sekitori rank, to collect their “ten gold coins,” and to enjoy benefits of lower ranked wrestlers as their attendants, 24 x 7. This Natsu Basho we have only previous sekitori return to the paid ranks.

Sagatsukasa is ranked at Juryo 14 East and spent the first two tournaments of 2009 in the Makushita division, having made his previous visit to the paid ranks at the Fukuoka Basho last November. This 27-year-old from Irumagawa-beya always does his very best since reaching Juryo the first time in November 2007. Expect him to remain in the paid ranks for the rest of 2009, and exceeding the top rank of his career so far, that of Juryo 9.

Jumonji gets slotted at Juryo 14 West in somewhat of a comeback. We have not seen this guy in a silk mawashi since November 2007, the exact same basho that Sagatsukasa made his debut. At 33 years old, time is not on Jumonji’s side, but dropping out of the paid ranks due to an injured shoulder, then 18 months later getting back out from behind the curtain. Some feel that his style of sumo is mediocre. Representing Michinoku-beya, he managed to notch 510 Makuuchi bouts, yet never faced either a yokozuna or ozeki. He does come from a prefecture in Japan noted for sumo, Aomori-ken, so he has that going for him. It is unlikely that will be enough for him to once again reach his highest rank ever, Makuuchi 6, anytime soon.

Tamaasuka appears from behind the curtain at Juryo 13 West. Tama is a textbook elevator wrestler, in the past 6 basho, he was ranked Makushita, Juryo, Makushita, Juryo, Juryo, Makushita, respectively. So does this sekitori from Kataonami-beya have what it takes to remain in the paid ranks longer than 2 tournaments? Definitely! He is only 25 years old and has been having high up the ladder as Makuuchi 9, so the potential is there.

Three sekitori appear and three sekitori must disappear, that is of the way of the sumo world. We have already read of the demise of Wakrin in our last issue, besides him, we have a retiring sekitori, and one wrestler demoted back to Makushita.

Yotsuguruma did not put together a winning record since he was promoted to Juryo back in November 2008. It appears he overstayed his welcome in the paid ranks. He needs to quickly get his act together, at 28-years-old, now is the time for him to get back in that silk mawashi and stay in it. A sumotori from Isenoumi-beya, he needs to put in extra practice to return.

Otsukasa decided that he would not return behind the curtain, instead of at 38-years-old, he chose to hang up his mawashi and retire. Otsukasa was born February 18, 1971, and wanted to become a sumo wrestler since he was a little kid. Both his father and grandfather were huge sumo fans. He certainly managed to make his dream come true. He closed with a career record of 616-660-1, having spent 97 basho in sumo. Then, later on, 3 and half years ago, that Kotonowaka retired, and that left Otsukasa the oldest active sekitori, until now. The title of oldest active sekitori now belongs to Tosanoumi.

WARNING - Waikele Premium Outlets, HI

My rent-a-car was broken into, in broad daylight, at Waikele Premium Outlet on the island of Oahu, on July 5th, between 1350 and 1455. At 1355 I placed my wife's shopping in the trunk. My golf clubs were in the trunk as well. The thieves must have been extremely fast, and just popped the driver's side door lock, pushed the trunk button, and cleaned the trunk out. No one was hurt, it was not my car, so it wasn't an extreme crime but it is sad and it is my wife's favorite place to shop on Oahu.

I emailed Waikele Premium Outlet asking them to install CCTV.

I was contacted by a detective at the Honolulu Police department, he explained that there has been a rash of break-ins and that there was even an eyewitness the previous week, where a car in the center lot was broken into.

If you shop there, be smart and assume your belongings are not safe in your car, and simply drag your shopping around with you, until you are done and ready to leave the Waikele Premium Outlet.

Watch Your Wallet at TOKYO ESSENTIAL BAR PANDA

Just wanted to share that last night, June 26th, I lost my wallet at TOKYO ESSENTIAL BAR PANDA. I was there for a farewell party, so it was a private party. I sat down two places, out front, collecting money, and then once inside for the last 40 minutes of the party. When I reached the 2nd party, I realized my wallet was gone and worked my way backward to TOKYO ESSENTIAL BAR PANDA. When I reached the place, it was empty, guess it is more of an after-hours joint, and the staff had not seen my wallet. I left my phone number. In Japan, a general rule of thumb is that lost wallets are returned. I canceled all my credit cards and ATM cards. The biggest hassle is my driver's license, especially since I need it to pick up a rent-a-car in 5 days, ugh. C'est la vie! But I did not get a good vibe from TOKYO ESSENTIAL BAR PANDA, so I am posting this to share with the world.

Behind the Curtain - March 2009

The second basho of 2009 will give us two sumotori stepping out from ‘behind the curtain’, a juryo debut and a returnee. Opening up the sekitori slots for these young guns is two wrestlers who posted identical 5-10 records to push them down the ladder and back ‘behind the curtain’.

Okinoumi (Ms1), the last basho knew as Fukuoka sumotori, took the makushita yusho in convincing fashion, notching a perfect 7-0 record at the New Year’s tournament. It has taken 4 years and 3 months from his debut in 2005 to reach the rank of Juryo.

Not surprisingly, Okinoumi is from Okinoshima, an island off the Shimane prefecture. It is known for maintaining its traditional style of sumo called Koten Zumo. Koten Zumo is a sacred event that is held overnight.

It is not uncommon for a rikishi to change his shikona when he ‘steps out from behind the curtain’, but in this instance, it seems that his father had suggested the new shikona even before the Tokyo basho. A reporter has commented that as Okinoumi moves up the paid ranks, he will become popular due to his good looks. Hakkaku oyakata has asked reporters not to say this because he fears that Okinoumi will get overconfident. Hakkuka added that any strong rikishi should be popular with the ladies.

Kirinowaka (Ms2) is back in the paid ranks, after being a sekitori for 5 basho in 2008, he only needed a short 2 basho visit back ‘behind the curtain’, first at the Fukuoka tourney and then the New Year’s tourney, where is finished with a 5-2 record. The Osaka basho marks his 10th year in sumo, and at 25 years, he needs to stay in Juryo to have a shot at makuuchi.

Tamaasuka (J12w) had a tough tournament in Tokyo, especially the 2nd half, where he lost 6 of the last 8 days, virtually guaranteeing him a trip back ‘behind the curtain’. Tama has been having high up the banzuke as Makuuchi #9, but since the last basho of 2005, he has spent the majority of his time in a cotton mawashi oppose to a silk one. At 26 years old, he is still relatively young but perhaps he just doesn’t have the edge he had back in 2005. He will need to rediscover this edge to get back out in front of the curtain.

Kitazakura (J11w) is an old timer for sumo, at the ripe old age of 37, he hasn’t had to wear a cotton mawashi since 2003, and it is surprising that he has not decided to retire. Then again, from 1999 to 2003, Kita made a total for five one time visit to makushita, so perhaps he believes this stay in the unpaid ranks will be limited to one basho as well.

Behind the Curtain - January 2009

This New Year’s Basho will only introduce one wrestler to his first-time appearance in front of the curtain, unlike this time last year when a total of five wrestlers were first-time wearers of the silk mawashi. In addition to our debutant, there is a returnee to the paid ranks this tourney as well.

Kotokuni (Ms10e) racked up a perfect record of 7-0 to guarantee his promotion to Juryo in 2009. Kotokuni has taken his sweet own time to make it to sekitori, 15 years of struggling through the ranks. During this time he was tsukebito for 8 different sekitori, all the time asking himself, “…why can’t I make?” It took him 89 tournaments to reach the paid ranks, which is the 2nd slowest rise to Juryo ever. From the beginning of post-war sumo, at 30 years old, Kotokuni is the 6th oldest wrestler promoted to sekitori. Kotokuni also marks the first sekitori for Sadogatake-Beya, since former Kotonowaka took over the stable 3 years ago.

Asofuji (Ms1e) was only defeated on the first day one of the Fukuoka Basho, giving him a strong 6-1 record. Asofuji is the older brother of sekitori Aminishiki. Unlike his younger brother, who has stayed put in makuuchi for the past 8 years, Asofuji has made a career of getting promoted to Juryo, this is his 6th promotion to the paid ranks! In the last 5 tournaments, he has been promoted to juryo 3 times! This is somewhat of a record, this is only the 4th time this has happened since sumo switch to a six-basho a year calendar. Asofuji’s first time wearing the silk mawashi was way back at the September 2003 tourney.

With a first-time wrestler stepping out from behind the curtain and an “elevator” sekitori joining him, these means we got two wrestlers stepping behind the curtain to start out the year of the cow.

Sagatsukasa (J12e) started the Fukuoka Basho by losing 6 straight bouts, making it incredibly hard to put together a winning record. To finish the tourney, he lost 4 of the last 5 days to result in a 5-10 record and a demotion to makushita. Saga first entered the paid ranks November 2007, and with the exception of the January tourney, fought 5 basho in the paid ranks. We can expect to see him back in the silk mawashi later in 2009, perhaps as soon as the Osaka basho.

Ryuo (J10e) is someone you might recall from his one-basho debut in makuuchi at this year’s Osaka basho. Since that appearance in makuuchi, he has been spinning down the banzuke ladder. Ryuo could only win twice in the first 12 days of the Fukuoka Basho, making is extremely likely he would have to put his silk mawashi away for 2009. With his demotion, the number of Mongolian sekitori will drop to 13 wrestlers.