Sumo News is not over! There are a number of sumo-related events going on in-between tournaments. Kokugikan hosted the retirement ceremony of former Yokozuna, Terunofuji on Saturday, January 31.
The event was streamed live on Abema. I had a conflict with a previously scheduled engagement, so I missed it but it looks like Terunofuji put on a great show. There was shokkiri performed by Asaazuma and Suigafuji with Shikimori Kinosuke as the gyoji. Shokkiri is a sumo comedy routine that’s generally included in all of these exhibition events, like with jungyo. They explain the rules of sumo by basically breaking all of them.
There was a bracket-style tournament featuring eight of the lower-ranked Isegahama wrestlers. The bracket is in the Twitter post below. Let me know if any of these are not working and I’ll see if I can source them from elsewhere. Some of the Twitter embeds get blocked but others are visible to people without accounts. From the top left we have Mienofuji (Tenshoho/Mukainakano), Satorufuji, Hananofuji (Kiho/Kawazoe) and Suzunofuji. On the right side we have Asahifuji, Churafuji (Chura/Chikuba), Yumenofuji, and Arashifuji (Matsui).
The yusho was claimed by Asahifuji, fresh off his Jonokuchi division title. He is the much-hyped rookie who was given the shikona of the former Yokozuna (and former Isegahama-oyakata). The Japanese press seems to like calling him the strongest recruit ever. He has been living with and training with the heya for the last four years since he couldn’t officially join with Terunofuji on the books as the resident foreign wrestler. He is also Mongolian and we will keep an eye on his career, that’s for sure.
There were also exhibition bouts with sekitori, capped off with a bout between Hoshoryu and Onosato. Hoshoryu picked up Onosato (be careful with that knee!) and dropped him into Oshima-oyakata’s lap. Oshima-oyakata (former Kyokutenho) seemed to be a common target for falling rikishi but took it with a laugh. Seems like Kirishima was a target, too. One gem in particular from these bouts was the introduction of Takanosho as hailing from Minatogawa-beya, which you can hopefully hear in the tweet embedded below. See our previous news brief about Takakeisho becoming master.
Terunofuji performed his final dohyo-iri with Hoshoryu as sword-bearer and Onosato as dew-sweeper. As Josh pointed out in the comments, ex-Satonofuji was on hand to help get that rope ready. He’s not the only blast-from-the-past who attended the event.
Terunofuji’s 3-year-old son joined them on the dohyo wearing his own tsuna (Yokozuna rope belt) and kesho mawashi, held by Onosato. Check back in 20 years. That kid might have his own legit belt.
Now, the main event was obviously the haircut. A stream of supporters, celebrities, and sumo elite (including Hakuho) took their turns cutting Terunofuji’s topknot. Shunba, Terunofuji’s former tsukebito took his turn, as did Takarafuji, and the current crop of Isegahama sekitori. Here, though, we have Miyagino-oyakata taking the final snips.
That’s it for this weekend but join us next weekend for news about the NHK Charity Sumo event and the One Day Tournament. This one day tournament used to be known as the FUJI TV tournament but since last year’s Fuji TV scandal, it looks like Fuji TV is not aligned with it anymore. Nevertheless, if you’re in Japan and think you missed all of the sumo action after the end of Hatsu, take heart. You may still have an opportunity to attend these events or other sumo-related tours and events.
You thought you were rid of me for six weeks. Think again. There are a handful of news items I wanted to bring to your attention.
Minatogawa-Beya (湊川部屋)
Former Ozeki Takakeisho has officially taken the reins at his old stable. Tokiwayama-oyakata, the former shisho (master), will turn 65 right before the next tournament starts on March 1. Currently, 65 is the mandatory retirement age. There is some speculation that might be changed but it’s difficult to imagine many folks will be happy with that if the number of available kabu remains the same.
For a period of five years, the former master can stay on as san’yo in more of an advisory capacity. Current Miyagino-oyakata (Yokozuna Asahifuji) is an example of someone in this san’yo position. However, the master has to hand things over to the next master. Just as Isegahama handed things over to Terunofuji, Tokiwayama-oyakata has passed the baton to Takakeisho. We wish Takakeisho well in this exciting new chapter of his career. This does not make me feel old, at all.
Juryo Promotions
The Japan Sumo Association officially released the names of the three Makushita wresters who will be promoted to Juryo. As Leonid alluded to in his Makushita coverage post, Toshinofuji, Fukuzaki, and Shimazuumi were the three leading candidates for promotion after their senshuraku wins. Toshinofuji and Fukuzaki finished with 5-2 records from Ms2W and Ms3W, respectively, while Shimazuumi managed 6-1 from Ms5W.
Shimazuumi returns to the Juryo after spending the past year in the third division after rehabbing an injury. Toshinofuji and Fukuzaki are bing promoted for the first time. Fukuzaki has also taken on a new shikona with his sekitori promotion. He is now Fujitensei and joins his stablemates Fujiseiun and Fujiryoga as sekitori. This leaves Himukamaru (4-3 from Ms2 East) on the outside, looking in.
Terunofuji Haircut on Abema
Terunofuji’s retirement ceremony will begin at 10:30am on Saturday, Japan Time. That’s 8:30pm Eastern time, 7:30pm Central in the US. It’s apparently being covered on Abema which will be nice for those in Japan — or those with VPNs who can pretend to be there. It should give a bit of a sample of what hanazumo is like.
Terunofuji will perform a dohyo-iri and there will likely be demonstrations of drumming and the hairstyling on the dohyo, as well as jinku singing, shokkiri, possibly some exhibition bouts before the haircut ceremony begins.
The Sumo Association provides Special Prizes to select top division wrestlers: Outstanding Performance, Fighting Spirit, and Technique Prizes. For many, it’s awarded outright on senshuraku as an award for their performance over the week. For others, the possibility of winning a prize is announced with conditions based on performance on senshuraku.
Atamifuji was awarded a Fighting Spirit prize, unconditionally. He was also given a chance at an Outstanding Performance Prize if he won the yusho with 12 wins. Yoshinofuji likewise has a conditional Outstanding Performance Prize, given a win today. Kirishima, Abi, and Oshoumi must win today to pick up Fighting Spirit Prizes.
Wakanosho won his bout against the up-and-coming Fujiryoga. He used forceful tsuppari to drive Fujiryoga to the edge. Fujiryoga tried to move laterally to his right but Wakanosho pursued quickly and hit him with a powerful shoulder blast. Despite the loss, Fujiryoga likely won enough to make his Makuuchi division debut in Osaka. Okuridashi.
Asahakuryu (8-7) defeated Sadanoumi (9-6). Henka! Asahakuryu shifted to his left at the tachiai catching Sadanoumi off-guard. Sadanoumi was about three days late to react so Asahakuryu drove him over the bales. Asahakuryu is kachi-koshi in his top division debut and preserves his position. Yorikiri.
Kotoeiho (8-7) defeated Ryuden (6-9). Kotoeiho overpowered Ryuden and quickly forced him over the edge with a left-hand inside grip. Yorikiri.
Mitakeumi (7-8) defeated Midorifuji (6-9). MIdorifuji locked in on Mitakeumi’s left shoulder and tried to get another katasukashi win but Mitakeumi moved forward well and shoved him over the bales. Oshidashi.
Tobizaru (7-8) defeated Chiyoshoma (6-9). Henka! Tobizaru jumped right and wrapped up Chiyoshoma from behind. Chiyoshoma tried to stay in and hopped around but Tobizaru forced him out. Yorikiri.
Kotoshoho (9-6) defeated Hatsuyama (2-13). Hatsuyama pulled and got his left hand uwate grip. However, Kotoshoho immediately thrust him to the side with a powerful shove. Tsukiotoshi.
Roga (7-8) defeated Tomokaze (4-11). Tomokaze hit Roga with a nodowa and forced him to the edge. Roga grabbed his belt with the left hand and shifted to his left, throwing him down. Uwatenage.
Asakoryu (9-6) defeated Gonoyama (7-8). Henka! Asakoryu pivoted and tried to slap Gonoyama down. Gonoyama did well to stay upright but couldn’t launch a counter attack. Asakoryu shoved him out. However, Asakoryu visibly winced and grabbed his left pec after the win. I hope he didn’t just pull a Kisenosato. Oshidashi.
Shodai (7-8) defeated Asanoyama (9-6). Asanoyama forced Shodai to the edge but Shodai got his arm under Asanoyama’s left shoulder, shifted to his right and pulled Asanoyama down on one knee. Katasukashi.
Fujinokawa (10-5) defeated Tokihayate (8-7). Fujinokawa got his left hand inside under Tokihayate’s shoulder and his right arm up around Tokihayate’s head, twisted and hauled him down in the middle of the ring. Sukuinage.
Atamifuji (12-3) defeated Oshoumi (10-5). Atamifuji plowed into Oshoumi and drove him to the edge. Oshoumi must be injured because he held his right leg aloft at the bales rather than using it to dig in. That meant it was very easy for Atamifuji to press forward and force Oshoumi out. Ankle? Knee? Both were taped. Oshoumi missed out on his first special prize. We will see about Atamifuji. One thing’s for sure, no big Chaos playoff. Shucks. Yorikiri.
Daieisho (7-8) defeated Shishi (9-6). Shishi henka? I didn’t think that would be possible. Shishi shifted right but Daieisho adjusted and attacked Shishi with his patented tsuppari thrusts, driving him back and over the bales. Oshidashi.
Halftime
Wakatakakage (9-6) defeated Hiradoumi (9-6). Wakatakakage got his right hand in high and tried to get his left-hand grip to help him charge forward. Hiradoumi blocked him so Wakatakakage pivoted to his right and pulled, twisting Hiradoumi down by his right shoulder. Katasukashi.
Ura (4-11) defeated Tamawashi (5-10). Tamawashi wrapped up Ura and drove forward…at least I thought Tamawashi wrapped up Ura. Suddenly Ura escaped Tamawashi’s grasp, slipped out to his right, and flung Tamawashi into the crowd. It’s hard to believe Ura only had four wins this basho but here we are. Hikiotoshi.
Yoshinofuji (8-7) defeated Oshoma (7-8). This was a Darwin bout with extra spice. The added possibility of a special prize gave this bout the extra flavor. Yoshinofuji got his left hand inside grip and when he got his right hand outside grip to accompany it, he pulled up and charged forward, driving Oshoma to the edge. He then shoved Oshoma over the edge to finish him off. Oshidashi.
Ichiyamamoto (4-11) defeated Kinbozan (4-11). After a flurry of tsuppari, Ichiyamamoto locked up Kinbozan with a left-hand uwate and drove him back and over the edge. Yorikiri.
Sanyaku
Wakamotoharu (8-7) defeated Onokatsu (7-8) Wakamotoharu grabbed Onokatsu with a right hand uwate pivoted and pulled Onokatsu forward. Wakamotoharu will keep his sanyaku position, after all. Uwatehineri.
Takanosho (5-10) defeated Oho (4-11). With his feet embued with the power of the tawara as he braced against the edge, Takanosho shoved Oho to the left and over the edge. Oshidashi.
Churanoumi (9-6) defeated Takayasu (8-7). Churanoumi slapped at Takayasu’s left shoulder, thrusting him forward and off-kilter. He then got in behind Papa Bear and drove him out of the ring from behind. Okuridashi.
Kore-Yori-Sanyaku
Kirishima (11-4) defeated Abi (10-5). Abi wrapped up Kirishima’s left shoulder and tried to haul him back quickly over the bales. Kirishima resisted by driving into Abi. Kirishima got a strong belt grip and forced Abi over the edge. Abi’s tsuppari cannon was notably absent from the bout. Kirishima picks up a special prize to accompany the arrows and his kensho. Abi is denied. Yorikiri.
Aonishiki (12-3) defeated Kotohachinana (8-7) So, all of the drama of the past fortnight brought us here. Atamifuji has done his part. It’s on Aonishiki to do his. Kotozakura pulled. He dug his chin into the back of Aonishiki’s neck and tried to force him down. He grabbed Aonishiki’s belt and tried to pull him up. Aonishiki kept his composure and with his right hand firmly gripping Kotozakura’s belt, he pressed forward and forced Kotozakura over the edge. Good, old-fashioned, yorikiri.
Hoshoryu (10-5) defeated Onosato (10-5). Hoshoryu quickly established a migi-yotsu hold. Onosato’s ottsuke was unable to dislodge Hoshoryu’s grasp. Hoshoryu stayed low and charged forward, driving Onosato to the edge. Onosato could not escape and Hoshoryu forced him over the bales. Yorikiri.
Playoff
Aonishiki defeated Atamifuji. Aonishiki locked on quickly with his right hand inside. Atamifuji wrapped his left arm around Aonishiki’s and pulled up. With his right hand he tried to sneak it inside to envelope Aonishiki but Aonishiki’s ottsuke held him at bay…for now. Atamifuji used his power and leverage to pull up on Aonishiki and force him to the edge but he couldn’t quite get him over. Aonishiki used that right hand grip to stabilize himself against Atamifuji’s pulls, as much as he used it as a steering wheel to try to drive into Atamifuji. The two men worked to a brief stalemate at the edge…but Atamifuji kept edging closer to that migi-sashi. If he could just get that right hand inside to accompany his left, he might be able to drive Aonishiki over the bales. And he was nearly there….just a little bit more…Aonishiki realized he was losing the grip so he suddenly let go with his left hand, brought his left hand up around Atamifuji’s head, and pulled Atamifuji down. Wow. Kubinage.
Wrap-up
What a basho. We didn’t get the 5-man mega playoff but we got two great yusho runs from Aonishiki and from Atamifuji. We got great bouts and the Playoff was a sweet Bing cherry on this Sumo Sundae. In the end, Aonishiki continues to rack up the accolades. He’s the ninth wrestler to win a yusho in his debut as Ozeki, the first since Hakuho some 20 years ago. He picked up 12 wins to add to a stunning string of double-digit tallies since his debut in the top division. Now, he is on a Yokozuna “rope run” (綱取り). If he wins in Osaka, we’ll need a new Ozeki.
That’s not all, though. Both Yokozuna showed up, they completed the 15-day tour of duty, they both featured in the yusho race for a little bit and they both picked up double-digit wins. That’s certainly enough for an “Achieved Results” on the bi-monthly performance review in a normal basho. Given their injuries we should bump them up to “Exceeded Expectations,” which I would say applies to the entire tournament.
So, that’s it. The Yokozuna can kick up their heels and rest until March and we do this again, right, Andy? No? No. There’s no jungyo but there are several events on the calendar. We’ve got Terunofuji’s retirement sumo next weekend. After that, we’ve got the NHK charity sumo on February 7th and the Annual one-day tournament on Saturday the 8th. At the same time, the Hakuho Cup is scheduled for the same weekend. It will include girls and adults this year. Regular readers will know we’ll also have the official announcement of Juryo promotions later this week.
The Sumo Association tweeted the top division match ups and posted their full torikumi on the Sumo Association website. This full torikumi includes a list of all of the kensho on the left but I’ve focused this image on the half with the bouts. This portion also has a list of all of the yusho prizes that are on the line during tonight’s action.
As Leonid mentioned three Makushita wrestlers will come up to fight Juryo bouts. Hakuyozan will fight Takakento, Shimazuumi will fight Hidenoumi, and Kotokuzan will Fukuzaki. Toshinofuji did, in fact, win his bout while the other three are fighting their bouts tonight. With that win, Toshinofuji is in. It will be interesting to see who earns their way up to join him. Enho will try again for promotion in Osaka, possibly with a more forgiving path.
Wakanosho will fight Fujiryoga for the yusho. If Fujiryoga plays is spoiler role right, stablemate Fujiseiun will fight Wakanosho in a playoff — if he can win his own bout against Tohakuryu.
Makuuchi Yusho Race
Now, the reason you’re here. Before we get to the “halftime” shimpan shuffle, Atamifuji will fight Oshoumi in an early bout with yusho implications. Then, we get to our sanyaku yusho bouts. We knew the final two bouts of the day already. Onosato will fight Hoshoryu and Aonishiki will fight Kotozakura. Kirishima will take on Abi, with the winner awarded the arrows.
Other sanyaku bouts include Churanoumi versus Takayasu, Oho versus Takanosho, and Wakamotoharu fighting Onokatsu in a Darwin bout with Wakamotoharu’s sanyaku rank at stake.
So, if Atamifuji wins that puts pressure on Aonishiki to win his bout to earn a spot in a play-off. Otherwise, Atamifuji will win the yusho outright. If Atamifuji loses, Aonishiki can win the yusho outright with a win over Kotohachinana (Kotozakura). If both men lose, there will be a playoff with Oshoumi, which would also include the winner of the Kirishima-Abi fight and possibly Onosato, if he beats Hoshoryu. So, we could have a two-man playoff, an outright victory, or a bigger playoff with up to five guys. Chaos!
