Reader Bruce H is right, we’ve got a good three weeks until we even see the new banzuke so I’m going to open this thread to discussion to anything sumo related. Feel free to post gripes and suggestions for the blog, as well.
Reader Bruce H is right, we’ve got a good three weeks until we even see the new banzuke so I’m going to open this thread to discussion to anything sumo related. Feel free to post gripes and suggestions for the blog, as well.
First off, thanks for the open thread. It already seems like a long while since the Nagoya basho ended. First thing for the readers of this fine blog. Any commends or knowledge about this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ4Z5L-soA4
I am tempted to call it the Juryo glee club / karaoke break, but given it’s Sumo, I am sure it is steeped in tradition and is a serious part of the ceremonies surrounding a solemn event. But then again, maybe it’s a bunch of guys doing some kind of Heya barbershop.
Topic of the day for the open thread – Someone to watch
Hard core Sumo fans know about this guy, but I just recently heard of him – Kazuki Ura aka Ura. He has a huge amount of energy and is a blast to watch. But keep in mind a lot of these kinds of moves may not work as well in the higher divisions, as the other Rikishi end up being heavier and harder to toss around. Of course that never stopped Chiyonofuji
http://www.sumo.or.jp/EnSumoDataRikishi/profile?id=3616
If you want to see him in action, this is a great summary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVyHNc9Q3pk
Besides his preference to throw opponents around, he keeps himself very low, even after the Tachiai. This is one of the things that makes (in my opinion) Hakuho so tough to beat.
Exit question – will we see Ura as an entry level Maegashira soon? He is a blast to watch.
Ura is awesome. Very athletic. The last few aggressive, athletic wrestlers that I’ve seen rise quickly (Osunaarashi, Endo) have been hampered by injury because they’re still a bit reckless at the edge of the dohyo. I hope Ura rises but not so quickly. I’m glad that Shodai seems to have more of that control.
I had been watching for Chiyonoumi because he started out great with several yusho in the lower ranks. But then he vanished; I think the same tournament as Homarenishiki’s last tournament. I’ve actually been following him on twitter.
On a side note, I’ve been thinking of adding you as an author on here. That way the system doesn’t need to wait for me to approve when you add content with links. (I just flew back from Tokyo yesterday so sorry for the delay in approving.) It could also be easier for other readers to notice your posts. It will also automatically post to the Tachiai_blog twitter account.
Wow, it would be an honor to help post content here. I may take a shikona, if you don’t mind.
Both Chiyonoumi and Chiyonokuni seem to suffer from what you described, they seem to battle with wild abandon and end up getting injured too much to sustain a real career. I worry Ura is in that group too. From the summary video above, there are a couple of times where he takes a mean fall off the edge of the dohyō with some much larger fellow falling on or near him.
So if I read this correctly (far from likely) – this may be an indication that Yoshikaze may have completed his hospital stay. No idea if he is out on the PR tour with the rest of the Sumotori
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI9ITwOjH3K/