Tachiai is excited to report that Ichiro Young, from the great state of Texas, is competing in Kyushu. At the age of 18, he has been training with the Musashigawa Beya (武蔵川部屋), and is hoping to be accepted during Kyushu.
Mr Young has an American father, and a Japanese mother, and the riveted interest of US sumo fans and he works to join the ranks of sumo men. At present he has yet to take a shikona, but Ichiromaru or something with “Young” (Waka) are likely choices. His coach had this to say about him: “A fast dash, like a rocket. I want to make him do oshi-zumo.”
Seems he is reading a lot of Naruto manga to enhance his Japanese language skills, and training like a mad-man.
I’m eager to see him do well. I keep wishing I was in Japan when I was 18. By 24 I’m sure I’d have been too old. So I’ll live my sumo career vicariously through Ichiro-san.
Ichirio-san did really well, and it seems he is going to be in Jonokuchi come January Basho. I had already been toying with the idea of a Tokyo run in January, if I go, I wonder what kind of “Texas” stuff I could drop off for him.
Sadly it’s going to be impossible to watch his matches for several years, although the idea John Gunning dropped during that 3 way video chat with Jason and Kitamayama that NHK was considering “Additional Content” for outside the US gives me hope.