It’s official! Kisenosato is our 72nd Yokozuna. Congratulations to the Champion, and we are eager to see him compete in Osaka in March. Hopefully he will be accompanied by the full contingent of Hakuho, Harumafuji, and Kakuryu. We hope they will all be healthy and ready to go! We already anticipate great things at the end of this upcoming tournament.
Month: January 2017
Kisenosato Recommended For Promotion To Yokozuna
Yokozuna Deliberation Council Approves Unanimously
In a move that has been expected since the end of the Hatsu basho, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council has met on Monday January 23rd at the Kokugikan, and after only 10 minutes of discussion, unanimously approved Kisenosato as the 72nd Yokozuna. He will be the first Japanese man to take the rope since 1998 when it was given to the 66th Yokozuna Wakanohana.
The meeting on the 23rd was held as an “extraordinary session” at request of the Shimpan of the Japan Sumo Association, and was conducted by its chairman Nobuyoshi Hakkaku. Based on that decision, the Sumo Association will decide Kisenosato’s promotion during a meeting of the directors on the 25th.
Official notification is expected to be delivered to the stable later on Wednesday, with all of the pomp and ceremony associated with elevation to Grand Champion. Word in the press is that retired Yokozuna Ōnokuni has offered to teach Kisenosato the ritual of Yokozuna dohyo-iri. It is expected that Yokozuna Kisenosato will adopt the Unryu style, which focuses on defense, and is practiced by Yokozuna Kakuryu, and legendary Yokozuna Takanohana.
Tachiai congratulates Kisenosato in achieving this mighty goal, to which he has dedicated his entire life.
More details from the Asahi Shimbun here
Kisenosato’s Thanks For Takayasu
Faithful Lieutenant Was Key To Training
Kisenosato has perpetually been second best, always just behind tournament winners. But in his stoic and stubborn nature, he continued to train, working to improve with the mindless drive to one day succeed. All valid concerns aside, this past Sunday he finally reached that goal that he has devoted his entire life to achieving.
But it would likely never have been possible without the dedicated, relentless devotion of Takayasu, Kisenosato’s right hand man and boon companion.
Some rikishi are naturally gifted athletes. This includes people like Hakuho and Harumafuji. Anyone can learn the basics of sumo, the rules are quite simple. And like any physical sport, a handful seem to have natural talent and skill. Others are driven to train themselves to the point where they can compete with these natural talents. This is where I believe Kisenosato falls. He has an overflowing love of sumo, but he is not the gifted natural that some others are.
So he trains. But that training is really only effective if Kisenosato has a sparring partner who drives him to excel, who is good enough and tough enough to make him better. Reports are that Takayasu and Kisenosato have been training endlessly, dozens of bouts per day. This allowed the Hatsu champion to hone his skills, and arrive at the first day of the tournament ready to win.
I find it touching that in one of his victory speeches, Kisenosato thanked Takayasu directly.
Should the YDC promote Kisenosato to Yokozuna this week, I will be looking for Takayasu to carry his katana.
My Rant Against Promotion
Let’s face facts. This yusho was won by an ozeki who did not battle another healthy ozeki or yokozuna before his coronation on Day 14. His Day 14 bout was against a lethargic Ichinojo who’s spent the last two tournaments at M13. He will, no doubt, climb higher. But does anyone among my readers believe Ichinojo today is a serious sanyaku contender? And as for Kisenosato, over this fortnight he beat 5 men who ended the tournament with winning records (I’m not counting the walkover victory against Goeido). He fought nine maegashira.
In contrast, last tournament was won by Kakuryu with the same 14-1 record. His only loss was actually to Kisenosato. But he defeated two yokozuna & three ozeki, only fighting five rank-and-filers, the lowest ranked being Endo at M3. When he was awarded his yokozuna rope after his first yusho, he had lost the previous title in a play0ff with a 14-1 record. Kisenosato’s jun-yusho record against that field was 12 wins. Solid for an ozeki but is that really tsuna worthy?
I will likely be alone in asking the Yokozuna Deliberation Council to hold off and see if he can pick up another jun-yusho or yusho in the next tournament. He’s a solid ozeki. Why taint his legacy by elevating him too quickly, like Goeido and Kakuryu? The answer is obvious: as Bruce has pointed out, the first Japanese yokozuna will be a coup as the Sumo Kyokai hopes to continue to bring more fans into the sport after the dark days of yaocho.
But is this how they want it to be done? When many fans watch these matches and wonder openly about fishiness that may have kept Kotoshogiku in his rank longer than he should? When his very yusho last year, coincidentally fell 10 years from the last Japanese yusho? Within a year he loses his rank after chronic kadoban status with his kadoban twin, Goeido? My point is clear. Make Kisenosato earn his rope against a full, healthy crop of sanyaku competitors. What will the Kyokai do? Likely the same thing as the NFL post-9/11: please the local fans. Invent the tuck rule so the Patriots get to the Super Bowl over the Raiders. There’s been a lot more interest with ESPN being a two-hour drive from Foxboro, no?