Less than one week out from the first day of action in Osaka, our newest Yokozuna got a bit bloodied by Yoshikaze. The maegashira’s head opened up a decent wound over Kisenosato’s eye, requiring a visit to the hospital for a couple of stitches, according to this article at Yahoo! Japan.
It’s admittedly hyperbole to make a big issue over a wee cut but I’m sure every opponent will be looking for any advantage. For the most part, Kisenosato is shrugging this one off. It’s not a serious injury and there’s no way anything like this would set back his training before his first Yokozuna basho. But in one week’s time, we’ll see if some (not-so) young whipper snappers seeking kinboshi don’t try to reopen that cut. Sokokurai and Takekaze, anyone? It’s not often they get a shot at a scalp.
Needless to say, I’m just anxious to get this party started.
Thanks very much for posting this. I don’t know any English language site which has these kind of updates.which is why I’m sticking with you guys.
Fair play to Yoshikaze a he’s the one who usually ends a basho looking like he’s been worked over with a couple of cricket bats and a cheese grater.
I’m not sure why these guy were sparring less than a week from the start of the tournament as they both come from pretty strong stables with plenty of viable training partners. Maybe Kisenosato had enough of being pushed around by Takayasu and Yoshi got fed up of being henka’d by Takekaze. I wonder if any of Kisenosato’s opponents will have a crack at reopening the damage with an elbow (sorry “forearm”) at the tachiai.It’s the sort of thing that Kotoyuki would try but at M9 he won’t get the chance.
So these guys are going at it very hard core before this basho, more than I have seen in prior run ups. I think part of it is that everyone wants to make sure Kisenosato is tuned up, and that Takayasu is as strong astroturfing they can make him. In fact, I am pretty sure Kiseonsato is orchestrating some of this. He sees himself finally ready to be a visible and public leader of the Sumo world.
if you know Japanese culture, you can probably guess that he deferred to Hakuho and the other Yokozuna, but now that he has his rope, he is eager to do it “his way”. It seems Kisenosato’s way involves getting a lot of dirt on you, and grinding yourself and your buddies into a muddy, tired mess. Not that this is new, but in the past it was just him and Takayasu. Now it seems to be a bigger event involving the ichimon.
Frankly, I like it – a lot. I want too see the rikishi from that ichimon tear up everyone else through superior strength and technique.