After all the speculation about injuries, the first kyujo rikishi is Kaisei. This is a really unfortunate development for the Brazilian. After several tournaments in sanyaku, he’d slid back into the middling ranks of the maegashira. I’ll update when there’s more information about his recovery time. I hope he can come back in time for the next tournament. He will likely slip further down the maegashira, though hopefully not as far as Juryo.
Hat tip to Andrew and Celina for noticing. Here’s a link to the absent rikishi page on the Sumo Kyokai website.
If Tochinoshin’s fall down from sanyaku to low Maegashira rank (after his injury-blighted New Years Basho) is anything to go by, then Kaisei could well be looking at dropping down into Juryo
I shudder to think of the fall. I honestly hope he gets some benefit by going kyujo now and not suffering a 0-5 or 0-10, 0-15 record. I will dig into the numbers tonight.
I bet every juryo wrestler is praying that Kaisei doesn’t land in their division, fully recovered, in May.
I think he’ll definitely fall to Juryo. Kyokushuho was kyujo in May 2016 at rank M8e. That’s the same rank Kaisei currently holds. For July they dropped Kyokushuho to J6e.
Great point. That gives more weight to Andrew’s point. If he’s healthy in May, he’s suddenly my favorite for a Juryo yusho – unless there’s someone like Myogiryu down there, too.
Speaking of injuries do we have any idea how Harumafuji, Kakuryu and Goeido are doing now?
So the Japanese sumo press is notorious for trying to help high ranking rikishi save face when they are injured. The story that has been going out is that they are all fit and fine and ready for action. So I try to go by the severity of their injuries. For Goeido and Harumafuji, they were fairly serious. Kakuryu, it seems to come and go.
All 3 of them are going to start, and try to tough it out. Frankly I can’t see how Goeido is going to keep him ankles from blowing out, but good luck to him.
Sadanofuji is listed as kyujo down in Makushita. I wonder if he will retire.