🌐 Location: Oshu, Iwate

Today, as the Jungyo hit the Iwate prefecture, two major comebacks have been accomplished.
First, the Ozeki ranks have been completed, with the return of Mr. Georgia, Tochinoshin:
Tochinoshin said his injured toe still hurts somewhat. He noted that he lost about 10kg since he went kyujo, and wishes to put a few of those back on by banzuke day.
<夏巡業@奥州市>四股を踏む、栃ノ心。#sumo #相撲 pic.twitter.com/F1R95gye4T
— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) August 14, 2018
He didn’t get much practice other than basics at his heya, but made himself busy giving butsukari to low-rankers as well as Tobizaru and even Goeido. He did not participate in the torikumi as yet.
Goeido, by the way, was back in business. In addition to that butsukari with Tochinoshin, he was also on the torikumi. His ear is getting better, apparently.
The other comeback was the glacial sekiwake, Ichinojo:
He settled for off-dohyo workout, but was thrown into the torikumi anyway, as you’ll see in the video clips below. His injury was in the lower back – an existing injury that made a return as his weight jumped from 220 to 230 kg just before the Nagoya basho.
He did some physiotherapy back in his heya and it’s “mostly better” now, but he wants to get back down to 220kg. Nevertheless, he wants to have a Genghis Khan when the Jungyo hits Hokkaido, and he may not be able to resist the temptation.
A Genghis Khan, or Jengisukan in its Japanese rendition, is a Hokkaido specialty, the Japanese idea of what Mongolian food is supposed to be: Lamb grilled in metal helmets.
This thing is basically protein and veggies, much like Chanko, and is completely Japanese. I don’t think eating this will hurt Ichinojo much. He should just lay off the sweets and the white rice.
There are several rikishi in the sumo world who hail from Iwate. No less than three of them are members of Isenoumi beya:

Sazanami hails not just from the prefecture in general, but from the city of Oshu itself, so he got a lot of attention, given that he is merely a Sandanme rikishi. And by “attention” I mean he was tortured pampered by a sekitori:

Kotorikisen of Sadogatake beya and Wagurayama from Musashigawa beya also got a share of the local boy limelight, but really, the star of the day was Nishikigi. This means he also got to wallow in dirt – but unlike his low-ranked ototo-deshi (rikishi from the same heya who joined later), he got to use the chest of a Yokozuna:
横綱・鶴竜関に稽古をつけてもらう錦木関🐔#さんさお鶏のドリーちゃん#岩手県#奥州市#大相撲奥州場所#大相撲夏巡業2018 pic.twitter.com/sZccMp7o3Z
— ダンディ☆ガガ (@2013dandygaga) August 14, 2018
Kisenosato, like Goeido, got himself busy on the dohyo for the first time in about a week. He didn’t look too bad. Here is Kisenosato vs. Sadanoumi:
<夏巡業@奥州市>稀勢の里と佐田の海の稽古。#sumo #相撲 pic.twitter.com/zYA5MW6ojP
— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) August 14, 2018
And some bouts vs. Mitakeumi:
お待たせ致しました、横綱が奥州場所で稽古へ復帰されました。相手は御嶽海関( •ω•ฅ) #奥州場所 #稀勢の里 #御嶽海 pic.twitter.com/sNoykKuFR1
— わ~ちゃん (@wakya33) August 14, 2018
御嶽海と稽古② #奥州場所 #稀勢の里 pic.twitter.com/ThqdqVGzwE
— わ~ちゃん (@wakya33) August 14, 2018
御嶽海と稽古③ #奥州場所 #稀勢の里 pic.twitter.com/ZariK7ZWdu
— わ~ちゃん (@wakya33) August 14, 2018
All in all, he had 11 matches with these two: 9 wins, 2 losses.
Another comeback – at least to the torikumi – was Takekaze. He was hanging around the Jungyo, but didn’t get a chance to wear his shimekomi. Here he is waiting expectantly for his first performance in a while:
気合い十分、豪風関🔥🐔🔥#さんさお鶏のドリーちゃん#岩手県#奥州市#大相撲奥州場所#大相撲夏巡業2018 pic.twitter.com/oJYiviCMcg
— ダンディ☆ガガ (@2013dandygaga) August 14, 2018
But let’s see some sumo action. Though I have to apologize in advance: some of these are low quality, others filmed from a mile away.
Star of the day Nishikigi, vs. Takakeisho:
錦木関!今日は貴景勝関との一番!!#さんさお鶏のドリーちゃん#岩手県#奥州市#大相撲奥州場所#大相撲夏巡業2018 pic.twitter.com/A9PvX9GzRO
— ダンディ☆ガガ (@2013dandygaga) August 14, 2018
Next came Ikioi vs. Kaisei:
うるさ過ぎて心が潤うの巻(うるさい)
勢 – 魁聖 #sumo #大相撲 #夏巡業 #奥州場所 pic.twitter.com/Ri0DpPBSQb
— 晃之助ギャル (@Ryuseiguns1228) August 14, 2018
Shodai vs. Daishomaru:
うるさ過ぎて心が潤うの巻、その2
正代 – 大翔丸 #sumo #大相撲 #夏巡業 #奥州場所 pic.twitter.com/icjk3eTUkV
— 晃之助ギャル (@Ryuseiguns1228) August 14, 2018
Kagayaki vs. Shohozan:
突然ですが、松鳳山関と輝関の一番をどうぞ🐔#さんさお鶏のドリーちゃん#岩手県#奥州市#大相撲奥州場所#大相撲夏巡業2018 pic.twitter.com/MA2bCMUyEu
— ダンディ☆ガガ (@2013dandygaga) August 14, 2018
Unfortunately, no video of Mitakeumi vs. Tamawashi. But next is Takayasu vs. Ichinojo:
高安関と逸ノ城関の一番🐔
たしか、二人とも巡業復帰組でしたよね?お体にはお気をつけてくださいね。#さんさお鶏のドリーちゃん#岩手県#奥州市#大相撲奥州場所#大相撲夏巡業2018 pic.twitter.com/xq7suvuuYH— ダンディ☆ガガ (@2013dandygaga) August 14, 2018
And the musubi, Kakuryu vs. Goeido:
結びは大関・豪栄道関と横綱・鶴竜関の一番🐔#さんさお鶏のドリーちゃん#岩手県#奥州市#大相撲奥州場所#大相撲夏巡業2018 pic.twitter.com/xTDg72otpC
— ダンディ☆ガガ (@2013dandygaga) August 14, 2018
That’s it. Kasugaryu got his bow back from Hokutoo, by the way.
Wait, no Enho? Don’t the sumo ladies in Iwate like Enho?
Sigh. You’ll have to settle for Tobizaru, then:
Another excellent presentation! Thanks, Herouth. Attendance at this venue seems a bit light, doesn’t it? By the way, judging by the way he lifted and moved Daishomaru, it appears that Shodai has been spending some quality time in the weight room.
Yes, there were around 3000 spectators there.
Shodai is a strong guy with good technique. If it wasn’t for his tachiai, which is, unfortunately, the main thing in sumo, that man would have worn a mon tsuki kimono and given an acceptance speech long ago.
Tobizaru a great Enho substitute i reckon!
when i was an exchange student in Sapporo back in 1982 my 2nd host family owned the reknowned Jengisukan restaurant called Hyakkeien. We used to live on the grounds – quite expansive as they contained an old family apple orchard. the apple and cherry blossom trees were devine. In the late 80s the family (Yamagiwa) sold to Hyakkeien to Suntory.
Yay! Tochinoshin, Goeido and the pony wrestler, Ichinojo looking fairly healthy. Just hoping all stay healthy for the next basho. Great article! Many thanks!
Tochinoshin is very attractive, but the purple mawashi does not look right for him.
I wonder if Georgia gave him a wine colored mawashi.
If so, he has yet to wear it… He just wears his stablemaster’s old shimekomi all the time (yuck).