Goodbye Harumafuji. Good luck in your second life! @tachiai_blog pic.twitter.com/AIk0q13MAX
— Nicola Hetherington (@NicolaAnn08) September 30, 2018
Harumafuji’s retirement ceremony was last night. Nicola was among those at the Kokugikan celebrations and captured many great pictures of the event. She also summed up my feelings pretty well in this tweet. It’s been a long year since the scandal broke and he was forced into retirement. We’d not see him mount the dohyo as a competitor again, but he’s moved on. With his charity work back in Mongolia and his new art career, he was able to squeeze in some time for an appointment with the barber. I’ve got to close with my favorite Harumafuji moments. I was there on senshuraku for his yusho win in Nagoya. Not only did I see my favorite yokozuna win the Emperor’s Cup, I got to see the macaron in person for the first time. We wish you well, HARUMAFUJI! Thanks for the memories!
I’ve missed how dynamic he was as a fighter and I’ll forever miss his salt throw shimmy.
I believe Harumafuji could very well follow Asashoryu into Mongolian politics. The school he helped build, Shine Mongol Harumafuji School, is based on the Japanese education system with the hope of furthering Japan-Mongol relationships.
https://twitter.com/Asashoryu/status/1035739240670191617
Asashoryu was also at the ceremony last night and took part in the cutting of Harumafuji’s chonmage. As for the other two Mongolian Yokozuna, not only did they wield the scissors but also played a part in Harumafuji’s dohyo-iri, with Hakuho serving as his tachimochi sword carrier and Kakuryu his tsuyuharai dew sweeper.
https://twitter.com/Ichiro_SUMO/status/1046245319367770114
I wish it was on video somewhere, but I would cry watching it. He was and is a favorite, He is so agile and fierce, I loved watching him. He seems to have a great attitude about the changes and I wish him great success. Andy, I hope you are someone can keep up in the loop about how he is doing, and I would love to see his art.
Your wish is my command. Well, Herouth should get the credit: https://twitter.com/SumoFollower/status/1046443488253022209?s=19
Thank you both very much. It was very interesting to see the ceremony and touching as well. I do think he was fighting tearing up, especially when Hakuho cut his tiny bit of hair. As one good deed deserves another, here is one of his paintings: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=haramafuji+art&t=opera&iax=images&ia=images&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fnetacube.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F11%2Fharumafuji-art-3.jpg
A couple of people seem to have merited special attention; does anyone know who they are?
7:55 — camera lingers
9:10 — Harumafuji stands up
I feel like Harumafuji will be remembered disappointingly. His main legacy will be his signature “Harumafuji Henka”. He is infamous for giving up more kinboshi than almost any other Yokozuna. And the way his career came to an infamous & abrupt end was not ideal. It is a shame for someone who had much more potential.
He could be a prototype for small wrestlers. That Tasmanian Devil technique got him to the peak. Outright henkas get tired and predictable after a while.
The henka I remember most clearly of all is that of Hakuho on senshuraku day musubi no ichiban Osaka 2016. Harumafuji went flying into the crowd and handed Hakuho his 36th yusho. That was a sad day for sumo.
The timing of this is symbolic, IMHO, given that he won last September’s basho =-\ I’m glad he’s been able to move past the scandal, though, and I do hope it’s one blip in an otherwise noble life.
I was looking at the picture drcamador linked, and found this one. I have know idea when, where, or why it was taken, I just liked it. The only way it could have been better would be to have Kakuryu in it.
https://pin.it/4kxk6xdyfsnf5w
I like that picture too. They look so young.