🌐 Location: Saitama, Saitama
🚫 Scandal level: 0

Many rikishi hail from Saitama, among them Hokutofuji, Daieisho, and Abi – but would you believe that the only decent photo I could find of Abi from this day is this one?

Twitter says he was very busy giving autographs. I guess people were busy handing in shikishi to sign, and forgot to take photos…
Hokutofuji received the attention of Tochinoshin, who gave him Butsukari.
Tochinoshin, reports say, went all the way with butsukari and did this 38 times (not all of them with Hokutofuji). I’m going to assume this means he got pushed 38 times, because I don’t really think any human being would withstand 38 full butsukari sessions, even as the receiving chest.
Daieisho, in the mean time, didn’t seem to get much limelight – just kept hanging with Takakeisho.
Of course, these are just fan shots. It could be that all three of the locals were engaged by the high rankers, as is usual for local boys, but for some reason, neither the NSK Twitter has been active nor have the local fans at Saitama recorded any of that.
Here is Kakuryu with his rubber strap:
That’s actually one of the best shots I’ve seen of him in a while. Kisenosato was also practicing off-dohyo, but I have to admit that… I’m not sure what I’m seeing here…
秋巡業さいたま場所なう
稀勢ダンス⁈ かわいい♡ pic.twitter.com/dOVct54grC— ちゃこ (@osorezan2go) October 6, 2018
I’ve already seen short videos of him doing this on several occasions. What is that? The fans call it “The Kise Dance”. Is Kisenosato considering exotic dancing as a second career?
Goofiness mostly concentrated around the dohyo-iri. For example, in the Juryo dohyo-iri, Wakatakakage was picking at Terutsuyoshi. But I must say the Isegahama pixie seemed to actually enjoy the attention:
In the Makuuchi dohyo-iri, Tamawashi was looking for fun. In the past couple of days his trick has been to just stop dead and cause Mitakeumi to bump into him. Mitakeumi seems to be on the alert now, so disappointed Tamawashi starts pestering Ikioi instead:
普段の友達以外にいいねを貰ったことがないので😅 調子に乗って今日のさいたま場所の幕内土俵入り。長いです。玉鷲がずっと気になる。 pic.twitter.com/BqdTYogLp3
— Atsuko (@atsuko5121) October 6, 2018
The West dohyo-iri is not exactly a show of solemnity, either.
#さいたま場所
西方、幕内土俵入り pic.twitter.com/FOLGKMkmFX— ルル(🐶貴縷縷🐶) (@pN7vickLh0SYkXG) October 6, 2018
This time it’s right on the dohyo, too. But hey, it’s Abi.
The Yokozuna dohyo-iri was a bit more serious. But if you have ever wondered what Nishikigi does with his glasses when he has to accompany Kakuryu in his dohyo-iri, here is your answer:
#さいたま巡業 #鶴竜 #錦木 #めがね pic.twitter.com/m185kyIS2W
— koyasu (@koyasumo) October 6, 2018
The Yokozuna’s tsukebito are on the alert at the hana-michi to take the sword, clean the kesho-mawashi and whatnot. And one of them has the glasses, for an exchange that looks like a relay race, only the baton is passed to the arriving runner instead of the other way around.
In less happy news, Tsurugisho seems to be injured or ill, and was abruptly taken off the torikumi. Daishoho replaced him vs. Gagamaru (meaning Daishoho had two bouts this day):
At some point that same Daishoho took some time to relax together with Tobizaru… in the guest seats. I don’t think the spectators minded too much, though:

Further up the banzuke, here is the sanyaku-soroi-bumi (well, one side of it, anyway):
#さいたま場所
これより三役
キセ、みんなと合いましたね!(๑>◡<๑) pic.twitter.com/8XutFTOpvj— ルル(🐶貴縷縷🐶) (@pN7vickLh0SYkXG) October 6, 2018
Nice synchronization, there!
Hakuho seems to have gotten over his rather embarrassing match yesterday:
This picture, by the way, given that the last three bouts were Mitakeumi-Tochinoshin, Kisenosato-Goeido, Kakuryu-Hakuho, tells you that Tochinoshin lost. Otherwise there would be no need for the Yokozuna who wrestles last to hand the chikara-mizu to anybody.
Here is the Kisenosato-Goeido bout:
勘太夫さん、改めて伊之助さん。
取組中にすっ転ぶ😥 2回目はちゃんとよけた🙌
それほど取組が熱戦だったのかな?
稀勢の里ー豪栄道 pic.twitter.com/qpmINTY4OF
— にゃお すぎ (@niziirowan) October 6, 2018
Oops. Shikimori Kandayu – who is to be promoted to Shikimori Inosuke after the Kyushu basho – loses his footing there. He then keeps a good distance from the still skirmishing Ozeki and Yokozuna.
Too bad the video doesn’t continue, because Goeido, again, is on Hakuho’s side, meaning there would be no kachi-nokori, and we would be treated to Hakuho’s tsukebito handing him the chikara-mizu with a bare shoulder. I wonder if Kasugaryu is qualified to do that, given that he is wearing a (kesho) mawashi anyway, and is on his way to the dohyo anyway for the yumi-tori ceremony.
Following which, everybody went home, and the dohyo was dismantled:
But I will not leave you without a Tobizaru for the day – accompanied by Yago, because I am still not sure all of you can recognize the man with the chin. Or is it the chin with the man?

the man with the chin, the chin with the man, is all one and the same to me – his YAGO-ness!
Maybe the Kise dance is some weird stretch related to his massive amount of pectoral scar tissue.
I can’t accept that Kise would dance happily for no reason. It’s against the natural order of things.
Yeah, Kisenosato is so socially awkward he doesn’t do stuff like that. But I have no idea what that thing is supposed to be. It’s not a stretch, where you extend a muscle to the limit. It’s not a muscle training, where you need to have some resistance. Some sort of weird warm-up?
Whatever the special sexy Kise-Dance was in aid of, he seemed to be having a good old tussle with Goeido there. Which is a good sign . . .
(And many thanks as ever, Herouth, for including the Abi pics and vids!)
A third possible scenario explaining Tsurugisho’s sudden absence could mean that the scandal meter would need to be adjusted.
Well, he is still in the Jungyo, says Abi’s Instagram.
Despite sometimes being the ruthless armbreaker on the dohyo, Tamawashi seems to be an enjoyable guy. To me it’s astonishing that the 33-year old veteran has never missed a single bout. I think he has the potential to become an oldie in Sumo and wrestle in the makuuchi for many years to come.
found this nice video of harumafuji’s retirement ceremony – haircut
nice ceremony, maybe tachiai can use this video as they please best(was lucky to find this long video of that ceremony), : ) he is such a great sumo wrestler
harumafuji ceremony watch?v=N79cQAapN3Q