🌐 Location: Fujisawa, Kanagawa prefecture
Today we have a relatively short report, as the ladies of Fujisawa were less than diligent with their smartphones. More is the pity, as today’s schedule included a bout between Ichinojo and Terutsuyoshi. Alas, unless some footage turns out in the next few days, we’ll miss this clash of fire and ice.
Before describing this day, though, I want to take you back to Haru Jungyo 2003, and a photograph that shouldn’t have existed:
Three Yokozuna in 2003? That never happened. Takanohana, in fact, retired in Hatsu 2003, and Asashoryu was promoted only on the next banzuke, Haru 2003. You might think it’s a similar situation to what’s happening with Tochinoshin and Takakeisho now – Tochinoshin is still Ozeki due to the previous banzuke, and Takakeisho is shin-Ozeki as of the next banzuke, and both are treated as Ozeki this Jungyo. However, this doesn’t really happen with retirements, and besides, there is no Jungyo between Hatsu and Haru. Haru Jungyo comes between Haru and Natsu.
And yet, with the magic that is Jungyo, you see the retired Dai-Yokozuna side by side with the next Dai-Yokozuna, both in their tsuna. One can even see that Takanohana is already a lot thinner than he was when active.
OK, engage the flux capacitor. Let’s go back to 2019 – same town, same venue. It’s a beautiful spring day, and with more than 5000 people attending, it’s a good opportunity to get blood donations:
Inside the venue, rikishi are supposed to shake hands with the spectators. Instead, Mitakeumi gives Ichinojo a massage:
It’s hard to tell, with Ichinojo, whether he is pleased or disgusted with this.
The Onami family is in the building at full capacity, and in seniority order:
First, big brother Wakatakamoto. Second, second brother Wakamotoharu. Third, little brother Wakatakakage. Now we need a wolf to huff and puff and blow their house in… Furtunately, neither Seiro nor Roga are available at the moment.
Soon the subjects of the two previous pics get to the dohyo, and Ichinojo gives Wakatakakage a butsukari session:
Takakeisho was very busy on the dohyo today. He got butsukari from Goeido:
And he also had actual sumo practice for the first time this Jungyo. He engaged Hokutofuji:
And Myogiryu:
All in all, six bouts of which he won four: “I’m only starting. I need to get used to it again”. Said the shin-ozeki.
With practice over, the rikishi enjoyed some time off on the lawn outside the venue. Ryuden was enjoying himself, as usual:
And the children of Fujisawa were having the time of their lives:
After shower and dohyo-iri, they were at it again! Some of them were trying to make… thingamajigs… fly:
Or at least figure out what the things were supposed to do:
Some more serious people were still inside the venue doing their job:
OK, “serious” may be stretching it. Abi is a bit bored by the oicho-mage demonstration. I can tell.
This demonstration included both him and Onosho, facing each a different section of the audience. Onosho, unlike Abi, was behaving well:
Then it was Kakuryu’s turn to show off his rope.
Behind him you can see Shohoryu, handing pieces of twine to the rope team leader (I think it’s Shinzan, not sure).
Today, the torikumi included an elimination tournament for the top of Makuuchi. All other sekitori had their usual bouts. Again, no footage. All I have is this photo of Kakuryu and Endo starting their match:
Somewhat surprisingly, Kakuryu won this tournament, winning ¥2,000,000 and a year’s supply of vegetables from the area. “I’m going to eat lots of vegetables”, chuckled the Yokozuna.
I still hope to find that elusive footage of Ichinojo vs. Terutsuyoshi. If I do, I’ll add it here. In the meantime, enjoy our pin-up of the day:
Way to go, my man Kakuryu! I hope he wins the next basho.
IIRC Onosho is one of those guys who has a bald spot shaved on top of his head to make his hair thin enough for a good oichomage. The crowd could have got an interesting eyeful there.
I think the whole point of that bald spot is that it’s invisible from the outside. I mean, if there are spectators hanging from the tsuri-yane, they’d probably get a chance to see some Onosho scalp. But from the sides, I don’t think you can see any of it.
I’m sure you’ve already seen it, but the NSK posted a very nice picture of the “four” Ozeki just as you alluded to.
https://twitter.com/sumokyokai/status/1117693977153552384
Nice photo of the three Yokozunae. There is something wierd about Takanohana’s nippies. They are placed differently and pointing in different directions!
Not sure if such a low-res image can be trusted. In any case, since he is in the middle of a diet, it could be that one of them is sagging a little. Humans aren’t symmetric – we all have one bigger boob.
Quick question… I am under the impression that to be called a dai-Yokozuna you had to have ten Makuuchi titles. Is this ten total over the career or ten as a Yokozuna? If it’s the former then Musashimaru can be considered a dai-Yokozuna. Another reason I ask is that I remember reading that Harumafuji really wanted 10 and retiring on 9.
It’s not an official title and there is no precise definition (literally means “Big Yokozuna”), but to the extent that it’s 10 yusho, I believe that’s total over a career. http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/topic/4766-5-dai-yokozuna/
So I checked the dictionary definition on dai-yokozuna. They say:
Which is interesting as they don’t count Asashoryu as a Dai-Yokozuna. Of course, definitions vary. But it’s true that despite his number of yusho, Musashimaru is never thought of as a Dai-Yokozuna.