＜豪風引退押尾川襲名披露大相撲＞ 日程：令和2年2月1日（土）場所：国技館 開場：午前11時 終了：午後4時（予定）。6月17日(月)午前10時より販売。入場券のお問い合わせは豪風引退大相撲事務局へ（画像参照） #sumo #相撲 pic.twitter.com/o5VsvXepvt
— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) June 7, 2019
The Japanese Sumo Association has announced a date for former Takekaze’s danpatsushiki at Kokugikan. For those who will still be around Tokyo for the week after Hatsu basho, which runs through Jan 27, the retirement event would be a great way to see some more action. There will likely be hanazumo and shokkiri, and sumo culture demonstrations that are more familiar scenes in Jungyo tours rather than hon basho.
The ceremony will culminate in the hair cutting for the former Sekiwake. For Takekaze this will surely have participation from former Oguruma stablemates Yoshikaze and Yago, and likely contemporary Yokozuna or two.
I’m wondering why they make the announcements so long before the ceremony?
It’s a good question and one I was asking myself. I imagine it is really hard to schedule, coordinating with the heya, Kokugikan, and timing it between hon basho and other retirement ceremonies…those already on the calendar and those anticipated.
This, and I imagine it also gives them time to promote the event and sell the tickets. In the case of a man like Takekaze who was in makuuchi for years (and with sumo at massive popularity levels) that may not be as much of an effort as it is for someone like Satoyama, but the goal is obviously still to sell as many tickets as possible. Satoyama started promoting his in January for September so it feels like 8 months is a normal lead time for the announcement.
Even long-time makuuchi usually have to hustle to sell out the Kokugikan, unless they were major stars / fan favourites of the stature of, say, Kisenosato, and I wouldn’t put Takekaze at that level among casual fans. After all, the tickets are priced similarly to a honbasho day, and for that you “only” get an exhibition event. And an event of a type that happens after most Tokyo tournaments, so it’s not a unique opportunity unless you’re specifically interested in the retiring rikishi.
Takekaze’s job for the next few months (from his blog):
http://takekaze.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/_20190529_123952_1.jpg
Hopefully some Tachiai readers will be around Tokyo in February to take a few of those off his hands.
Sounds like a much more involved event than I had assumed, thanks.
Nice, we get to see him in his chonmage for awhile. I hope he gets a large turnout. Plenty of time for fans to make plans.
More recent fans (like me) should appreciate that he had a long career in the upper division. Makes the all time top-ten list for longevity in the upper division. 86 upper division basho, more than thirty if them at M5 or higher.
Heck of competitor .
I’m guessing Japanese language skills are needed to understand what is going on?
Or a general understanding of a hana-zumo event. As Andy said, there will be stuff that’s mostly seen on Jungyo – Fure-daiko demonstration (drum calls), Shokkiri, Jinku, Yokozuna rope-tying demonstration, and of course, Makuuchi bouts. And of course, the danpatsu-shiki ceremony itself.
Now how do you get tickets? ;)
That tweet contains a form to fill… if it were I, I’d probably ask BuySumoTickets for tickets, though, as you probably don’t have a fax number in Japan. 🙄
As with the Satoyama Danpatsushiki (link below), I imagine they will set up a special website with a number of ways (phone, fax, online order) etc for folks with Japanese language ability to buy tickets – additionally yes I agree with Herouth that it’s best to ask BuySumoTickets as early as possible as it may help them gauge demand for the event
https://tachiai.org/2019/06/01/satoyamas-upcoming-danpatsushiki/
such a wonderful competitor over the years and mentor to many – his last (but not least Oguruma charge – Yago) – he deserves a full Kokugikan