With banzuke weekend upon us, all of team Tachiai are eagerly awaiting the September ranking sheet, and to see how close lksumo came to hitting the bull’s eye on one of the more difficult to predict transitions in a while.
But while we wait with eager glee to see how many Komusubi and Sekiwake there are for Aki, let’s look forward to the next month or so of glorious sumo action. Here’s the plan
August
- August 26th – Aki Banzuke (afternoon August 25th for us lucky Yanks)
- August 31st – YDC Soken – Many of the top ranked rikishi will practice and compete in front of YDC committee members and some media luminaries
September
- September 6th – Day 1 Torkiumi drawn up
- September 7th – Dohyo Matsuri and yusho portrait unveiling
- September 8th – Aki basho day 1
- September 22nd – Aki basho day 15
- September 25th – Banuzke committee meets to draw up the Kyushu banzuke
- September 29th – Kisenosato’s retirement ceremony (Kokugikan)
- September 30th – Meiji shrine ceremonies / dohyo-iri
Speaking of Sumo “Calendar”, this post made me wondering when does the photo session for the real physical official sumo calendar does take place ?
I assume it must be somewhat soon no ? Maybe around after Aki Basho ? Anyone know when this photo session take place ?
Because logicaly, preparation must be made a few month before the new year so the calendar can be made and distributed.
So….am i right that the next Aki Basho will have a huuuuuge impact on it’s content ? Because a lot of the picture in it represent the Yokozuna and mostly….the Ozeki! But there is so much turmoil around the rank of Ozeki right now !
Can we say that this next basho will kinda “design” the face of the next year sumo calendar ?
(It’ll be the first calendar of the new emperor era. I’m guessing some japanese will give some importance to that!)
Speaking of the Emperor. I’m not a specialist on sumo culture but….isn’t it this next october where there will by a super huge and important ceremony where it will be made official the reign of the new emperor with the ascension to the Chrysanthemum throne by Naruhito ?
Will the dohyo-iri at Meiji shrine revert a double special occasion for that. Or is anyone know from past enthronement if there will be a another special ceremony involving the presence of the Yokuzuna and the sumo elder and the emperor ? (Since those two a intimately entertwined with each other in Japanese lore and belief.)
Can’t answer all of the above, but I can tell you that there is nothing special on October 22-23 in neither Meiji shrine nor the Kokugikan, and in fact, these are regular Jungyo days per the NSK calendar.
I thought there’s also a danpatsu shiki for Satoyama/Sanoyama oyakata on 28th September
*The calendar may not include everything…
As a side note, the YDC soken on August 31st is open to the general public for free.
August 27th- The rikishi-kai (wrestlers’ committee) convenes
September 2nd-new recruits checkups