promotion

Two Juryo Promotions Confirmed

Andy promotion, Retirement ,

As Leonid postulated, Hatsuyama (Tamanoi) and Kiryuko (Tatsunami) were promoted to Juryo. Hatsuyama will make his debut while Kiryuko will have his second attempt competing as sekitori. Kotokuzan’s narrow 4-3 record was not good enough to earn promotion from Ms4 but he will move closer to the promised land and have a good chance at promotion in January. Makuuchi veterans Chiyomaru and Onosho will likely slide into Makushita in January.

There is also news of eight retirements after the Kyushu tournament. Three men from Sandanme retired: Hayanami, Kotoozutsu, and Chiyoresshi. Two men from Jonidan retired: Daishosei and Kotoryusei. Jonokuchi wrestler Daishiyama as well as Nishikiori and Kokiryu, who had fallen off the banzuke, also retired. Unfortunately, I have not seen any news of Kawazoe since his early win and subsequent kyujo announcement. We will bring an update as soon as we have one.

Kyushu Promotions

Andy Banzuke (番付), Breaking News, Onosato (大の里), promotion ,

We received the news today that Onosato’s promotion to Ozeki is official. The Kyokai made them stand there and wait for a half-hour before getting down to business. The actual ceremony lasted about 50 seconds. I mean, the kid isn’t used to waiting. He didn’t even wait to get an oicho-mage before earning this promotion. But they waited so long, he might be able to get one now.

Onosato’s promotion

Juryo

Leonid predicted the six Juryo promotions correctly. It did end up being six promotions, not seven. We will probably not know who was demoted, and who escaped, until the banzuke comes out. Do you think Kiryuko stays? The list of promotees is:

  • Wakaikari (Isenoumi)
  • Aonishiki (Ajigawa)
  • Kotoeiho (Sadogatake)
  • Tochitaikai (Kasugano)
  • Chiyomaru (Kokonoe)
  • Nabatame (Futagoyama)

The first three are new to the division. Kototebakari changed his shikona to Kotoeiho. The character for “ei” is the same for Sakae, as in his Saitama Sakae High School. Hō is the same as in his brother’s shikona, Kotoshoho.

Sumo News Update 2024.06.02

Andy Akiseyama, Ishiura (石浦), promotion, Stables (Heya) , ,

Natsu Basho ended last weekend. We have to wait until July for the next tournament. Once we get the Juryo promotions, we’re Gone Till November July, right? Well, the Kyokai’s usual board meeting had a full agenda so we have had a bunch of sumo-related news this week.

Juryo Promotions Announced

We will have three promotions from Makushita to Juryo for Nagoya. Kayo and Nabatame earned their first sekitori promotions and Fujiseiun will return to Juryo for the first time since he fell out of the division in September.

Kayo is one of Nakamura-oyakata’s recruits from Nippon Sports Science University, aka Nittaidai. The university has developed a number of top sumo wrestlers, including sekitori stablemates* Onosato and Shirokuma, as well as up-and-comers like Onokatsu and veterans like Myogiryu. Kayo earned a sandanme tsukedashi but has spent much of the last two years in Makushita. A spot in the massive playoff at Aki last year seems to have lit a spark under him and he has been on the radar for promotion to Juryo since.

Nabatame started his sumo career after high school, just before the pandemic hit. He was definitely one of our highlighted up-and-comers during those quiet tournaments. I have quietly been following his rise since he featured in one of the early maezumo cohorts that I followed during the pandemic. (How many of you remember Taiyo and his maezumo henka? One of the PowerBall goals of Tachiai is to have the resources to cover each division and better profiles of the younguns in maezumo, along with deeper features about the fascinating cultural tangents I find myself learning about.) But I would bring back that maezumo coverage in a heartbeat. Nice to re-read those articles and catch myself back up on his entry to the sport. Nabatame has since been grinding it out in Makushita, slowly but steadily climbing to the top of the division. We are happy to see that he has finally earned his promotion to sekitori.

Fujiseiun returns to the Juryo ranks after an injury forced him to drop after just a single tournament fighting in Juryo (his second tournament was kyujo). It is always hard to see these up-and-comers hit major obstacles. He had hit the scene and steamrolled through the lower divisions in 2021, winning his first 21 bouts and claiming two of the three yusho, only losing the Jonidan yusho in a playoff to his peer, Osanai. So it is great to see that he will don his kesho mawashi yet again.

While we are talking about these banzuke placements for July, I should also note here that two Makushita tsukedashi were approved by the Kyokai. Ishizaki Ryoma (23) and Kawabuchi Kazuma (22) will begin their professional sumo careers this summer. Ishizaki will join his older brother, Asakoryu, at Takasago-beya having claimed third place at last year’s National Sumo Championships. Kawabuchi claimed the adult division yusho at a separate athletic tournament last year and he joins Kise-beya.

Nakamura Beya Opens

The little asterisk there in Kayo’s promotion report had to do with his sekitori stablemates because they are not his stablemates any longer. Mid-week, Kayo celebrated his promotion to Juryo with photo-ops and press conferences joined by Kisenosato. However, during this week’s board meeting the Kyokai approved Nakamura’s independence bid, setting June 1 for when Nakamura would split away from Nishonoseki. So, by the end of the week Kayo was moving into new digs at his new heya with his new master — without Onosato and Shirokuma.

I believe the new stable is at the location vacated by Michinoku-beya, just on the other side of the tracks from Kokugikan in Ryokoku. Nakamura-oyakata (ex-Yoshikaze) is now a stable master in his own right. There is a great new website, nakamurabeya.jp, with details of the occupants: eight wrestlers, the Yobidashi Rokuro, and hairdresser Tokokasumi. There is also a great little personalized note from Yoshikaze about each of them.

Mini-Jungyo Sumo Events

I will get to the retirement events in a moment but I thought June was going to be pretty chill, event-wise. The Kyokai has decided to participate in two more promotional events in June.

The first will be a PR event for the Kyusho Basho next Sunday, June 9 in Fukuoka. Four top-division wrestlers will be there. Top billing goes to Hiradoumi (his rise has been quite something). Ura, Shodai, and Sadanoumi will also be there. Shodai and Sadanoumi are both from Kumamoto.

Secondly, the Kyokai will also participate in a Sports Expo at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya on June 16. Next year, the Arena is slated to be replaced by a new IG Arena. (Oh, God, please tell me there’s air conditioning.) In celebration of the new, refrigerated digs the Kyokai will host a crossover event with the Dolphins basketball team. Aside from the hoopsters, Onosato, Tobizaru, Midorifuji, Atamifuji, and Abi will participate.

So, if you are in Fukuoka or Nagoya this month, you have a chance to pop by and meet some of your favorite sumo wrestlers — or even Shodai.

Ishiura Danpatsushiki

On Saturday, June 1, the Kokugikan hosted Ishiura’s retirement and name change event, since he carries on as a coach, Magaki-oyakata, in the Association. Hakuoho made waves by singing the jinku (traditional folk singing) portion and Enho closed things with the bow-twirling ceremony.

Takerufuji, mounted the dohyo and faced off against Meisei in one of the exhibition bouts. Usually these exhibition events are not big news makers on the dohyo but the fact that Takerufuji was healthy enough to participate in the feature bouts is a good sign for July.

Given the closure of Miyagino-beya, Hakuho was robbed of the privilege of taking the final cut of Ishiura’s topknot but he did get to use the scissors and take a snip. Isegahama-oyakata got the honor of taking the final cut.

Akiseyama Danpatsushiki

And on Sunday, June 2, the Kokugikan opened its doors again for Akiseyama’s retirement ceremony. The Kise-beya affair celebrated the big man’s career and shared stories of his camaraderie with fellow wrestlers. In particular they shared a story involving Goeido.

Though Goeido entered the sumo world a few years earlier than Akiseyama, the former Ozeki was actually Akiseyama’s junior schoolmate while they attended Saitama Sakae high school. Goeido went straight into a sumo career while Akiseyama attended Nihon Daigaku. Goeido had given Akiseyama some encouragement when Akiseyama had been thinking of retirement. Akiseyama took the encouragement to heart and earned another promotion to Juryo.

Looking Ahead

I will keep an eye on the sumo news, as always, but I anticipate my next post will be next weekend after Chiyonokuni’s retirement ceremony and the Fukuoka PR event.

Sumo News Round-up 2024.2.3

Andy Festivals, Japanese Culture, Kotonowaka, promotion, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心) , , , ,

Yes, the tournament is over. Terunofuji won in spectacular fashion against the impressive Kotonowaka. Our coverage from the tournament is collected here. Nevertheless, this week is jam-packed with sumo news.

Shin-Ozeki Kotonowaka

Kotonowaka was promoted to Ozeki, as expected. He came tantalizingly close to a yusho and was understandably disappointed to lose in the playoff. His performance over the past three basho has been of a consistent, high quality. But if we look back further, we can see a reliable, top-level sekitori since May of 2022.

Sumo fans everywhere were expecting him to change his shikona to Kotozakura, the shikona used by his grandfather. However, he has decided to stick with Kotonowaka for the time being, and will change his shikona in May.

Juryo Promotions Released

Along with Kotonowaka’s Ozeki promotion, the Banzuke Committee released the names of those makushita wrestlers who earned promotion to Juryo. This time, four rikishi return to juryo, no debutantes. We finally see the long-awaited returns of Wakatakakage and Hakuoho to the ranks of sekitori, along with journeymen Tsushimanada and Kitaharima.

You will remember that Wakatakakage and Hakuoho were top division wrestlers who suffered unfortunate injuries to the knee and shoulder, respectively, which required surgery and long rehab. In Wakatakakage’s case, he was Sekiwake in March of 2023 when he blew up his knee falling onto the tawara. Hakuoho’s shoulder had been a nagging concern going back to his amateur days. His other shoulder had surgery before going pro and the intense action of Makuuchi seemed to require the same surgery to be repeated on the opposite side after Nagoya 2023.

Both men dropped into Makushita during their rehab but will rise together in March 2024. Wakatakakage won the yusho, following up on his 5-2 in Kyushu. Hakuoho lost one bout to another standout, Onokatsu, to finish 6-1. Onokatsu lost his next match to Wakatakakage and he also finished 6-1, narrowly missing out on promotion.

Setsubun (February 3)

I’ve written about this a few times. Setsubun is a festival to celebrate the coming of spring. You have just cleaned the house at the beginning of January during “oosouji,” so let’s make an absolute mess of things again by throwing beans or peanuts at one of the kids, who runs around the house wearing a devil mask, and shouting “oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” (“Bad spirits out! Fortune in!”) Brilliant. And, let’s top it off by standing up and eating a long sushi roll (eho-maki) while facing the same direction. This year, for those who observe, it’s east-north-east. With all of the kyujo from January, we need all the help we can get!

Tochinoshin Retirement Ceremony

Tochinoshin had his retirement ceremony at Kokugikan. These events feature exhibition bouts and various demonstrations, building up to the main event…the haircut. Yobidashi perform drum demonstrations while Tokoyama show how they make the infamous oicho-mage hairstyle donned by sekitori during tournaments. The Kasugano stable’s own Jiro is the top-ranked tate-yobidashi, and did the taiko demonstration while Tokotakumi, the level four Tokoyama, used Tochimusashi as his model. This was likely to be a role for Aoiyama but he was kyujo, as was Hokuseiho.

Kasugano-oyakata with the final snip

Gyoji certainly do not get the day off as they officiate bouts as well as participate in the Shokkiri. The comedy duo of Wakazakura and Tochimitsuru teamed up with Nishikido-beya’s Kimura Kintaro to lighten the mood with the famous “How NOT to Sumo” routine. Jinku included Yuki and Kasugano’s Tochigidake. At the end of the makuuchi bouts, Tochikodai closed things out with the bow-twirling ceremony.

Tochinoshin has been one of the most successful foreign wrestlers, reaching the level of Ozeki largely through the brute force of what sumo fans knew as his “sky-crane.” He was particularly known for his rivalry with Ichinojo, with whom he fought several epic bouts, including the famous water-break bout. It seems that many wrestlers have had spectacular comebacks from injury lately, and Tochinoshin’s career is certainly notable for how he overcame a knee injury, dropped out of the professional ranks, and clawed his way back past his previous best rank to reach Ozeki.

A long list of sumo dignitaries took turns with the scissors, taking a snip of his topknot, including Asashoryu, Hakuho, Terunofuji, and his compatriots, Kokkai and Gagamaru. Former stablemate Tochiozan was also in attendance but, as mentioned above, kyujo Aoiyama was not.

Tochinoshin will not continue his career in the sumo association. He has been working with wine makers of his native Georgia to help promote Georgian wine. If one thinks that there are only two major types of wine, red and white, you likely have not had an opportunity to enjoy a Georgian “Amber.” Georgia is famous for being the birthplace of wine — no, not Italy or France. Yes, they have red and white wine, as well. But not many wines from the region (of any variety) find themselves in our shops or restaurants, so there is certainly lots of work ahead for Mr. Sky Crane.