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.
Previous parts of this series touched on Why Go, Where We Would Stay, and our visit to Ekoin Temple. In this post, I am going to share my experience of going to a Jungyo event for the first time intersperced with some news about the current Aki 2024 tour.
This October is jammed with dates as the troupe snake their way toward Fukuoka. They start in Adachi, Tokyo and end in Kurashiki just as the banzuke comes out. Terunofuji is participating and doing his dohyo-iri but he is not fighting in the bouts. Oho, Tamawashi, Wakatakakage, and Atamifuji are kyujo. We are watching Oho’s condition, in particular, as he recovers from surgery from that eye injury.
Yesterday, they were in Ashikaga and the local NHK folks shared some great video of the event, particularly the Shokkiri and Jinku routines.
The offical Sumo Kyokai website is very helpful to explain Jungyo. Here, they explain what a day is like, in English. They also have a page that shows the schedule in English.
I must say, Herouth’s article about this topic is gold. Reading through it is an amazing blast from the past. Hoshoryu in Sandanme. Terutsuyoshi. Aminishiki. Goeido. Ryunosuke is 21 years old now! Required reading. If you hadn’t found it on the website, check the menu near the top of the site and hover over the “Jungyo Trail.” This Introduction to the Jungyo article is there. I’ve tried to put other “must read” articles up there, like the mawashi ‘splainer and Josh’s various interviews with sumo luminaries.
For those who like the Cliff’s Notes versions, Jungyo means “Tour”. Musicians do it, authors do it, politicians do it and apparently sumo wrestlers do it. Why? This industry survives on fan support and many fans live in areas that do not have easy access to the main tournaments. Tours generate ticket sales and merchandise sales and other fan support.
Yes, there have even been international tours to France, Los Angeles, Hawaii, etc. Japanese sumo fans also suffer from the same issues as Taylor Swift and Oasis fans: not enough seats available for tournament dates. Tours provide more opportunities for fans to see their favorite wrestlers, especially up-close.
Getting Tickets
We knew that we wanted to get tickets and we also knew we needed to get them early. Unfortunately, we do not live in Japan. Why is that a problem, you ask? Can’t you just buy tickets online? One of the more frustrating aspects of purchasing tickets overseas is that if you use Ticket Pia or other official ticket sources, you have to have a phone number in Japan. Do you have a phone number in Japan? I don’t, either. My brother-in-law does, however. So, he bought two tickets for us and we were all set!
This is why sites like BuySumoTickets exist. And it’s why I went through my little experiment with Ticket Pia but will be getting tickets from BuySumoTickets in the future. I’ve been to a few tournaments before and we generally would get tickets through ochaya but those are pretty darned expensive and it’s a bit of a hassle because we always have to go through one of our intermediaries “in-country”, like my 80-year-old mother-in-law.
When we got to Japan, we met up with my in-laws for lunch and then went to hang out at one of their condos. Their condo happens to be just two blocks from Arashio-beya, so of course they took me over to check it out. When I got back, my wife’s other brother gave me the jungyo tickets and I put them in a white bag full of souvenirs and we eventually went back to the hotel.
Fast-forward a few days and it’s the Day before Jungyo. My wife wakes up and asks, “where are the tickets?” I say, “didn’t you see them in the white bag?” “Yes, I took them out because I gave that white bag to my friend the other day.” A bit of frantic searching later and it became clear the tickets were not in our hotel room. Shhhhhh*t. So, we retrace steps, do more frantic searching…nothing. The morning of we ended up running down to the 7-Eleven and buying tickets from the machine there. Thankfully there were still some tickets available. And then I set off for Tachikawa.
Why am I telling you this? If you buy tickets through any vendor, they’re usually physical tickets. This holds true for Jungyo and for regular tournament dates. When you pick them up, HOLD ON TO THEM. If you lose them, you’re S.O.L. You will not be able to get into the venue, no matter how much you bitch at whichever oyakata is taking tickets at the ticket counter. I’ve heard that the Kyokai is starting to use QR-codes for tickets and that is probably a good thing and will hopefully eliminate some headaches. But I’m sure there will be physical tickets for as long as there are physical chestnuts buried in the dohyo.
The Venue
Tachikawa was a good hour from central Tokyo and the Tachihi Arena lies along the Tachikawa monorail line. The important thing is to get there early in the morning to watch the wrestlers spar and do butsukari-keiko. I was late and in a hurry to make it for the “start” of the basho, so I went straight to Tachikawa and straight to the Arena.
You can tell sumo is in town by the banners in front of the building and the streams of people heading inside. When you get inside, there are booths for food, drink, and merch. Being late, I headed straight for my seat. I did not want to miss anything on the dohyo.
(BIG mistake.)
The Action
The lower division guys go first and then the sekitori. Unless your name is Hiradoumi, much of the action here does not take place at full strength. These are exhibition bouts and while there might be a little kensho, there are no macarons on the line here. So, fans go there more for the engagement and less for the action. I have a picture of some of the “improvised” kensho banners but most of the kensho banners were actually legit. Anyway, back to the task at hand…
I am saying, “Learn from my mistakes.” Do not get there around lunch time. Get there early, visit the souvenir stands and pick up merch. The Waka brothers were manning the till! Wander around and do not be too shy to ask for pictures with your favorite wrestler. If you can get good seats, get good seats downstairs. You will have more chances to engage with wrestlers if you have better seats.
While at a sumo tournament, I would recommend getting to your seat early and watching as much action as you can. But at these tour events, do the opposite. I would catch the shokkiri and jinku because those are things that you will not see at any of the main tournaments. Maybe watch your favorite wrestler if he is paired up with a great rival…but even then, expect an easy-going bout. Guys are not here to hurt each other*.
In this Tweet from the current Jungyo tour, both Kirishima and Daieisho engage in some hijinx by squishing Hoshoryu, sitting ringside. Hoshoryu is not in sandanme anymore, he is Ozeki. (If you read Herouth’s piece, which I linked to above, he was down in Sandanme at the time.) Now, Kirishima was an Ozeki earlier this year and both he and Daieisho likely have eyes on the rank as the latter rejoins the Sekiwake ranks. Kirishima is probably pretty close to earning re-promotion.
Lessons Learned
It was not until the last few bouts that I thought to get up and walk to where all of the wrestlers were heading when they finished their bouts. It was there that I got as close to any of my favorite wrestlers as I would for almost the entire trip (except for meeting Shohozan and being three feet from Endo as he cycled away from keiko). I’ve got great pics of Hiradoumi, Atamifuji, Daieisho (chatting up a few ladies), Abi, Kotozakura, Onosato, Kenta, Narimasa, ex-Shonosuke, and more. But I missed Shodai!
I am the “no regerts” poster-child.
That said, it was a great event. I wish I had a seat close to the dohyo and I wish I had ventured around more. But I am very glad I went and I will do it again when I have a chance. The shokkiri was fun but I was most impressed with the jinku. The wrestlers who were a part of that group had great voices. The other fans at the venue were very nice and enjoyed chatting about sumo and their favorite wrestlers. Some were very new to sumo and others were long-time super fans, and there was certainly a foreign fan presence. It was a great mix and a nice way to meet other fans.
The Kokugikan Barber Shop will be busy in 2025. Aki Basho 2024 has become a real turning point for professional sumo. We have been discussing a “changing of the guard,” and three popular wrestlers have decided to call it a career. When Takakeisho announced his retirement mid-basho, it was rather apparent that others would follow.
On Tuesday, we learned that two more sekitori would trade in their mawashi for blue jackets and become elders in the Japan Sumo Association: Myogiryu and Aoiyama. Fans of oshi-tsuki are losing three top Pusher-Thrusters in one fell swoop. These announcements come just before the Kyokai will make the Kyushu banzuke and announce Juryo promotions.
Takakeisho
Takakeisho, the former Ozeki, retired in the middle of the tournament after going kyujo. His injuries were too great, and he had lost the ability to compete at this high level. His childhood dream was always to become Yokozuna, so it was very hard to let it go and call it a career when he was so tantalizingly close to achieving it. Demotion plus kyujo meant he would be chasing the dream from the rank-and-file in Kyushu and the goal was slipping farther from his grasp.
He had started his career as Sato back it 2014 in Takanohana-beya. Starting in maezumo, he rose up the ranks relatively quickly, securing three yusho in Jonokuchi, Jonidan and Juryo on his way to his Makuuchi debut in 2017. His rise was well timed as the stable was ensnared in the Harumafuji, Takanoiwa, Takanofuji, and Takagenji scandals.
His career and his success, along with stablemate Takanosho, likely served as a bouy for current Tokiwayama-oyakata during those difficult times as he took the reigns from Takanohana. There may have been storm clouds all around but T-Rex was on the straight-and-narrow, and will serve the Kyokai well. Takakeisho will remain with the Kyokai as Minatogawa-oyakata.
Myogiryu
Myogiryu (Sakaigawa-beya) was a successful amateur wrestler from the prolific Saitama Sakae High School who then joined the sumo powerhouse Nihon Sports Science University (NittaiDai). His career earned him a Makushita debut and he rose quickly to Juryo in 2010, but was injured in his debut tournament.
He fell back to Sandanme as he recovered but rose into Makuuchi where he established himself as a regular and a favorite. He was regularly in sanyaku during his prime, topping out at the rank of Sekiwake. His six kinboshi and six technique prizes help to pad his resume and monthly bonus check. The knee injury continued to plague him and forced him to drop out of this latest tournament. He will become Furiwake-oyakata.
Aoiyama
Aoiyama (Kasugano-beya), one of the few wrestlers from Europe (Bulgaria), was always a big hit with foreign sumo fans. Like Takakeisho and Myogiryu, Aoiyama was known for his oshi-zumo. When that V-Twin was fired up, opponents would get battered or slapped to the ground with no mercy granted. He rose quickly through the ranks, winning yusho in Jonokuchi, Jonidan, and Makushita.
Aoiyama blasted his way into the top division at Kyushu in 2011, taking 11 wins and going home with a special prize. He had been a Top Division mainstay until injuries really took their toll earlier this year. His peak rank was Sekiwake. Hat tip to reader, Checkit, for reminding me to include his future plans. He will take on the elder name, Iwatomo.
More to come?
Kabu-watch is in full swing. I will bring you more retirement news as soon as I hear it. With all of these announcements, I will update you with news on when the ceremonies will be. They won’t happen before 2025, that’s for sure. These guys need time to promote the events.
Andy’s lightning fast, 2-week vacation to Japan is in the books. It was an amazing trip and I am already nagging my wife about when we can go back. I have proposed this coming winter but she’s pushing for next winter. We shall see. Tokyo is the same old Tokyo I fell in love with in 2003 but much has changed in the seven years since my last trip. That means new places to discover or new reasons to re-discover familiar old haunts.
This series of posts will deal with our trip to Japan. Not all of it will be strictly sumo related as a large chunk of it will be about traveling to Tokyo and hopefully suggestions for how newbies can get around, and particularly the non-Japanese-speaking newbies. I’ve got 10 pages of content so far and I can’t stop typing. There are plans of maps, data visualizations and loads of pictures. We will see what makes the final edits. But I will make this first quick post about a very simple question:
Why Go Now?
The primary reason for the visit was personal. We had not seen my in-laws, Teams and Zoom excepted, since before the pandemic shut Japan’s borders. When the borders reopened there was a boom in tourism which has been boosted by the absurd yen-dollar exchange rate. That has made flights expensive and available seats difficult to find for the past couple of years. Add in the fact that inflation has been very low in Japan over the past twenty years and it becomes a bigger draw — even with the recent 2.5-3.5% post-pandemic inflation prices over there are remarkably similar to, but just a little higher than, what I remember from the early 2000s. So, it seemed the entire planet has spent the last couple of years booking flights to Japan.
I don’t like to throw out an argument without showing a bit of data to support it. This data is taken from the World Bank and shows consumer prices in the US and Japan, based at 2010. On the lefthand side of the graph, the dramatic uphill climb for Japan illustrates the rapid inflation of the 1970s and bursting of the bubble economy but look at the remarkably flat prices from the 1990s to the late 2010s. Ultimately, I look at this and see that I can spend a little bit more on yakiniku and yakitori that I was spending 20 years ago while making with a higher salary to boot.
Anyway, the low prices may not be around for much longer, as you see that uptick over the last several years. The comparison is not meant to illustrate $1 of ice cream equals $100 yen of ice cream. It is to simply contrast overall trends in consumer prices, especially since inflation has been such a big topic everywhere. This graph gives us a look at those trends in the US versus the trend in Japan. I could add more countries but most readers seem to be Americans and that is what I know but I can definitely try to add more countries to the graph if others are interested in seeing it. The World Bank’s website has great data like this.
If you have not gone to Japan yet, and you’re still on the fence, you might want to hop off that fence soon and take the plunge. Economically speaking, your dollar will go pretty far and ticket prices for flights are starting to come back to Earth. Inflation is starting to kick in a bit over there so the time to party appears to be now, while the exchange rate is massively in our favor. It has already swung from over 160 to 147 in the past few weeks.
On the other hand…
Why Not Go Now?
We very nearly passed up this opportunity because we knew that summer in Tokyo would be hot. We had heard temperatures were regularly in the upper 90s to up over 100. That sounded similar to what I had experienced 20 years ago but friends had been telling us, “this year’s worse.” As it turned out, our entire trip featured highs above 90°F with lows around 80°F. Scorching!!
To combat the heat, many people would wear rings that you can put in the refrigerator or freezer and wear around your neck. You can find them easily in stores. The cheap, old-school, “ojichan” method that I saw in use was to wear rolled up tenugui around the neck. Tenugui are hand towels, basically what you wave around at sumo tournaments. They can be used to simply block the sun or to hold the ice/cooling packs. Or, as Daieisho demonstrated, you can use the tenugui to just look cool. I would not advise going out on the town in only a towel, though. As tempting as it may be.
Popular consumer electronics this year seriously include portable fans to wear around your neck. When we were at Disney, I saw some people walking around with full-blown desk fans. Recently there have been consumer warnings that damaged fan batteries might explode while the user is wearing them. I like to beat the heat in edible, and non-combustable, fashion. Many vending machines on train platforms were selling ice cream! Those out in the sticks near Nishonoseki-beya were unfortunately sold out.
I enjoyed this one on the Tachikawa monorail while heading to the Jungyo (more of which in later posts). As you can see from the picture of the vending machine below, it cost me 200 yen, or roughly $1.35. Most were 180. There were a bunch of good choices.
A buck-and-a-quarter for ice cream in the heat. It is not exactly a massive pint of Breyer’s but an acceptable option in the heat. A pint from the grocery store back home would set me back $5.50 so I could buy four of these. I should have bought four of these. Damn it. Ah, we have to live with the decisions we make. Anyway, I swear, this country is magical. Why can’t we have ice cream vending machines?
Bottom line, I have successfully turned one reason NOT to go to Japan into a reason to go. So, what’s next? As a sumo fan, there’s no sumo tournament in August…well, at least no hon-basho. Our trip would begin as the Nagoya tournament ended and only last for two weeks. So that’s another major strike against going in August.
There is the Jungyo, though, so I wanted to check that out for myself. I did that, and the proof is in these pictures. There was also amateur sumo to enjoy, in the form of a middle-school championship at Kokugikan and a women’s high school tournament in Tachikawa, which I unfortunately missed.
I wanted to actually discover as many of the heya as I possibly could, as well as possibly meet sumo wrestlers. Check! I was also determined to support Shohozan and his yakiniku restaurant – and support many other suppliers of delicious sustenance. Check!
Lastly, I had an interview set up with the head priest at Ekōin Temple. Check! And that was a very interesting conversation. Mr. Honda is a lovely fellow and I hope you all will enjoy learning what I did about the temple and its role in the history of Grand Sumo.
Summary
So, in spite of no hon-basho, I felt that I peppered my trip with enough sumo for a two-week visit. Much more on these in future posts. Clearly, for us the yays outnumbered the nays with regard to going to Japan. If more of you are there now, or planning to go, or have been recently, feel free to share your experiences in the comments…especially those that are along the lines of, “I wish I knew this before I went.” My lessons learned about Jungyo covers an entire post in and of itself.
