The Kyokai released the ranking sheet for this month’s tournament. Onosato is ranked at Sekiwake for the first time and Hiradoumi is shin-komusubi. Daieisho returns to the rank. Five wrestlers were promoted back into the top division from Juryo: Wakatakakage, Endo, Choyoshoma, Kagayaki, and Bushozan. Nishikifuji survives at M17E. Asanoyama fell to Maegashira 12 East. If he is healthy, he could clean up.
Further up the banzuke the joi was an interesting puzzle. As things worked out, though, there are a lot of veterans who should make for quite the interesting set of match-ups. Meisei, Atamifuji, Wakamotoharu, Mitakeumi, Takayasu, Gonoyama, Tobizaru and Ura? Mitakeumi is probably the only soft opponent there. Ura takes a battering but is certainly dangerous for upsets. Gonoyama and Atamifuji are still rather new up here but are solid. This might spell trouble for the guys up in sanyaku, especially Terunofuji, Kirishima and the Ozeki.
The focus of the early part of the tournament will undoubtedly be Onosato. Can he manage another tournament of double-digit wins? Can he beat Hoshoryu? He is certainly on everyone’s radar for an Ozeki run. If he starts out strong, oh boy.
In Juryo, the three guys who were promoted occupy the bottom positions with Hakuoho right above. These guys will need strong tournaments to save their sekitori status. Meanwhile, Onokatsu is one rank away from the top division and Takerufuji is at Juryo 2 East. Given the difficulties Tokihayate had, we can probably look at Onokatsu and Takerufuji as early favorites for promotion to the Makuuchi in September. The biggest question mark being Takerufuji’s ankle.
Way down in Jonokuchi, Enho will likely battle to remain in the sport. He has been practicing lately so I bet the plan is for him to fight the full, seven-day schedule rather than do the 1-bout trick to avoid going banzuke-gai. Definitely my early favorite for the Jonokuchi yusho!
My wife and I had the pleasure of going to Sumo and Sushi again this year (2024). Frankly, my wife was skeptical of it last year but we had such a great time AND we were able to meet Justin and Heather, so it was a no-brainer to go again this year. Though, regretfully, I did not repeat my “in-the-ring” experience.
The Venue
The venue this year was the DC Armory which is very convenient to the DC Metrorail System. If you’re not familiar with DC or the Armory, you may remember the old RFK Stadium where the Redskins used to play during the hayday of the Hogettes. The Armory is across the street and basically right at the Stadium-Armory Metro stop. My wife and I were shocked that it only cost us $2 each way to get there from Bethesda. Usually during the weekday it would be quite a bit more expensive. Last year, the venue was nowhere near Metro so we drove…and paid about $30 to park. The free weekend parking at the Metro Station and cheap Metro rides were greatly appreciated.
Each time Konishiki’s crew is in town it has been around my birthday, so I treat the two of us to the VIP upgrades so we can avoid the lines. And believe me when I say there are lines. When you get to the venue, there is a line to get in. And when you are inside there are lines at the bar and merch stand. Since seating for each section is “first-come, first-serve” it is important to get in early to claim the best seats.
Doors open an hour before the show and the VIP entrance meant that my chronically late butt was able to avoid the line, get inside and have a great seat with no hassle. While we haven’t gotten the best VIP seats — like right in the middle — even the not-so-great VIP seats are still pretty good. We do not have some tall person’s head in the way, we’re not tucked away in a corner, food and drink are a few steps away. Last year, the VIP section felt a little cramped but there was a lot more space this year. The Armory was a lot bigger to accommodate a crowd that seemed easily two or three times as large as the audience in 2023. But I do concede that the VIP section is too far away from the dohyo for my phone to get the same amazing pictures Justin got from the Front Row. I think I will be doing the Front Row experience next year.
The Show
The show was broken into three “Blocks”: an introduction to sumo and the exercises and training, a more detailed description of rules, tactics and strategy, and lastly the exhibition bouts. As Justin said in his review, this year there was more of a focus on sumo and less on Konishiki’s personal back story. This allowed Konishiki to go into a bit more depth and explain more advanced kimarite.
There is so much material left to cover that Justin’s idea of a more advanced, “expert” session could be interesting. The roles of the yobidashi, gyoji, and shimpan are never really explained so maybe there is some room there? Konishiki made a couple of jokes about how the guys loved Five Guys burgers so my wife had the idea that having actual kensho-kin on the bouts would be a good addition and might make the bouts more competitive. They’re exhibition bouts and it would be really bad news if one of the guys got hurt. It’s not like Konishiki can call someone up from Juryo if Otani has to go kyujo. But it would be a good way to demonstrate what is going on in the ring.
The first two blocks were a bit of a lecture where the crowd was kind of just watching the demonstrations and listening to Konishiki. The crowd really got into the bouts. As far as the exhibition bouts go, Justin is right that it seemed to have more structure last year. Then, the bouts were a bit of a round-robin tournament. This year, they just seemed to be randomly taking turns and alternating between winning and losing. Not a big deal at all. It was just a little odd that “Osaka Joe” was declared the winner rather suddenly.
The interactive portion of the show was what really got the crowd going, though. The MC called several folks forward who had paid for the “Get in the Ring” option. Each participant got a big hand and a lot of support from the crowd. I would really encourage folks to go up and get in the ring. It was an amazing experience last year. I really wish I had done it this year, too. Maybe next year I will bring my own mawashi like the guys from the NYC Sumo Club. If you do not get in the ring, you are missing out. It is that simple.
How do you get into baseball? Watching a game, or by picking up a bat and ball? I say the latter. How do you get into football? Watching commercials during the Superbowl, or by tackling your brother-in-law at Thanksgiving? I say the latter. How do you get into sumo? Watching Higohikari get steamrolled each tournament, or by stepping onto a dohyo and getting thrown by Tooyama? I say the latter.
The Food
Since the event is called, Sumo and Sushi, I would be remiss if I skipped over the food. Last year, my wife and I were really impressed by Takara 14 because they did a great job — they actually had a real sushi chef making fantastic sushi to order. Also, the VIP section had table service last year. But this year, the food in the VIP section was really disappointing and we had to line up to pick from what was available, which was of poor quality and ran out quickly. If I had known, I would have opted for the Front Row with the “Love, Makoto” bento in a heartbeat since that restaurant is at the top of our regular rotation. That will probably be our option for next year.
One Suggestion for Next Year
I have already said that I will bring a mawashi next time. But frankly, I think that they should give a genuine mawashi to the folks who sign up for the “Get in the Ring” option. The crew could even work it into the routine by demonstrating how to put it on. If it was a genuine article, that would be a hell of a souvenir. If they offer a legit white practice mawashi like what is worn by sekitori to the folks who sign up for the VIP section, I will be the first one buying VIP tickets next year…especially if I can get some signatures on there.
Andy and Justin attended Konishiki’s Sumo And Sushi event for the second year in a row. We are splitting our reviews into two posts, one from Justin, one from Andy.
Justin’s Front Row Experience
I attended Washington DC Sumo and Sushi last night and had a fabulous experience. There were two things I changed from last year that I think helped elevate my enjoyment.
First, I got the front row seating plan. Last year, I just got the “Sushi and the Show, which did not include the front row seats. The front row seats were fantastic. Not only did I get a better view of the sumo – but I was able to interact with the wrestlers (lock eyes, give thumbs up, cheer to support them, etc.). Stoic as the wrestlers are, they still react when they hear their old ring names (not their American friendly nicknames). When they were first introduced and I flashed them the rally towels, their reactions were of shock, surprise, and delight.
The front row also offered a higher quality bento, plus one free drink. They did not skimp on the sake. The bento was from “Love, Makoto” and had a premium piece of fatty tuna in the sushi, as well as a good mix of seaweed salad with seared tuna, other nigiri and rolls, karaage, and shrimp tempura. It was a major upgrade from last year’s provider (who was not so memorable that I cannot even recall the name).
The seats were great, the food was excellent, and the sake helped make the ticket selection a major upgrade from last year’s experience. The Front Row package also included a picture with the wrestlers afterwards, something I did not get to experience last year.
The other thing I changed from last year was that I did not purchase a “get in the ring experience”. I am a little sad not to have done this again – but I have lost 45 pounds since then and want to retire with an unblemished career record. So, instead of being on the stage – I brought some fire to the stage. I made rally towels with the individual wrestler’s shikona and waved them around whenever they were on the dohyo. They were a bit surprised, honored, and humbled to see this and to hear me cheering for them. Being in the front row and seeing their reactions gave me a more personal interaction with the troupe than other spectators.
At the photo opportunity, I presented them with the rally towels as a little gift of my appreciation. You can see from the photos that they did really appreciate this little boring token (tsumaranai mono desu kedo…). I asked about Sawada’s recovery, and they were shocked to get the question and said that he was “Ganbarizing” in his recovery. The Sumo and Sushi staff at the photo op said that nobody ever gave the sumotori a gift before! The bottom line is that you can get close to the Sumo Experience if you just put yourself out there and do something unique.
Looking Ahead
When they come back to DC, I will go again and will be doing the Front Row experience. If Sawada/Chiyonoshin/Enya can make a recovery – I would love to challenge him in the ring again. I would gladly do what it takes to see him healthy enough to get back on the dohyo!
One difference in the show from last year is that Konishiki, who was kind enough to sign the rally towel I made with his shikona, spoke more about sumo in general as opposed to his personal experience as a young man with the sport. While it was interesting not to hear the same stories twice, I believe the sumo newbies actually got more from the personal stories.
It was easier to empathize with him last year – as a child who got a strange opportunity to go to Japan and then had to adjust to a completely different way of life – with the brutal training techniques and schedule. It was more clear to the audience to see the matawari (splits) and hear from Konishiki about his first mornings in the stable when he was made to do these exercises. People could empathize with the pain he had to endure before achieving his success. I think that he spoke more to the American crowd last year than this year.
If I were to recommend one other change for the organizers, it would be to make one of the showings an “expert” show – for people more familiar with sumo – one where the sumotori could also talk about themselves and their challenges and experiences – one with more demonstrations of kimarite, and a more structured elimination tournament to determine the session’s champion – either round robin or tomoesen. I recall that they seemed to have a more structured format last year – this year they just seemed to be taking turns until the time for the session was up and whoever won the fight was the night’s champ.
Last bashō, I documented four newcomers to the Third Division (Makushita). Kusano managed to win six straight, losing on day 13 in the Yūsho deciding bout to Fujiseiun. Aonishiki, the Ukrainian, also went 6-1 and will also get a hefty promotion for Nagoya – perhaps finding himself just outside the top 15 ranks. Kotetsu and Hamanoumi were make-koshi (3-4) and will head back to Sandanme.
Joining them will be Rinko (from Nishonoseki) who posted a disastrous 1-6. For Nagoya, we should see not just one – but two – Makushita 60 Tsukedashi. Both have familiar last names!
Ishizaki (石崎)
Ishizaki is following in the footsteps of his high school and university senpai and long-time friend, and brother Asakōryū, into the sumo world. He started sumo as a child at Shijonowate Sumo Federation and was 3 rd in the All-Japan Elementary School tournament in 6 th Grade. In the third year of Junior High, he was 8 th in the All-Japan Jr. High School Tournament.
Like his brother, he attended Meitoku Gijuku High School. As a sophomore he was 8 th in the All-Japan High School. The next year, he finished 3 rd in the All-Japan and runner up in the East Japan Student Championship (under 135kg). His high school career also included a 3 rd place finish in the Japan University Selection Tournament in Kanazawa, a runner-up in the All-Japan (no weight class), and another 3rd place finish in the National Athletic Meet. He attended NSSU, like his brother where he also won ribbons and trophies (3rd Place in the All-Japan (twice), 3rd Place in the World Combat Games.
He did not join sumo right after graduation, rather he went to teach at the Nagahama School for the Disabled and wrestled in corporate sumo (3 rd place at the National Teachers’ Championship). He decided that he would not let the chance to wrestle as a professional pass him by and joined the same stable as his brother. Given this pedigree and performance, we can expect him to join his brother in a white training mawashi soon. He is 23 years old (a little older than the typical college recruit because of the corporate experience), 172 cm (5’7’’) and weighs in at 120 kg (264 pounds) and comes out of Shijonowate, Ōsaka Prefecture – obviously same as Asakōryū.
Kawabuchi (川渕) – proper shikona to come.
Kawabuchi is also following in the footsteps of his brother, who fights out of Shikoroyama-beya (and has a jonokuchi division championship on his debut). They both came out of Kanazawa Gakuin High School, but the older brother started professional sumo at that point. The younger brother went on to Nihon University. Kawabuchi2 (as his older brother uses the shikona Kawabuchi) started sumo at Higashi Osaka Sumo Dojo. He won the All-Japan Elementary School Championship at 4th Grade. He attended Saisei Junior High, where he won the national Junior High School Team Tournament.
He attended Kanazawa Gakuin High School where he was named Top High Schooler for 2019. He was the Champion at the All-Japan Wight Class Junior Division, won the All-Japan Individual Weight Class, the All-Japan High School Usa, and was World Junior Heavyweight Class Champion.
As a high school champion, he joined Nihon University Sumo Club. As a Freshman he was 3rd in the All Japan 135kg+ weight class, 3rd in the All-Japan, and 2 nd in East Japan Freshman tournaments. He had multiple top finishes in the All Japan 135+ weight class, the National Student Selection Competition, the National University Kyushu, and won the National University Usa, the National Select University Tournament, the East Japan 135kg+, an the East Japan Student Championship.
All this experience gives him the Makushita 60 qualification. He did not join Shikoroyama stable, like his brother – but levered the Nihon University connections to join Kise-beya under former Higonoumi.
He is 22 years old, and a giant of a man at 187 cm (6’1’’) and 199 kg (438 pounds). He comes out of Ōsaka City (Ōsaka Prefecture). So the Ōsaka boys are well represented at this shin-makushita report for those entering at tsukedashi!
Tatsuōshō (立王尚)
Tatsuōshō is a 20 year old wrestler from Tatsunami-beya. He hails from Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture and is 184 cm (6’0’’) and 143 kg (315 lbs). He comes from Central Agricultural High School (Chubu). He started with judo in elementary school, but in freshman year of high school switched to sumo because of his grandmother. His wish is to become the first Yokozuna out of Okinawa! He made his debut in Haru 2022 and has a career record of 56-35. He has been in Sandanme for most of the past two years, steadily climbing the ranks. He had an amazing 6-1 record at Sandanme 7 East that will throw him into mid-Makushita for Nagoya.
Higonomaru (肥後ノ丸)
Higonomaru is perfect for the brother/Nagoya Makushita Debut theme. He is the younger brother of Makushita’s Higonoumi (Higonoumi 2). He is a 19 year old wrestler, hailing from Kise-beya like his brother. He comes out of Kumamoto City (Kumamoto Prefecture) and is 184cm (6’0’’) and 143 kg (316 lbs). He has flown up the banzuke since his Haru 2023 debut, with a career record of 34-15 and briefly appeared in Kintamayama’s celebrity youngsters page because of his rapid rise to Sandanme.
His father is a former Tokistukaze-beya wrestler who won a jonidan championship but retired because of injury. The sumo bug is in their family – so Higonomaru started sumo in 6th grade.
Unlike his older brother, Higonomaru went to high school where he was on the Kumamoto Agricultural High School team. He claims he wants to make Jūryō in three years and is seemingly on his way. He had a 5-2 record at Sandanme 9 East last tournament and will be in the lower third of Makushita – not a bad place to be after 8 tournaments in sumo to meet his stated goal.
Mikazuchiyama (御雷山)
Mikazuchiyama, from Shikoroyama-beya, is currently 19 years old. He came from Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture. He is 174cm (5’8’’) and 149 kg (327 lbs). He currently has a 91-77 career record, making his debut in the 2020 Haru tournament. He claims to be from the same hometown as the 34th Yokozuna, Minanogawa.
He has a judo background from his primary and middle school days and was a specialist in Haraigoshi technique (throw over the hips). He participated in the Wanpaku sumo tournaments in 4th and 5th grade – making the second round. He developed a passion for sumo and went knocking on the door of Shikoroyama-beya himself to join.
He is still young (at 19) to enter Makushita. He had a 5-2 record at Sandanme 20 East and has been generally in upper Sandanme since Natsu 2023. So he may be able to hang around in the bottom of Makushita. Let’s see if he can break out of that region in the coming year!
Kanazawa (金沢)
Kanazawa is a 21-year-old wrestler from Naruto-beya, who will make his makushita debut with stablemate Kawamura (see below). He comes out of Toyohashi City in Aichi Prefecture – so he will be making his Makushita debut from his “home turf”. He is 184 cm (6’0’’) and 172 kg (379 lbs). He has a career record of 53-35-3 (the absences came early in his career as a wave of Covid swept through Naruto-beya).
He has a Japanese father and a Italian-Paraguayan mother and comes from a Judo background. His unique heritage should make him one to watch. He attended Toyohashi Central High School and was a member of the Powerlifting Club (Best 8 in an Aichi Prefectural Tournament). He is the second from his school to join sumo after Tokitsukaze-beya’s Sōtenryū. He joined sumo in Haru 2022, after being scouted by Naruto-Oyakata for many years (at least since Junior High School).
He is a yotsu wrestler. He made rapid progress up the ranks, but seemed stalled in the Sandanme 40-60 range for the past year and a half. He has three straight kachi-koshi (including a 4-3 at Sandanme 7 west) that puts him into Makushita for the Nagoya basho.
Kawamura (川村)
Kawamura is a 22-year-old wrestler, also out of Naruto-beya. He comes out of Suzukai City in Mie Prefecture. He is 180 cm (5’11’’) and 125 kg (276 lbs). He has a career record of 122-100-23. He is small, but has a competitive spirit. Due to his competitive nature, his father recommended sumo as a child – which he did, but dropped out of it when he attended school. He was on the Ishiyakushi High School Weightlifting Club where he won a prize as a Freshman (2nd Place in the 85kg lifting in Mie Prefecture). His knew acquaintances of Naruto Oyakata and dropped out of high school to go pro!
His debut bashō was Natsu 2018, so he has taken his time to reach Makushita. Even now, he will be promoted all the way from Sandanme 35 East due to a 6-1 performance – which is a bit of an outlier for him. He may be expected to struggle in his 3 rd Division Debut. That competitive spirit has kept him around – he dropped from Division 4 to Division 6 due to an injury in 2021 and has come back from it to reach this career high rank – so he cannot be counted out.
Kyokukaiyū (旭海雄)
Our final entry in this digest is Kyokukaiyū, a 24 year old wrestler from Ōshima-beya (of Kyokutenhō). Like his stable-Master, Kyokukaiyū hails from Mongolia, and thus had to wait some time to get his visa and undergo additional training as a foreigner before making his debut in Aki 2023 (mae-zumo in Kyusho 2023). My understanding is that the “kaiyū” in his shikona comes from his name, meaning heroic sea in Mongolian – Dalaibaatar (and I believe the Baatar does mean heroic, but you can forgive me for not picking up much Mongolian on my two brief visits there!). He came to Japan at the age of 16 to do sumo.
He joined Asahigaoka High School in Kanagawa prefecture and won prizes (3 rd at the National High School Sumo Selection Tournament and 3 rd at the Kanto Open Weight Tournament). From there, he attended NSSU where he also placed in national tournaments (3 rd in the East Japan Freshman Tournament, 3rd in the 135kg+ Division of the East Japan College Weight Class Tournament, and he got a Sandanme Tsukedashi qualification (that went unused) form being in the Top 8 of the All Japan. He also finished in the top 16 of the National Select Sumo Tournament his Senior Year.
He is an Oshi type wrestler, with an 18-3 career record that rocketed him straight from jonokuchi to makushita. He arrives in makushita courtesy of a Sandanme championship (7-0) at the bottom of the division (Sandanme 87 west). So he will be with fellow university starts Ishizaki and Kawabuchi at the bottom of the makushita division. Any fights between those three will be interesting to watch!
Summary
In summary, this tournament’s makushita debutants will be quite interesting – with three university stars, a few high school sumo club members, three brother pairs Higonoumi/Higonomaru, Kawabuchi/Kawabuchi 2, and Asakōryū/Ishizaki), a few weight lifters – one with Paraguayan heritage, and a young recruit out of junior high school who has steadily climbed the ranks! With this report, I am now looking forward to the Nagoya tournament.
But first…. I must join Andy at this weekend’s Sumo and Sushi. No return to the ring for me this year… I happened to have lost about 45 pounds – so I need to “rebuild my body” as they say. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to seeing Konishiki and his troupe and to have some live sumo in front of me without going back to Japan. If we can all just get the streaming situations sorted, that’d be great.
Muhōmatsu/Hochiyama – whatever you call me, I am Justinough.
