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Sandanme wrestler Yasunishi has reported being beaten by an elder (former Makushita wrestler, 28 years old - likely Kirinofuji). The offender has since retired (hair cut ceremony in April). Both Michinoku and head of compliance department, Hanakago, admit the incident occurred. The incident was reported in January - when it was determined that the assailant would retire. There was an appeal filed by the victim in April, which was subsequently withdrawn. Michinoku says he did not hide anything and since the perpetrator has retired and the victim has withdrawn his appeal to the compliance committee, no further hearings will be held. https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202305090001511.html Trouble in Kiribayama's stable - hope it is not a distraction and we see him at 100 percent in a week. Edit- adding another story and some more details: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0c67d7961da3357d7d48c0e18f5812ca2eb6d71c According to this - he was told to "Die" and "I'll kill you" by Kirinofuji as well as being shot with an air-gun, hit with a frying pan, and punched mercilessly after a New Year's party. The violence seems to have been long-standing and ignored by the Oyakata - until it could not be ignored any further. Seriously? A disciple of yours is shot with an air-gun! That should automatically be game over for the perpetrator and a handing over of a resignation from the Riji post and #2 in the Kyokai. Lots of his deshi were also implicated in the match-fixing scandals - and still Kirishima made it back to #2 in the NSK. I am thinking he has some serious deficiencies of character.

Also Isegahama says that his top man enters the basho - for all 15 days - and will be aiming for the yusho. Terunofuji had 4 basho kyujo, 3 basho zenkyu. At degeiko on the 3rd he was 8-2 and he trained at the keiko soken with Kiribayama and others. The yokozuna who won the basho after 4 or more kyujo were Hakuho (6), Taiho (5) and with 4 Kashiwado and Hokutoumi http://hochi.news/articles/20230508-OHT1T51216.html?page=1

it just finished. Quick summary. Terunofuji looked good. Takakeisho didn’t. Kiribayama is making ozeki most likely.

Next the old angle, from tabloid Shukun Bunshun: the oyakata made him retire because he's a drunk. From a koenkai related source: It started after the juryo yusho, Ichinojo invited friends and went on drinking tours with them, so heavy the neighbours complained to the NSK. The oyakata cautioned him and he cut off any communication, didn't appear for keiko any more since April. The oyakata had enough, Ichinojo broke his promise to stop drinking, he wanted him to retire, when he at last could contact him 2 days before the conference and urged him for a decision, Ichinojo at once said, "Then I quit." Minato had told the NSK "He doesn't listen to me, it's the limit." http://bunshun.jp/articles/-/62711 The opposite of what most other sources tell, the oyakata and the parents for one hour trying to convince the breadwinner of the heya to continue. It's basically the same story we had at the scandal and it turned out outdated and irrelevant. It may still be true and part of the story, but not the main reason.

Terunofuji did no training yesterday and went to a hospital to have his knees checked. Last basho they got worse while he was preparing, the oyakata wants to take no chances. https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2023/05/09/kiji/20230509s00005000089000c.html Takakeisho was 8-3 at the keiko soken, with Daieisho, Kotonowaka and Sadanoumi. o

Yup, that's what I did when I joined my first wave (16th). Of course I had a handicap as the others were far away upper in the ranks but it's a nice challenge trying to catch up. And a practice, so do not hesitate @Chiyotasuke and join as many as you wish!

Nope, you can join any wave any time you like.

It's the sumo training institute. You can find its entrance on the southeast side of the Kokugikan on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/WjSd8fdQNLHhKP6w7

I think it would be quite difficult to get that for sumo, not least because of the privacy and secrecy involved - rikishi can't use social media anymore, anything that does go out is mostly kyokai vetted or approved, and as (as I understand it) the kyokai controls media accreditations, they may snap them back from people may be unreasonably critical. I have been by those in the media told that there have been times when media who used to have passes had to come and go then needed to retrieve them from Kokugikan on a daily basis so that they could be more closely managed, and we also know the kyokai has a track record of blackballing those who are seen as too much trouble. I don't know that anyone would rock the boat with any kind of unofficial exposé about rikishi when it could cut off their meal ticket to future access and content. I'm not sure the stables have any reason in a world where rikishi don't transfer between heya to leak news, they don't gain anything by talking about injuries. Their main motivation (in the current system) for having a media contact would seem to be selling tickets to senshuraku parties or danpatsushiki, or koen-kai memberships/donations. For what it's worth I totally agree it would be great to have. Funnily, a lot of hardcore fans on social media have started to call Fab a "tap in merchant" who aggregates rumours from elsewhere and applies a "here we go" when it's at the finish line. I think it's a bit harsh! But all of those parties have something to gain, whereas I think in sumo as currently composed it's a little unclear what anyone would have to gain by engaging with a 24/7 "hot stove" type of correspondent.

It turned out to be simpler than I thought to take this into account. The only relevant COVID cancellations (for wrestlers in Makuuchi last basho) are Jan 2021 (for Chiyoshoma) and July 2022 (lots). Takanosho was also kyujo in July 2022, but with a shoulder injury not COVID. I'll double-check these adjustments and rerun the figures. Chiyoshoma (Jan 2021, 15 extra) Daieisho (Jul 2022, 477 extra) Endo (Jul 2022, 87 extra) Hokutofuji (Jul 2022, 74 extra) Ichiyamamoto (Jul 2022, 53 extra) Kotoeko (Jul 2022, 190 extra) Kotonowaka (Jul 2022, 70 extra) Kotonshoho (Jul 2022, 40 extra) Mitakeumi (Jul 2022, 296 extra) Nishikigi (Jul 2022, 42 extra) Tamawashi (Jul 2022, 807 extra) Tobizaru (Jul 2022, 177 extra)

Yeah, ideally they're treating it based on the W-L differential so that 3-5 at -2 is given a demotion about halfway between 3-4 at -1 and 2-5 at -3, and usually it's apparent that they at least tried to do it, too. It's hard to look at Tsukahara's demotion and see any evidence of it, though. The unprecedented case of three 8th bouts in Nagoya 2022 went rather differently for the two rikishi that won. First up: Ms4e Kamito 3-4 -> Ms6e Ms4w Chiyonoumi 3-4 -> Ms6w Ms6e Akiseyama 3-5 -> Ms11w Ms9e Kainoshima 3-4 -> Ms13e Ms9w Tsurubayashi 3-4 -> Ms14e The closest 2-5 here was actually Chiyoarashi's 2-6 with a loss which went Ms5e -> Ms15w, so Akiseyama was clearly treated better than that, but worse than the surrounding 3-4's (although not by much). However, the other one: Ms11w Kitaharima 3-4 -> Ms19w Ms13e Oki 3-5 -> Ms22e Ms16w Asagyokusei 3-4 -> Ms25w No 2-5 was really close by, but the next one down went Ms19e -> Ms40e. The aforementioned case involving Sagatsukasa was one of the more appropriately decided ones. Ms1w Sagatsukasa 3-5 -> Ms10w Ms2e Kizenryu 3-4 - Ms7w Ms5e Kotokuni 3-4 -> Ms11e Ms4w Hamaguchi 2-3-2 -> Ms16w Ms5w Higoarashi 2-5 -> Ms18e Tsukahara's 9.5 ranks down is in line with a full 5-loss demotion, even on the harsh side by today's standards. Personally I feel he would have been appropriately ranked at either Ms8w or Ms9e. More leniency would be hard to justify since the whole area really is quite crowded. (Ms1e Tsukahara 3-5 / Ms4w Kaisho 3-4 is essentially the same as Sagatsukasa / Kotokuni, and Kaisho went to Ms9e.)

IIRC, the Kyokai itself hasn't been consistent about this the few times it cropped up, but after Kitasatsuma was given two matches in the last three days in 2018.05, they listed his final record as 2-0-6, not 2-0-5 as the DB currently has it. That's semi-important because he was actually passed by a proper 2-5 score on the next banzuke, so right now the DB makes it look as though they created that banzuke wrong.

Terunofuji with AK-69 for his new song "Ride Wit Us", which will be the new theme song of the makuuchi sumo broadcast on Abema from Natsu day 1 on, the song is released that day. The one they used so far was also by AK69, Speedin', spot: Chin Wagon. http://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/124935/2

http://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/473687?display=1 o oo futofukutsu is the favourite motto of Tokihayate since high school

Takakeishou is training and will be entering the basho, says his oyakata. No sumo so far, just the fundamentals.

It had nothing to do with this kanji, I just somehow missed it. The names are updated, but weirdly the new kanji displays the same as the old kanji on the SumoDB website - if you copy it and paste somewhere else it is visible as new kanji. Probably it is a matter of the font, but I'm not sure how to fix this. Edit: I modified the website to use a different font-family if Japanese language is on and it displays correctly now. Not really happy with the result yet, but I will have another look later.

After 4 years again rikishi at the Havriin Bayar 2023 Mongol festival in Nerima-ward's Hikarigaoka park, cancelled in 2020 and 2021 and forbidden for rikishi in 2022. 10 rikishi were there, among them 5 Mongolian sekitori plus Hokuseiho. https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2023/05/05/kiji/20230505s00005000597000c.html Azumaryu, Chiyoshoma, Terunofuji, Hoshoryu and Hokuseiho Oshoma was also there

I would, because the author is a bit above tabloid level and the way it is written implies quite some probability. Hochi reports that apparently the 2 still only talk to each other by way of a lawyer - they didn't even look at each other at the press conference. o Sanspo also assumes that there has to be some real reason behind it, apparently the shisho had tried to make him change his mind and also his parents wanted him to continue. https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/sports/322537 Going to tabloid level, Nikkan Gendai points out that there was absolutely no reason to throw away at least 4.5 million yen of income, which he had received in 4 months kyujo as sekitori - even a kabu been decided and the later switch with Minato - to take over the heya. Nobody believes the story of the back pain as the reason, one oyakata believes he couldn't bear to have to face the oyakata any longer. https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/sports/322537

Rikishi older than everyone above them on the banzuke, Natsu 2023: Y1e Terunofuji 29.11.1991 K2e Shodai 05.11.1991 M2e Takayasu 28.02.1990 M7w Tamawashi 16.11.1984 Sd31e Aozora 26.08.1983 Sd45e Shoketsu 05.09.1976 Aozora back on the list and Shoketsu at a higher rank too. Shodai and Takayasu re-appear as Tamawashi falls.

Ichinojo is responsible for me being here. I had lost interest in sumo after it stopped being shown on Channel 4 in the UK but stumbled upon Jason's youtube coverage of Aki 2014 and I was hooked all over again. He may be one of the best wrestlers of the modern era never to make ozeki: others had more tournaments at sekiwake or won more yusho but on the rare days when he was fighting at 100% Ichinojo did not look like an ozeki... he looked like a yokozuna.

Dear TUG Supporters and Gamers, The 2023 Natsu TUG Banzuke was made by Oshirokita. I express my continuous gratitude to him for helping me with the making of TUG Banzukes. Sorry for the late posting of the Banzuke, but I was on vacation without my computer. Here is the Banzuke: Natsu 2023 Banzuke TUG East Rank West Shikona (Haru 2023) Shikona (Haru 2023) Katunazuma Y1e, 12--3 Y Profomisakari Y1w, KOSHO Jakusotsu O1e, 10--5 O1 Holleshoryu O2e, 7--8 Achiyama S1e, 9--6 S1 Pitinosato S1w, 9--6 ScreechingOwl M5e, 15--0 Y S2 Athenayama O1w, 6--9 Flohru K1e, 8--7 K1 Oshirokita M1e, 11--4 Chishafuwaku M4e, 13--2 K2 Ziggyama S2w, 7--8 Bunbukuchagama NEW, 14--1 JY M1 Sumospiffy M1w, 7--8 Benihana M2e, 7--8 M2 Gaijingai M6w, 8--7 Wakatake M3e, KOSHO M3 Joaoiyama M7e, 8--7 Papayasu NEW, 11-4 M4 Philioyamfuji K1w, 4--11 Wamahada M4w, 6--9 M5 Henshu-sha NEW, 9--6 Tetsuba NEW, 8--7 M6 Hakushin M6e, 6--9 RaeucherLax M5w, 3--12 M7 Fujisan M7w, 7--8 Tenshinhan M2w, KYUJO1 M8 Kimyama NEW, 6--9 Andonishiki M3w, KYUJO1 M9 Jejima M9w, KOSHO Akogyokuseki M8e, 4--11 M10 Shimodahito M9e, 3--12 Djodjoyoshi NEW, 2--13 M11 Gansekiiwa M8w, KYUJO1 Mmikasazuma M10e, KYUJO1 M12 Rokudenashi M10w, KYUJO1 HaraKiri M11e, KYUJO3 BANZUKE-GAI Kyoju M11w, KYUJO3 Andrasoyama M12e, KYUJO3 BANZUKE-GAI

Maybe their is another reason for his retirement. It is possible that Ichinojo checks out this forum and he really takes an interest in the GTB game. His expectations were heightened when he saw several players had him positioned in the M6-M7 area. When the banzuke was released on Monday his rank was much lower than predicted and that was the last straw.

May I repost my warning to other wrestlers from the time of his Makuuchi debut?

One of the YDC members was wearing neon green sneakers but you’ll have to decide for yourself who that was.

The yusho portrait of Kiribayama for the Haru basho o