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The YDC praising everyone from yokozuna to kadoban Ozeki? What has the world come to? I demand my old grumpy YDC back! Terunofuji should be given a last warning for failing to get zensho. For disgracing the ozeki rank with kadoban, Takakeisho should be permanently banned from ever even dreaming about becoming yokozuna. And the sekiwake should be flogged with the gyoji's gunbai simply for good measure and to instill proper hinkaku.

I don't see a single vote for Kirishima!

With the fish:

The special rijikai today decided unanimously to promote Kiribayama (now Kirishima II) to ozeki - acceptance phrase: I humbly accept. I will gambarize even more at keiko to bring no shame to the name of ozeki. 謹んでお受けいたします。大関の名を汚さぬよう今まで以上に稽古して頑張ります https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2023/05/31/kiji/20230531s00005000147000c.html#:~:text=相撲

Nothing but praise for Terunofuji. - "He gave 120% in his efforts" - "He shows that presence of the yokozuna rank" - "We hope that his work will be a reflection and inspiration for the other rikishi" They were also happy with the performance of the four (soon to be three) sekiwake, saying that there is no need to consider a limit on the number of ozeki. Lastly, they were happy to see Asanoyama back in action and look forward to his performance in Nagoya. https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202305290000851.html

First timers: Kawazoe, now Kihou Shishi the Ukranian Yuuma Returnees: Shiden (last time got promoted but never had a single bout-got a reprimand from the Kyokai for going gambling and did not even gamble, but got suspended by his Oyakata, causing him to drop back to Makushita..) Chiyonoumi

That's a good reminder about Akebono and Hokuseiho. For all the comparisons due to their frames, they had completely different styles. Hokuseiho is much more similar to a Takanonami, or even Baruto or Kotooshu.

I don't think we can make any reasonable predictions about Hokuseiho until we see him put forth actual effort for all fifteen fights in a basho. He's going to move pretty slowly up the ranks if he remains attached to his One-Arm Sumo philosophy.

While I wasn't anticipating the shikona change, it doesn't surprise me. So long, Misty Horse Mountain... I've a feeling Kirishima II will out-perform Kirishima I. The trajectory he's currently on is rope-ward.

For Banzuke making purposes the scores of the new players will be adjusted to the Juryo results, i.e.: AlphaHo 7-8 Mokuseinoisu 8-7 Papayasu 7-8 WAKATAKE 3-12 Ganzohnesushi

K’kan’s Uniqueness https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2023/05/31/sumo/post-pandemic-basho-experience/

I wouldn't be bothered that much. Every Yokozuna develops it's own dohyo-iri at the end of the day. Harumafuji and Terunofuji were both taught theirs by ex-Asahifuji, but they couldn't be more difficult by each other. Asahifuji had an old-style Shiranui, hands open and low arms. Harumafuji went low and parallel to the plane of the dohyo. Terunofuji keeps his arms so straight that he reminds me of a helicopter taking off. Were Hokuseiho good enough to get the rope, he will do his dohyo-iri as he likes most. Anyway, I am not persuaded that he will get that high. More than Ichinojo, who peaked at Sekiwake mostly because of his excessive mass, I think that Hokuseiho will peak at Ozeki like fellow tad poles Takanonami and Kotooshu. Akebono became Yokozuna mostly because he was a hundred times more aggressive than the others tall guys. Hokuseiho included.

Isenoumi was the messenger, with vid o o o ooo oo o o o oooo ooo o o oo

That looks like a barrel of sake, not mochi

also adds pressure to a Kiribayama who has to be going through a whirlwind of emotions this past week. I think it's not that bad. Kirishima I arguably peaked at ōzeki quite late in his career, and post-promotion, only had a short period where he was kicking ass and took a yūshō. Since his ōzeki rank was more a case of "made it, phew" rather than storming up the ranks, Kiribayama, having already won one yūshō, is not really under any pressure to live up to anything. IMO it's more an added bonus/reward/accolade for his promotion that he very rightfully deserves. For comparison's sake, we were also discussing the case of Ochiai/Hakuōhō earlier this week. Had he been granted Hakuhō II, now that's pressure.

I hadn't realized this aspect of his life before, so I checked out his Wikipedia article, and it now makes sense why it took him as long as it did to make the joi yet go on to improve enough to get to Ozeki - he came in at 18/19 with no sumo experience, unlike Ichinojo and Terunofuji. So even if he had bokh and Judo experience, having 3 less years to learn the sport itself makes it harder to advance up the ranks in age at the same pace Hakuho, Ama, and Kakuryu did, who entered when they were younger without sumo experience either (at least, I assume for Ama, though it's not clear from his Wikipedia page). His rise up the ranks based on age was still pretty good, reminiscent of decently experienced high schoolers, but far behind the likes of Goeido or Terunofuji who entered at similar ages and went on to Ozeki after rising to the joi in time to make my empirical cut off. If he had actually managed to enter three years earlier, I could see him have needing the same amount of time to physically mature to get to Ozeki, but he could have reasonably made the joi a few years earlier. Now when Daieisho or Wakamotoharu make it next basho I need to come up with another excuse.

Takakeisho is not Yokozuna material, he is like the Geek if anything, pretty one dimensional, just plows ahead and looses energy pretty quickly.

New Ozeki Kirishima!! Breaking news- Kiribayama is assuming the Kirishima name!

Similar yesterday in Komae at a middle and a primary school, deshi doing the demonstrations http://hochi.news/articles/20230530-OHT1T51258.html?page=1 o

Myōgiryū acquired the Furiwake kabu, for much less than ¥100M, according to this interview with Ushiomaru's widow: https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20230530_1873621.html?DETAIL

Brief coverage of the Terunofuji vs. Meisei bout:

They did comment on his performance (see tweets 5-7 in this thread).

The Kagayaki Paradox. What happens if you keep getting Make-Koshi but no one on the Banzuke committee notices.

For me the fact that Takakeisho has even managed to get to a point where he has had two Yokozuna runs is staggering given he is only 5'8" tall in an open weight division, fighting some guys nearly a foot taller than him, and he's exclusively an oshi specialist. He's been Terunofuji's main rival during his second phase (ie return to Ozeki and Yok) despite the fact he's giving up 6 inches and 25 kilos to him. He's done it by piling on way more weight than his frame should carry, and as you say, going beyond what he is physically capable of. I reckon that's why he is never far away from getting injured. It must be hell on his knees. Just watching him climb on and off the dohyo this basho made me wince, and after one bout he looked like he was in so much pain he was about to cry. He is the ultimate overachiever given what nature has given him to work with and I have nothing but admiration for him as a result. I have no doubt all that damage he has done to his body in pursuit of something that should have been beyond a man his size, will make his post-sumo life pretty miserable. Imagine what he could have been if he was only four inches taller?

If it was me, I would choose Daikiho, just because it would be really cool to be in the dohyo with a former maegashira that was trained by Hakuho.