Muhomatsu

Here is another article: https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202501160000520.html

Here is what I see as the real problem: The NSK and various official media have good recaps of the top division (the wrestlers people PAY to see). We can find these clips for free on NHK or on official digests. Access to the top division is not the problem. The problem is access to the lower divisions - you know, the non-salaried wrestlers that fight in front of a mostly empty stadium. There are a lot of fans that want to support these wrestlers and watch them develop into talent - or to just admire how they keep up with this difficult life style for years without much hope of ever making sekitori. This is what is lost whenever sites like Natto are struck down. These matches are not available elsewhere - and when the NSK did set up a paywalled stream - the price for this additional coverage was too crazy - we could still see the top guys for free on NHK - so the only added content for the price was lower rankers. It made no sense. I do not have hours to watch sumo either - job, family, puppy, etc. The digests of Makushita and Juryo supplemented the existing top division digest and made it watchable on days I had the time. Added to that are stats (Natto) and excellent commentary (Kinta), and you end up with something that provides value to viewers. I imagine that Natto and Kinta (and others) make good bank - and if you take their hourly earnings times the volunteer hours(days/weeks) they put into their production - you can see how much it really costs to make these labors of love. While expensive to Natto or Kinta individually, its pretty cheap compared to overall budget of the NSK - and I guarantee that a subscription cost less than that of Twitch would put any official effort in the black quickly and eliminate the need for non-official streams. I know that Natto and Kinta love what they are doing - but if there were a sufficiently good official product that rivaled theirs, I bet they would consider intai and to devote those hours to job, family, puppy, etc. I understand official media wanting to keep ownership of their production (but they should also acknowledge ownership of the value add provided by Natto, Kinta, and others... That just seems a waste to throw away each strikedown). There is intellectual property these streamers produce that is not properly safeguarded. The NSK is cleraly leaving money on the table by not working to monetize their full slate of matches. This has been going on for years, and I have written them letters (no response). To me, it is quite clear the organization is not motivated by profit - meaning they have other reasons behind their efforts to keep sumo out of the eyes of foreigners. Maybe a new Rijicho will think differently. It will be many years before someone with a more open attitude takes control. In the meantime, we will see the numbers of rikishi continue to fall and the future of the organization will look difficult.

Saying the silent part out loud! I think you can easily see a decline in power/speed/energy in quite a few wrestlers since their COVID infections. And these are guys who "build their body" to be at a peak performance. Imagine what is happening to the "average Joe" with multiple infections each year. This will be a long-term crisis with implications on potential economic growth (less labor productivity and more illness/outages) and on country fiscal positions (more health care costs). Large price to pay coming up.

Thanks. Sort of stuck stateside.... To all those reading who want to make a buck, there is a customer if you stock up on those magnets!

Where is the best place to get more of the Kototsurugi-style fridge magnets for current sekitori? Bigsunofan shop has not had new inventory for some time. Anyone else got any sources?

I have a question about Sadogatake-beya after these four uchi-deshi moved to join Hidenoyama-beya. I recall a few years' back (pre-Covid) that Sadogatake was one of the heya with the most rikishi in it and I have the impression that it has massively shrunk in size. It has 18 wrestlers now, making it still a large stable - but it has lost many wrestlers since the start of the pandemic. I count 6 retirements in 2020 (including Kotoshogiku who stayed as oyakata), 10 retirements in 2021 (a large wave in May 2021 and also Kotoyuki, who stayed as oyakata), and 12 retirements from 2022-24 (including Kotoeko and Kotoyusho, who stayed as oyakata and wakamonogashira, respectively). This means 28 wrestlers retired during that period.There have been only eight recruitments since that time, four of whom were uchi-deshi of Hidenoyama - so only four "Sadogatake" recruits over the same period. That means the stable has shrunk by 24 rikishi over the period 2021-2024 - or by more than 50%. I wonder if the stories of serving rotten meat and poor treatment of wrestlers are true and taking their toll over time.

Yes - there are a few transfers like that where the "legacy" lives on under a new name: Think: Irumagawa to Ikazuchi The old Naruto to Tagonoura, on the death of the former Naruto and the weird succession crisis with the stock certificate. Hanaregoma was Nishonoseki was Matsugane. Tokiwayama was Chiganoura. Nishonoseki was Araiso briefly. Oshima did close - was merged to Tomozuna - and then re-emerged independent after being shuttered for years. Even Taiho to Otake is like this - with an ichidai toshiyori twist.

Sakaigawa is 62 - so less than three years away from mandatory retirement age. The new Furiwake could be a successor to the heya, if he does not think Sekinoto (moto-Iwakiyama) or Yamashina (moto-Toyohibiki) are worthy to inherit the stable. Of course, he could let Furiwake branch out, since he has enough top division basho to do it - and that would ensure Sekinoto or Yamashina could have their own stable. And maybe moto-Hochiyama could get his own kabu.

What are the odds for a trade between Keisho and Tochinohana of kabu at some point in the future - so that he obtains Hatachiyama and can re-open that stable in the old premises? There could be some money exchanging hands in such a deal, but that would all be done under the table.

https://t.co/oWqnew0IZg Here is the list: 1: Chiyonoumi- Kokonoe ‘s former Jūryō former NSSU did damage in lower divisions not so successful in a few sekitori basho 2: Arauma- Isenoumi Mongolian slot open former Dōshisha University 3: Tokisōma- Tokitsukaze Mongolian slot open 4: Ōki - Shikoroyama former Jūryō Was winless in his only sekitori appearance 5: Teraoumi- Shikoroyama never even made Makushita during his long career 6: Daishōmune- Oitekaze also never made makushita despite a long career - but came close 7: Kototora- Sadogatake another lower division lifer 8: Kenyū- Isegahama another lower division lifer - former Miyagino 9: Takabahō - Isegahama and another ex-Miyagino rikishi is gone 10: Asabenkei - Takasago Former Jūryō a big man who spent many tournaments in the paid ranks 11: Oyamazakura- Shikihide A young recruit , oft injured 千代の海（九重）荒馬（伊勢ノ海）時蒼馬（時津風）王輝、寺尾海（以上、錣山）大翔宗（追手風）琴虎（佐渡ケ嶽）絢雄、高馬鵬（以上、伊勢ケ浜）朝弁慶（高砂）小山桜（式秀)

Seems Isegahama-Miyagino’s Takabahō has also retired post bashō. https://x.com/chanco_mattun/status/1804123164970016939?s=46&t=HBPauvM-UWrZDJhlhbhfWg

Nishonoseki X (Twitter) introduces us to their recruit Furuta, from Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture. He is coming out of Takehara High School and should be joining in Nagoya. https://x.com/nishonosekibeya/status/1803357426869325986 We will have one opponent for him, at least, as the Natsu Basho introduced us to a Mongolian recruit out of Hokkaido for Takekuma Beya (Bataar Munkh) (https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=12889&l=e). I have heard his shikona is 豪聖山 (GŌSEIZAN).

I think he was only in the playoffs. Hōchiyama won that Sandanme yūshō and promptly retired afterwards.

I like to think of 尾車 as “caboose”.

You still have a lot of loyal sumo viewers - even if Rumble's ads are from some sort of weird dystopian nightmare.