mikawa

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Posts posted by mikawa

  2. Posted

    5 hours ago, Katooshu said:

    Some great stuff here - thanks!

    Thanks, I wasn't sure how to make the "Class of" series more engaging / appealing, which was why I decided to delete the original posts. What do you think about this new format, and do you have any suggestions please going forward?

    I've since added a few more rikishi to this list, including one Tsurugisho. His highlights will be ready as soon as YouTube allows me to upload more videos lol

  6. Posted · Edited by mikawa

    The Class of 2006 is a list of rikishi taken from my amateur sumo database, ranked according to their results at major tournaments during elementary and junior high school. The wrestlers on this list graduated from junior high school in March 2006, after which they could choose to enter Ozumo. Otherwise, they would have graduated from high school in 2009 and then from college in 2013.

    #1 Shogo Kawabata (川端 翔伍), Osaka, Daishomaru, Oitekaze (March 2014 - )
    #2 Shota Minami (南 翔太), Chiba
    #3 Minoru Ikejiri (池尻 実), Hyogo
    #4 Shuji Higashi (東 秀次), Nagasaki
    #5 Daisuke Sasaki (佐々木 大輔), Aomori, Sasakiyama, Kise (Jan 2010 - )
    #6 Shin Takita (滝田 真), Mie
    #7 Koichi Kataoka (片岡 孝一), Chiba
    #8 Ryuta Takagi (高木 立太), Ishikawa, Takaryu, Kise (March 2014 - May 2021)
    #9 Keisuke Yoshida (吉田 圭佑), Aichi
    #10 Shoma Haga (芳賀 翔真), Fukushima

    #11 Tomohiro Akutsu (阿久津 智洋), Tochigi
    #12 Fumiya Nakagawa (中川 結哉), Osaka
    #13 Tomohiko Iwashita (岩下 智彦), Saitama
    #14 Kyohei Takahashi (高橋 京平), Kanagawa
    #15 Kentaro Abiko (安彦 剣太郎), Tokyo, Tsurugisho, Oitekaze (Jan 2014 - )
    #16 Mitsutaka Kashiwatani (柏谷 充隆), Miyazaki, Kotoeko, Sadogatake (March 2007 - )
    #17 Yuki Enomoto (榎本 勇起), Kagawa, Kotoyuki, Sadogatake (March 2008 - May 2021)
    #18 Kazusa Ishiara (石新 一早), Okinawa
    #19 Akitoshi Ishida (石田 晃敏), Chiba
    #20 Kohei Takahashi (高橋 光平), Saitama

    #21 Daikichi Kasai (笠井 大吉), Kanagawa

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  7. Posted · Edited by mikawa

    The annual Tachikawa Citizens Sumo Tournament (立川市民相撲大会) was held today at Tachikawa Renseikan Sumo Dojo in Tokyo. There was both an individual competition (by year group) and a team competition (where the participants were divided into four teams).

    This was the first time that I got to meet Wycliff Palu, the former Australian professional rugby player. His son Muti was a national semi-finalist last year, so it wasn't a surprise that Muti came through the tournament today undefeated. One of his opponents even tried a hassou-tobi (jumping upwards at the tachi-ai to avoid the charging opponent) but to no avail. Muti first got into sumo at a local tournament, and was invited by Renseikan's Coach Gohara to come and join the club. Since then, sumo has helped him build self-confidence, make new friends, and he really loves the sport now.

    There was also a Nepalese kid at the tournament today (amateur sumo is also getting multinational these days). He started sumo about a year ago because he was too large to play soccer, and has also grown to really enjoy the sport.

    What I didn't expect today was to be invited to act as a ring-side shimpan (east side) for part of the tournament, a completely new experience for me. As a shimpan, you have to concentrate very hard throughout each bout to check who wins and who loses (a lot of pressure there), and whenever a contentious decision arises and a mono-ii (shimpan discussion) occurs, you have to state your version of events and be sure about it.

    In my first mono-ii, I said that ""one of the wrestlers accidentally stepped out first, probably (tabun)", and was told off for not fully committing to my judgement. I don't know whether or not it's the same in Ozumo, but today, whenever the shimpan couldn't agree on a single decision, that's when a torinaoshi (redo) was called.

    Here are some photos from the event:

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  8. Posted

    From Chiba (where I'm currently living) to Kanagawa, with this documentary about the Asahigaoka High School sumo club, their 2 Mongolian members, and their team captain Shigeki Yoda (big and strong, he is). The video shows the club training, eating, mountain-climbing, meeting the school's orchestra club who came to cheer them on, as well as their showing at the 106th Kanazawa tournament.

     

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  19. Posted

    9 hours ago, Katooshu said:

    Anyone ever find out what happened to Shiroyama? Going from the top competitor in high school and college sumo, to quitting the sumo team and disappearing makes for quite the mystery.

    I can't find any information regarding why he quit the Toyo University sumo club. It might be that something happened, but he didn't want to make anything public? We may never know......

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  21. Posted

    Thanks to Coach Hirano, I went to the Taito Riverside Sports Center in Tokyo earlier today to watch a training session at Komatsuryu Dojo (John Gunning's club), the recently crowned Hakuho Cup team champions.

    Their keiko on Saturdays starts at 1:30pm. Because it was their first training session of the new school year, once they are all warmed up, Ryudai "Strategic Genius" Yoshioka was introduced as Komatsuryu Dojo's team captain for the upcoming year. Everyone gathered around him, and they bowed in all directions.

    As Komatsuryu Dojo is situated up the river from the Kokugikan, they get visits from Ozumo wrestlers from time to time. In fact, most of their coaches are actually retired rikishi / oyakata. Ten points if you can recognize which former Makuuchi wrestler was there today? :-)

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    Unlike many other clubs, where they save butsukari-geiko (pushing practise) until last, Komatsuryu actually started off their training with this part. That took us to about 2:30pm, when practise bouts started. These are done in a winner-stays-on format, but instead of the winner choosing their next opponent, Komatsuryu actually have a queueing system to determine who's next up. Half an hour for the youngest wrestlers in the club, one entire hour for the older elementary school wrestlers (Grades 4-6), and then half an hour for the middle schoolers.

    Because Komatsuryu only have one dohyo, the wrestlers would do various muscle training around the room when it's not their turn. There are all sorts of equipment around the room to help them do this. There's a water bag, a couple of tires, some dumbbells, and even a couple of Mjölnir (everyone there is worthy lol).

    This is the third club where I've watched keiko, and I have to say, the training bouts at Komatsuryu are so much more intense. I mean, there were multiple instances today where blood was drawn. Their wrestlers also displayed a wider skillset, with all sorts of moves being attempted and executed.

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    Look who's here? If it isn't "Japan's 10-year-old sumo champion" (according to Reuters' video), and recent Hakuho Cup winner, Kyuta Kumagai? However, I was much more impressed by the left-most boy, Ikko Taira. He is the son of Coach Taira (Komatsuryu's head coach), and is very good at lateral movement during his bouts. He uses this talent to set up all sorts of different techniques, such as throws and trips. Like father like son eh?

    (The one in the black mawashi is their new team captain, Ryudai Yoshioka)

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    Many thanks to Coach Hirano and Coach Taira for allowing this visit!

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  23. Posted · Edited by mikawa

    No many surprises this year to be honest, especially with prefectures like Kumamoto who didn't seem to have come to Tokyo.

    Grade 4 - The huge Yuya Okayama (this guy) continued on from his Primary School Championships success last year by winning the Hakuho Cup. He was the hot favourite coming into this event. What was a surprise however was Raizo "Asashoryu Impersonator" Taniyama coming in second. Raizo won the hitori-zumo (one-person sumo) competition (this video) back in 2020 when all tournaments were suspended.

    Grade 5 - Won by last year's Primary School Yokozuna, Komatsuryu Dojo's Kyuta Kumagai. You might remember him from when Reuters and other news agencies did a feature on him (like this one). Without Kumamoto, and hence Kyuta's biggest rival Sera Ote, there was only ever going to be one person who could have challenged him today, and that was last year's Primary School Yokozuna Hisatsugu Sasaki. Hisatsugu lost before he got to face Kyuta.

    Grade 6 - Kyosei Katagiri completes the triple crown of primary school sumo as he adds the Hakuho Cup to the Wanpaku Championships and Primary School Championships that he won last year. With the huge support and training he got from his new step-dad, he was just unbeatable for the past year.

    Middle School - Middle School Yokozuna Daiki Nishide beats former Wanpaku Yokozuna Hayato Kodama (a year lower) to win the Hakuho Cup. Not too many surprises there.

    Team - Won by the defending national club champions Komatsuryu Dojo (John Gunning's club), who beat Kashiwa Junior Sumo Club (Kotonowaka and Kotoshoho's club) in an exciting 3-2 match in the final. With the match at 2-2, Shurato Hirano of all people (his parents are friends of mine) stepped up and pushed his opponent out for the team victory. From couldn't find a single win at the Wanpaku to now being his team's ace and producing when it matters the most, Shurato has certainly come a long way.

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