Churaumi

I picked Tamawashi. There are so many on the list it was hard to choose. But, he's the next one that I think will both retire before Terunofuji and not ride the banzuke down to makushita before retiring. Age catches up to us all.

I think Wakamotoharu's rise got overshadowed by his brother, and know that he's out of the spotlight for a while Wakamotoharu can shine.

Don't know if I'm impressed, horrified, or both.

For sekitori that have the big danpatsushiki ceremonies outside their stable, it is usually set up by the wrestler. They have to rent a space, organize the event, etc. It would be very unusual to not include the stablemaster. I could see a wrestler like Ichinojo not wanting to go through the trouble of setting up an event like that, especially if he's not close with his stablemaster. I could see him just wanting to move on with life. Ichinojo never struck me as a particularly outgoing guy.

Shikiri, shokiri, nirami-ai, hanamichi, tanimachi, shimekomi, the different levels of riji at the rijikai, it just goes on. I bet the YDC has a slew of words around it. Gambarize?

You could also have a list for sumo culture terms, like the stuff that adds the texture to sumo life. Things like sumoji, dohyomatsuri, jinku, koenkai, and the like.

I follow him on Twitter. Mostly pics of him having a good time out in nature or in the gym. Can't wait to see the pics he posts from this! He is so good at keeping secrets! Kise's Twitter had some smazing pictures, the clips of the celebratory karaoke were the best.

I don't feel too bad about Shiden, I was a big fan of his in his Shiba days. The top of makushita is the arguably the most competitive place in sumo. There were 10-11 good, motivated guys ahead of him. Hopefully he makes the cut next basho and I finally get to see him in juryo after all these years.

Natsukawa Rimi's Asadoya Yunta is one of my favorites. I don't go much for pop music but that one's a great version. The Boom's Shima Uta was everywhere when I lived in Okinawa, so much it was weird not to hear it when I moved. I was there when BEGIN released the album with Shimanchu nu Takara and Oji Jimman no Orion Biru. Ue o mite arukou has been all over, but it reminds me of doing karaoke there when I surprised my local lady friend by picking it, then singing 4 P.M.'s English lyrics, switching to Japanese for a verse. Took me forever to learn it phonetically, should have just put the time in to actually learning Japanese. The lyrics are not that complex, bro. Linda Linda by the Blue Hearts lives rent-free in my brain. Ghost is by far my favorite Western band. The lyrics are a little style over substance but the songwriting and production is top notch. Tobias Forge and his earworms are next level. Dance Macabre, Square Hammer, and Miasma are my top three.

Coming late to the party but right now Kiribayama is my first pick, followed by Daieisho.

People will always find ways to divide groups somehow. If there was something to this, it really wouldn't surprise me. Place of origin is still a big deal in the sumo world.

Saying "X never happened in the history of sumo" is a futile proposition, since what with rule changes, lack of some rules altogether, custom changes, and the general wishy-wahiness of the decision-making process of the Kyokai, someone can search the database and find a case to refute any assertion. It's part of what makes following sumo fun.

He started following me on Twitter for some reason, really odd since I don't post, I just lurk. That is all.

I was trying to come up with a pun like that but got stuck on Oshioai, which is lame

Ochiai would be a good dohyo-over-seasoner. He's still new to the salt game (and everything else) and he's a beast. I don't know if it fits his personality but it seems to fit his sumo.