Michishige

I can’t quite express exactly why, but I like this new Kisenosato better than the pre-injury version. He’s got a lot of tools that he’s working with now that his left side isn’t as dominant. Some belt work today, some pushing and thrusting the last few days...not dominant, but certainly wily. I suppose there’s a sense of fatalism there. It works and he stays, or it doesn’t and he retires. That would do a lot for my nerves were I in his spot. Here’s hoping he keeps up the winning, anyway.

I don't know if it's the skinny jeans, the professed desire to be a hairdresser, the blase attitude he expresses about joining up (i.e. "I can be a hairdresser later"), or his general appearance, but something tells me this fellow isn't likely to be around Sumo for very long. He seems kind of...soft.

I thought that was a rather offensive term for bi-racial...but perhaps I'm misremembering that.

Somebody on the Reddit thread said something about him hanging around because of money issues. Is this idle gossip or is that something that is well known? I can’t imagine he’d have such issues after such a distinguished career as an Ozeki.

Whooo boy...I can’t imagine that’s going to go over well with the Kyokai.

Here is the NHK English-language article containing a minute-long highlight of his promotion speech. Congratulations! https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180530_14/

Shohiozan - Shukun-sho (if he wins) Chiyonokuni - Kanto-sho Kyokutaisei - Kanto-sho (if he wins) Tochinoshin - Gino-sho and, if he wins, also Kanto-sho

Am I the only person who isn’t terribly bothered by Tochinoshin’s loss to Shodai? American Football fans would call it a “letdown loss” as a reference to the letdown from a particularly strong win the previous game. He just achieved a personal milestone in beating Hakuho...it’s natural for their to be some “letdown.” The tachiai was clearly off, but he recovered reasonably. I thought he overcommitted to moving forward after Shodai created distance (leading to the fall), but Shodai also made a very smart move on the bales to avoid touching out before Tochinoshin. The YouTube comments make it seem like Tochinoshin is suddenly Aminishiki. Let’s not become overwrought!

I agree with you, if I'm honest. I ask the question more to get some insight into the general case of someone who ends their career as someone who has reached Ozeki and who has some accomplishments under their belt. I don't understand all the politics of who can get a kabu, so I thought publicity and/or public popularity (as Tochinoshin seems to be gaining) might have an influence in addition to the financial resources.

I feel like Tochinoshin had some issues with nerves in the past, even during the January basho when he took the yusho. He also had that terrible knee injury. As someone who is currently dealing with recovering from a knee injury, it can really sap your confidence with even simple things (e.g. stairs). I can't imagine how badly that messed with his confidence level as a professional athlete. The combination of generalized and specific anxiety can lead to underperformance. He's been strong and capable for as long as I've seen him. Like we saw with Kisenosato, however, the mental stuff appears to have fallen into place. I don't know about becoming a Yokozuna, but his sumo has clearly improved over the past few basho.

I even knew about the citizenship requirement and still forgot to stipulate that part. Thank you for the additional context. I appreciate it!

So while others are focused on whether or not Tochinoshin can jump right into the Yokozuna ranks, I’m a bit curious about what this promotion means for his post-retirement prospects. I don’t recall hearing that he owns a kabu. Does becoming an Ozeki make it more likely that he can obtain on and stay on after his intai? Does it matter that he has a yusho (possibly more than one by Sunday)? I know it’s not automatic that someone can stay on even with the right financial resources. How do things look for Tochinoshin? Let’s assume, for the sake of discussion, that he wants to stay if he can.

Thank God for that. Tradition be damned...people shouldn’t screw around with concussions.

Is it just me, or does his voice sound a bit hoarse? Maybe he's not feeling well...

I second this. I tried ordering through the site but they only seem to ship in Japan.