Yamanashi

Googling for the U.S. shows a few Izikaya-style restaurants selling chanko (in Southern California) and a planned sumo-themed restaurant in N.Y. in 2015 (vaporware, apparently). So, the ground floor is wide open!

My thoughts exactly. If it shows up at Nagoya, it's a fetish.

Kyokuhikari's first basho was May 1992; the yusho was won by Sekiwake Akebono. Astonishing.

Welcome!

I heard that back in deep storage at Tokyo Disney is a set of costumes that never saw the light of day, the Seven Sumo Dwarves: Hinkaku, Chikara, Teppo, Basho, Henka, GrumpyGills and Kawaii.

Now let me just run this up the flag pole and see if anyone salutes: "Sharks, Baby!"

Narrow glasses, tousled hair: has Sendagawa always had the Cool Millennial look?

Takayasu also has this "shoulder shrug" that reminds me of a large bear! I've noticed that some rikishi have a superstition about how they throw the salt, and some are determined to be the last to enter the dohyo.

I recently saw a picture of rikishi lined up before an event about 3 years ago. Kaisei was very much the tallest! Comparison: Ichinojo 190 cm 6'2 3/4" Tochinosin 192 cm 6'3 1/2" Kaisei 195 cm 6'4 3/4" Kotooshu 202 cm 6'7 1/2" Akebono 204 cm 6'8 1/4"

Yes, Osh still puts on the mawashi and lends a shoulder; there seems to be a manager-type or maybe a member of the support group who helps out with transportation, etc. And, of course, the new heya mentioned in an adjacent thread (Nishiiwa) has a just-retired rikishi (Wakanosato) who also dons the mawashi. Others have been around the scene much longer and can give historical details. I think having a growing heya is like having a growing family: the older more experienced rikishi teach the younger ones, at least by example. And I bet after ten years of having upper-level behemoths pushing them around, ex-Kotooshu and ex-Wakanosato will begin to appreciate the dignity of sitting on the edge of the dohyo reading the morning paper and hollering at the rikishi .

Ikiotoshi ...

I'm a rank newbie, but that's how the bout looked to me, too. I figured if Ichinojo got into the mawashi and waited, the opponent was toast; this happened again and again (Mitakeumi went right at him before he could lock up). When Kakuryu got into a clench, it looked like a mistake. And when Ichinojo snapped out his hand and got that second grip, I thought "that's it." Ichinojo lifted Kakuryu, set him back down and then ... Kakuryu did some sort of Yokozuna stuff that I still don't understand after watching it five or six times! A little rocking, a little pushing, a little nudging, and all of a sudden Ichinojo is exiting out the back of the dohyo. Wow.

Was this news promulgated before the start of the basho? It sounds like one heck of an extra incentive!

If a 300 kg+ rikishi would be named O, wouldn't the 50 kg rikishi be named I ?

Probably not, but it may cut both ways after this bout. Tochinoshin seemed incredulous that Mitakeumi would pull a semi-henka.

There must be another meaning to the Japanese word besides "spirited", if they're applying it to Ichinojo.

"But I didn't know until this day, that it was Hakkaku all along ... "

Takakeisho ... smiling! Ichinojo ... smiling! Mitakeumi ... smiling?!? Tochinoshin ... taken during the 30 minutes between shaving and "5 o'clock shadow"

Ex-Tsurugidake, MIYAMOTO Kazuteru has been running the family Ryokan in Chichibu, Saitama, as the twelfth generation owner. A display of his kesho mawashi and other items on display there. (Sorry, maybe belongs in Former Rikishi activities).

Heh, heh ... "moujou".

My two cents' worth: 1) Even if the majority of injuries occur on the dohyo, that doesn't make the raised dohyo a good idea. 2) I can't see how to avoid head-to-head contact at the tachiai without completely changing sumo.

To be explicit, in case yutarotanaka still sees the picture: we see a "tachometer" icon with "100%", "3rd Party Hosting Usage", and "to unlock your account visit: photobucket.com/p500".

Wonderful pictures!

The Coca Cola website says Georgia Coffee was developed by Coca Cola Japan in 1975. It outsells "Coke" in Japan by two-to-one. The Wikipedia article claims that Georgia coffee is available in the U.S., but almost exclusively in Asian markets. I will investigate ...

I hadn't noticed until yesterday, but I've risen to the rank of Juryo on the SumoForum. I shall humbly gambarize and shoot for san'yaku. Even more humbling, today I received a kesho mawashi from my koenkai group. It represents two important features of Lowcountry South Carolina: seafood and barbecue. The head of the local Pork Advisory Board has been a loyal supporter.