Yamanashi

Bump.

Sorry, thought this was going to be a BBQ flame war.

Well, there are still 4 Mongolian rikishi in Makuuchi as of Kyushu, with three more in Jutyo; but dominate, probably not.

... and 17 years younger than me!

The name's "Weezer", but considering the lead singer is almost 50 now, "Wheezer" is in the near future.

Welcome! How did you get involved with Sumo?

OK, so you won't be needing a shikona, since you won't be going into Grand Sumo; and you won't need a ring name, since you won't be joining any MMA/WWE type wrestling entertainment. So, once you start doing amasumo, check in with us and tell us the name you're wrestling under, so we can follow your progress. Beyond that, I don't think we should be wasting this young man's time with lots of forum chatter.

Isn't this just part of the ongoing existential battle between author and editor? Author: "My article was a carefully-researched in-depth story with important content and a nuanced approach. You saddled it with a misleading, simplistic headline." Editor: "Listen, Nerd-Boy, your arcane otaku-bait will never get read unless we can catch the reader's eye with an interesting headline -- something with sizzle and pop." Publisher: "Make good stuff!"

Too soon?

As Homer Simpson might say, " Mmmmmm, sumoers, aarrrggggghh!"

The whole tsukebito system seems weird to me. Is it similar to the former "fagging" system in British public schools? Is there any training for these guys (other than the experience of lower-rankers within the heya) that specifies their duties and rights?

I will carefully think on this. The only thing that stands out immediately is that kensho/bout is more telling than kensho/win. Pardon me if I'm wrong, but since your kensho column shows only kensho won, the kensho/win only tells you how many kensho are on each bout (certainly true for the Yokozuna and other popular rikishi). If fans were placing 50 kensho on each of Kisenosato's bouts, and he only won two bouts out of 20 all year, he'd still have 50 kensho/win, but he'd only have 5 kensho/bout. Of course, rikishi that can steal a stack of kensho against a popular foe several times will stand out in the kensho/win column. It would be difficult to tally, but I think an important number would be how many total kensho were at stake during the year for each rikishi. The ratio of (kensho won)/(kensho at stake) would be illuminating, I'll bet.

1. I don’t know; I haven’t experienced enough basho yet. 2. Performance against peers; impossible to objectively judge the other. 3. Well, I think it’s harder to become a Yokozuna, but easier to stay a Yokozuna. Are those related? 4. a) because the Yokozuna isn’t a rank (like Ozeki), it’s a title (like Pope or King). A losing Yokozuna is an abomination; that’s why the occasional fiction about injuries causing the kyujo; b) it’s expensive to hand out career-long kinboshi ten times a basho. 5. Dai-Yokozuna is pretty good; I don’t know enough Japanese to come up with a creative suggestion.

Sorry to hurt anyone's feelings. I just meant to point out that it's at least a do-able trip. I, on the other hand, live 3900 miles away.

That's a joke, right? You're 3.5 hours away by car.

So, there's yer answer.

I haven't been into sumo for very long, so this is a newbie's perspective, however: The Yokozuna rank is not achieved in a vacuum. A dominating healthy Yokozuna will almost always create a loss for each Ozeki each basho (that's how he got to be a Yokozuna). Also, a coterie of equal-ability Ozeki will on average knock each other off the lead in many basho. So, you could wait at the Ozeki level for years (maybe a whole career) and not punch through to the top. This means that a Yokozuna in one alternate universe is an Ozeki in another universe, depending on the Yokozunae ahead of you. I think Takakeisho is not just a fad (like Abi, currently); I think he will make Ozeki. If Hakuho, Harumafuji and Kakuryu were still healthy and on the banzuke, I wouldn't give him a chance to make Yokozuna; but they will all be gone by the time he's 25. Maybe he will be the obvious choice for Yokozuna in the next universe.

If the picture of new Juryo members Gagamaru and Sokokurai gives you a sense of deja vu, maybe it's because they first entered the sekitori ranks on 11/2009 and 1/2010, respectively.

God, I hope I haven't mucked up the math, and I know it must be in one of the top ten lists, but Takakeisho is the 11th youngest rikishi to win a yusho since 1909; some won multiple yusho by the age of 22: Age at Yusho Name # of Yusho by age 22.25 19.42 Takanohana 7 20.50 Taiho 6 20.67 Kitanoumi 4 21.17 Hakuho 3 21.42 Musashiyama 1 21.83 Okitsuumi 1 22.17 Ryogoku, Kashiwado 1, 1 22.17 Wakanohana, Asashoryu 1, 1 22.25 Takakeisho 1

Look, if the whole world isn't Jewish, why is the Sun named Sol?

I love when the YDC meets; it gives me a chance to once again see pictures of Japan's Col. Sanders! And appropriate for the Christmas season, too.

No basho for weeks! "Now is the winter of our (Sumo) discontent"

That's right, he made it to J12 in November 2012, injured himself, and fell down the banzuke for 10 more basho, landing at Jk17; he yusho'd the next three basho and was on his way back up. But he only had a "cup of coffee" in Juryo, and never reached Makuuchi the first time.

That guy is one of an "elite" group of rikishi who have gone 0-15 in a basho.