themistyseas

I was there as he was my favourite rikishi. The amazing thing is how different the vibe of the event is to how I imagined from always seeing these recaps/photos/videos on here. I'll do a more complete post later - curious though if anyone knows who the special guest performers were who sang for Ikioi (female) and with Ikioi (male)? The merch booth was very impressive, although also very expensive as makes sense since this is a funds driver for his second life. I got a few things (washi, official program, postcard set etc) but found it hard to justify the Ikioi/tegata/Kasugayama beach towel at ¥5500 though I was very tempted. Lots of soft cream on sale, nice for summer exhibition event vibes. A little sad to see it wasn't better attended though.

Probably depends how crocked 28 year old (29 this year) Enho is and how likely it is that he'll make it back. Enho's on 29 sekitori basho. So even if the rumour mill is correct and he has plans to join or replace Ishiura eventually in the heya, he might need to gambarise.

The blue jacket guys still wear the name to which they're attached even if they have it on loan (as he does now). I've seen him at the store during all three incarnations, also wearing a Hidenoyama pin, and an Otowayama pin. He's known for his personality, and he's certainly had a number of them over the past few years!

Well he didn't get a pocket square which is the real party foul here Also, unless the lower rankers have been paying tribute to the oyakata's former shikona this whole time, looks like they got some snappy new yukata as well to celebrate the promotion (so I can imagine they've been preparing the name/fabric for such a moment for a while? That's an impressive turnaround time if not). Looks good, disco vibes. I'd wear it around the house for sure. Not sure if I'm bold enough to do it in Ryogoku.

I think it would be quite difficult to get that for sumo, not least because of the privacy and secrecy involved - rikishi can't use social media anymore, anything that does go out is mostly kyokai vetted or approved, and as (as I understand it) the kyokai controls media accreditations, they may snap them back from people may be unreasonably critical. I have been by those in the media told that there have been times when media who used to have passes had to come and go then needed to retrieve them from Kokugikan on a daily basis so that they could be more closely managed, and we also know the kyokai has a track record of blackballing those who are seen as too much trouble. I don't know that anyone would rock the boat with any kind of unofficial exposé about rikishi when it could cut off their meal ticket to future access and content. I'm not sure the stables have any reason in a world where rikishi don't transfer between heya to leak news, they don't gain anything by talking about injuries. Their main motivation (in the current system) for having a media contact would seem to be selling tickets to senshuraku parties or danpatsushiki, or koen-kai memberships/donations. For what it's worth I totally agree it would be great to have. Funnily, a lot of hardcore fans on social media have started to call Fab a "tap in merchant" who aggregates rumours from elsewhere and applies a "here we go" when it's at the finish line. I think it's a bit harsh! But all of those parties have something to gain, whereas I think in sumo as currently composed it's a little unclear what anyone would have to gain by engaging with a 24/7 "hot stove" type of correspondent.

Still seems a bit of a weird one owing to the fact he's already met the sekitori requirement, so even if he'd been demoted a few months ago he'd likely be able to take up the name if it is in fact promised to him. And it's not like he'll ever meet the branch out requirement anyway. It's hard to work out what the end game is for him. I do kind of wonder if there will be some kind of arrangement where he needs to bring the name back into the Tokitsukaze family, like Kotonishiki did with Asahiyama. Maybe the play here is that he is the successor to Michinoku (in name) which becomes renamed Izutsu, and then Kakuryu technically branches out to start whatever his heya is called (Michinoku?) and brings the Michinoku rikishi.

My guess - Kokonoe or Sadogatake. He needs a place with a lot of sekitori, but not with loads of recent celebs like Miyagino or Nishonoseki. I just have this feeling like that would be a bit of a gift for both oyakata, I'd be willing to wager on it. Weird given the history of both heya that they would feel like a left field choice but if you're a top top prospect, do you want to go to work under Kotonowaka or Chiyotaikai? Sadogatake feels like it's turned into a bit of a tsukebito farm the last several years. Chiyotaikai doesn't seem to have a ton of pulling power on his own (rather than the heya's legacy) when it comes to recruitment, relative to his peers. It does make me wonder if Takekuma is a more viable avenue than one would have thought. Kasugano and Kise both tick the box you mentioned, and I feel like the former might be pretty attractive for a high level of keiko, if not for the shisho's age.

Onoe?!  Japonismo: SUMO (Sumo Stables or heya) - Google My Maps Haha! Shame that map's a little outdated, I think the South Tokyo (if memory serves) heya of choice might well be Takekuma... And for the Miami Heat reference, Goeido's certainly got an homage to Pat Riley with the slicked back hair these days....... He could just as easily be telling his Nittaidai coaches why he's made his choice and asking for their forgiveness as he could be confirming that he's going with one of their preferred heya, so without wishing to read anything into that latest update.... I just have a sneaky suspicion he's taking his talents to South Ibaraki to set up a poetic Nishonoseki v Miyagino rivalry for the next decade. Kyujo-beya Naruto-beya seems like it would be a shocking choice at this point, not sure any of the other traditional powerhouses make much sense either due to diminished status under new mgmt or oyakata set to retire in the near future. Surely it's Nishonoseki or Miyagino.

Jd34e Gohakuun

Sd55w Kyokutaisei (don't make me regret this!)

Ms57e Otani

It could be intended but i don't see how "now" makes for a good shikona... I think the inference is that it could be a bit of a pun that references his family name and dual heritage while also, via the first character, taking the prefix of the heya. It would certainly be a crazy coincidence!

For those who follow danpatsushiki: is this a bit curious at all? For someone like Hakuho, I'm surprised that his attendants aren't either A) from his stable, like Hokuseiho/Enho or even a longtime attendant/veteran like Ishiura (whatever his condition), or B) other recent Yokozuna in the Kyokai e.g. Kisenosato and Kakuryu. Wakatakakage is higher ranked than Hoshoryu so I imagine that signals his desire to be attended by the current top (Mongolian) talent?

Jk11e Kazenoumi

Time to use up a joker, let's go hard on Sd62 Sd62e Sato / Sd62w Daiyusho