New college recruits

[Kintamayama 47,413]

For those that don't follow the Ama-sumo subforum-Amateur Yokozuna Ichihara from Nichidai will be joining Kise beya and entering Sumo in January. He is the first ever rikishi to be eligible to start from Makushita tsukedashi 10, as he had 2 championships in major Amateur tournaments this year. If he goes 7-0, he will be the first ever to make it to sekitorihood in just 1 basho. "I am aiming to be the fastest to sekitori ever!!", he acknowledged.

Additionally, the other two seniors from Nichidai, Yamamoto and Minami, will be joining Baruto's Onoe beya, making it look more and more formidable. The 220 kilo Yamamoto will be the heaviest rikishi to ever debut in sumo. They will be starting from Maezumo.

[Asashosakari 20,310]

Do Yamamoto and Minami also start in January, or in March?

And damn, Mihogaseki's going to be apoplectic again...

BTW, I'd find it even more impressive if Yamamoto had vowed to be the fastest sekitori ever. (Eh?)

Edited December 16, 2006 by Asashosakari

[Kintamayama 47,413]

Do Yamamoto and Minami also start in January, or in March?

And damn, Mihogaseki's going to be apoplectic again...

BTW, I'd find it even more impressive if Yamamoto had vowed to be the fastest sekitori ever. (Eh?)

All three are scheduled to start in January.

[Kintamayama 47,413]

As Jonosuke said in another thread, Lee Dae Won, high school champion, will be joining Kasugano beya in January. I'm not sure if he's Korean or Chinese, but will be registered as Japanese, as Kasugano already have a foreigner in Tochinoshin. The kid is 18, 1.93 meters/168 kilos. "I hope he aims for Ozeki/Yokozuna. He is an outstanding talent not only for our heya, but for the Kyokai as well!," said his Oyakata. "I'd like to avoid injuries, listen to what my Oyakata says, and grow from the basics to the top", he said.

Looks like we're looking at a fine crop next basho.

Him:

Edited December 16, 2006 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 47,413]

Ichihara and Kise Oyakata:

It now appears that we have had someone enter at Makushita tsukedashi 10 before. It happened in Haru 1961 with former Ozeki Yutakayama (Uchida). I'm guessing they changed the rules somewhere along the lines, and then changed them back again. Does anyone know the facts?

Edited December 16, 2006 by Kintamayama

[Asashosakari 20,310]

It now appears that we have had someone enter at Makushita tsukedashi 10 before. It happened in Haru 1961 with former Ozeki Yutakayama (Uchida). I'm guessing they changed the rules somewhere along the lines, and then changed them back again. Does anyone know the facts?

I could be wrong, but I don't think the Makushita-entry rules were standardized at all until around Wajima's time...

[madorosumaru 7]

Tsukedashi provision existed even prior to the Taisho Era with certain new deshi placed higher on the banzuke in accordance to their ability. Limiting tsukedashi to makushita started after the beginning of Showa Era. The practice of placing college graduates in makushita began in 1960 with the precise rank (mai-me) varying with each shin-deshi. Thus, Yutakayama, as mentioned by Kinta, started his career at makushita 10-kaku in 1961.

In 1966, the rule was changed so the college grad rikishi started at the bottom of makushita. This way, if the rookie suffers MK in his first basho, he would be demoted to sandanme. On the other hand, if he goes zensho for two successive basho or has a record close to that, he could conceivably be promoted to juryo in two basho. Wajima, Asashio, Mushoyama, and Miyabiyama are four rikishi that did precisely that.

In 1993, the rule was toughened a bit. Since 1966, a college rikishi had only to be considered a top ranker to be eligible for tsukedashi. From March 1993, the collegian had to qualify by, for example, finishing in the top 16 of All Japan.

A major change was implemented in September 2001 when eligibility was further toughened. The collegian had to win one of the major tournaments to qualify for makushita 15-kaku tsukedashi and at least two to qualify for makushita 10-kaku. At the time the rule went into effect, the period of eligibilty was limited to the year of winning the championship. However, the first collegian to quality, Kakizoe, was seriously injured prior to his debut, the rule was amended to extend the effective period to one year after the championship. In the case of Yoshikaze, he gained eligibilty by winning a tournament in his junior year but elected to continue in college and graduate, thereby losing the eligibility and having to start from mae-zumo.

[madorosumaru 7]

I'm not sure if he's Korean or Chinese, but will be registered as Japanese . . .

Lee is of Korean descent.

[Kintamayama 47,413]

220 kilo Yamamoto is planning on losing 20 kilos. "I stayed at my parents for 10 days and lost 10 kilos, so I don't think it will be a problem. I feel that I will be able to do my best at around 200 kilos..", he said. This means that two weeks ago he tipped the scales at 230 kilos.. His Oyakata, ex-Hamanoshima the thin: "A big body is good. I won't force him to go on a diet.." He is known for his healthy appetite- upwards of 10 bowls of ramen at one sitting is the norm. He once downed 63 sushis in one sitting at a conveyor sushiya, it is said. He has 5 college titles under his belt. "I just need the confidence. That is my main target", he said.

Yamamoto arriving at the Kyokai offices to apologize for mistakenly swallowing his new shisho:

[Kintamayama 47,413]

Ichihara and Kise Oyakata:

Hmm.. Flag gone again..:

[Sasanishiki 57]

In addition to Mado san's explanation, there will be an article on Makushita tsukedashi status in the coming edition of sumofanmag

[Kintamayama 47,413]

Ichihara scoots his way into the big leagues:

[Gusoyama 105]

Ichihara and Kise Oyakata:

Ichihara looks older than his new Oyakata! Maybe its just the short haircut, its going to take a long time to get a mage out of that!

[Ossetian Yokozuna 1]

Ichihara

Mory (Mori? )

Edited December 18, 2006 by Ossetian Yokozuna

[Asashosakari 20,310]

Since this is pretty much the shindeshi preview thread already, Mainichi reports that 2006 World Championships open division champion Alan Gabaraev will start with Mihogaseki-beya in January. Total of 7 shindeshi this basho including tsukedashi Ichihara.

[Ossetian Yokozuna 1]

Asashosakari -

Well, well, well ...

Good news about Alan GABARAEV.

( See in neerest future "Alan GABARAEV and the WALL". )

[aderechelsea 125]

i was waiting for a Trademark Ossetian Boast to come any minute now ....

Show some mercy Mr OY. I am tired of this Ossetian imperialism in honbasho talks.

[Kotobaru 0]

Since this is pretty much the shindeshi preview thread already, Mainichi reports that 2006 World Championships open division champion Alan Gabaraev will start with Mihogaseki-beya in January. Total of 7 shindeshi this basho including tsukedashi Ichihara.

So Gabaraev is from where? Gabaraev sounds like Slavic, Alan doesn't sound at all like Slavic. So he can be somewhere from westers borders of Slavic nations like Balkans - Bulgarian or ... ?

[aderechelsea 125]

Since this is pretty much the shindeshi preview thread already, Mainichi reports that 2006 World Championships open division champion Alan Gabaraev will start with Mihogaseki-beya in January. Total of 7 shindeshi this basho including tsukedashi Ichihara.

So Gabaraev is from where? Gabaraev sounds like Slavic, Alan doesn't sound at all like Slavic. So he can be somewhere from westers borders of Slavic nations like Balkans - Bulgarian or ... ?

he is Russian but i am pretty sure someone will run to correct me and say "Ossetian" .... (Neener, neener...)

[Kotobaru 0]

he is Russian but i am pretty sure someone will run to correct me and say "Ossetian" .... (Neener, neener...)

If he is Ossetian then he is definitely not Russian. The previous Soviet empire took over number of different nations and not all of them had any Slavic roots. Present Russian Federation has still number of these nations inside of his borders. Some of these nations got surnames quite similar to Russian ones so it can be confusing for outsiders.

[aderechelsea 125]

he is Russian officially.

[Doitsuyama 1,263]

Since this is pretty much the shindeshi preview thread already, Mainichi reports that 2006 World Championships open division champion Alan Gabaraev will start with Mihogaseki-beya in January. Total of 7 shindeshi this basho including tsukedashi Ichihara.

So Gabaraev is from where? Gabaraev sounds like Slavic, Alan doesn't sound at all like Slavic. So he can be somewhere from westers borders of Slavic nations like Balkans - Bulgarian or ... ?

he is Russian but i am pretty sure someone will run to correct me and say "Ossetian" .... (Neener, neener...)

As you can see from the signature of OY, the Ossetians also seem to go by the name of Alania, and there seems to be a connection to the popular first name Alan. OY already told us in the WC 2006 thread that Gabaraev and Karaev are Ossetian. So far Alan Karaev was the better known of these two, arm wrestling is another specialty of his. (And there seem to be many strong Ossetians in arm wrestling as well., it seems.)

I think we will learn more about Gabarev in the future. For starters, I don't even know his age - apparently under 23 as this is the entry limit age for Ozumo. In any case a WC 2006 Open Category gold medal is a good reference to begin with.

I just saw that Ossetia has is not that big, with a population of only 700,000, about 450,000 Ossetians among them, which makes even Baruto's home country of Estonia two times as big.

[Asashosakari 20,310]

I think we will learn more about Gabarev in the future. For starters, I don't even know his age - apparently under 23 as this is the entry limit age for Ozumo.

22 according to the Mainichi article from the other day, IIRC.

[Ossetian Yokozuna 1]

Alan GABARAEV was born and live in my native villige ELHOTOVO ( Elkhotovo?).

He is 22 yeas old.

( Once more, - ossetians are not russians or slavic people.

We diffa from russians as well as from estonian people or chinees people. )

[Mark Buckton 1]

Gabaraev is still 22. Stands 188cm and weighed 127kg when registering for the Sakai worlds where he fought, listed, in the openweight class.

Lists himself as a sports instructor (as do all of the Russian (men's) team) and was the heavyweight champion of Russia as well as 3rd in the 2006 European Champs team and heavyweights.

http://www.sumofanmag.com/content/Issue_9/...igi/digi_36.htm