New recruits for Haru 2007

[Kintamayama 47,335]

20 new recruits underwent the second "tier" check-ups today. These are the guys who didn't qualify for the 1.73/75 minimum, and are johning (gunning..) for the 1.67/67 limbo stick. One of them was found to actually be qualified for the first tier, and the other 19 underfed guys all passed the first phase, where Doris gets her oats. Second phase, the "internal organ" phase, will be on March 3rd.

This is the second largest number of underfeds since the advent of the second tier anti-conehead checkups in 2001. The most ever was 21. We may be looking at a healthy number of overall recruits this coming basho.

Edited February 13, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Jonosuke 28]

Among 19 new recruits who cleared the secondary recruit exam, there was a 15 year old named Keita Yoshimura of Tagonura beya.

Keita decided to join Ozumo to fulfill his older brother's strong wish to be a sekitori. His older brother joined the same Tagonoura beya and made it to Sandanme before succumbing to illness.

"After my brother passed away, I started feeling I wanted to try out Ozumo. I don't have any concerns but first I want to grow bigger," diminutive Keita (167 cm tall, 70 kg) said.

Sandanme East 57 Yoshimura (real name: Ryuta Yoshimura) of Tagonoura beya passed away on August 7, 2003 at a Fukuoka area hospital of multiple organ failures. He was 17 years old.

Yoshimura made his dohyo debut at the 2002 Haru basho. After finishing the 2003 Nagoya basho with 4 win and 3 loss record, he was at a training camp in Fukuoka when he was diagnosed wtih meningitis and was hospitalized immediately.

"I feel so saddened especially when many oyakata expected such a great future from him," Tagonoura oyakata (former Makuuchi Kushimaumi) said at the time.

[Kintamayama 47,335]

This is the kid from Jonosuke's Monogatari:

[Kintamayama 47,335]

It appears there were actually 21 entrants- a record. 1 was pushed up to tier 1, one did not pass, the other 19 did.

[Kintamayama 47,335]

Another celebrity entrance-Morishita from Tokyo Nougyou agricultural university is joining Tokitsukaze beya. He is no push-over- he was a high school yokozuna in his third year at Kouchi Takumi(?) high. He came in third in this year's All Japan championships and got the jun-yusho in the National Championships A category. He also won two important regional yushos in Kochi and Towada.

Joe, help me here- I'm drowning.

Edited February 13, 2007 by Kintamayama

[yamaneko 2]

well, the last few months, this is the most buzz over recruits in a two basho stretch as i have ever seen in my recent 2 year return to following sumo. Last basho was incredible, and this one looks like it will be decent as well. Heck, even the one before, we had masumeidai, right. And the one before, kaisei?

[Jonosuke 28]

As reported by Moti. Yuya Morishita from Tokyo Nogyo University joining Tokitsukaze beya has been an open secret for some time as most ToNo-Dai guys join Tokitsukaze beya. Make no mistake about Morishita though. This guy is a stud even though he is relatively small (178 cm, 135 kg). He was the captain of Toh-Noh Dai's sumo club and captured four individual titles during his college years as well as he was High School Yokozuna at Kochi Engineering High School.

I was reading the January issue of Sumo magazine and there was a bit of notes about Tokitsukaze beya and it said Morishita as well as another 4th year Toh-Noh Dai kid, Hiroaki Tanaka, will be joining Tokitsukaze beya. Both Morishita and Tanaka got beaten by Nichi-dai's Fukao at the All Japan last year. Morishita lost to him in the semi-final and Tanaka lost to Fukao in the third round of the final. Morishita is highly regarded by many oyakatas with his poise and maturity as well as with polished skills. Due to his size he may be lacking in power but he is incredibly smart rikishi.

Another college rikishi entering at the Haru basho and equally impressive as Morishita is Takahiro Terashita of Toyo University. He was the captain of their sumo club and a graduate of Kanazawa City Engineering High School (if I am not mistaken, this is alma mater of Dejima).

Terashita did not make it to the final in the All Japan last year however along with Morishita, he used to place right behind Ichihara in major sumo tournaments. He is relatively big already (186c, 140 kg) and is considerd to have all good tools. I am sure he should do well under the care of Onomatsu oyakata (former sekiwake Masuarao) so let's see how he does in Mae-zumo against Morishita and others.

Edited February 14, 2007 by Jonosuke

[Asashosakari 20,283]

Continuing the shindeshi previews out of the secondary exam...a 15-year old prefectural shotput record holder from Okinawa has joined Sakaigawa-beya. 伊波信友 (Iha Nobutomo? total guess) came in 8th in some kind of junior national athletic competition last year and has no prior sumo experience, but at 169 cm and 111 kg and given his sports background he's presumably quite strong already. His goal: to be like Toyonoshima (now there's a shock).

[Kintamayama 47,335]

We will have a Makushita tsukedashi 15 in Haru. Nichidai's senior Mori, 22, a college yokozuna, will be joining Oitekaze beya. 1.82, 150 kilos. He won 7 titles in his illustrious amateur career, including the All-Japan student championships. A press conference will be held at Nichidai on the 17th.

[Randomitsuki 2,908]

We will have a Makushita tsukedashi 15 in Haru. Nichidai's senior Mori, 22, a college yokozuna, will be joining Oitekaze beya. 1.82, 150 kilos. He won 7 titles in his illustrious amateur career, including the All-Japan student championships. A press conference will be held at Nichidai on the 17th.

I was quite happy when the Mori-Mouri confusion of earlier basho was over thanks to a shikona change. Along comes the next Mori...

[Asashosakari 20,283]

We will have a Makushita tsukedashi 15 in Haru. Nichidai's senior Mori, 22, a college yokozuna, will be joining Oitekaze beya. 1.82, 150 kilos. He won 7 titles in his illustrious amateur career, including the All-Japan student championships. A press conference will be held at Nichidai on the 17th.

Graduate of Tottori Johoku High...anybody know if he's from Tottori itself?

[Jonosuke 28]

Graduate of Tottori Johoku High...anybody know if he's from Tottori itself?

Tottori Johoku has a well known sumo club and one of the top sumo high schools in Japan. As with Saitama Sakae, Meitoku Gijuku, it's the school many aspiring sumo minded kids would love to go and the club scouts actively for talented junior high schoolers.

Mori was born in Koto-ward in Tokyo.

[ilovesumo 12]

Morishita lost to him in the semi-final and Tanaka lost to Fukao in the third round of the final. Morishita is highly regarded by many oyakatas with his poise and maturity as well as with polished skills. Due to his size he may be lacking in power but he is incredibly smart rikishi.

Morishita IS strong and that he lost to Fukao was kinda an accident. He'll crash through the ranks and won't need long to be in Juryo. Kinda wasted time that he has to start from downstairs...

[Kintamayama 47,335]

We have a foreign recruit in Haru. He is a Mongolian, 1.90/110 kilo 18 year old giant, and will be joining the eternal Mongolian stronghold, Ooshima-beya, as Shoes has retired and 10-ho and "The Go-Between" both have Japanese citizenship. He has been going to high school in Japan for three years. He used to play basketball in Junior high and participated in the National Championships. His long-term plans were to do sumo, but he was initially scouted for Judo, and that was what brought him to Japan. Arriving with no Judo experience whatsoever, he won a prefecture tournament in two years in the 100 kilo category. 10-ho visited his high school and personally asked him to join the heya. His Japanese is excellent and he has adapted well to the culture. "I am thrilled!!", he said, all smiles. "If everything goes well he should become a sekitori in 2-3 years", said Ooshima Oyakata. "I'll be climbing the ranks as fast as I can!!", summed up the Hulk.

As for his name, it's nearly impossible to decipher from the kana, but something along the lines of Tomrbator Erdenbator, but maybe some Mongolian member can shed the light.

Edited February 17, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Lucius Flavonius 0]

Tomrbator Erdenbator

If the source uses the Japanese order of names which is similar to that of Mongolian, then it is T

[yamaneko 2]

Cool. I was correct in the what country is the next gaijin guy coming from. Although if ooshima was going to be the first to fill their open slot, then it was a no brainer that they would get a mongolian.

Any pictures of the guy? Hes almost exactly the same height and weight as me, and also is a basketball player like myself...i might have a new favorite mongolian!

[Jonosuke 28]

We probably should look this Erdenebaatar kid in the same vein as all the other non-sumo experienced recruits. It takes quite a bit of more time for former judo recruits to adjust to sumo. But he also has been new to Judo as well as he started doing judo after he arrived in Japan a few years ago so there may not have much to unlearn.

The high school he went, the Gifu Dai-Ichi, is a private boys school, the only one in Gifu Prefecture and has exchange students from Mongolia like Erdenebaatar for its Judo Club. Actually it must be significant as the school president even received an award from Mongolian Government at the time of its 800th national anniversary.

The school lists Erdenebaatar as finishing third in a regional judo tournament two years ago in its club section. I believe Kyokutenho went to the school because of its tie with Mongolia, not specifically to scout this kid but whenever rikishis and especially those with future oyakata potential go, they always look for a prospect. I guess this kid is the first kid ever recruited by the future Oshima oyakata himself.

Positive thing is that he has been in Japan for several years already and accustomed to the life and will be going to Oshima beya with Kyokutenho and Kyokutenzan. But unilke Asashoryu and Asasekiryu, he has not been with a sumo club and has not participated in any sumo tournaments.

Edited February 17, 2007 by Jonosuke

[BuBa 77]

"If everything goes well he should become a sekitori in 2-3 years" and get accused of yaocho with his senior Kyokutenzan as "go-between".

[Tony 16]

Do you know if Kokonoe beya enrolled shindeshi?

[Kintamayama 47,335]

We will have a Makushita tsukedashi 15 in Haru. Nichidai's senior Mori, 22, a college yokozuna, will be joining Oitekaze beya. 1.82, 150 kilos.

Mori verabi and Oitekaze Oyakata::

[Katsunori 0]

伊波信友 (Iha Nobutomo? total guess)

I found on the net an Okinawa archive that gives IHA Shin

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

He was the captain of their sumo club and a graduate of Kanazawa City Engineering High School (if I am not mistaken, this is alma mater of Dejima).

Could it be? In my earlier life I studied law and remember Dejima was also mentioned as someone who did the same. Could there exist something related to jurisprudence in an engineering school? Or perhaps that's related to Dejima's later education?

[Doitsuyama 1,260]

He was the captain of their sumo club and a graduate of Kanazawa City Engineering High School (if I am not mistaken, this is alma mater of Dejima).

Could it be? In my earlier life I studied law and remember Dejima was also mentioned as someone who did the same. Could there exist something related to jurisprudence in an engineering school? Or perhaps that's related to Dejima's later education?

I would guess that you don't study anything at university level at a high school at all. Dejima must have studied law at Chuo university where he went after finishing high school.

[Kintamayama 47,335]

Another celebrity entrance-Morishita from Tokyo Nougyou agricultural university is joining Tokitsukaze beya.

His shikona will be 土佐豊. Tosahou? Tsuchisahou? He is now listed as being 1.78/138.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Asashosakari 20,283]

Another celebrity entrance-Morishita from Tokyo Nougyou agricultural university is joining Tokitsukaze beya.

His shikona will be 土佐豊. Tosahou? Tsuchisahou? He is now listed as being 1.78/138.

Tosayutaka maybe...