New recruits for Natsu 2008

[Asashosakari 19,669]

The official shindeshi-kensa won't be for another few days, but the secondary inspection for undersized recruits has already taken place...3 applicants this basho, including Takasago-beya's Yamashita who apparently managed to eat his way to 67 kg in time.

Edited April 26, 2008 by Asashosakari

[Kintamayama 45,533]

7 in all, 5 the usual way, and only 2 under-norm.

[Manekineko 200]

The official shindeshi-kensa won't be for another few days, but the secondary inspection for undersized recruits has already taken place...3 applicants this basho, including Takasago-beya's Yamashita who apparently managed to eat his way to 67 kg in time.

That was on TV this lunchtime! That news bit I had no trouble understanding... :-) He looked and sounded pretty clueless as far as sumo goes.

Edit: Lunchtime show at Channel 4 - MBS, if I understood correctly. They have an annoying host, but low-brow TV is easier to follow than serious stuff. And they have good soaps.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Manekineko

[Asashosakari 19,669]

(Deleted and rewritten because I kept editing...)

7 in all, 5 the usual way, and only 2 under-norm.

Turns out that one of the three who originally applied for the secondary exam was of proper height and weight for the first level, after all.

Shibatayama-beya has two applicants, Dewanoumi has one.

[Kintamayama 45,533]

Ex-club host Yamashita has put on 10 kilos with a strict food regimen. 3 bowls of rice and a lot of milk for each meal brought him to 66 kilos on April 28th. For the last two days he increased the intake to 5 bowls every meal and reached 68 kilos. "I'm relieved he made it", said his story-telling dad. Back at the heya, he was congratulated by the Yokozuna.

Yamashita with the latest craze in Japan-the Eye Lollipop- you stick it in your eye and wait:

Edited May 2, 2008 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 45,533]

Osaki is Dewanoumi's new recruit. 22 years old, out of Toyodai's sumo club. In the spring of 2006 he was involved in a traffic accident where he sprained his cervical vertebrae and was reluctant about entering Sumo. "I've been mulling entering the pros for quite a while, but decided that instead of not entering and possibly regretting it, its better I entered and possibly regret it". When he was in grade school, he used to come to train at Dewanoumi from Shizuoka, so naturally, Dewanoumi was his choice.

[Asashosakari 19,669]

Osaki is Dewanoumi's new recruit. 22 years old, out of Toyodai's sumo club. In the spring of 2006 he was involved in a traffic accident where he sprained his cervical vertebrae and was reluctant about entering Sumo.

I guess that explains why I wasn't able to find a single thing about him in the amasumo subforum even though Jonosuke has been posting plenty of results during the last two years...has the guy even competed at all since his accident?!

The new college kid getting his vertebrae pushed into position as part of the shindeshi-kensa:

Edited May 2, 2008 by Asashosakari

[Asashosakari 19,669]

Osaki is Dewanoumi's new recruit. 22 years old, out of Toyodai's sumo club. In the spring of 2006 he was involved in a traffic accident where he sprained his cervical vertebrae and was reluctant about entering Sumo.

I guess that explains why I wasn't able to find a single thing about him in the amasumo subforum even though Jonosuke has been posting plenty of results during the last two years...

He reached the top 4 in the Kokutai National Games while studying at Toyo University Ushiku High school in Ibaraki*, and as a 2nd year student at Toyo University he reached the top 32 in "intercollegiate" competition. (I'm not sure if that refers specifically to the All-Japan University championships, or to some random student sumo tournament.)

* I guess that makes him both a high school and college classmate of the reigning College Yokozuna Shota Enomoto (who I presume isn't turning pro, just like he said at the time of his win).

[Jonosuke 28]

I believe Shota Enomoto turned to corporate sumo - the name of the company escapes me for the moment but I will check later but I think they were in the same sumo club at Toyo University and High School.

[madorosumaru 7]

I believe Shota Enomoto turned to corporate sumo - the name of the company escapes me for the moment but I will check later but I think they were in the same sumo club at Toyo University and High School.

It's Nippon Express (日本通運). Enomoto had a serious neck injury during his high school days which was the reason he gave for not joining Ozumo.

Edited May 2, 2008 by madorosumaru

[Kintamayama 45,533]

Ex-host Yamashita was nicknamed- "Domperiyama" by Sponichi today. "I'll try to see how far I can go..", he said.

Domperiyama getting height measured:

[yamaneko 2]

well, i know theres at least one professional guy in ozumo that i can probably beat. lol

[aderechelsea 125]

well, i know theres at least one professional guy in ozumo that i can probably beat. lol

Morioka ?? :-) (Sign of approval...)

[Jonosuke 28]

Actually I am beginning to feel sorry for this guy. Everywhere he goes, he gets commented that he is an ex-"Host". But when you read closely, he only did it for two months. Hey, I sold peanuts at football games one summer but nobody tells me I am an ex-peanuts hawker all my life.

I hope he does well enough to have people forget about what he did before he joined Ozumo.

Incidentally "Domperi" he is referred to is short for Dom P

[Naganoyama 5,948]

And the NSK data is:

SHIKONA	KANJI	NAME	HEYA	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	DOB	BIRTHPLACE
Kinoshita	木下	Yuki Kinoshita	Kokonoe	175	140	11 - October - 1992	Kagoshima
Nagakura	長倉	Daisuke Nagakura	Kokonoe	183	91	06 - March - 1990	Yamagata
Ozaki I	尾崎	Yoshinobu Ozaki	Dewanoumi	178	114	20 - January - 1986	Shizuoka
Ozaki II	尾崎	Yuya Ozaki	Shibatayama	174	100	13 - August - 1992	Niigata
Tajima	田島	Yuho Tajima	Shibatayama	171	89	06 - November - 1986	Gunma
Takahashi	高橋	Taichi Takahashi	Takasago	173	117	28 - January - 1993	Tokushima
Yamashita	山下	Tomonori Yamashita	Takasago	181	68	02 - October - 1987	Osaka

[Sakana 46]

Nagakura, I guess.

Edited May 11, 2008 by Sakana

[Asashosakari 19,669]

The newly christened Asayamashita had his first mae-zumo bout on Day 3, losing against twice as heavy but five years younger Kinoshita from Kokonoe-beya (for whom I'm guessing this was the second bout already, after losing the first one). He was in good spirits though afterwards, saying "I got all tense [before this first bout], but I'm going to keep gambarizing!" It turns out he bruised his left foot during the "motion" tests (agility and/or running, I presume) of the shindeshi exam the other week and was unable to take part in keiko until two days ago.

Kinoshita and Asayamashita:

[Jonosuke 28]

Our friend Asayamashita got his first big win against 21 kg heavier Tajima of Shibatayama Beya by uwatenage.

I am impressed. Perhaps now the yokozuna could buy him a dinner.

Edited May 15, 2008 by Jonosuke

[Asashosakari 19,669]

Official shindeshi announcement, in order of qualification:

Ozakiumi 尾崎海 (Ozaki, Dewanoumi-beya)

Fukaya (Musashigawa-beya, returnee)

Nagakura (Kokonoe-beya)

Okinoshita 大木下 (Kinoshita, Kokonoe-beya)

Ozaki (Shibatayama-beya)

Asayamashita 朝山下 (Yamashita, Takasago-beya)

Asatakahashi 朝高橋 (Takahashi, Takasago-beya)

Tajima (Shibatayama-beya)

Edited May 18, 2008 by Asashosakari

[Asashosakari 19,669]

Official shindeshi announcement, in order of qualification:

Ozakiumi 尾崎海 (Ozaki, Dewanoumi-beya)

Fukaya (Musashigawa-beya, returnee)

Nagakura (Kokonoe-beya)

Okinoshita 大木下 (Kinoshita, Kokonoe-beya)

Ozaki (Shibatayama-beya)

Asayamashita 朝山下 (Yamashita, Takasago-beya)

Asatakahashi 朝高橋 (Takahashi, Takasago-beya)

Tajima (Shibatayama-beya)

Picture for ID purposes, shamelessly taken from Fay's Day 8 pics (some closeups available at link):

left to right: Asayamashita, Ozakiumi, Asatakahashi, Nagakura, Tajima, Okinoshita, Ozaki

Video of the presentation thanks to Sakana.

[Tamanaogijima 765]

Oh dear... Look at the two Ozakis! What a difference between them!

Ozakiumi - self assured, focussed, already seasoned, dark mawashi

Ozaki - meek, "What am I doing here?", like 12 years only (I still can't believe that he turns 16 in August), comic like sky blue mawashi

I'll add them to my personal rikishi watch -- although I fear that I might be watching only one soon...

Edited May 19, 2008 by Tamanaogijima

[Asashosakari 19,669]

Oh dear... Look at the two Ozakis! What a difference between them!

On that same note...Tajima sure "looks" like a rikishi, too, and not just because he's already 21...wonder how he managed to qualify last in this group.

I think I'll adopt him, assuming nobody else wants to. :-)

Edited May 19, 2008 by Asashosakari

[Sakana 46]

Nagakura is my adoptee, take notice of it. (I am not worthy...)

But, where can we find mae-zum

[Jonosuke 28]

But, where can we find mae-zum

Edited May 28, 2008 by Jonosuke

[Doitsuyama 1,192]

But, where can we find mae-zum