New Recruits for Haru 2009

[Asashosakari 16,271]

Not big deal, at one point there were two Mori's compeating at the same time.

True, but they used different kanji.

And different pronunciation.

[Raishu 187]

Not big deal, at one point there were two Mori's compeating at the same time.

True, but they used different kanji.

And different pronunciation.

That's right. Mori and Mouri, IIRC. ;-)

Edited March 16, 2009 by Raishu

[Kintamayama 38,079]

Tokitsukaze-beya will be having its first new recruit since the Tokitaizan incident a year and a half ago. Masaru? Takahashi 高橋賢, a third-year student at Miyagi Agricultural High, was introduced to the oyakata last autumn and accepted as a deshi in October.

He won his first maezumo match today and is now called Tokiarashi, I think. 時嵐 He was Close to the Edge but managed to come back and win by yoritaoshi. He was not happy. "I was very tense and couldn't hit with my head. I am more disappointed than happy", he explained.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Kintamayama

[Kotoviki 16]

Today we were allowed in (after serious negotiations with some Sewanin & Oyakata I know including begging) before Maezumo started. I was told that in Osaka they let in press & parents only. It used to be free to get in for Maezumo & you were supposed to leave after but many dishonest folk stayed all day so they stopped allowing people in for it..(this was the story I was told).

Anyway today I was able to get a maezumo banzuke which helped a lot! So I will try now to get today's photos posted as soon as I can!

Takahashi of Tokitsukaze was announced as Takahashi & the banzuke I had was Takahashi. Of course it could be changed already!

He was very sweet & was quite pleased to notice I was taking pictures of him sitting after his match so he smiled for me & hammed it up for the camera a little! After he gave me a small head bow & thanked me. Later he gave me his parents address & asked if I could send them some pictures!

I have so many parents asking for pictures these days it is becoming a full time job! It is very exciting!!

Many of the boys looked quite strong! Can't wait for tomorrow!!!!

[Kintamayama 38,079]

Takahashi of Tokitsukaze was announced as Takahashi & the banzuke I had was Takahashi. Of course it could be changed already!

There already is a Takahashi (from Tamanoi), so he had to change his shikona in any case.

[Kintamayama 38,079]

Pizango

ピザンゴ

Obviously a foreigner-anyone have any details?

Edited March 17, 2009 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 38,079]

Tokitsukaze-beya will be having its first new recruit since the Tokitaizan incident a year and a half ago. Masaru? Takahashi 高橋賢, a third-year student at Miyagi Agricultural High, was introduced to the oyakata last autumn and accepted as a deshi in October.

He won his first maezumo match today and is now called Tokiarashi, I think. 時嵐more disappointed than happy", he explained.

Here him:

[Asashosakari 16,271]

Takahashi of Tokitsukaze was announced as Takahashi & the banzuke I had was Takahashi. Of course it could be changed already!

There already is a Takahashi (from Tamanoi), so he had to change his shikona in any case.

Doesn't necessarily preclude him from competing as Takahashi in maezumo, I think...I'm pretty sure I've seen shindeshi compete under shikona that were already "taken" and who only changed their name with the next banzuke announcement (but not with the shusse presentation which would imply a new name for maezumo already). Anyway, if the press are reporting a new shikona it's pretty safe to assume that he's already using it right now.

In any case, there's also yet another Takahashi in maezumo, but I'm guessing he's already Kototakahashi as per standard Sadogatake operating procedures.

[Asashosakari 16,271]

He won his first maezumo match today and is now called Tokiarashi, I think.

The opponent was Tatsunami-beya's Shibata/Hokuyozan (or whatever...)

Incidentally, I'm loving the literal-minded translation of "Tokiarashi":

Superb, indeed.

Anyway today I was able to get a maezumo banzuke which helped a lot! So I will try now to get today's photos posted as soon as I can!

Just curious, what's listed on there? Just the names of the 40-odd shindeshi, or some additional stuff (who's in which of the two groups, order of bouts etc.)?

Pizango

ピザンゴ

Obviously a foreigner-anyone have any details?

No real idea, but lotsa Peruvian hits on our technological overlord Google...

Edited March 18, 2009 by Asashosakari

[Kintamayama 38,079]

"The guy seems wild and reckless so I decided to go with the "arashi" (storm) character for his shikona", explained Tokitsukaze Oyakata. "I want you guys (the press) to interview me about my achievements, and not about Heya-related stuff", said the seemingly clever kid. "The kid can talk..", said a proud Tokitsukaze. He has added 3 kilos to his weight since the new recruits checkup on the 7th.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Kintamayama

[Asashosakari 16,271]

[Asashosakari 16,271]

Ichiban-shusse...already 15 qualified rikishi, which makes me wonder what the torikumi have looked like these last four days:

Honda (Nishikido-beya)

Kiya (Kasugano-beya)

Tsurubayashi* (Kise-beya)

Tokiarashi 時嵐 (Takahashi, Tokitsukaze-beya)

Kotowatanabe 琴渡部 (Watanabe, Sadogatake-beya)

Suekawa (Onomatsu-beya)

Sakurai** (Hakkaku-beya)

Sakaguchi (Tamanoi-beya)

Asai (Irumagawa-beya)

Hisainoue 久井上 (Inoue, Tagonoura-beya)

Asakoki? 朝興貴 (Kubota, Takasago-beya)

Sakata (Kasugayama-beya)

Tamaseiryo 玉西陵 (Akihiro Tamura, Kataonami-beya)

Kaidonami? 海道浪 (Saito**, Tatsunami-beya)

Uchida (Nishikido-beya)

* It's the dreaded "can't display this kanji" problem at the Kyokai site again; Jiji has 鶴 as the tsuru kanji.

** For Sakurai and Saito, Jiji has different (simplified) kanji for the sakura 桜 and sai 斎 parts; I'm guessing the Kyokai has these correct as 櫻 and 齋.

Also, I guess Kotokensei only received a new shikona this basho because the stable knew they needed "Kotowatanabe" for the new kid? (I am not worthy...)

Edited March 19, 2009 by Asashosakari

[Asashosakari 16,271]

And today's niban-shusse, the remaining 24 qualifiers. Two guys apparently didn't appear for maezumo, Kitanoumi-beya's Kaneyama and Irumagawa-beya's Pizango.

Yokoyama (Takanohana-beya)

Teranishi (Tagonoura-beya)

Kotoomura 琴大村 (Omura, Sadogatake-beya)

Takaakita 隆秋田 (Akita, Naruto-beya)

Maenosho? 前乃勝 (Imaoka, Takadagawa-beya)

Amakusa? 天草 (Yamamoto, Onoe-beya)

Arikawa (Matsugane-beya)

Araki (Irumagawa-beya)

Hokuyozan? 北洋山 (Shibata, Tatsunami-beya)

Tamatoryo 玉東陵 (Akira Tamura, Kataonami-beya)

Sakabe* (Naruto-beya)

Kotookazaki 琴岡崎 (Okazaki, Sadogatake-beya)

Nakanoumi 中野海 (Nakano, Dewanoumi-beya, shusshin changed to Nagasaki)

Masunoshin? 舛ノ信 (Sasaki, Chiganoura-beya)

Watanabe* (Shibatayama-beya)

Morimoto (Miyagino-beya)

Ohara (Shikoroyama-beya)

Matsugahama? 松ケ浜 (Honna, Takadagawa-beya)

Moriazuma? 杜東 (Mori, Tamanoi-beya)

Kototakahashi 琴高橋 (Takahashi, Sadogatake-beya)

Kato (Shibatayama-beya)

Masuhayato 舛隼人 (Hamada, Chiganoura-beya)

Masukoma 舛耕磨 (Teratani, Chiganoura-beya)

Akitomo (Musashigawa-beya)

* More kanji differences...Sakabe 坂邊 and Watanabe 渡邉 are 坂辺 and 渡辺 at Jiji.

[Sasanishiki 57]

and Irumagawa-beya's Pizango.

And so the mystery continues about this half foreigner. I wonder if he'll be back? If not then we'll probably never find out about his background and back story, which would be a pity.

[Kotoviki 16]

Hi!

Sorry I haven't been able to give any info or pictures yet!

Barely alive every night by the time we got back to the hotel after 2100. Downloading 4,000 pictures a day is a full time job!

Anyway the Maezumo banzuke was just handwritten & included only their names.

I tried for three or four days now to take pictures East to West, West to East using their torikumi so it will be easier to match up the names with the pictures.

And did each rikishi during their dohyoiri on Thursday.

Later if I screw it up I'm sorry!

I'm back in Tokyo for two more days as I had to work today thru Wednesday,

Back to Osaka Wednesday night.

Maezumo is over so will try to work on the pictures at night!

Sorry for the delay!

[Asashosakari 16,271]

The Kyokai has updated, so two shikona errata...

Kaidonami? 海道浪 (Saito**, Tatsunami-beya)

Kaitonami

Maenosho? 前乃勝 (Imaoka, Takadagawa-beya)

Maenokatsu

[Sasanishiki 57]

and Irumagawa-beya's Pizango.

And so the mystery continues about this half foreigner. I wonder if he'll be back? If not then we'll probably never find out about his background and back story, which would be a pity.

Nishi posted a scan in another thread and it turns out our Pizango Kazuya is actually also known as Pablito Medoza and hails from the Philippines. I can't really read much else because the print is small. What I could make out is that he was at school in Nagoya.

[Asashosakari 16,271]

And intended shikona Kazutsukasa, hmm. Well, maybe he'll turn up for the next maezumo.

While we're at it - I guess the immediately retired Kaneyama was also a closet foreigner? Or why the dual naming as both Kim and Kaneyama?

Edited April 8, 2009 by Asashosakari

[Sasanishiki 57]

OK, so I've been thinking about Pizango (Kazutsukasa) and his disappearnace from maezumo in Haru Basho. Might it be something to do with his eligibility? If he is being treated as a foreigner then there is a problem because Irumagawa has Mongolian Aratoushi. The latter is realtively new and has done well up until hitting the wall in sandanme, going MK in the last basho and withdrawing before the end. What to do with Pizango then? One of them will have to count as a naturalized Japanese if Pizango is to return, and I'm assuming that he is the one who counts as he would not have come so far.

[Kintamayama 38,079]

One of them will have to count as a naturalized Japanese if Pizango is to return, and I'm assuming that he is the one who counts as he would not have come so far.

And of course, we have the new "cooling off for one basho if you are a foreigner to see if you behave and are serious" rule that may or may not have something to do with it..

Edited April 8, 2009 by Kintamayama

[Asashosakari 16,271]

One of them will have to count as a naturalized Japanese if Pizango is to return, and I'm assuming that he is the one who counts as he would not have come so far.

And of course, we have the new "cooling off for one basho if you are a foreigner to see if you behave and are serious" rule that may or may not have something to do with it..

I suppose that could be it, but wasn't that officially related to work permit reasons? Hard to see at first glance how that can apply to deshi who are eligible for a Japanese shusshin listing, but what do I know... Is it safe to assume that guys like this kid (also Daishoyu, etc.) are holding multiple citizenships as under-21-year-olds, or are there other statuses that they could theoretically fall under? (Permanent residence or whatever...)

[Kintamayama 38,079]

I suppose that could be it, but wasn't that officially related to work permit reasons? Hard to see at first glance how that can apply to deshi who are eligible for a Japanese shusshin listing, but what do I know... Is it safe to assume that guys like this kid (also Daishoyu, etc.) are holding multiple citizenships as under-21-year-olds, or are there other statuses that they could theoretically fall under? (Permanent residence or whatever...)

Maybe it's for everyone whose shusshin is foreign, until that's changed. In the scanned page it looks like his shusshin is Phillippines, unless 3 is place of birth and 4 is shusshin, in which case my entire theory collapses.

[Kintamayama 38,079]

And intended shikona Kazutsukasa, hmm. Well, maybe he'll turn up for the next maezumo.

While we're at it - I guess the immediately retired Kaneyama was also a closet foreigner? Or why the dual naming as both Kim and Kaneyama?

It's actually Kin, not Kim- Kim would have been Kimu, like the last two were. He seems Japanese , but again..

[madorosumaru 7]

And intended shikona Kazutsukasa, hmm. Well, maybe he'll turn up for the next maezumo.

While we're at it - I guess the immediately retired Kaneyama was also a closet foreigner? Or why the dual naming as both Kim and Kaneyama?

It's actually Kin, not Kim- Kim would have been Kimu, like the last two were. He seems Japanese , but again..

金 is pronounced きん "Kin" in Japanese. "Kim" is the English spelling for that Korean surname. According to his brief bio, the recruit that quit was born in Korea but grew up in the Osaka area. Korean residents in Japan use Japanized versions of their surnames, such as Kaneda 金田, Kanemoto 金本, or in this case Kaneyama 金山.

[Asashosakari 16,271]

It's actually Kin, not Kim- Kim would have been Kimu, like the last two were. He seems Japanese , but again..

金 is pronounced きん "Kin" in Japanese. "Kim" is the English spelling for that Korean surname.

Right, I made a bit of a mental leap in ignoring the straight kana spelling and going with "Kim". Here's another guy like that, Japan-based but of Korean ancestry, so not Kimu like the "real" Koreans.