Oyakata acquire tickets for crime syndicate

[Asashosakari 20,282]

Are we just pretending for scenario purposes that the Kise guys (whether only part of them or all 27) would take somebody like Takashima-oyakata seriously as their new shisho if he moves in with his 2 (in words: two) deshi, or does somebody here actually believe that this would have worked out? I'm flabbergasted.

[ryafuji 825]

Wasn't it also Kise's express wish that they should join Kitanoumi? That should be respected.

[Vulch 3]

My friend just emailed me that she just heard the news that Kitanoumi beya are cleaning out to make room for the Kise boys... apparently they threw out 4 tons of garbage today

Hmmm, 4 tons, so that's just about enough for 20 Gagamarus though only 16 Yamamotoyamas...

[Kotoviki 16]

Are we just pretending for scenario purposes that the Kise guys (whether only part of them or all 27) would take somebody like Takashima-oyakata seriously as their new shisho if he moves in with his 2 (in words: two) deshi, or does somebody here actually believe that this would have worked out? I'm flabbergasted.

If I were the Kise guys, no! But of course if the kyokai forced them to split up..... (Shaking head...) I think they are in the right place. Cramped or not, many of them have already been training with the Kitanoumi boys on a regular basis, they are all friends, the heya is 'able' to accommodate a large group. There are more than one oyakata already and they are used to training large groups.

[Kotoviki 16]

Wasn't it also Kise's express wish that they should join Kitanoumi? That should be respected.

Yes it was and I am happy that the Kyokai allowed it. Kise and Kitanoumi are friends and I think he knew he was putting his deshi into good hands!

[Kotoviki 16]

The problem with a lot of those few rikishi heya is that they have no way to accommodate all the Kise boys! Then they would have to split them up! I think Kitanoumi "has" the space but the boys have been spreading out and hoarding. So they had to clean out to make room. It will be tight though!!!

The idea was that the small heya moves to the location of Kise which should be possible. What is happening with that good location now anyway?

I would like to know! It is a brand new gorgeous heya. Otake is rebuilding, what a shame, they could have just sold their land... and moved into Kise. It would be nice if a far off heya like Isenoumi would move there. What a great move for Takadagawa to come into Ryogoku and build next door to Oguruma. Saves me so much time to get to keiko than the old place!!!

[Asashosakari 20,282]

Tickets for the special supporter seats at the centre of this whole affair will be personalized starting in Nagoya, the Kyokai announced today. Up till now they were not made out in the name of the person or corporate entity that's actually entitled to them as part of their supporter benefits, allowing for virtually unchecked transfer and resale. In addition, starting with Hatsu basho the tickets will be mailed directly instead of being available for pick-up at the local chayas.

[Asashosakari 20,282]

If I were the Kise guys, no! But of course if the kyokai forced them to split up..... (Shaking head...)

FWIW, I didn't mean to imply that they would have rejected such a decision (and potentially put their careers in danger), just that it seems inconceivable to me to expect a respectful shisho-deshi relationship when the new shisho would be perceived as so manifestly unqualified to handle a large-sized stable.

[Kintamayama 47,333]

Keiko started, no moshi-ai yet, a lot of confusion-many rikishi trying to train, keikoba not large enough, spilling into the corridor. Food shortage, big line for the toilet. "I'm happy that we have this at least", said Kise Oyakata. "Not enough rice, not enough chanko," said 39 years old veteran Hokutoryuu.

Rice mountain hop:

Sea of men- Gan you guess who is leading the session?:

Edited June 3, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Asashosakari 20,282]

[Kintamayama 47,333]

Kise and the mystery man:

Moving in:

[Tamaikazuchi 4]

Man....that's a lot of body heat. Hope they have good ventilation there.

[Kotoviki 16]

Man....that's a lot of body heat. Hope they have good ventilation there.

They don't and I tell you it used to get stinky when just Kitanoumi, Otake and the Makushita boys from Kise were training!! Can not imagine how it is now!!! Guess I will find out this weekend at keiko....

[Kotoviki 16]

If I were the Kise guys, no! But of course if the kyokai forced them to split up..... (Shaking head...)

FWIW, I didn't mean to imply that they would have rejected such a decision (and potentially put their careers in danger), just that it seems inconceivable to me to expect a respectful shisho-deshi relationship when the new shisho would be perceived as so manifestly unqualified to handle a large-sized stable.

Me either, I mean they could not reject anything they were told so they would have to do whatever they were told to by the kyokai.. but like you I couldn't imagine if they were sent to a heya with just one rikishi.... yikes!

[Kintamayama 47,333]

A video of the keiko-upper right hand corner of the page.

[Kotoviki 16]

A video of the keiko-upper right hand corner of the page.

am I so stupid??? I can't find the video! (Shaking head...)

[Kintamayama 47,333]

I forgot to mention that Kitanoumi beya will be getting an extra 46 million yen annually for these rikishi with all the fees and stuff. Around 70,000 salary for each Makushita and under rikishi per month X 24 rikishi x 12= 20,160,000 per year. Heya maintenance cost for each rikishi during a basho-- 115000 X 27 X 6 (bashos)= 18,630,000 annually. 45000- allowance per rikishi during a basho X 27 X 6 (bashos)= 7,290,000 annually. Grand total-46,080,000.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Kotoviki 16]

I forgot to mention that Kitanoumi beya will be getting an extra 46 million yen annually for these rikishi with all the fees and stuff. Around 70,000 salary for each Makushita and under rikishi per month X 24 rikishi x 12= 20,160,000 per year. Heya maintenance cost for each rikishi during a basho-- 115000 X 27 X 6 (bashos)= 18,630,000 annually. 45000- allowance per rikishi during a basho X 27 X 6 (bashos)= 7,290,000 annually. Grand total-46,080,000.

They should use some money to build a heya annex for the overflow.... (Shaking head...) Wait, they should just use both heyas.. the old Kise and Kitanoumi!

At Kasugayama they have too many for their heya. They bought the house next door which is quite old but still a separate house and their upper ranked non-sekitori boys live there (mostly of them Hakuho's tsukebito). They have to clean it themselves if they want to live there, the younger boys are not responsible to go to clean it but they said they don't mind. It gives them freedom and space! The Oyakata lives in the top floor of the heya so he can keep an eye on them...

Kitanoumi needs to do something! Next to the heya now in what used to be parking for 3 cars is all the stuff from Otake beya that they didn't take with them to their temporary quarters while their heya is being demolished and rebuilt. They have too much stuff. and Otake still trains with them... they have always trained together and now really have nowhere else to go. New Otake beya will not be ready til June next year!

After it is rebuilt they can split into two groups to train. In fact when it got crowded sometimes over at Otake some boys went back to Kitanoumi to train alone in the past when I was there.

The problem should be better when Otake reopens but until then... God help them all!

[Kintamayama 47,333]

The first real keiko session at the now-mammoth Kitanoumi beya was held yesterday. Instead of the usual 3 hours, it took 6, and still the target number of 30 bouts for each deshi was reached only by Nionoumi. 346 matches between 40 rikishi was the grand total. There were some who barely had 10. It started off at 5:30 am and ended at 11:30. The top guys like Kitataiki came down at 7:30 but only started moshi-ai at around 10:30. "Well, it WAS the first time so there were some problems and it dragged on for a while.. The numbers (of bouts) vary because there are some people who are more active than others. There is too much "waiting time".. Maybe we should start 20-30 minutes earlier," said Kitanoumi oyakata.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Kotoviki 16]

Great, now I need a whole day to enjoy keiko there!! LOL Before it was a late heya around 730 or 800. Now it will be like going to Sadogatake in the wee hours!!!

It reminds me of Takadagawa when I wanted to see now retired Iwashimizu's keiko.

I asked him what time keiko was and he said "we start at 5am but no guests show up til 730..." I said "what time will your practice matches be?" he said "530" since he was low jonidan then. Of course I had to go there at 5am!!!

[Asashosakari 20,282]

Don't think it's been mentioned yet, from the "it never ends" pile: On Day 14 of Natsu basho another Sumiyoshi-kai member was spotted by the police investigator on standby in the Kokugikan; he reportedly departed the arena after being addressed by Kyokai personnel who'd been alerted by the investigator. Police are apparently still in the process of figuring out how that ticket found its way to the yakuza.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Asashosakari

[Kofuji 0]

It's all because of the Facebook game, "Mafia Wars". The rikishi and oyakata didn't realize that "Help the Yakuza" was just part of the game and not something they should be doing in real life.

(Holiday feeling...) (Laughing...)

[ilovesumo 12]

Are we just pretending for scenario purposes that the Kise guys (whether only part of them or all 27) would take somebody like Takashima-oyakata seriously as their new shisho if he moves in with his 2 (in words: two) deshi, or does somebody here actually believe that this would have worked out? I'm flabbergasted.

As long as Takashima owns a kabu, everything is possible and there are successful oyakata of "other kind" who are taken seriously, at least while in the room...

All politics to me............

[ilovesumo 12]

Don't think it's been mentioned yet, from the "it never ends" pile: On Day 14 of Natsu basho another Sumiyoshi-kai member was spotted by the police investigator on standby in the Kokugikan; he reportedly departed the arena after being addressed by Kyokai personnel who'd been alerted by the investigator. Police are apparently still in the process of figuring out how that ticket found its way to the yakuza.

In the end, we'll all give our smallest possible fingerprints...

Honest, I just wonder why they care NOW. There are many scientists, writing that it's a relationship since Edo-time, and everybody knows about that.

Clean-out strategy to push up the popularity after all that junk? But each little bit leaking to the press means new attention...Who cares if one watches bouts at the arena as long as nothing happens and there are no weapons involved?

Concentrate on your boys and make their life now and after Sumo a better one.

Edited June 7, 2010 by ilovesumo

[Asashosakari 20,282]

Honest, I just wonder why they care NOW. There are many scientists, writing that it's a relationship since Edo-time, and everybody knows about that.

Clean-out strategy to push up the popularity after all that junk? But each little bit leaking to the press means new attention...Who cares if one watches bouts at the arena as long as nothing happens and there are no weapons involved?

Isn't that a bit myopic? Things change, the yakuza isn't the somewhat respected part of society that it used to be anymore, and politicians and the police obviously care (now), so it's not like the Kyokai can just be uncooperative and expect to get away with it. I'm not quite sure what your point is, anyway - good guys shouldn't be punished if they're dumb or reckless enough to get involved with gangsters?

Anyway, two notes here:

1) Perhaps it's just semantics, but as part of their dealing with the Kise affair the Kyokai also amended their by-laws again, this time adding explicit language to the effect that they're structurally opposed to "anti-social powers". I was surprised to see that something like that wasn't already on the books, if only for show.

2) I haven't seen it mentioned lately (so perhaps it's outdated information), but during the earlier scandals news reports would make occasional reference to a revision of the laws governing foundations, as part of which the Kyokai's (and presumably lots of other organizations') tax-exempt status will be up for review around 2012 or 2013. At least all those problems are coming to light now, when there's still time to fix them before it's too late. Whatever one may think about Ozumo's close relationship to big politics, at least it prevents them from having to face the kind of unstable business landscape you find for MMA or puroresu groups. (The latter of which have their own issues with strong yakuza involvement, of course, and I wouldn't be surprised if the former do, too.)

Edited June 7, 2010 by Asashosakari