Riji changes

[Kintamayama 44,354]

Takanohana is now chief of judges, Nishonoseki is head of PR. Out of town so can't go into details-hope someone else can..

[Jonosuke 28]

Chairman Hanaregoma Q & A

--------------------------------------------

Q: You decided to bring in an outside director (former Acting Director Murayama) to the post of Deputy Chairman.

Hanaregoma: Strictly Sumo is concerned, obviously all of us know well enough. But dealing with all outside relationships, I am not confident to do all that by myself alone. I will be consulting with the deputy to see if we can search for a best course of action.

Q: Are you considering to have the post of deputy chaiman to be the permanent fixture in Ozumo?

A: Personally I believe each chairman should judge what is the best for us and for the time.

Q: Why did you replace your director of Public Relations at this time?

A: We had a variety of opinion expressed concerning strengthening the post. I felt we needed someone who could express our points of view to the outside world and I came to a conclusion that perhaps the person who could best represent us at this time would be Nishonoseki oyakata. MIchinoku oyakata (the previous PR Director) is still young. I would like him to learn more working towards the future.

Q: Why are you bringing in an outsider to the position of Deputy Director of Public Relations?

A: Regarding the PR work, we have never moved with time and have been doing the same thing over and over whether it was working or not. At the board meeting we decided we would need to start exploring in new areas.

Q: You have appointed Takanohana oyakata as the Director of Judging.

A: We should be putting our best face forward to the position of Judging Director. As well I felt it's worthwhile to let him experience a variety of things from now on.

[ilovesumo 12]

Kicking the youth down the stairs? Or saving them for the future?

[Yubinhaad 11,546]

Q: You have appointed Takanohana oyakata as the Director of Judging.

A: We should be putting our best face forward to the position of Judging Director. As well I felt it's worthwhile to let him experience a variety of things from now on.

Trying to build a bridge between Nishonoseki-ichimon and the renegades? Or exercising the old maxim, "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"?

[Kotoviki 16]

Q: You have appointed Takanohana oyakata as the Director of Judging.

A: We should be putting our best face forward to the position of Judging Director. As well I felt it's worthwhile to let him experience a variety of things from now on.

Trying to build a bridge between Nishonoseki-ichimon and the renegades? Or exercising the old maxim, "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"?

I go with the "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" theory!!!

[Kofuji 0]

Kicking the youth down the stairs? Or saving them for the future?

Isn't Michinoku tainted by the gambling scandal? Gambling on golf ... I suspect it's shunting him off so he can be rehabilitated later.

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Full department changes among the directors:

Guidance and General Enterprises: Dewanoumi -> Michinoku*

Jungyo: Hanaregoma -> Kokonoe

Head Shimpan & Shindeshi Inspection: Tomozuna & Kokonoe -> Takanohana

Nagoya Basho: Nishonoseki -> Tomozuna

Sumo School: Takanohana -> Musashigawa

Competition Inspection: Takanohana -> Michinoku

Information & Crisis Control: Michinoku -> Nishonoseki

In addition Nishonoseki has taken over Takanohana's spot on the Sumo Museum administration committee, Dewanoumi and Michinoku remain the other members. Also, with the two-headed shimpan-bucho experiment ending after just half a year, deputy riji Nakamura is taking over permanently as a second deputy head shimpan, joining mainstay Mihogaseki. Executive member Oshima is taking over Nakamura's previous duties as vice director of the jungyo department (uh-oh, he's baaack!), the crisis control section and the security department.**

No, we're not done yet. Fellow executive member Isenoumi is taking on what appears to be a newly-established (but likely temporary) position as vice director of the sumo school***, and Hakkaku has added Oshima's former job of vice chairman for competition inspection to his portfolio. Lastly, Otake (ex-Dairyu, formerly Futagoyama) is no longer a member of the sumo school staff, presumably because he's having to run his own stable now. His replacement, oh irony of ironies, is the new Futagoyama, ex-Kobo.

And since it hasn't been mentioned yet, together with the installation of Murayama as the deputy rijicho, a second external kanji (auditor) was appointed: 66-year-old Noritada Terasawa, former vice president of the Development Bank of Japan. I believe that makes him far and away the youngest of the four external members.

* Dewanoumi is still listed as the Operations director, generally the part identified with being the "second-in-command" of the Kyokai; still, I think it's rather unusual for the GE department to be separated from that position (not sure about Guidance).

** At least they finally found something to do for Oshima - I don't think he had all that many responsibilities in that competition inspection vice chairmanship. I half-wonder if that was by his own choice, following his unexpected exit from the rijikai at the beginning of the year. Him and Kokonoe running the jungyo tours should be good for plenty of soundbites, if nothing else.

*** I suppose Musashigawa won't be much more than a figurehead leader of the sumo school for now, until his health issues are fully in check again. Isenoumi is retiring in September next year, so that new position could easily lapse again.

Edit: Just to point out the obvious - contrary to initial assumptions (mine, too) that's another big upgrade in Michinoku's responsibilities. Arguably for Takanohana, too, considering there was no way but up from his previous job; only Kokonoe may have made a lateral move at best among the younger guard.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Asashosakari

[ilovesumo 12]

Same old names over and over...

but yeah, the Koubou-irony is unbelievable.

Who wouldn't wanna be a guest in such meetings... (Shaking head...)

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Same old names over and over...

What did you expect? They're not going to elevate somebody to riji or yakuin in between elections, it's always been clear that this would only be a reassignment of the various workloads.

In the end, I think it's a big win for the younger guys. Dewanoumi lost a major part of his responsibilities, Musashigawa has gone from rijicho to "running" one of the least important departments in just a few weeks, and while Nishonoseki ostensibly got the important press department, his duties may not actually amount to much after the external PR manager is chosen next month.

So far I like what I'm seeing from the Hanaregoma administration.

[Gernobono 455]

A: ......... As well I felt it's worthwhile to let him experience a variety of things from now on.

doesn't that sound like a rijicho in the making

[Kintamayama 44,354]

At the special meeting yesterday acknowledging the new riji changes, Irumagawa Oyakata lashed out at Takanohana. "Hey, didn't you resign? If not, when are you resigning?" he asked cynically, referring to Takanohana handing in his resignation over Kotomitsuki's dismissal at the end of July. Takanohana kept his cool and calmly answered that his resignation was not accepted at the time and anyway he now has more important things to tend to, thus avoiding an embarrassing scene. "I thought we'd be starting out the new era with more harmony," said a visibly annoyed Hanaregoma new rijicho. The new boss will be visiting the Ministry of Etc. for the first time as the rijicho on the 27th (tomorrow) to tell them stuff.