Tosanoumi intai

[Kintamayama 33,866]

Tosanoumi has announced his retirement today. He will be assuming the Tatekawa name and will remain at Isenoumi beya as a coach. He had some real bad luck in his career- he KK'd 6 times at Komusubi without getting promoted to Sekiwake, and KK'd 4 times from M2 without making it to sanyaku. He never Kk'd at Sekiwake. At the press conference, he fondly remembered a bout against then Ozeki Wakanohana in Nagoya 1995, and a win over Akebono in Kyushu 1995.

Edited December 15, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Doitsuyama 1,070]

Tosanoumi was among the most productive rikishi ever who started at a makushita tsukedashi rank. Leader in most career basho (101), most career appearances (1466), most career wins (732), most makuuchi basho (80, Tochinonada is close at 78), in makuuchi appearances (1183) and second in makuuchi wins (569, Wajima had 620). He was the oldest rikishi competing in makuuchi (last time in Aki) since Takamiyama in 1984 and the oldest juryo rikishi since Terao in 2002.

Now Kaio is the oldest sekitori which is only the second time after 1933 that an ozeki is the oldest sekitori. Kirishima was the oldest sekitori from 1992.09 until his intai in 1996.03, with the first two basho being his last two basho as ozeki, at just 33 years (which isn't even a record for "youngest oldest sekitori" - that belongs to Daimonji who was 30 years and 5 months in Nagoya 1970). Oh, and Kirishima does have the second most basho as oldest sekitori with that streak along with Hirosegawa, trailing only Takamiyama who was the oldest sekitori from 1977.07 until 1984 (42 basho). Another goal for Kaio? (Showing respect...)

[kame 0]

He had one the most brutal tachiai at his peak. He took every match seriously, evidenced by him drenched in pre-bout warm up sweat. A warrior.

[Jakusotsu 3,729]

Apart from having one of the best smiles in Ozumo and all the things Doitsuyama said, there's another stupendous oddity in his career: it took him nine years in Makuuchi (debut July 1995) to drop to Maegashira 11 in July 2004, which was his lowest Maegashira rank ever at that time.

By the way, "he never Kk'd at Sekiwake" isn't true at all. He even had two consecutive kachi-koshi at Sekiwake in 1997, winning the kanto-sho in May.

I'm gonna miss Old Grunt. Now there's only Kaio left from the first crop of rikishi who stirred the sumo mania in Central Europe.

(Showing respect...)

[ryafuji 591]

Apart from having one of the best smiles in Ozumo and all the things Doitsuyama said, there's another stupendous oddity in his career: it took him nine years in Makuuchi (debut July 1995) to drop to Maegashira 11 in July 2004, which was his lowest Maegashira rank ever at that time.

That's because he went 14-1 from Juryo 1 East, meaning he made his debut at Maegashira 7. Incredibly, his first two makuuchi bouts were against an ozeki and a yokozuna (Wakanohana and Takanohana).

By the way, "he never Kk'd at Sekiwake" isn't true at all. He even had two consecutive kachi-koshi at Sekiwake in 1997, winning the kanto-sho in May.

Indeed, that kantosho came in his sekiwake debut, in which he scored 10-5.

I'm gonna miss Old Grunt. Now there's only Kaio left from the first crop of rikishi who stirred the sumo mania in Central Europe.

(Showing respect...)

I'll miss him too. His retirement also means my "Active rikishi who have fought Konishiki" tally (hey, it just happens to interest me, that's all (Showing respect...)) falls to three - Kaio, Tochinonada and Kyokutenho.

[Sashohitowa 6]

I am going to miss him too. He was one of my early favorites..

I am just sorry that in his very last bout he won over Aoiyama (who needed that win for his Kachikoshi and eventual sekitori-promotion), but still was relegated..

[Kintamayama 33,866]

By the way, "he never Kk'd at Sekiwake" isn't true at all. He even had two consecutive kachi-koshi at Sekiwake in 1997, winning the kanto-sho in May.

I apologize for not checking my sources, who shall die at sunrise.

Edit: "He had a hard time getting a KK at sekiwake which was the reason he had never had any real Ozeki run" is what it said. Nakanaka.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Kintamayama

[Jaak 7]

His best 3-basho performance in sanyaku seems to have been July to November 1999. 11-7-10, 28 wins total.

[Kaikitsune Makoto 100]

Tosanoumi was Tosanoumi.

He had thinnest calves in relation to size and thighs.

His grunting was loudest in makuuchi.

His bouts against Musoyama were often very intense and true bison style bing bangs repeatedly,

His stumbling became a bit tragicomic at one point.

He often took direct eye contact right after the moment his foe stepped out, lifted his head and looked straight into the eyes of his foe in rather unique way.

He almost always rejected the helping hand of his foe when down on the dohyo or off the dohyo by forming an international stop-gesture with his palm facing toward the foe, sometimes combined that with particular lip rounding move.

He had one of the oddest losses against Musoyama where Musoyama had just given up on the edge when Tosa turned the nnnnghhh into a throw/pivoting move enabling Musoyama to continue to his (Musoyama's great surprise) and Muso ended up winning after that. It was a really funny moment in life. Naturally he just didn't see Musoyama just gave up 0.2 seconds before his unnecessary pivot.

He had strong left hand outside grip which he used to launch some spectacular throws.

[sashimaru 10]

STRG+F7

Goodbye big old grunt (Showing respect...)

[Kaiomitsuki 361]

he fondly remembered a win over Akebono in Kyushu 1995.

Video

[Fujisan 365]

(Showing respect...) Tosanoumi....

Another wolfpack regular goes.....