Sorry to inform this. Tokitenku has passed away. RIP

[ryafuji 824]

Very sad news. A great shame that he didn't live long enough even to have his danpatsu-shiki. (I wonder if it could have been fast-tracked, as I believe they did with ex-komusubi Daishoho who also died of cancer. Perhaps he was simply too ill to have one.)

Edited January 31, 2017 by ryafuji

[Masumasumasu 902]

I'm at a loss for words. Sad doesn't adequately explain how I feel. Life is a cruel bitch.

Rest in peace, Tokitenku...We love you big guy!

[orandashoho 720]

So young. So unfair to get this card from the deck. So quickly, although no one knows if that isn't actually a blessing. Such a large hole he is leaving, at a time that no one thought it would be there. What can I say. Rikishi do not have the longest life expectations, but this is cruel.
All the best Tokitenkuu, star amoung millions, remembered fondly.

[Akinomaki 41,748]

It had made me very sad when I read about his cancer relapse before Kyushu, but this terrible turn of events left me void of words.

from the thread about him since intai

On 1.9.2016 at 14:37, Akinomaki said:

Tokitenku had at first expected a treatment of half a year, but it took longer. Since his hair was likely to fall out, he had a danpatsu ceremony with relatives before starting the fight against the malignant lymphoma, to have a proper cut-off mage as the symbol of 14 years of sumo, but he also thinks about having a proper danpatsu-shiki after his hair has grown back.

 

[Kishinoyama 623]

Another young one gone too soon.

[PawnSums 59]

This happened almost like Kenko Satoshi in the 90's

[Fukurou 534]

5 minutes ago, PawnSums said:

This happened almost like Kenko Satoshi in the 90's

Almost like? Care to provide more information about Kenko Satoshi?
btw - welcome

[PawnSums 59]

Just now, Fukurou said:

Almost like? Care to provide more information about Kenko Satoshi?
btw - welcome

Kenko contracted the disease while active as well but rather than intai before death it was the other way around, both of them sat out and dropped to the unsalaried ranks though.

[hamcornheinz 839]

old match between him and Ama

 

 

[rhyen 1,858]

Credit to @Fay

Edited February 1, 2017 by rhyen

[808morgan 814]

RIP Tokitenku, you were cool

[maorencze 144]

Left me speechless for several minutes. Truly sad day for sumo, there never was his equal in what he did, and never will be - true king of leg techniques. Always fun to watch and always left me hoping and craving for more, even when having a bad basho

[MrGrumpyGills 171]

Very sad to read this, may he rest in peace!

[Kintamayama 47,180]

Toyonoshima, ex-Tokitenkuu's elder at the stable, is taking the news of his sudden death to heart. "It's too soon.." he lamented. He lit an incense stick in Tokitenkuu's memory, tears streaming down his cheeks. During his own hard times at the moment with the serious injury that dropped him all the way to Makushita,, the person who was encouraging him the most was Magaki Oyakata (Tokitenkuu). He kept telling him to remember the song "Ue wo muite arukou" ("I'll Walk With Head Held High", known as "Sukiyaki" when it hit the world charts back in 1966, sung by Sakamoto Kyu). The lyrics essentially say that when things go wrong you should walk with your head held high so that the tears don't fall. "I keep repeating the words in my head and it helps me in my current situation.." explained Toyonoshima. He has a lot of memories from the deceased. Back in 2002 when Tokitenkuu entered sumo he spoke only a few words in Japanese. "I was teaching him the ways of sumo, but Tokitenkuu was stubborn and sometimes would just not listen and rebel outright. Whenever it felt inconvenient for him, he would say 'I don't understand Japanese..' " said Toyonoshima, smiling. Toyonoshima was injured in training before last September's basho and is attempting to get back to Juryo. Tokitenkuu retired last August. "I'll gambarize for you!!" promised Toyonoshima to Tokitenkuu back then. "Not only because he died now, but I want to return to being a sekitori.." said Toyonoshima, hoping to hold his head high next basho.

PS-My version of  "Sukiyaki" from a TV show from a couple of years back..

 

Edited February 2, 2017 by Kintamayama

[Bumpkin 438]

Wow. That was quite beautiful. Thank you.

[Yubinhaad 11,958]

Very sad to hear about this. Whether you liked his sumo or not there's no doubt Tokitenku was always worth watching when he stepped on the dohyo. It's a real shame he didn't have many more years to teach some of his skills to younger rikishi.

On the amateur dohyo, shortly before entering ozumo.

On the right during the shussehiro of his hatsu dohyo.

Serving as tachimochi for Hakuho at Nishiarai Daishi in 2013.

[RabidJohn 2,054]

56 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

He kept telling him to remember the song "Ue wo muite arukou" ("I'll Walk With Head Held High", known as "Sukiyaki" when it hit the world charts back in 1966, sung by Sakamoto Kyu). The lyrics essentially say that when things go wrong you should walk with your head held high so that the tears don't fall. "

PS-My version of  "Sukiyaki" from a TV show from a couple of years back..

Thank you, Moti, for making me smile while reading this otherwise very sad thread. And thanks for the enlightenment as to what it's about. I always thought that song couldn't possibly be about beef...

[Fukurou 534]

1 hour ago, Kintamayama said:

Toyonoshima was injured in training before last September's basho and is attempting to get back to Juryo. Tokitenkuu retired last August. "I'll gambarize for you!!" promised Toyonoshima to Tokitenkuu back then. "Not only because he died now, but I want to return to being a sekitori.." said Toyonoshima, hoping to hold his head high next basho.

Toyonoshima is going to be like a man possessed this next basho.

[Asojima 2,874]

56 minutes ago, RabidJohn said:

I always thought that song couldn't possibly be about beef...

When they decided to market the song outside Japan, they knew the title would hard to remember, so they renamed it "Sukiyaki" which was the most commonly recognized Japanese word outside Japan at the time. 

[Bumpkin 438]

23 minutes ago, Fukurou said:

Toyonoshima is going to be like a man possessed this next basho.

So will everybody else in Makushita joi.

[Akinomaki 41,748]

Today was the wake for Magaki-oyakata, ex-Tokitenku at the sumo temple, the Eko-in, as a Tokitsukaze-ichimon funeral - about 500 took part, among them from other ichimon about 30 oyakata, esp. Hakkaku and a dozen or so sekitori etc.

5 kesho mawashi, his mage and his heya name plate were shown in the entrance hall.

http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/1775420.html

the other pics as overview

o o

Oshima-oyakata and Kakuryu

oo

Harumafuji

o o

Hakkaku-rijicho

o o

 

Edited February 8, 2017 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 41,748]

Today the funeral took place, about 400 attended.

o o o o

[Misahiro 2,457]

Rest in peace, Tokitenku-zeki...

[Akinomaki 41,748]

Some new video finds on Tokitenku

news, with old scenes till intai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLuI0BOVVek

bout selection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9GhuXvVqA

[Akinomaki 41,748]

News video about the funeral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJJsf340Pns

oo

I can't embed this one

o

o 

I only yesterday noticed that some Hochi pics were missing from my overview now

the body of Magaki-oyakata was brought from the heya to the house of his younger sister on the afternoon of the 1st

o

Edited February 9, 2017 by Akinomaki