New ozeki Asanoyama

[robnplunder 928]

I will drink to Asanoyama's long Ozeki run!    

[Kaninoyama 1,093]

11 hours ago, robnplunder said:

I will drink to Asanoyama's long Ozeki run!    

Or short one, as he rises quickly to Yokozuna?

[robnplunder 928]

41 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:

Or short one, as he rises quickly to Yokozuna?

Sure.   The existing crop of Ozeki is no more, and Hak & Kak are in decline,   What is there to stop Asanoyama?

[hakutorizakura 388]

4 hours ago, robnplunder said:

Sure.   The existing crop of Ozeki is no more, and Hak & Kak are in decline

I bet that must have been in Takakeisho's mind too. He looked so disappointed when kicked out of the yusho race in Hatsu.

Well, he has a strong competitor now.

[Akinomaki 31,695]

On 25/03/2020 at 06:13, Akinomaki said:

The acceptance phrase of the new ozeki: 相撲を愛し力士として正義を全う Loving sumo and as a rikishi entirely righteous - sumo o ai shi, rikishi to shite, seigi o mattou

Love and righteousness are the motto of his Toyama commercial high school

he uses the motto already

On 30/12/2019 at 18:40, Akinomaki said:

Asanoyama today at the alumni meeting had the proper presentation ceremony for the kesho-mawashi from his old school, Toyama commercial high. With the school emblem and the motto 愛と正義 "Love and righteousness". He had used it already at the Kyushu basho.

o

Edited March 26, 2020 by Akinomaki

[Thorbjarn 180]

Asanoyama in my opinion has the definite upside/potential to be an Ozeki. His promotion and the circumstances surrounding it put him in a position where some expect him to perform results to confirm the choice after the fact. Therefore, I'd consider his promotion a gamble by those in charge, but with good odds. 

Takakeisho deserved promotion and I find it weird to say otherwise. He got enough wins and he had above .500 against top opponents for a string of tournaments. 

[RabidJohn 1,095]

1 hour ago, Thorbjarn said:

Asanoyama in my opinion has the definite upside/potential to be an Ozeki. His promotion and the circumstances surrounding it put him in a position where some expect him to perform results to confirm the choice after the fact. Therefore, I'd consider his promotion a gamble by those in charge, but with good odds. 

Not much of a gamble. Asanoyama is an ozeki. Look at his record: 5 double-digit scores in the last 6 basho. That's ozeki sumo already.

I'd say promoting Tochinoshin was more of a gamble. Sure, his ozeki-run numbers were undeniable, but looking at the big picture, it was only a matter of time before his shot knee sent him to kadoban.

Now, if you'd posted that Asanoyama has the potential to be a yokozuna, I wouldn't disagree.

[Asashosakari 16,373]

Recycling a comment I made on Reddit a couple of days ago when the "it's a questionable promotion" notion came up there as well:

Quote

I think the fundamental mistake some fans make is in treating the 33-or-whatever wins as an expected minimum performance standard. It's really not, at least not in itself. The relevant minimum performance standard is what a typical ozeki can be expected to do - and that's about 9 wins per basho on average. That's what the Association wants to get, performances that aren't going to embarrass the rank.

Obviously it would be lunacy to promote every rikishi that happens to string together a handful of 9-win tournaments as komusubi or sekiwake (hello, ozeki Abi!), so the line to actually trigger a promotion is set significantly higher: A rikishi who manages to average around 11 wins in the short term is seen as a good bet to keep averaging at least 9 in the long run.

So anything expected above 3x9 wins for an ozeki run is really only in the realm of "sufficient supporting evidence". And that's a realm in which other stuff matters, too, like a rikishi's longer-term track record against top competition (that arguably helped e.g. Goeido get promoted), or even simply if he "looks" like an ozeki in his matches (that might well have helped Asanoyama). That's why there's no fixed must-win-this-many-matches number, neither 33 nor otherwise.

There's really nothing left to prove for Asanoyama as far as his ozeki worthiness is concerned. He might still fail as ozeki, as can happen to any promotee to any rank, but what he has demonstrated over the last year makes him no worse a bet to succeed than anybody else that got promoted in recent times.

Edited March 27, 2020 by Asashosakari

[Akawainnoumi 0]

On 26/03/2020 at 00:23, robnplunder said:

I will drink to Asanoyama's long Ozeki run!    

I'm too! :) one glass of red wine! 

[Washuyama 579]

The last time I disagreed with an Ozeki promotion was Kisenosato's.  I just didn't think his 10-12J-10 string was "worthy" enough at the time.  Then he went on to have one of the strongest, most consistent Ozeki careers in history, ultimately earning him a promotion to Yokozuna.  Asanoyama has looked like an Ozeki for the past year or so.  I for one, wish him the best!  

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Ceremony for the conveyance of ozeki promotion

 

[Taikoubana 140]

Who are the men in the photos at 1:20?

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

11 minutes ago, Taikoubana said:

Who are the men in the photos at 1:20?

The older gentleman is the former Director of the Kinki University Sumo Club, Katsuhito Ito, who passed away in January. The other may be the former manager of Toyama's Shogyo high school sumo club, who passed a couple years ago.

[Kishinoyama 467]

I believe Asanoyama deserves the promotion. Recently, rikishi seem to be getting injured right after their promotion to Ozeki or Yokozuna. My hope for him is that he will continue to be healthy and that he has many more years as a sekitori ahead of him. 

[RabidJohn 1,095]

Otokonoyama is right about the two chaps in the photos. I don't know their names, but they both coached Asanoyama back in his amateur career. Now I may have this totally wrong, but didn't the first die around the time Asanoyama got promoted to makuuchi and the second just as he was on a confirmed ozeki run? Knowing how superstitious rikishi tend to be, maybe Takasago oyakata is hoping his protégé doesn't go on a tsuna run too soon...

---

Tangential and possibly irrelevant, but they showed his promotion on the video. I watched Takasago oyakata back when he was ozeki Asashio Taro IV on the Channel 4 coverage in 1987 and 1988. He was past his best and, though he KK-d, he didn't shine (he retired in early 1989). All I really remember about him is he was the first rikishi who struck me as having been beaten with the ugly stick as a baby, so I checked his career. Six years as an ozeki, a yusho and four jun-yusho. Not many double digit scores as ozeki, which struck me as being a bit Goeido-ish, but Asashio only posted three MK... Like Goeido, though, he had dai-yokozuna to deal with (Kitanoumi and Chiyonofuji) - and he retired as ozeki. I last saw him as a shimpan at the London Basho in October 1991.

---

Can't you tell I'm stuck at home! Anyone else on lockdown and at a loose end fancy transcribing the above video into English?

[Akinomaki 31,695]

Local Toyama TV - Asanoyama looks like Kaigatake http://www.tulip-tv.co.jp/news/detail/?TID_DT03=20200326182049

-> http://www.tulip-tv.co.jp/admin/news/E220200326182049.mp4

[Asashosakari 16,373]

39 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

Local Toyama TV - Asanoyama looks like Kaigatake

Before clicking the link I was all "wait, what?"...

[Thorbjarn 180]

14 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

Not much of a gamble. Asanoyama is an ozeki. Look at his record: 5 double-digit scores in the last 6 basho. That's ozeki sumo already.

I'd say promoting Tochinoshin was more of a gamble. Sure, his ozeki-run numbers were undeniable, but looking at the big picture, it was only a matter of time before his shot knee sent him to kadoban.

Now, if you'd posted that Asanoyama has the potential to be a yokozuna, I wouldn't disagree.

It remains to be seen if he will perform at the rank. He got promoted despite not "forcing any hands", his run including fusens 2 fusens and 32 wins instead of 33, not beating a Yokozuna during his campaign. 

I think it is a gamble to derive from what you widely use as criteria to promote a relatively unproven commodity, Yusho or no, potential or not. 

Tochinoshin failed at Ozeki, but nobody can deny his record to be worthy of promotion. 37 in 3, all from joi and higher, Yusho and Jun Yusho, wins over Kakuryu and Hakuho... all of this is an undeniable promotion.

Asanoyama performed well, but as recently as last year they denied a guy who got 33 at the same level promotion and asked for another ten win performance. So yeah, imo they are taking a gamble by taking a guy who fell short regarding numbers and bestowing the honor (or burden) of Ozeki onto him.

I hope he does and believe he is absolutely capable of doing well and I'm a happy to see him promoted, but It's now his turn to proove that the promotion wasn't premature. 

[Katsunorifuji 65]

1 hour ago, Thorbjarn said:

It remains to be seen if he will perform at the rank. He got promoted despite not "forcing any hands", his run including fusens 2 fusens and 32 wins instead of 33, not beating a Yokozuna during his campaign. 

I think it is a gamble to derive from what you widely use as criteria to promote a relatively unproven commodity, Yusho or no, potential or not. 

Tochinoshin failed at Ozeki, but nobody can deny his record to be worthy of promotion. 37 in 3, all from joi and higher, Yusho and Jun Yusho, wins over Kakuryu and Hakuho... all of this is an undeniable promotion.

Asanoyama performed well, but as recently as last year they denied a guy who got 33 at the same level promotion and asked for another ten win performance. So yeah, imo they are taking a gamble by taking a guy who fell short regarding numbers and bestowing the honor (or burden) of Ozeki onto him.

I hope he does and believe he is absolutely capable of doing well and I'm a happy to see him promoted, but It's now his turn to proove that the promotion wasn't premature. 

Outside of his rank changing and the psychological burden of that, his opponents won’t change for the most part.  And he clearly had shown that he can more than hold his own at this level and have double digit win totals.

While I won’t crown him the next Yokozuna just yet, he is young and consistent enough to hang around Ozeki world for a while. 

[Akinomaki 31,695]

On 25/03/2020 at 12:02, hakutorizakura said:

Wondering if Uncle Asa showed up to the party?

Apparently not - maybe because it's not the time to just pop into Japan whenever you like.

Asashoryu was pi**ed off in Hawaii, by comments of "Go home, Corona virus people" from white people in Hawaii. He always "Had liked Hawaii", but after this racist slur ... http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20200324/sum20032414210005-n1.html

Edited March 29, 2020 by Akinomaki

[Eikokurai 3,194]

12 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Apparently not - maybe because it's not the time to just pop into Japan whenever you like.

Asashoryu was pi**ed off in Hawaii, by comments of "Go home, Corona virus people" from white Hawaiians. He always "Had liked Hawaii", but after this racist slur ... http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20200324/sum20032414210005-n1.html

In Hawaii?! If any US state depends on Asian tourism, it’s that one. It also has a substantial homegrown Asian community, the largest relative to its overall population. You’d think Hawaii would be more tolerant.

[Akinomaki 31,695]

8 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

In Hawaii?! If any US state depends on Asian tourism, it’s that one. It also has a substantial homegrown Asian community, the largest relative to its overall population. You’d think Hawaii would be more tolerant.

the slur could have been from mainland tourists though

Edited March 29, 2020 by Akinomaki

[Eikokurai 3,194]

49 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

the slur could have been from mainland tourists though

True. Odd place to visit if you hate Asians though.

[hakutorizakura 388]

Asa should have given that racist bastard a little harite treatment... Or a remote control.

[RabidJohn 1,095]

If that's a racist slur, then I'm a victim of racism. My government has been telling everyone to go home and stay there for the last couple of weeks...