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Akinomaki

Gagamaru retired

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10 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:
On 18/11/2020 at 13:31, rzombie1988 said:

About 4 years too late.

He has been an embarrassment for years that seemingly only got by on size, just like Aoiyama. You watch him and you would think he is wrestling on a sheet of ice with how much trouble he has not falling over.

If people like him and Aoiyama put in even half the effort as their contemporaries, they would have dominated the sport.

Aoiyama is far from a favorite of mine, but not a basho goes by when NHK announcers, Mainoumi usually, don't comment that he is one of the hardest workers during keiko sessions. 

Not everyone can be Hakuho. This may just be the best these two were able to do given their respective talent levels. 

Edited 9 minutes ago by Kaninoyama

No feeding...

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11 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

No feeding...

Aoiyama is 6'3 and over 400lbs. Nobody should be able to move him, yet he has gone makekoshi in 8 of his last 12 basho's and has 28 makekoshi's to his name.

Atleast with an Enho or an Ura, you can blame their results on size. But there's just no excuse for a guy not to do well who almost always has the height, weight and reach advantage.

I also rarely see Aoiyama try to do anything but win matches through force or size. There's over 50 some ways to win matches, yet I only see him stick with 3 or so.

Are you seriously going to tell me that you see Aoiyama give 110% effort night in and night out and do everything he can to win?

 

Edited by rzombie1988

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44 minutes ago, rzombie1988 said:

Aoiyama is 6'3 and over 400lbs. Nobody should be able to move him, yet he has gone makekoshi in 8 of his last 12 basho's and has 28 makekoshi's to his name.

Atleast with an Enho or an Ura, you can blame their results on size. But there's just no excuse for a guy not to do well who almost always has the height, weight and reach advantage.

I also rarely see Aoiyama try to do anything but win matches through force or size. There's over 50 some ways to win matches, yet I only see him stick with 3 or so.

 

He was lighter when he started (150 kg) and slightly more of a belt man, but evolved his techniques as he reached Makuuchi.

Comparing wins by yorikiri + -taoshi vs oshidashi + -taoshi vs hatakikomi + hikiotoshi over three year spans:

Span                Y            O               H

2009-2011    28           21             10          (Mz through Juryo)

2012-2014    15           41             43         (Maegashira to Sekiwake)

2015 -2017     7           30             37         (mostly upper M)

2018-2020      7            34            51         (mostly lower M)

His approach has clearly shifted as his mobility has decreased.  Incidentally, other than a weakness against tsukiotoshi, his losing kimarite are pretty standard.

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Big F for the career of Gagamaru.

As for Aoiyama, I think it might be time to start planning an exit.

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58 minutes ago, Halian said:

Big F for the career of Gagamaru.

A little harsh.  Foreign rikishi who had the culture shock of Ozumo.  He reached Komosubi, which only 25% of sekitori have done since HD 2000.  Did he get fat with bad knees?  Yes, like many.  Career-wise, I'd give him a B-.

As for Aoiyama, see my post above.  Also too fat and high center of mass, but still can show power; he just doesn't have more than one weapon anymore.  The banzuke will tell him when to exit.

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8 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

A little harsh.  Foreign rikishi who had the culture shock of Ozumo.  He reached Komosubi, which only 25% of sekitori have done since HD 2000.  Did he get fat with bad knees?  Yes, like many.  Career-wise, I'd give him a B-.

As for Aoiyama, see my post above.  Also too fat and high center of mass, but still can show power; he just doesn't have more than one weapon anymore.  The banzuke will tell him when to exit.

"Press F to pay respects".

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1 minute ago, code_number3 said:

Here is the explanations, enjoy.

F for respect

Sorry don't play video games.  My apologies.  My grade stands.

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2 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

A little harsh.  Foreign rikishi who had the culture shock of Ozumo.  He reached Komosubi, which only 25% of sekitori have done since HD 2000.  Did he get fat with bad knees?  Yes, like many.  Career-wise, I'd give him a B-.

As for Aoiyama, see my post above.  Also too fat and high center of mass, but still can show power; he just doesn't have more than one weapon anymore.  The banzuke will tell him when to exit.

There was nobody stopping Aoiyama and Gagamaru from dropping some weight except themselves. When your career is affected by your weight, I think it is something you should take a little more seriously.

16 of 33 current Maegashira have reached Komosubi not counting the 9 current K/S/O/Y ranks. That's almost half of all Maegashira. If you have a good basho around the M4 level, there's a good chance you will get to Komosubi.

Getting to Komosubi and staying at Komosubi are two very different things. Gaga had 1 tournament at that rank. Aoiyama hit the rank 3 times, but each time he only lasted a single tournament.

Edited by rzombie1988

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Or in Gagamaru's case, a very good tournament at M10 level. A typical one tournament fluke komusubi, but he also had a jun-yusho, two sansho and a kinboshi.

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I'm no expert, but I find it very weird that the merits of Gagamaru's career are discussed. He certainly wasn't a favorite of mine, but the guy had 59 basho as sekitori. 59! And he spent 10 years as a salaried rikishi, that's pretty damn succesful if you ask me. Add to that the added difficulty of coming from a totally different cultural , his achievements command a high level of respect. He also had 1 Jun-Yusho, 2 Kanto-Sho and  Kinboshi. Pretty impressive stuff. Perhaps he had the potential to achieve even more, perhaps not. As it stands, his career was great.

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2 hours ago, Kaioshoryu said:

I'm no expert, but I find it very weird that the merits of Gagamaru's career are discussed. He certainly wasn't a favorite of mine, but the guy had 59 basho as sekitori. 59! And he spent 10 years as a salaried rikishi, that's pretty damn succesful if you ask me. Add to that the added difficulty of coming from a totally different cultural , his achievements command a high level of respect. He also had 1 Jun-Yusho, 2 Kanto-Sho and  Kinboshi. Pretty impressive stuff. Perhaps he had the potential to achieve even more, perhaps not. As it stands, his career was great.

/thead.

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Apologies for thread necromancy, but I did not see a "Gagamaru activities" thread. Here is an video interview he did with POPEYE Magazine, only in Japanese of course, talking about sumo, Georgia, his favourite food and his match with Hakuho. 

Edited by pricklypomegranate
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4 hours ago, pricklypomegranate said:

Apologies for thread necromancy, but I did not see a "Gagamaru activities" thread. Here is an video interview he did with POPEYE Magazine, only in Japanese of course, talking about sumo, Georgia, his favourite food and his match with Hakuho. 

Unfortunately I don’t speak Japanese. What is his favorite food?

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1 hour ago, Kamitsuumi said:

Apparently Pino ice cream and natto.

I was not joking with my previous comment, he had a whole refrigerator dedicated to natto.

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Should be in ozumo discussions as well

On 16/10/2021 at 20:58, Akinomaki said:

Gagamaru is getting slimmer still, about 150kg now, down 60kg from his active weight of 210kg. He's involved with the Osaka based Japan sumo foundation, founded last November, the other one listed among the members there is ex-Amuru, but as a friend https://nihon-sumo.jp/menber/

Doing events and working as talento, he plans to stay in Japan indefinitely ("bury his bones" there). When he has mastered Japanese, he'll think about marriage.

Still no danpatsu-shiki for him as well, like the many oyakata who wait for a chance to have some bigger event in the kokugikan.

soon to be Japanese, no doubt

6 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Gagamaru (35) had his danpatsushiki today with about 250 guests (or 170 cutters o) , due to Corona Kise oyakata was not there - before that he had married a Japanese woman (33) with whom he has a relation since 2015

cut by the new Miyagino

20220730-OYT1I50122-1.jpg

o

b_15514634.jpgo origin_1.jpgo o  o

with his very Japanese kesho mawashi

20220730-OHT1I51249-L.jpg

 

Edited by Akinomaki
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6 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

before that he had married a Japanese woman (33) with whom he has a relation for 15 years now

?!  So they started dating when she was 18 and he 20, before sekitori? That doesn't sound right...

EDIT: Dug up this article from Hochi, which says they started dating in 2015. That sounds a bit better.

https://hochi.news/articles/20220730-OHT1T51167.html?page=1

Edited by Seiyashi
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21 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

due to Corona Kise oyakata was not there

And not only him, but his stablemates too. That's a real shame.

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Gagamaru has gotten himself into an amazing shape for the danpatsushiki! Looking nice in the national dress as well afterwards. Hope that he'll be able to lead a good life in Japan an that he'll stay connected to sumo at least indirectly/informally. Perhaps find some new Georgian prospects soon ;-)

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On 30/07/2022 at 13:52, Seiyashi said:

?!  So they started dating when she was 18 and he 20, before sekitori? That doesn't sound right...

EDIT: Dug up this article from Hochi, which says they started dating in 2015. That sounds a bit better.

https://hochi.news/articles/20220730-OHT1T51167.html?page=1

So, will they call his wife Lady Gagamaru?

[Thanks, thanks very much ... available for weddings and bar mitzvot.]

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2 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

So, will they call his wife Lady Gagamaru?

[Thanks, thanks very much ... available for weddings and bar mitzvot.]

(Eek...)(Carriedawayonastretcher...)(No,no,no...)(Protesting...)

And the award for worst joke of the year goes to...

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