Hakuho retires

[Gurowake 3,915]

Is that really Azumaryu in the Juryo torikumi?  More likely to be Tohakuryu based on the banzuke.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Gurowake

[Seiyashi 4,071]

14 hours ago, Gurowake said:

Is that really Azumaryu in the Juryo torikumi?  More likely to be Tohakuryu based on the banzuke.

Yeah you're right. Two of the same kanji, late over here, eyes sort of glazed over the haku element, and brain autocompleted the longer time denizen. 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Seiyashi

[rokudenashi 291]

4 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

1. Batjargal Munk- (can't make this out, nephew)

Mönkh-idere (?) - Tottori Jōhoku alum, currently studying at Dōshisha University and a member of their sumō club

Couple of threads from the university sports publication's Twitter account listing him in tournament results - from what I can tell, Demidejamts is their top wrestler

Looks eerily like his uncle - this pic is from 2015 though

Edited January 27, 2023 by rokudenashi

[Yubinhaad 11,545]

5 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

5 hours ago, themistyseas said:

For those who follow danpatsushiki: is this a bit curious at all? For someone like Hakuho, I'm surprised that his attendants aren't either A) from his stable, like Hokuseiho/Enho or even a longtime attendant/veteran like Ishiura (whatever his condition), or B) other recent Yokozuna in the Kyokai e.g. Kisenosato and Kakuryu. Wakatakakage is higher ranked than Hoshoryu so I imagine that signals his desire to be attended by the current top (Mongolian) talent?

I think it's an appearance and lion-behind-fox thing: he wants to show that he has the goodwill of the current and likely future top rikishi for the next generation to come. For a danpatsu that seems to be all about showing he has the strong interpersonal connections, both within and without sumo circles, that would make him an asset to the NSK in the future, this choice of attendants seems very in line with that strategy. As for the attendants, they get to piggyback off that message by showing they have the favour of the man with those connections. 

Other than the toriteki tournament, the Miyagino rikishi themselves don't feature extremely strongly relative to, say, Aminishiki's. I can't help but think that this is deliberate, since Hakuhō seems to be trying to show that he understands that sumo is more than just results on the dohyō. 

He has also managed to do the deshi attendants thing once already, when Enhō first made it into makuuchi, so I guess there's no need to belabour that point too. 

 

This isn't jungyo or those meaningless February TV events, there is an order of precedence and certain customs for a Yokozuna's intaizumo dohyo-iri, and Hakuho is sticking to it.

Active Yokozuna come first and, at least until the last couple of decades, are practically guaranteed. However, if they were kyujo in the basho before the intaizumo they typically are ruled out, Terunofuji is just the latest example. Chiyonofuji was a notable exception by having kyujo Hokutoumi and Asahifuji, the latter even retired during the basho so was Asahifuji-oyakata for the intaizumo!

Ozeki are next in line, although they aren't an automatic choice. In any case we only have one, so the next candidate would likely be the highest-ranking eligible rikishi from the Yokozuna's heya, which is nobody. As for Hoshoryu, Hakuho does seem on friendly terms with Tatsunami-beya, having attended the danpatsu-shiki of former Juryo Hitenryu recently.

FWIW here's a list of participants at Yokozuna intaizumo, cribbed from ja.wiki. Attendants are Yokozuna unless specified otherwise.

Intaizumo		Tsuyuharai		Tachimochi

Hitachiyama		Umegatani II		Tachiyama
Umegatani II		Otori			Tachiyama
Tachiyama		Otori			Onishiki I
Tochigiyama		Nishinoumi III		Tsunenohana
Minanogawa		Haguroyama		Futabayama
Futabayama		Terukuni		Haguroyama
Akinoumi		Terukuni		Haguroyama
Maedayama		Azumafuji		Haguroyama
Terukuni		Kagamisato		Azumafuji
Haguroyama		Kagamisato		Chiyonoyama
Kagamisato		Tochinishiki		Chiyonoyama
Yoshibayama		Tochinishiki		Chiyonoyama
Chiyonoyama		Wakanohana I		Tochinishiki
Tochinishiki		Asashio			Wakanohana I
Asashio			Kashiwado		Taiho
Wakanohana I		Kashiwado		Taiho
Tochinoumi		Kashiwado		Taiho
Sadanoyama		Fukunohana (M7)		Kainoyama (M1)
Kashiwado		Tamanoumi		Kitanofuji
Taiho			Kitanofuji		Tamanoumi
Kotozakura		Wajima			Kitanoumi
Kitanofuji		Wajima			Kitanoumi
Mienoumi		Chiyonofuji (O)		Kitanoumi
Wajima			Wakanohana II		Kitanoumi
Wakanohana II		Kitanoumi		Chiyonofuji
Kitanoumi		Hokutenyu (O)		Chiyonofuji
Takanosato		Wakashimazu (O)		Chiyonofuji
Chiyonofuji		Asahifuji-oyakata	Hokutoumi
Onokuni			Takamisugi (M8)		Misugisato (M1)
Asahifuji		Asahisato (M16)		Kyokudozan (K)
Hokutoumi		Konishiki (O)		Akebono
Wakanohana III		Takanohana *		Akebono
Akebono			Musoyama (O)		Musashimaru
Takanohana		Takanonami (M2)		Fujishima-oyakata (Akinoshima M15)
Musashimaru		Miyabiyama (S)		Musoyama (O)
Asashoryu		Asasekiryu (M6)		Harumafuji (O)
Harumafuji		Kakuryu			Hakuho
Kisenosato		Shohozan (M12)		Takayasu (O)

* Takanohana was kyujo but c'mon, they're brothers.

Tamanishiki and Tamanoumi died while active, Azumafuji and Futahaguro did not perform dohyo-iri at their intaizumo.

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Yubinhaad

[ryafuji 807]

4 hours ago, themistyseas said:

For those who follow danpatsushiki: is this a bit curious at all? For someone like Hakuho, I'm surprised that his attendants aren't either A) from his stable, like Hokuseiho/Enho or even a longtime attendant/veteran like Ishiura (whatever his condition), or B) other recent Yokozuna in the Kyokai e.g. Kisenosato and Kakuryu. Wakatakakage is higher ranked than Hoshoryu so I imagine that signals his desire to be attended by the current top (Mongolian) talent?

I don't think I've ever seen retired yokozuna take part in a dohyo-iri at a danpatsu-shiki. I thought that was only seen at a kanreki-dohyo-iri. 

Edit: Ah, unless you count Asahifuji. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by ryafuji

[Yamanashi 3,724]

Torikumi was maybe decided over time -- Azumaryu is in both the Juryo and Makuuchi list?  Edit: I see it has been fixed; by who?

[Seiyashi 4,071]

3 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

Torikumi was maybe decided over time -- Azumaryu is in both the Juryo and Makuuchi list?  Edit: I see it has been fixed; by who?

Me, after Gurowake pointed out the obvious mistake of misreading Tōhakuryū as Azumaryū (Azumaryū's shikona is a subset of Tōhakuryū's) 

[Seiyashi 4,071]

5 hours ago, rokudenashi said:

Mönkh-idere (?) - Tottori Jōhoku alum, currently studying at Dōshisha University and a member of their sumō club

Couple of threads from the university sports publication's Twitter account listing him in tournament results - from what I can tell, Demidejamts is their top wrestler

Looks eerily like his uncle - this pic is from 2015 though

So Hakuhō not only has links to Tottori Jōhoku, but Doshisha. How strong is their sumo program? 

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Just saw the video of his final 'bout' against his son on Twitter and I'm not going to lie, I choked up a little. It made it final. When he retired, it was post-tournament so we didn't know we'd seen his last fight at the time we watched it. Although this one was a humorous exhibition, it was still emotional knowing it was the last time we'd see him on the dohyo in a mawashi. For me personally, that's significant because my time watching sumo began shortly before his Yokozuna promotion (Haru 2007, when he won the first of the two Ozeki yusho), so basically the entirety of the Hakuho era was my era as a sumo fan.

[Katooshu 3,132]

1 hour ago, Seiyashi said:

So Hakuhō not only has links to Tottori Jōhoku, but Doshisha. How strong is their sumo program? 

Lower top 10 at best, so not particularly strong, although it's improved in recent years due to the recruitment of some solid but not elite Mongolians. With the foreigner limit that can benefit Hak only so much though as far as continued recruitment goes.

With the strong family connection Hak has to some of the Doshisha Mongolians, perhaps he'll take one of them rather than the significantly more talented Sosorufu, who otherwise seems like the perfect fit (arguably #1 high schooler last year + Tottori Johoku grad + multi-time Hakuho Cup champ). Soso's been in Japan since late primary school I believe, I wonder if he could get counted as Japanese.

Edited January 28, 2023 by Katooshu

[Kintamayama 44,349]

Steven Segal snips:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FniHA5zaQAEGgZe?format=jpg&name=small

 

Enhou snips:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FniZXx6aMAI3t6y?format=jpg&name=small

 

ex- Wakanohana III snips:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FniPctcaIAEFCli?format=jpg&name=small

 

Last dohyo-iri:

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1RDGlaoVgYDJL

 

Final snip by ex- Miyagino:

 

Takakeishou moshimoshi tachimochi, Houshouryuu tsuyuharai

 

Video of dohyo-iri:

With his boy:

 

Video of match with son:

Edited January 28, 2023 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 44,349]

The mini lower division Miyagino beya tournament was won by Kawazoe, who beat Raihou in the first round, then Ootani in the semifinals, and then beat Ochiai for the yusho by shitatedashinage.

[Katooshu 3,132]

Cool to see the phantom of the opera get a cut too

[junsan 170]

This deserved a thread of its own.

[Kintamayama 44,349]

300 snippers. "His face looks kinder now that he has no mage. I was always unable to pat him on the head like he used to pat me when he had the mage- now I can pat him as well. Daddy, I love you more than anything in the world!" said his daughter during the ceremony.

[Kintamayama 44,349]

Ochiai-Mukainakano, Kawazoe- Ochiai bout:

 

[Morning 74]

That was a packed house.

It's nice to see how he got slowly more and more to the edge in the bout with his son before "being push out". Nicely done in a show man way.

[Kintamayama 44,349]

 

 

Hakuhou does Terutsuyoshi:

 

Dashing is the word that comes to mind..

Edited January 28, 2023 by Kintamayama

[Seiyashi 4,071]

2 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Steven Segal snips:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FniHA5zaQAEGgZe?format=jpg&name=small

 

Enhou snips:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FniZXx6aMAI3t6y?format=jpg&name=small

 

ex- Wakanohana III snips:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FniPctcaIAEFCli?format=jpg&name=small

Other notable snippers, courtesy of Herouth:

Harumafuji
Kyokushūzan
Hakuhō's father by proxy: Mahatō carried in a portrait, gave it to Hakuhō, and then took a snip
Also Hakuhō's mother, accomplished by Hakuhō relocating his seat to the edge of the dohyō so she could reach it without stepping on the dohyō.
Arawashi's attendance implied, although not known whether he took a snip

[since_94 650]

A great day, very emotional for one and all. Aghast that Seagal (sp?) had the audacity to lay hands on the man though 

[Koorifuu 886]

2 hours ago, since_94 said:

A great day, very emotional for one and all. Aghast that Seagal (sp?) had the audacity to lay hands on the man though 

I don't think they'd let him show up uninvited, even if he tried his best. It was a massive damper on the moment, though.

I guess having lived in Japan for a long time + being married to a Mongolian national makes him a commodity for moments like this, but the baggage shouldn't really be ignored.

[Octofuji 327]

2 hours ago, since_94 said:

A great day, very emotional for one and all. Aghast that Seagal (sp?) had the audacity to lay hands on the man though 

His Wikipedia page even says "Putin has distanced himself from Seagal". That's gotta hurt.

[BuBa 72]

Hakuho retirement complete, long live Magaki oyakata! A splendid danpatsushiki, although not so sure about Mongolian anthem in the ceremony, him being a Japanese citizen and all. I hope people didn’t read to much into it. It took one kiss from Ama for otherwise stoic Hakuho to get his tears flowing. I wonder why Asa wasn’t there. In Mongolian sources no one seems to know, I can’t imagine Hakuho wouldn’t invite him. Oh well.

[Koorifuu 886]

7 hours ago, BuBa said:

Hakuho retirement complete, long live Magaki oyakata!

He's been Miyagino since July, unless you're deliberately cheering for ex-Chibukayama!

[BuBa 72]

22 minutes ago, Koorifuu said:

He's been Miyagino since July, unless you're deliberately cheering for ex-Chibukayama!

Of course Miyagino. :) Thanks for correcting.