Retired after Kyushu 2021

[Akinomaki 39,776]

Apart from Chiyootori (intai press conference today) topic/chiyootori-intai, ex-juryo Higonojo retires, Kise-oyakata told it to the media today. https://www.sanspo.com/article/20211128-VV3O4EBCMBMDVKFZMHK56QBBBM/

[Yamanashi 3,724]

9 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Apart from Chiyootori (intai press conference today) topic/chiyootori-intai, ex-juryo Higonojo retires, Kise-oyakata told it to the media today. https://www.sanspo.com/article/20211128-VV3O4EBCMBMDVKFZMHK56QBBBM/

I don't know if it's a thing, but some rikishi seem to pack it in while they still have a positive W-L differential.  Higonojo ends at 307-295-4, and couldn't take another year of 2-5 basho.

[shumitto 418]

Higonojo is a classical case of someone who joined quite close to his prime. In a little more than a year he was already closing in on Juryo, then improved a little over the next 4 years to barely make it. After an uneventful Juryo stint, he was back in Makushita where wasted spent more than 6 years, including some basho in Sandanme.

Kudos to Chiyootori for the fighting spirit. His condition was quite bad in 2018 with bad mobility and tapes everywhere. He dropped as low as Sandanme but fought (bad) back despite already being kabu-safe to manage a comeback to the paid ranks. But his body couldn't take it anymore, I suppose. His coughing and bouncing stance at the tachiai will be missed, as well as his energic sumo when he had it.

Edited November 29, 2021 by shumitto
TYPO

[Akinomaki 39,776]

A few of Higonojo

o o o

[Yubinhaad 11,546]

Higonojo had been suffering from a neck hernia for a while, and at 37 was unlikely to see a return to sekitori ranks. He will return to his home prefecture of Kumamoto to study for a teaching license - apparently that was what he intended to do after graduating from Nittai-dai, but there were no vacancies at the time so he joined ozumo at the last opportunity, thanks to some encouragement from his father.

I understand that his stablemate and fellow Kumamoto native Higoarashi is also retiring at the home basho. He's shed a significant chunk of weight in the last year or so, explaining his precipitous drop in rank at the same time. Hopefully that's due to a well-planned retirement rather than some illness.

Also retiring is 41-year-old veteran Toho after more than 25 years on the dohyo. His final bout was against 44-year-old Satonofuji, who had joined ozumo one basho earlier. They must have overlapped at the sumo school back then, and ended up serving there together as instructor rikishi - the directors have their work cut out finding someone with shiko good enough to replace Toho.

Heyagashira Oho presented him with flowers on senshuraku.

Spoiler

 

Irumagawa-beya heavyweight Mitotsukasa handed his papers in just over a month ago and has joined a Youtube channel called Piece of Cake.

Asojima got this one right - Hakkaku-beya reported Kitamura's intai, after a four-basho career.

According to this recruitment page, Chankocho Hanakaze will soon be opening in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, so Hanakaze's retirement appears to be looming.

[Chartorenji 235]

11 hours ago, Yubinhaad said:

Higonojo had been suffering from a neck hernia for a while, and at 37 was unlikely to see a return to sekitori ranks. He will return to his home prefecture of Kumamoto to study for a teaching license - apparently that was what he intended to do after graduating from Nittai-dai, but there were no vacancies at the time so he joined ozumo at the last opportunity, thanks to some encouragement from his father.

I understand that his stablemate and fellow Kumamoto native Higoarashi is also retiring at the home basho. He's shed a significant chunk of weight in the last year or so, explaining his precipitous drop in rank at the same time. Hopefully that's due to a well-planned retirement rather than some illness.

Also retiring is 41-year-old veteran Toho after more than 25 years on the dohyo. His final bout was against 44-year-old Satonofuji, who had joined ozumo one basho earlier. They must have overlapped at the sumo school back then, and ended up serving there together as instructor rikishi - the directors have their work cut out finding someone with shiko good enough to replace Toho.

Heyagashira Oho presented him with flowers on senshuraku.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Irumagawa-beya heavyweight Mitotsukasa handed his papers in just over a month ago and has joined a Youtube channel called Piece of Cake.

Asojima got this one right - Hakkaku-beya reported Kitamura's intai, after a four-basho career.

According to this recruitment page, Chankocho Hanakaze will soon be opening in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, so Hanakaze's retirement appears to be looming.

Kitamura's a little weird, but if you're joining Ozumo as basically a hobby, then it's not that surprising. He does finish with a winning record though, which he can at least be happy about

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Just 6 retirements this basho including those already made official for Chiyootori and Higonojo a few days ago. Actually, the other four were also all mentioned around here already.

Toma (Miyagino) - Link
Mitotsukasa (Irumagawa)
Higoarashi (Kise)
Kitamura (Hakkaku)

Not Toho at this time though, presumably he'll be on the post-Hatsu list.

[Asashosakari 18,786]

On 29/03/2021 at 20:26, Asashosakari said:

On 29/03/2021 at 13:39, Atenzan said:

On 29/03/2021 at 13:03, Atenzan said:

Hakuhou is set to become the first rikishi with two separate reigns as the sole yokozuna on the banzuke. [snip]

I'd been sitting on that post since Harumafuji retired. [ed.: a bit over three years]

Hey now, there's an off-hand comment I made back in 2014 about a potential bit of trivia for which I'm still waiting for the guy in question to finish his career so it becomes true. 

At last!

On 19/11/2014 at 12:05, Asashosakari said:

More generally speaking, there's no rikishi in history who has won two makushita yusho but never reached the sekitori ranks in his career. If Higoarashi grabs this one, he just might end up as the first eventually.

Higoarashi did proceed to win his second makushita yusho in Kyushu 2014 and didn't reach juryo afterwards, so he has now set that unique but unfortunate bit of sumo history.

[Yubinhaad 11,546]

Toho's danpatsu-shiki took place at Otake-beya on the 23rd.
 

Spoiler

Commemorative group shot.

With an oichomage at last.

Heyagashira Oho makes a cut.

And the final cut from Otake-oyakata (former Juryo Dairyu).

Proper haircut and a new suit.

 

Merry Christmas all!