New recruits Nagoya 2022

[Akinomaki 40,037]

Hopefully we'll have some. The shindeshi kensa is on June 14th in the kokugikan. http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOKC26BMW0W2A520C2000000/

Edited May 27, 2022 by Akinomaki

[Yubinhaad 11,592]

I don't know when he's joining as most of the article is behind a login which I can't be bothered doing, but reigning collegiate yokozuna Keita Kawazoe is joining Miyagino-beya.

[Seiyashi 4,072]

Who of note has Miyagino got at this point? That's quite the pretty collection that Hakuhō sounds like he's building up. Mukainakano was quite a coup and now Kawazoe, plus there's at least one other person I seem to remember.

[Katooshu 3,179]

Nihon University's Kawazoe is a very fun competitor. He's only about 168cm/105kg, but very very strong for his size, and can win with everything from straight forward yorikiri, to ashitori, to tsuridashi, to his signature utchari. He is highly flexible and has that Ura like ability to stay on his feet under extreme pressure. He was injured most of his senior year, but came back in big style to become collegiate yokozuna. He was then absent from the All-Japan Championship a month after that, so I'm not sure if injuries flared up again. Incidentally, that tournament was won by the opponent he's struggled most against (0-5 in the meetings I know of), the monster Daiki Nakamura, who is in his senior year at Nittadai.

Aside from his collegiate yokozuna title, he won the East Japan rookie tournament in his first year, and in his third year won the openweight title at the national weight class tournament - beating new juryo Oshoma in the process (though he was 1-2 or 1-3 vs him overall). In high school he won the Kokutai, one of the 2 major titles of high school sumo, and in middle school he won the Hakuho Cup - that might be the connection to Miyagino. So safe to say he's very accomplished in amasumo, winning major titles from middle school through university.

His favourite move vs current pro Ishizaki - notice the back flexibility and ability to stay on his feet

Here he is in black becoming college yokozuna, beating the reigning amateur yokozuna at that time - Hidetora Hanada. On his way to the title, he also beat current pros Hatsuyama and Kayo. He did lose in the team portion of the event though, to who else but Daiki Nakamura (pic below). 

Because of his small size, he can sometimes just be swatted aside by larger competitors though. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by Katooshu

[Seiyashi 4,072]

https://www.buntoku-h.ed.jp/h/blog/2022/06/10/【卒業生】川副さん角界入り-間垣親方（元横綱白/

Kawazoe to join in Aki, and he's entitled to Ms15TD. 

Time to start the betting pool on what his - hō prefix will be: my money's on Suihō. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Seiyashi

[rhyen 1,823]

Uho 

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

Two new recruits slated to take the JSA entrance test tomorrow.

Isegahama bringing in 16 year old Origiru Ganzorig - (Mongolia / Saitama) - (Name spelling is a guess)

Miyagino stable enrolling 22 year old Masatada Ohtani. (Niigata / Okinawa) 

Edited June 13, 2022 by Inside Sport Japan

[Katooshu 3,179]

There's an Otani/Ohtani who graduated from Nihon University earlier this year, having previously attended Chubu Agricultural High in Okinawa. 

He's listed as 3rd-year, same class as Kawazoe, on Nihon's outdated page - I have wondered if he has mixed ethnicity: http://www.nu-sumoclub.com/member.html#01

Not sure if it's the same guy, but if it is, I do not like him! Had some of the worst sportsmanship I've seen in amasumo since I started following. More here on that.....if you watch the video in that post, you'll see former Kaiho giving him a talking to after the bout...

Edited June 13, 2022 by Katooshu

[Seiyashi 4,072]

16 minutes ago, Katooshu said:

Had some of the worst sportsmanship I've seen in amasumo since I started following.

Mildly off topic, but what's the incidence of former amateurs with bad dohyō manners reforming? On the one hand, yeah, bad manners and all that, but on the other hand you'd hope they are young enough to learn for the better. You also sort of see people getting excited about winning in the ams where that wouldn't be kosher in pro sumō, so obviously there has to have been some learning going on anyway. 

Apropos of Isegahama's ethnically Mongolian recruit, I assume he is doing a Hokuseihō and listing a Japanese shusshin, since Terunofuji still occupies Isegahama's foreigner slot(?). 

Edited June 13, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Katooshu 3,179]

The placidity which ozumo forces upon its participants, at least in public, means we rarely see any celebratory outbursts from guys who did it regularly in the ams - clearly most learn they have to do things a different way now.

Not many current pros stand out as having been particularly poor sports in the amateurs (I think cheering is reasonable to an extent), although Mitakeumi had loads of swagger and obvious confidence, one might say cockiness, that he doesn't display now as a pro. For instance, immediately after beating Endo to win the East Japan Championship in 2012, he held up his index finger as if it were the number 1, and pointed to himself while nodding with a smirk.

The recently turned pro Imazeki also took celebrations too far for my liking, but he wasn't directly disrespectful to his opponents, as in late shoves, scowls, or talking disrespectfully to them as Otani has.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Katooshu

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

37 minutes ago, Katooshu said:

There's an Otani/Ohtani who graduated from Nihon University earlier this year, having previously attended Chubu Agricultural High in Okinawa. 

Given name kanji is the same so could well be.

[Seiyashi 4,072]

https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2022/06/13/kiji/20220613s00005000371000c.html

Sponichi confirms it's that chap from the same year as Kawazoe at Nihon.

[Koorifuu 921]

I wonder if his arrival at Miyagino is as part of a package, together with Kawazoe. Perhaps the latter's request to have a buddy there to help him settle or similar?

[Katooshu 3,179]

If Miyagino keeps scooping up former Hakuho Cup champs like Kawazoe and Mukainakano, the stable could also end up with Daiki Nakamura and Tetsuya Ochiai soon, the 2 amateur competitors showing the most pro potential I'd say (Ochiai also has the Tottori Johoku connection, having been teammates with Hokuseiho and Mukainakano). Could end up being a dream team heya if Hak can keep tapping into that talent pool.

I have no idea about Kawazoe and Ohtani's relationship, but I imagine having someone in the stable you know and have competed with the last 4 years generally makes the transition easier. Oitekaze really stands out for this, as 5 of their 7 sekitori attended Nihon University together.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Katooshu

[Seiyashi 4,072]

6 hours ago, Katooshu said:

If Miyagino keeps scooping up former Hakuho Cup champs like Kawazoe and Mukainakano, the stable could also end up with Daiki Nakamura and Tetsuya Ochiai soon, the 2 amateur competitors showing the most pro potential I'd say (Ochiai also has the Tottori Johoku connection, having been teammates with Hokuseiho and Mukainakano). Could end up being a dream team heya if Hak can keep tapping into that talent pool.

That is either going to be the most solo-stable dominance since the bad old days of Futagoyama/Musashigawa that everyone can see coming a mile off, or the most eventually overrated stable depending on how well they make the transition to the pros. The Hakuhō fanboy in me is loving that development; the systems thinker isn't.

[Gurowake 4,012]

Are we going to be forced to use the outdated Romanization scheme for some rikishi's real name just because some other sport that has a more famous person of the same name still does it for god knows what reason?  When I saw someone on Facebook talk about the baseball player, I was ready to "correct" him, but I figured he was just copying what he saw and had no clue himself, so I didn't think it was a good use of time.  Or is it the standard media practice for all long Os, and there's just not very many of them in actual names?

It reminds me of Sumo Talk adding 'h' to long Os on some rikishi shikona (Endoh, Tochiohzan), but not all of them.  I never did understand that.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Gurowake

[SDM 9]

Just make a new keyboard layout with the top left key as a hot key that applies macrons easily.

So typing Ō...etc becomes easy.

[Chartorenji 235]

15 hours ago, Katooshu said:

If Miyagino keeps scooping up former Hakuho Cup champs like Kawazoe and Mukainakano, the stable could also end up with Daiki Nakamura and Tetsuya Ochiai soon, the 2 amateur competitors showing the most pro potential I'd say (Ochiai also has the Tottori Johoku connection, having been teammates with Hokuseiho and Mukainakano). Could end up being a dream team heya if Hak can keep tapping into that talent pool.

I have no idea about Kawazoe and Ohtani's relationship, but I imagine having someone in the stable you know and have competed with the last 4 years generally makes the transition easier. Oitekaze really stands out for this, as 5 of their 7 sekitori attended Nihon University together.

They missed 2011 elementary winner Hanafusa, though he was scouted like crazy by Kisenosato/Nishonoseki 

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

Sumo July tournament new recruit results:

(Isegahama stable) 2006 Mar 6 Origiru Ganzorig (Mongolia / Saitama) 168cm 79kg

(Miyagino stable) 1999 Dec 25 Masatada Otani (Niigata / Okinawa) 184cm 188kg

[Katooshu 3,179]

Otani has chonked up

[Seiyashi 4,072]

45 minutes ago, Inside Sport Japan said:

(Isegahama stable) 2006 Mar 6 Origiru Ganzorig (Mongolia / Saitama) 168cm 79kg

Another pixie for Isegahama, eh? Seems like Tatsunami-Isegahama is becoming the home for pixie wrestlers, between Miyagino and Isegahama.

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

 

 

[Seiyashi 4,072]

Is it just me, or does Ōtani look much older than he actually is?

[Katooshu 3,179]

Yes he does. He kinda gives me middle-aged Dad vibes 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Katooshu

[RabidJohn 1,719]

56 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Is it just me, or does Ōtani look much older than he actually is?

If it wasn't for the short hair I'd have taken him for one of those 40yr-old sandanme lifers.