New recruits Aki 2022

[Akinomaki 35,647]

On 10/06/2022 at 16:27, Yubinhaad said:

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.

On 10/06/2022 at 16:44, Katooshu said:

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. 

11 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

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.

Keita Kawazoe 川副圭太 (23, 165cm, 110kg now) was injured and apparently decided to first get healthy before he joined, he restarted keiko after graduation, with medical treatment as the priority. The farewell party was on the 11th in a hotel in Kumamoto city. Kawazoe: "Under Magaki-oyakata, who was a great yokozuna, I want to get to sekitori as soon as possible." Magaki: "I'll bring him back to Kumamoto as makuuchi rikishi." https://kumanichi.com/articles/688909

[Chartorenji 180]

Can't tell if he is really short or if Hakuho is a lot taller then I remember.

 

But on a serious note, he seems to have more hyped from users on here than recent Tsukedashi prospects Kinbozan and Oshoma (though I remember a lot of hype for Kanzaki) 

[Katooshu 2,475]

Oshoma was discussed quite a bit here, even well before he turned pro, under his real name. It was also known for a while that he was undergoing the foreigner 'apprenticeship' phase, so by the time he was ready to start it wasn't flaming hot news.

Kinbozan, with 'only' the sandanme qualification, was probably overshadowed a bit by turning pro the same time as an MsTD (Oshoma). He also had a shorter window of success in the amateurs than a lot of the amasumo stars who turn pro, as he didn't start sumo until college, was mediocre his first 2 years, and only really started emerging as a formidable competitor midway through his 3rd. So less time for hype to build over the years....

In Kawazoe's case, since little guys are very popular these days + being in the GOAT's stable + being student yokozuna with a fun style, I'd expect a good deal of hype. I think most sumo fans will find him entertaining and skillful.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Katooshu

[Seiyashi 3,543]

1 hour ago, Katooshu said:

In Kawazoe's case, since little guys are very popular these days + being in the GOAT's stable + being student yokozuna with a fun style, I'd expect a good deal of hype. I think most sumo fans will find him entertaining and skillful.

Plus the Hak Cup/Tottori Jōhoku connection increasing the possibility of snagging Ochiai and Nakamura as well.

There's also the editorial note of Kawazoe's entrance only in Aki but being reported about now, so there's two threads "on" him, which mightn't have helped the boom hype train.

[SDM 9]

11 hours ago, Chartorenji said:

Can't tell if he is really short or if Hakuho is a lot taller then I remember.

Cant see their feet so mayeb he's standing on this toes or wearings lifts

[Gurowake 3,528]

13 hours ago, Chartorenji said:

Can't tell if he is really short or if Hakuho is a lot taller then I remember.

 

The opening post listed him as 168cm, which is pretty short for a rikishi. Hakuho is listed at 192.

[Akinomaki 35,647]

He may or may not be a new recruit some day, European U-23 2021 champion (haven't found the results) Amirani Tsikoridze (23, 199cm, 170kg) from Georgia aims to enter ozumo. Open category junior world champion in 2016, when he started to enter sumo championships, originally from judo background ijf.org/judoka/20487. He is another victim of Corona measures, at last he managed to come to Japan in May, for a month, but hasn't found a heya that takes him. He wants to come back soon and try again, the prolonged age limit for accomplished athletes to join is below 25.

He likes Kitanoumi, Chiyonofuji and Hakuho and of courses admires Georgian sempai Tochinoshin and Gagamaru.

  http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/column/sumo/news/202206240000541.html

[Chartorenji 180]

3 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

He may or may not be a new recruit some day, European U-23 2021 champion (haven't found the results) Amirani Tsikoridze (23, 199cm, 170kg) from Georgia aims to enter ozumo. Open category junior world champion in 2016, when he started to enter sumo championships, originally from judo background ijf.org/judoka/20487. He is another victim of Corona measures, at last he managed to come to Japan in May, for a month, but hasn't found a heya that takes him. He wants to come back soon and try again, the prolonged age limit for accomplished athletes to join is below 25.

He likes Kitanoumi, Chiyonofuji and Hakuho and of courses admires Georgian sempai Tochinoshin and Gagamaru.

  http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/column/sumo/news/202206240000541.html

It's been 2 years since Shishi entered, Kinbozan being the last wrestler with no Mongolian roots (I think), and Daiseizan as the last non Mongolian or Japanese recruit (though he's from that inner Mongolia China part if I remember correctly) 

 

Personally, I am always on board seeing Europe and other countries that don't get the usual recruits. Sumo is still a sport that doesn't like bringing these wrestlers in, which comes from reasons discussed here many a times. Hope for success in trying to find a heya!

[Gurowake 3,528]

2 hours ago, Chartorenji said:

Daiseizan as the last non Mongolian or Japanese recruit (though he's from that inner Mongolia China part if I remember correctly)  

Well, the DB gives his real name as ASGAKHAD Altan-Ochir, which doesn't look very Chinese to me.  The last bit doesn't look very Mongolian either, though the first bit does.  The DB also has his shusshin as Inner Mongolia, though that doesn't necessarily mean he's Mongolian by itself - the majority of the population there are Han Chinese.

[Yamanashi 3,054]

4 hours ago, Gurowake said:

Well, the DB gives his real name as ASGAKHAD Altan-Ochir, which doesn't look very Chinese to me.  The last bit doesn't look very Mongolian either, though the first bit does.  The DB also has his shusshin as Inner Mongolia, though that doesn't necessarily mean he's Mongolian by itself - the majority of the population there are Han Chinese.

Sokokurai also from Inner Mongolia, also Chinese.  It's an autonomous region of the PRC, with 80% Han Chinese and 18% Mongolian (more Mongolians there than in Mongolia!).

[Tigerboy1966 1,054]

1 hour ago, Yamanashi said:

Sokokurai also from Inner Mongolia, also Chinese. 

Chinese nationality; Mongolian ethnicity.

[Katooshu 2,475]

Amirani is one big boy. Must be frustrating when sumo is your dream, your background suggests you have a real shot of success, yet you cant find a spot and are running out of time.

[Chartorenji 180]

13 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

He may or may not be a new recruit some day, European U-23 2021 champion (haven't found the results) Amirani Tsikoridze (23, 199cm, 170kg) from Georgia aims to enter ozumo. Open category junior world champion in 2016, when he started to enter sumo championships, originally from judo background ijf.org/judoka/20487. He is another victim of Corona measures, at last he managed to come to Japan in May, for a month, but hasn't found a heya that takes him. He wants to come back soon and try again, the prolonged age limit for accomplished athletes to join is below 25.

He likes Kitanoumi, Chiyonofuji and Hakuho and of courses admires Georgian sempai Tochinoshin and Gagamaru.

  http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/column/sumo/news/202206240000541.html

Reading further, he went to several heya, of course not all (which gives hope, still got like 75-80 percent to go. 

 

42 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Chinese nationality; Mongolian ethnicity.

This is what I was hearing as well. 

[Seiyashi 3,543]

3 hours ago, Chartorenji said:

4 hours ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Chinese nationality; Mongolian ethnicity.

This is what I was hearing as well

His real name is not Chinese, even if it is transliterated into Chinese pronunciation. Pretty much definitely Mongolian ethnicity. 

[Seiyashi 3,543]

3 hours ago, Chartorenji said:

Reading further, he went to several heya, of course not all (which gives hope, still got like 75-80 percent to go. 

Which heya haven't had their foreign recruit quota yet? It feels like his best bet is one of the newer heya like Nishonoseki, Takekuma or Oshiogawa. 

[Inside Sport Japan 691]

Already 23 means virtually no chance. There have been younger and more accomplished Georgians in the past that couldn't get in because they were 'too old'.

If you are coming from abroad 18 or 19 is about as late as you can leave it these days.

[Yamanashi 3,054]

8 hours ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Chinese nationality; Mongolian ethnicity.

Sorry, I didn't make that clear.  After his retirement, he was outspoken (well, OK, this is Japan) about the PRC move to demote Mongolian culture in Inner Mongolia (e.g., teaching only Mandarin in the schools).

[Chartorenji 180]

6 hours ago, Inside Sport Japan said:

Already 23 means virtually no chance. There have been younger and more accomplished Georgians in the past that couldn't get in because they were 'too old'.

If you are coming from abroad 18 or 19 is about as late as you can leave it these days.

We sure not one of the 3 new stables (as Seiyashi mentioned, Takekuma, Oshiogawa, and Nishonoseki) might want to change it up and bring him in?

[Yamanashi 3,054]

15 minutes ago, Chartorenji said:

We sure not one of the 3 new stables (as Seiyashi mentioned, Takekuma, Oshiogawa, and Nishonoseki) might want to change it up and bring him in?

I can imagine the tension that an Oyakata must feel.  You can only have one foreigner in your heya, and you'd like him to become a sekitori; if you choose unwisely, you are stuck with an underperformer for 5-15 years.  There are several foreign rikishi who are fan favorites who never made it to Juryo, and the Oyakata can't pick another foreigner until they leave.  Masutoo comes to mind: 16 years in Ozumo and made it to Ms 8.

[Oortael 138]

1 hour ago, Chartorenji said:

We sure not one of the 3 new stables (as Seiyashi mentioned, Takekuma, Oshiogawa, and Nishonoseki) might want to change it up and bring him in?

Given his reputation, I'm pretty sure Nishonoseki has all the necessary connections to pick the best foreign prospect available, he doesn"t have to rush it with a relative unkown.

Looking quickly at all the heya with an open spot for a foreigner, my best guess (and I know nothing, Jon Snow) for him to get in is Musashigawa :
 - a foreign born oyakata who may help him getting acclimated to Japanese and Ozumo culture
 - in his early 50s so the new foreigner gonna be retired when he does retire and not a problem for his successor 
 - no real prospect to speak of, so anything like a Makushita-level rikishi is helpful
 - I don't seem to remember seeing him among the candidates for the best amateur prospects, so the Georgian isn"t taking a better prospect's spot

Obviously this is spitballing at the highest degree. 

[Akinomaki 35,647]

The only thing that might get him in against all odds is that he has learned Japanese by himself, he spoke to the Nikkan reporter in a mix of Japanese and English - he was quoted saying that he likes the sumo culture, how much that was mixed with English in the real interview is up to our guesses though. If he manages to get relatively fluent till the next try, he might convince some oyakata that it is not a waste of time to have a try with him. He'd have to undergo a 6 month kenshu period before he can appear at a shin deshi kensa, a debut at almost 25 for a foreigner would really be something.

One - also highly unlikely - possibility for him would be to join a Japanese company with a sumo club and win the corporate championships in September or get at least a sdTD qualification there. That would be the ticket in, but someone would have to get him such a job in Japan.

[Akinomaki 35,647]

On 12/06/2022 at 16:47, Akinomaki said:

Keita Kawazoe 川副圭太 (23, 165cm, 110kg now) was injured and apparently decided to first get healthy before he joined, he restarted keiko after graduation, with medical treatment as the priority. The farewell party was on the 11th in a hotel in Kumamoto city. Kawazoe: "Under Magaki-oyakata, who was a great yokozuna, I want to get to sekitori as soon as possible." Magaki: "I'll bring him back to Kumamoto as makuuchi rikishi." https://kumanichi.com/articles/688909

The makushita 15 tsukedashi start for Kawazoe was acknowledged today at the rijikai. Joining the heya under the new Miyagino. http://www.sanspo.com/article/20220728-SJ6YMSKG7ZISLAFP5R34VQCNVE/

[Akinomaki 35,647]

Nichidai's Mikiya Ishioka (23, 184cm, 146kg) 石岡 弥輝也 will join Isegahama-beya, he had graduated in March. Individual runner-up at several national events and yusho with the team during university, but he has no TD qualification.

Today was the press conference, with Terunofuji and Isegahama-oyakata. Ishioka also had to overcome severe knee injuries, since high school: "The yokozuna's way of life impressed me". He's from Tottori Johoku high like Teru and from Tsugaru, Aomori pref. like the oyakata. Age 6 he started with sumo, at the Tsugaru sumo club, later named the Tsugaru Asahifuji junior club. http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2022/08/16/kiji/20220816s00005000468000c.html

He'll start living in the heya this month.

o o

o o o

  o o  o

Edited August 19, 2022 by Akinomaki

[Seiyashi 3,543]

Is it just me or has Tatsunami-Isegahama been adding a lot of solid talent lately?

Not perhaps quite the place for it but we keep talking about a potential Hakuhō-Terunofuji intra-ichimon rivalry when they become oyakata; I wonder if they are not instead putting in place a cooperative long-term plan to make the ichimon as a whole punch above its weight.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Katooshu 2,475]

Ishioka is a well-rounded competitor with amateur wins over the likes of Oshoma (their series was 4-3 Oshoma I believe), Gonoyama, and Kanno. He starts with a hard charge and if he doesn't drive the opponent straight out with an oshidashi or yorikiri he'll often win by hikiotishi or hatakikomi after unbalancing them. When he loses, it's usually from his opponent using his momentum against him and pulling, twisting, or throwing him forward. He was a solid B+ level competitor in university who didn't win a tournament but was a threat to anybody and had some good results.

But I don't trust his knees at all. He suffered a serious injury in a high school bout vs Oho that kept him out most of his first year at university, then again in his 3rd year at Nichidai, then returned to have a solid 4th year, but didn't look quite up to his his 2nd/3rd year standard and was unable to grab a TD.

2018 in team competition vs Kanno, then in another match 35:58 (also have a look at Kawazoe vs Kazekeno at 9:53 and Kawazoe vs Oshoma at 34:20)

2019 injury at university (and Kawazoe vs Fukai at 8:15)

2017 high school injury vs Oho and also winning at  3:04 vs the opponent he was injured against above. Oho, Hoshoryu, Kotoshoho, Kitanowaka, Kazekeno, and Hokuseiho all make appearances in this one.

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Katooshu