Chiyotairyu retires, will leave sumo entirely

[Rocks 1,807]

According to this story Chiyotairyu will retire as of today. He plans to go into the restaurant business. 

https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/214990

 

 

[Morty 1,486]

Dang it, my favourite rikishi. I figured the end was nigh based on his recent performances and general decline but this is sudden. He would frustrate me because he could bulldoze anyone when he got the tachiai right, and he was better on the belt than people give him credit for, but he always went for that push then pull routine that everyone knew was coming. But he was an absolute character, a funny interview and had great side burns. I guess I have another reason to visit Japan again, so I can go to his restaurant. 

[Kintamayama 44,886]

This is highly unusual. to say the least. The last guy to retire before halftime during a basho? Maybe Tochinowaka? I don't know, there's got to be more here. Still, it's Meigetsuin - he was always a little sideways.

[Naganoyama 5,886]

Well we already knew that May gets you in. Now we know that November gets you out.

[WAKATAKE 2,650]

16 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

This is highly unusual. to say the least. The last guy to retire before halftime during a basho? Maybe Tochinowaka? I don't know, there's got to be more here. Still, it's Meigetsuin - he was always a little sideways.

Something seems off. My theory is that there was a dispute

[Akinomaki 40,236]

Tomorrow the intai press conference, he'll tell about the reason. Maybe Sanoyama is still owned by Kokonoe and he wanted to have it available for such a situation. Chiyotairyu decided yesterday after a talk with the oyakata.

NHK showed him smiling after yesterday's bout.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Akinomaki

[Yokozuna Hattorizakura 151]

3 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

This is highly unusual. to say the least. The last guy to retire before halftime during a basho? Maybe Tochinowaka? I don't know, there's got to be more here. Still, it's Meigetsuin - he was always a little sideways.

Kotoshogiku retired on day 7.

[Benihana 1,918]

He pulled a Spanish Inquisition on us. Well played Elvis, well played.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Benihana

[junsan 171]

He'd had enough of being mistaken for Tsurugisho.

Edited November 20, 2022 by junsan

[Rocks 1,807]

7 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

This is highly unusual. to say the least. The last guy to retire before halftime during a basho? Maybe Tochinowaka? I don't know, there's got to be more here. Still, it's Meigetsuin - he was always a little sideways.

Yes, it is. He wasn't looking that bad although he was headed for MK for sure. You would think he would have wanted a more memorable last match.

I have to figure it's one of 3 things:

There was a battle over the Snaoyama Kabu in Kokonoe and he came out on the short end and is leaving a huff. You could make it a minute in a huff if you like. (Groucho joke).

He didn't have the money or didn't want the kabu and the restaurant deal needed to be made ASAP for some reason. (Very unlikely because he could do that and finish the basho I would think.

Some type of scandal and given his age and popularity they gave him the option of going out quickly and quietly. 

[Rocks 1,807]

4 hours ago, Yokozuna Hattorizakura said:

Kotoshogiku retired on day 7.

Yes, but he had a kabu in hand, was injured and was looking so bad the last 2 basho he would lose to the yobidashi. 

[Faustonowaka 117]

7 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

This is highly unusual. to say the least. The last guy to retire before halftime during a basho? Maybe Tochinowaka? I don't know, there's got to be more here. Still, it's Meigetsuin - he was always a little sideways.

Kyokushuzan comes to mind

[Rocks 1,807]

I am surprised by this though. He's always been popular, all the round Chiyo are, with commenters during livestreams, etc. and there was a lot of comments by Japanese on the story itself praising him and wishing him good luck. You would think this would get more publicity. 

 

More stories now. Apparently he started talking about it after Aki and it's always been his dream to run a restaurant. Not surprising. It will be a  yakiniku  place in Tokyo.

https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/585946

 

Apparently he will do a press conference on the 21st.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Rocks

[Hankegami 464]

1 hour ago, Rocks said:

There was a battle over the Sanoyama Kabu in Kokonoe and he came out on the short end and is leaving a huff. You could make it a minute in a huff if you like. (Groucho joke).

Considering that Chiyootori left the kabu open a few weeks ago - which means it is reserved to someone else - and now Chiyotairyu is quitting abruptly, I'd say this is the most likely working hypothesis.

37 minutes ago, Rocks said:

More stories now. Apparently he started talking about it after Aki and it's always been his dream to run a restaurant. Not surprising. It will be a  yakiniku  place in Tokyo.

https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/585946

Perhaps. Chiyotairyu is surely an eclectic enough character to drop it out mid-basho just because he didn't feel it anymore, and to walk out and open a restaurant instead to enter the kabu meat-grinder. Or they are just smiling to the press.

Anyway, given the situation I am prone to follow @Akinomaki's idea that Sanoyama had always remained property of moto-Chiyotaikai. He lent it to Chiyootori because he evidently wants to keep him in but the latter has not enough funds to buy the kabu. However, Kokonoe-oyakata evidently wants to sell Sanoyama for some reason, so he waited for Chiyootori to be covered by another kabu and opened an auction as soon as Chiyootori borrowed Oyama. Chiyotairyu was either discarded or chose to not run for it. I think he did an offer and was rejected though. There is no reason for him to leave sumo out of the blue without racking up a few more paychecks in Juryo while doing the groundwork for this famous restaurant in the meanwhile.

This scenario, however, implies that Kokonoe-oyakata most likely accepted the offer of another Chiyo Gang member. Had he received an offer from a wrestler of another stable, he should have picked Chiyotairyu instead - why letting a kabu out of your heya? Of course, assuming that Chiyotairyu had enough resources to make a compelling offer. But I doubt he would be leaving this way were he not convinced to having been wronged by his stablemaster.

Now, from other topics we have already resumed there were only that many kabu-worthy sekitori in Kokonoe stable: Chiyotairyu, Chiyomaru, Chiyonokuni, Chiyonoo, and of course Chiyootori. Chiyoshoma could come in had he gained Japanese citizenship. Let's play CLUEDO. Chiyotairyu is going out to play Hell's Kitchen, put him out. Chiyootori wouldn't have changed kabu were he going to buy Sanoyama, put him out too. Now, Chiyotairyu was also the most obvious candidate to Sanoyama on curriculum vitae alone, so if our scenario is true Kokonoe-oyakata made his choice upon personal reasons - he liked the other guy better, or someone else liked him better. Since no one of us is friend with moto-Chiyotaikai, we are getting very speculative here. Here's our candidates and the possible reasons for being chosen:

• Chiyoshoma: current heyagashira and the first Kokonoe wrestler to be promoted in Maakuchi after Chiyotaikai became stablemaster. Were him the chosen one, he should be going to get Japanese citizenship soon though.
• Chiyomaru: Chiyootori's more popular (and therefore perhaps also more well-funded) brother. Perhaps Kokonoe was compelled to favor him so to convince his brother to hang on despite his bad luck in buying a kabu for himself.
• Chiyonokuni: I have no sources linking him to Chiyotaikai in particular. His brother however runs a restaurant named after them both, so perhaps that's an implicit hint that Chiyonokuni is planning to join him there after his retirement.
• Chiyonoo: I don't know much about him, and basically no one ever thought he could be a compelling candidate.

In short, the most viable candidates at present are Chiyomaru and Chiyoshoma (if he's really going to be naturalized, of which to my knowledge there is zero evidence). Now, I believe that Chiyotaikai would have liked to keep his only san'yaku, and with Chiyotairyu walking out Chiyootori remains the only one left. I don't know how NSK economics work, but perhaps selling the kabu to Chiyomaru could also help Chiyootori getting his much-needed funds for his own kabu. This way Kokonoe would have a chance to secure two junior coaches for the stable in the long run - the popular Kinoshita brothers. So, perhaps it's Chiyomaru after all?

[Asapedroryu 229]

Can't we just assume he wanted to be a restaurant owner for his 2nd life after sumo?

Not everyone in sumo might want to be in it until they are 70. People have other dreams. Expecially someone like him that only went professional at 22 and has experienced other things in life.

[Jakusotsu 5,898]

15 minutes ago, Hankegami said:

Chiyonoo: I don't know much about him, and basically no one ever thought he could be a compelling candidate.

...which would make him the most obvious suspect in a classic whodunnit.

[Rocks 1,807]

10 minutes ago, Asapedroryu said:

Can't we just assume he wanted to be a restaurant owner for his 2nd life after sumo?

Not everyone in sumo might want to be in it until they are 70. People have other dreams. Expecially someone like him that only went professional at 22 and has experienced other things in life.

True. But people will speculate. 

[Hankegami 464]

12 minutes ago, Asapedroryu said:

Can't we just assume he wanted to be a restaurant owner for his 2nd life after sumo?

Not everyone in sumo might want to be in it until they are 70. People have other dreams. Expecially someone like him that only went professional at 22 and has experienced other things in life.

1 minute ago, Rocks said:

True. But people will speculate. 

That's mostly because of the "Sanoyama mystery". Everyone was expecting a Kokonoe boy to retire and get the kabu, with most of us putting their money on Chiyotairyu because he's the most successful rikishi of the heya. And yesterday, Chiyotairyu suddenly retired (see?!) only to open a restaurant (wut??).

Had Chiyootori stayed the borrower of Sanoyama the time being, no one would be questioning Chiyotairyu's choice to leave.

[Rocks 1,807]

21 minutes ago, Hankegami said:

That's mostly because of the "Sanoyama mystery". Everyone was expecting a Kokonoe boy to retire and get the kabu, with most of us putting their money on Chiyotairyu because he's the most successful rikishi of the heya. And yesterday, Chiyotairyu suddenly retired (see?!) only to open a restaurant (wut??).

Had Chiyootori stayed the borrower of Sanoyama the time being, no one would be questioning Chiyotairyu's choice to leave.

Also true. The timing of the opening up of Sanoyama can't be a coincidence. 

I don't think it is Chiyoshoma because he married a Mongolian and doesn't seem to have put down deep roots in Japan. I think he will return to Mongolia to make his fortune and keep his hand in sumo as a recruiter. 

Chiyomaru is there too and it makes sense that Chiyotori stepped aside and can't buy his own kabu because he is supporting his older brother. 

I still lean towards Chiyonokuni though. I didn't know about his restaurant with his brother but that may be to support his brother. It would also give him a source of funds for a kabu.  

I guess we will find out in the coming months. No matter who it is of those 3  expect they will continue wrestling until they drop from Juryo to rack up cash. 

[maglor 122]

I looked through sumodb, and it doesn't seem like it's as uncommon as people say for someone to retire midway through a basho. Guys who dropped down into juryo do it all the time, but even when it comes to Makuuchi Chiyotaikai himself did it.

[Rocks 1,807]

5 minutes ago, maglor said:

I looked through sumodb, and it doesn't seem like it's as uncommon as people say for someone to retire midway through a basho. Guys who dropped down into juryo do it all the time, but even when it comes to Makuuchi Chiyotaikai himself did it.

I think the point was before Day 8. Most do when it becomes obvious they will drop. Chiyotairyu would have started facing guys with poor records and could easily get 6 wins to avoid the drop if his heart was in it. Even with dropping he would have had 3-4 basho in juryo if he wanted it. He's not a former Ozeki worried about how it would look. Add that to no public indication of his desire to leave prior then it is surprising. 

[Koorifuu 928]

14 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Still, it's Meigetsuin - he was always a little sideways.

Honestly, judging by what we knew from before he joined ozumo, I'd never have imagined his career would be both lengthy and perfectly honourable. It was virtually controversy-free. Full credit to him for proving me wrong.

[bettega 431]

I'll miss him 

Speculating, I think that he received a knife in the back.

[Yamanashi 3,800]

9 minutes ago, bettega said:

I'll miss him 

Speculating, I think that he received a knife in the back.

Okurinaifu.

I'll miss him, too.  One-dimensional usually, but deadly when he got the charge going.  Now that he and Tochiozan are gone, who's going to keep up the Elvis tradition?

[chishafuwaku 474]

 

 

I don't remember drinking alcohol that day 

Should I be worried?