Rikishi talk about the Expo - and tell some nice stories

[Kintamayama 47,301]

At the Osaka Kansai Expo Tournament held in Osaka City on August 3rd, some rikishi showcased the charm of professional sumo, a symbol of Japanese culture. Yokozuna Oonosato, Aonishiki, and other famous rikishi on Jungyo for the Expo Tournament were there. Currently, the sumo world boasts 20 Mongolian-born wrestlers, including Yokozuna Houshouryuu. Other rikishi include Ukraine (makuuchi divisions Aonishiki and Shishi), Kazakhstan (Makuuchi  Kinbouzan), Russia (Rouga), and China (Juryo Daiseizan).

The number of "foreign-origin wrestlers" is even greater. One notable example is former Ozeki and Makuuchi rikishi Mitakeumi, whose mother is from the Philippines. Although he was demoted to Juryo for the first time in about 10 years in May, he returned to makuuchi after just one tournament at Nagoya , winning six consecutive matches from the first day. His performance suggested he might win his fourth championship. Mitakeumi said. "Why is (the Nagoya tournament) going well? Nothing in particular, but maybe it's because my shoulder injury is getting better? I grew up in the Philippines as a child, so I'm good with the heat. But this summer's heat might be even worse than it was in the Philippines..." I don't like crowded places." He grimaced at the continued heatwaves, but took a bite of the bread that had been brought to him. "I heard there's a Philippine Pavilion, but we're moving on to our next stop (Gifu City) after the Expo tour is over, so it's a shame I can't go! But I'd like to go while the Expo is still going on," he said, vowing to return.

Makuuchi rikishi Ouhou is another rikishi who has been gaining strength recently. Ouhou's grandfather was former Yokozuna Taihou. Taihou, who hails from Hokkaido, had a father from Ukraine. Inheriting that bloodline, Ouhou's skin is translucently white. "I don't like crowded places. The Expo site faces the sea, so the sea breeze is really nice." His hobbies include visiting aquariums so he enjoyed the ocean atmosphere during his break.

The rikishi participating in the summer jungyo, which began with the Expo tournament, are primarily Makuuchi rikishi and their tsukebito. Due to the absence of Houshouryuu (who joined on August 7th), popular wrestlers Ura and Endou, Juryo rikishi Hakuyouzan was invited to participate in the jungyo as a filler. "I was lucky to be able to participate in the Expo tour for the first time in a while. I love meat, especially churrasco, so I personally wanted to go to the Brazil Pavilion. I also wanted to try some authentic German sausages. While I won't be able to participate in the London tour in October (as I'm a Juryo rikishi), I would love to take part in the Paris tour in France next fall as a Makuuchi rikishi!" he said, setting his sights on a promotion to the Makuuchi division this year. ◆

"I want to return to Ozeki" In March, he battled for the championship with then-ozeki Oonosato and returned to Komusubi. In May Takayasu, 35, had a losing record of 6 wins and 9 losses, but remained at Komusubi. Fueled by this good fortune, he led the first half of the Nagoya basho with a record of 5 wins and 1 loss through the sixth day. "Even now, I am devoting my entire life to sumo, with the goal of returning to the rank of Ozeki," he said. When he first joined Naruto beya, he couldn't stand life there and ran away many times. He once walked home to his parents' house in Ibaraki Prefecture, where they ran a Filipino restaurant. After eating the Filipino food his mother cooked, his father would drive him to Naruto beya (at the time) in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, where he would profusely apologize to his Oyakata and senior apprentices. "Honestly, for the first two years I was a 'soft kid' who wasn't serious about sumo. In fact, when I joined sumo at the age of 15 in 2005, the 'Aichi Expo' was held in Nagoya. The Nagoya dormitory (for Naruto beya) was in Nagakute, close to the Expo site, so during the break after the Nagoya basho, I went to the Expo with my classmates and looked around the various pavilions. It's been 20 years since then. At that time, I couldn't even see what the future held, and I never imagined I'd still be wrestling until this age (35). This Osaka-Kansai Expo is a very emotional experience for me," Takayasu recalls. He has a back injury that caused him to withdraw from the summer tour midway through, but there is hope he will put up a fight that will give the top rikishi a hard time in Aki come September.

Edited August 13 by Kintamayama