Preparations of the Y/O - Kyushu 2025

[Kintamayama 47,259]

Oonosato started training. He had nine bouts against Juryo Shirokuma at home on the 29th, going 7-2. Due to a string of events, including the London koen, he said it had been the first time he did real sumo keiko since before Aki in September. "It's been a really long time. I'd forgotten how to use my upper body, but my lower body was solid," he said, satisfied. His tachiai was sharp, and his right thrusts and left otsuke were timely. "I've developed a habit of pulling back. I'll fix that," he said. He plans to continue training at his heya until the Nishonoseki Ichimon joint training on the 2nd of next month, saying, "I'm not in shape to go for degeiko. I want to tighten my body a bit more and get ready."

Edited Wednesday at 13:12 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 47,259]

Houshouryuu began full-scale preparations for Kyushu on the 29th. He won all 11 bouts against rikishi ranked Makushita and  below at Tatsunami beya. He expressed his enthusiasm for the year-end tournament, where he will be aiming for his first Yokozuna yusho, saying, "I think I'm in good shape. I love Kyushu." On the 22nd, he returned from  London where he won all five of his bouts. He said he had been suffering from jet lag, saying, "Sometimes I'd wake up at 3 a.m. But since coming to Kyushu, I've gotten much better. It's difficult to adjust.." Last tournament, he lost in a playoff against fellow Yokozuna Oonosato. Fukuoka is a place he remembers from his 2017 New Apprentice Exam. This is his first time there as a Yokozuna and showed his competitive spirit, saying, "It's been eight years already. It took eight years for me to become Yokozuna. Oonosato did it even quicker, though."

Edited Wednesday at 13:05 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 47,259]

Oonosato, aiming for his second consecutive yusho, had 11 bouts against Juryo Shirokuma and Makushita Hananoumi at  Nishonoseki beya in Nishi Ward, Fukuoka City on the 31st, finishing with 8 wins and 3 losses. He also had some back-pedaling matches, and expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "It's not very good." With the Nishonoseki Ichimon's joint training session scheduled for the 2nd, he commented, "First, I need to think about how to prepare for the joint training. I'll think about degeiko after that." With a busy schedule including the London koen in October, he commented, "That's quite a bit of time lost. I want to make up for it by training hard." He spent time on basic exercises such as shiko, suriashi, and teppo  explaining his intentions, saying, "It's cold, so I tried to sweat from the core of my body."

Edited Friday at 14:48 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 47,259]

Oonosato showed excellent form today, hinting at his chance to become the first Japanese rikishi to achieve the feat of four yushos in a single year since former Yokozuna Takanohana in 1996. Today, he participated in the Nishonoseki Ichimon rengo-keiko held at Sadogatake beya in Fukuoka City in preparation for the Kyushu basho which starts next Sunday.  He had 15 consecutive matches against Ozeki Kotozakura, finishing with 12 wins and 3 losses. Kotozakura withdrew late in the previous basho due to a right knee injury, and even taking into account Kotozakura's delayed training, Oonosato displayed superior techniques, including strong right hand grips, left ottsuke, and even getting a morozashi after a grip-change. In short, he overwhelmed and dominated his opponent.. As a result of the London koen held in October, the rikishi are facing training challenges as they have to deal with the late start.. Even after returning to Japan on October 21, Oonosato had to attend an event in his hometown of Ishikawa Prefecture and travel to Kyushu, which meant this was his first time training outside the heya before the tournament. Even so, he commented, "I tried to work at a fast pace, but I don't think my lower body felt too bad. I think I can still get better. My stamina was a little low. 15 days is a long time, so I want to prepare thoroughly. The regional tournaments are an issue for me. Last year, I had a poor record of 9-6 -. This time, we had London, and my training regimen was different from the usual. I'm not sure how it will go, but I have one more week, so I want to prepare thoroughly and do my best." While pointing out his issues, he also expressed a certain sense of accomplishment. Of his five yushos to date, four came at the Tokyo tournaments, and the remaining one came in Osaka. He has yet to win the yusho in Kyushu. Regarding this, he said, "This is the last tournament of the year. As I said when the rankings were announced, I want to work hard and aim for four yushos this year." He did not hide his desire to finish the final tournament of the year with the best possible result.

Nishonoseki Oyakata, who oversaw his training, also praised his excellent condition. "He's been working on the basics well, so I think he is in good shape. Now, if he can just improve his precision a little more, I think he'll face day 1 prepared. I don't know why, but he came back (from London) feeling energized. He seems to be in good shape. He feels more energized than he felt last basho." The Oyakata speculated that he had not neglected his physical training during his first overseas tour. "I think London was tough, but he did well despite that. I think he was working hard there," he said, showing his satisfaction at Oonosato's  heightened awareness as a Yokozuna. While more keiko details are yet to be decided, he plans to continue to go for degeiko as he has done in the past. "I think I need to step up my game again from tomorrow and make adjustments. I want to maintain my style as always, using both my right and left hands and fight aggressively." He plans to further improve his condition, get stronger, and achieve his goal of winning his fourth yusho this year with a perfect record. [Takada Bunta]

[Kintamayama 47,259]

 Kotozakura , who withdrew from Aki  due to a right knee injury, had 15 bouts against Yokozuna Oonosato at the Nishonoseki-ichimon rengo-keiko today.  Despite finishing with 3-12, he expressed a strong desire to enter Kyushu, saying, "I want to enter a basho when I can, I don't want to be kadoban*." In addition to an old injury to his left knee, he also had concerns about both knees, but laughed, "I think my balance has improved." His father and Oyakata Sadogatake said, "He never said a word about going kyujo. Judging from today's training, I think he'll be fine."

* I wrote this song, influenced by Kotozakura:

"I want to enter a basho when I can,

I  don't really want to be kadoban,

It never was a part of my plan,

Gotta prove that I'm a macho man,

My father used to be a shinpan,

He likes to listen to Steely Dan,

So come and help me, mina-san,

'Couse I don't really want to be kadoban!!"

(Repeat 3 times, add salt to taste)