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Reports of Sumo Forum's death are somewhat exaggerated. As you've probably noticed, the forum has become more and more temperamental and bug-ridden of late. This is due to the underlying software lacking updates and being increasingly incompatible with current browsing technology. There is a complex story of service providers, licenses, and technology versions to explain some of that, while the rest can be summed up as "life happens". Nevertheless, after an unforeseen, unfortunately long, and frankly unforgivable period of not managing to fix things, we've finally sorted out details technical, financial, and miscellaneous, and are now able -- with apologies -- to bring you a new version of the forum software with a hopefully improved user experience. Some things are still being sorted out and tweaked, but the forum is now fully operational and open for business. As per usual, we've opened a feedback thread for comments. TL;DR: forum update happened, things changed, complain here.

Hoshoryu isn't the only new yokozuna for Haru

The Final countdown- looks like we somehow made it..

It's official. Committee vote was unanimous. Hoshoryu is our newest Yokozuna. Congrats to Hoshoryu. May you have a fruitful career at sumo's highest rank with plenty of yusho, minimal kyujo, and an outpouring of hinkaku.

In January I acquired a folded, two sided poster of kimarite illustrated by the late Kototsurugi. Bilingual (Japanese/English). Wish it was a booklet.

Hi guys, I'm the admin in Natto's Discord and was responsible for his Telegram channel. I'll quickly go over what happened and what is happening. At the beginning of December, myself and some others in his Discord server were actually getting copyright strikes WITHIN Discord for posts that contained links to Natto's videos. My account got muted for 24 hours and then eventually the Discord just wasn't there anymore. They didn't give us a chance to remove to links or anything, just gone. They also took down Natto's personal website by contacting his webhost directly. This was all done by a company who specialised in protecting Japanese companies IP overseas, who NHK have obviously hired to chase him down. So over December we decided that the only option going forward was to switch to Abema footage, and to (at least initially) drastically reduce the number of people who had access to his videos in the hopes of shaking off this company. Hopefully both of these things combined will allow us to regroup a little and see how things go. There's just so much noise around his videos usually it's impossible to run any sort of experiments like this. So: - Natto's Discord is back, but it's semi-private for now. The only way you can get Discord to remove individual posts for copyright is a manual process via email and involves quoting to them the unique ID of a post. This means someone had to come in the server, find the posts and email them to DIscord's copyright reporting process. So for now, we're keeping membership limited to keep people like that out to the best of our abilities. - Natto is making videos, but they're being distributed on a limited scale while we try out what we can get away with. I'm not even going to fully say how we're distributing the videos, to keep some air of secrecy. Someone else is then taking the videos and putting them on their own Telegram channel (the SumoCuts Telegram channel Akinomaki mentioned above), which we're aware of, and then someone has taken the videos from there and is doing their own Russian commentary over them. Neither of them are Natto himself though. Anyone pretending to be Natto on Youtube and especially Facebook are scammers trying to solicit donations in his name. There's a guy seemingly from Vietnam who has been doing this for years now, but Natto is NOT on Youtube and NOT on Facebook. If you get to watch the videos that's great but don't give anyone any money unless you're getting it from the legit source. If you don't know the legit source, then simply do not donate. Natto isn't really that concerned with people reuploading his videos (especially since it means it's other Telegram channels and Youtube channels in the firing line and not him) but the people trying to make money off others under false pretences are certainly nothing to do with him. Reddit is absolutely swamped with people asking for the videos but I'm sorry, unless we know who you are you'll have to miss this one out. The Reddit discourse is just a clusterfuck and anything I said in there would be buried but hopefully here I can get something across. I highly suggest joining the SumoCuts Telegram channel if you're that desperate for Natto, if not you're stuck with the official sources. Sorry to post this diatribe but hopefully it clarifies things. If things don't calm down then maybe Natto will never go "public" again, but NHK's actions are forcing our hand.

I would stop doing this in a heartbeat if a real alternative pops up. The NHK recap the guys do in English is perfect but come on- an eight hour delay till it starts makes no sense. If I can do this in half an hour, they can do it in a minute. I have always said I would stop , but i never did (contrary to what I keep hearing..) because an alternative is lacking. And yes, it is a time-consuming thing- it's not like I take NHK's program as is and rebroadcast it. I turn 2 hours into 15 minutes. I like to think I'm (and Natto, to a much greater degree) adding some value. I don't want to be paid -I just want to be left alone to put this out there. BUT, as an aside, the NSK official youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@sumo-video is slowly but Shirley putting up all major bouts about an hour later with no commentating whatsoever in glorious HD, hopefully as a sign to what may come. They even put up the last four Makushita bouts from today. 14 bouts in all, a few from Juryo as well. It started out with two bouts a day about a year ago, and is slowly evolving into something that I am hoping will make us all happy. Looks like a pilot to me. BUTT, we've had our share of disappointments re these hopes for many years, so..

It has been some time since my last post on this forum but this thread itches my fingers too much as there is so much wrong information in it. There are no clear rules as to what will happen in regards to promotions. The people in charge change all the time, public reception changes, business situation changes, etc. pp and thus something that has been done a year ago could be handled the opposite way now. On the positive side it makes it interesting but on the negative side your favourite rikishi can suffer under it. The suprisingly positive side of it is that they basically got Yokozuna promotions right. There are hardly any career Ozeki who have done way better than the worst Yokozuna. There is a guideline, not a rule, that an Ozeki with back to back yusho will be promoted but they can be promoted with less and also not be promoted with it. We have not had the case, yet, but in 1996 we had Musashimaru winning an Ozeki yusho at 11-4 and the NSK publicly declared he was not on a Tsuna run the next basho as 4 losses were not Yokozuna material. So it is not a given, but still might be done some day. Chiyonoyama was a completely different case. The NSK wanted to promote him but his Oyakata sad he was still too immature. The whole thing was based on then-Dewanoumi (Ex-Tsunenohana), not on the rest of the NSK or YDC. Konishiki's case is always brought up again but I can assure you it was more of an international affair than something that was a major topic in the sumo world when it happened. His middle tournament of 12-3 looks way better on paper than in real time. He got his third loss on day 7 and was out of the Yusho race. The headlines were on 19-year old Maegashira Takahanada who went 14-1 and got his first yusho and the the second topic was Akebono, a 21-year old Komusubi finishing 13-2. So it was not even close to a jun-yusho for Konishiki but an also-ran behind the future of sumo. When he went into the next basho there was a consenus that he was not on a Yokozuna run. There are no internet forums to check that up but Sumo World magazine is a nice contemporary witness. If you read the roundtable discussions with guys like Andy Adams, David Shapiro, Clyde Newton, Doreen Simmons and others you will find that they do not even discuss Konishiki's promotion but discuss how he was weak mentally by blowing it in the first week and overall not being Yokozuna material. There is no promotion talk after his last yusho, however they are surprised by the international uproar during the July issue. And Sumo World was known for highlighting the Hawaiian rikishi as Americans were probably their main readership. These days, however, Konishiki's results may warrant promotion as they have become more lenient again. By the way, the best example for someone not being promoted to Yokozuna despite outstanding results is Asahifuji in early 1989 with five straight basho of 12 plus jun-yushos, three straight tournaments with a maximum of two losses and two play-off appearances and already a Yusho to his credit from the year before. I am pretty sure Kotozakura would be promoted somewhere along the way if he were to put up the same numbers now. But given sumo's state of having no outstanding rikishi at the moment he might win five yusho with those results.

Day 1: Was was..

This amused me as I'm going through last basho's lower division matches...Mishima vs Goshima: Appropriately, the rikishi representing the larger number of islands prevailed in the bout. The DB knows of 565 match-ups between rikishi whose shikona both started with a numeral kanji. This was the first one where the number was the only thing that differed between their names.

There are no regulations about whether a rikishi's chonmage should curve to the right, left or even go straight down the centre, but almost all rikishi curve theirs to the right. One rikishi bucks the trend - Aonishiki currently curves his to the left, reviving an old tradition of Hawaiian rikishi. First class tokoyama Tokojin, who prepares Aonishiki's mage, explained that former Sekiwake Takamiyama started doing it because, as he was left-handed, it was easier for him to curve it left if nobody was around to help. Other Hawaiian rikishi, whether right or left-handed, copied him and the tradition was born. At the Kyushu basho, where Aonishiki made his Juryo debut, Tokojin suggested curving it to the left. Aonishiki was rather shy and only tried it a few times, but recently he has specifically asked Tokojin to curve it left. Musashigawa-oyakata (former Yokozuna Musashimaru) also used to have his chonmage curved left, but there were times on jungyo when a tokoyama wasn't aware and curved it to the right. "It felt strange, so I got a comb and pulled it to the left. Takamiyama was the first because he was left-handed. Then Konishiki, Akebono, me... I was the last, but all the rikishi from Hawaii curved their chonmage to the left." Musashigawa was happy to learn that the tradition had been revived. "The rikishi of today don't know so much about the past. Aonishiki is doing it? That's great!" Rikishi can show off their individuality through the kimono and obi. But it seems even in the chonmage, if you look closely, there are hidden expressions and traditions on display.

Out of curiosity, I tried to dig somewhat deeper than photographic evidence can give us. Among other things, I noticed the following patterns. The new yokozuna has free of choice in choosing his style, with asterisks. General freedom: Kisenosato chose Unryu despite his late oyakata (Takanosato) were a Shiranui practictioner. Referencing is still strong: the vast majority of Shiranui practictioner belong to the Isegahama ichimon - and that's not because of Asahifuji. It can be traced back to Tachiyama, the first modern practitioner of this style. Besides from exception, a yokozuna deshi almost always follows the style of his yokozuna Oyakata. The teacher virtually always belong to the same ichimon of the new Yokozuna. Teachers from other ichimon actually appear barred from teaching the dohyo-iri new yokozuna from another ichimon. The only documented exception to that is Takanohana (Takanohana) teaching Kakuryu (Tokitsukaze) - but the Tokitsukaze Ichimon had literally no Yokozuna available. By the rule mentioned above, Kakuryu should have been taught by Kashiwado - who died sixteen years before his promotion. Kotozakura (I) was taught by Taiho (same Nihonoseki ichimon) likely because the Yoshibayama belonged to the Isegahama ichimon. The Oyakata (whether being a yokozuna who practiced the same style) is the preferential teacher over other yokozuna of the same ichimon. Those considerations helped me to re-create the most likely "lineages", going back to the late 19th century but not before, for reasons I will explain in the following lines, including little evidence for an ichimon system before this time. The first 5 Yokozuna up to Onomatsu didn't have anyone that could tech them the style - it was also very new back then. I also believe that the yokozuna dohyo-iri was once the same dohyo-iri made in group by the other wrestlers. The latter became increasingly stylized as the number of wrestlers increased and room for movements was reduced. There was then little reason to believe that they were taught the movements by anyone but their oyakata himself as the basic dohyo-iri. Things start to be more complicated with the elevation of Inazuma as the 7th Yokozuna (1830), while the 6th Yokozuna Onomatsu was still active. It is not impossible that Onomatsu taught the dohyo-iri to Inazuma, but I think it's unlikely. There was no such tradition back then, and there is no evidence that the dohyo-iri already represented the status symbol it became later on. Anyway, Inazuma himself didn't become an oyakata after his retirement (1839) apparently, although both him and Onomatsu could have been around when the 8th Yokozuna Shiranui (I) was elevated to the rank (1840). Also, Onomatsu and Shiranui were both oyakata when the 9th yokozuna Hidenoyama got the rank (1847). However, their involvement in either case it's pure speculation. Then we come to the first "dohyo-iri stars" of Ozumo, the 10th Yokozuna Unryu (1861) and the 11th, Shiranui II (1863). It is most likely that Unryu created his style himself (paradoxically the Shiranui style), while in the latter case we have the first virtually ascertained passage, Shiranui I > Shiranui II, he former being the oyakata of the latter. For those who didn't catch up with the news, it is virtually certain today that Unryu invented the Shiranui style, and Shiranui II the Unryu style, only for their names to be mixed up later on. The main piece of evidence is an 1869 photo of Shiranui II and newly promoted 13th Yokozuna Kimenzan (see here), the former showing the unryu style to the left, while the other mimicking the Shiranui style to the right - there are several other photos showing Shiranui doing Unryu, so they weren't imitating each other there. That's also enough evidence for concluding that also Kimenzan used the Shiranui, which give us the passage Unryu > Kimenzan (1869), Unryu being an oyakata at the time. That's harder to say who taught the 12th Yokozuna Jinmaku (1867, a documented Unryu practitioner) and the 14th Yokozuna Sakaigawa (1877). In theory, Unryu was still alive back then (died 1879), but their promotion is to be framed in the context of the Boshin War, which destabilized also the sumo world and produced several unofficial Yokozuna in absence of a recognized authority. We reach some safer ground with the 15th Yokozuna, Umegatani I (promoted 1884). Although not assured, it is likely that we have Sakaigawa > Umegatani I. Both men belonged to the Dewanoumi ichimon (if more modern factions are to be trusted), and anyway Sakaigawa was the only Yokozuna that remained as an oyakata (Jinmaku covered several official posts in his retirement). The death of Sakaigawa himself in 1887 also leaves Umegatani I as the only available teacher for Nishinoumi I (1890), while it is possible that the latter taught his stablemate Konishiki the ritual (1896). The same might have been done by Konishiki when Ozutsu was promoted (1901). Also, notice that those Yokozuna, from Nishinoumi I to Ozutsu, were successive - a new one was selected when the previous retired. Teaching the style might have constituted a moment of "passing the torch", possibly. After him, both Hitachiyama and Umegatani II (1903) were likely taught by Umegatani I, being all part of the Dewanoumi ichimon. Therefore, we have the following likely succession schemes leading to the present day:

Nikkan Sports was able to get the photo from Tamawashi, it a good selfie! o

This drives me nuts. I re-watched Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings recently, and when the Balrog fell down into the abyss, but caught Gandalf's ankle with his whip, I was thinking, "Would that really constitute the dead body rule?

Nabatame and Mita in Juryo are both from Futagoyama beya. Until today, they had exactly the same win loss record. Exactly. That ended today. I thought you'd like to know. And Mita in Hebrew means bed. Kills me. Before that, Kise killed me. Kise in Hebrew is chair. I'm wondering what piece of furniture is next.

The previous two playoffs he had late meltdowns: the first time he lost on day 14, 15, and then the playoff; the second time he lost day 15 and then the playoff. This time Onosato was always hot on his tail and I thought Takayasu did pretty well in his losses. He also delivered in his 15th match. It's easy to say he choked, but I didn't really see the signs of that as much as before. This time it seemed he had an overwhelming rival and he simply wasn't good enough at this stage to fend him off the whole tournament.

I promise this is the only offtopic post I'll make here. Soo out of that bunch, it got Kusano, Miyagi, Otsuji, Tochimaru, Matsui, Ishizaki and Chiyomaru right. Most of those are their real surnames (all except Tochimaru and Chiyomaru) so they're way more likely to be translated correctly. Still, that's better than 4%! Shoutout to ms11e Heavy Drinker.

Day 2 -Crocodile day

Full translation, since this may turn out to be a major issue.. Under the leadership of Chairman Hakkaku the Kyokai is drawing attention as it appears to be moving towards introducing a "70-year retirement age" plan. The revised Act on Stabilization of Employment of Older Persons, which came into effect in 2021, makes it mandatory for companies to offer employment opportunities to employees until age 65, and stipulates that companies are obligated to make efforts to introduce continued employment systems such as raising the retirement age to 70. Prior to this, since 2014 the Kyokai has been re-employing Oyakatas, limited to those aged between 65 and 70. If those seeking re-employment receive approval from the board of directors, their employment will be extended until age 70 in the position of advisor, with 70% of their previous salary being paid. Currently, there are eight re-employed Oyakata: Minezaki, Tatsutayama, Takashima, Kagamiyama, Irumagawa Michinoku, Hanakago, and Miyagino A sumo reporter said, "The re-employed Oyakata cannot become executive directors or Oyakata but rather they are tasked with supporting other Oyakata by working in the life guidance department as an etiquette instructor, or by joining the instruction and promotion department or compliance department. However, in reality, there is nothing for them to do. In the case of regional basho, which require travel and accommodation expenses, the Kyokai does not make participation mandatory, perhaps because they do not want to cover the expenses. There were many participating Oyakata who did not even attend the Nagoya basho." Many Oyakata are approaching the retirement age of 65. Such re-employment also has its drawbacks. To remain in the Sumo Kyokai as an elder, one must obtain one of the 105 elder names. Because the number is limited, if more Oyakata remain as advisors, it will mean that rikishi who want to remain in the Kyokai will not be able to obtain an elder name. In the next two years, there will be 10 Oyakata who will reach the retirement age of 65: Ootake , Shiratama, Tokiwayama, Jinmaku, Katsunoura, Kasugano, Sakaigawa, Kumegawa, Shibatayama and Nishikido. Ootake Oyakata, who will reach the retirement age of 65 in September this year, will exchange elder names with Kataonami beya's Kumagatani Oyakata. It was announced after the Nagoya basho that the new Ootake Oyakata will inherit Ootake beya, and Ootake Oyakata will be rehired as Kumagatani and remain as a heya advisor. If everyone remains in the Kyokai as advisors, it will become difficult for active rikishi to obtain elder names even if they want to remain in the Kyokai. As a result, there will be cases where rikishi who are unable to retire and have fallen from Ozeki will continue to compete in Juryo. In recent years, Yutakayama, Ounoshou, Toyonoshima, Shouhouzan, Chiyotairyuu, and Joukouryuu have all retired without being able to obtain elder names. Until now, some Oyakata have chosen not to be rehired and instead made way for the next generation, but there are concerns that the shortage of elder names will become even more severe with the retirement age of 70." Will labor costs not increase?! Weekly Post was the first to interview the Sumo Kyokai in June about the introduction of a 70-year retirement age and the backlash against it, but was only told, "We have nothing to comment on" (Public Relations Department). The significance of this issue is that 62-year-old Chairman Hakkaku has one term, two years, until retirement under the current system, but if the retirement age is extended, he could potentially continue in his position for a longer period. A sumo journalist commented, "It is said that Chairman Hakkaku and Business Division Manager Kasugano were lobbying the board of directors to extend the retirement age to 70 during the Nagoya basho, but many Oyakata were opposed, fearing that there would be an even more chronic shortage of elder names. There are also rumors that they will consult with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the supervisory agency, after the basho. It's convenient for them that there are so many Oyakata turning 65 in one or two years. They are likely planning to use this influence to consult with the board of directors." Normally, extending the retirement age is a high hurdle for a company, as increased labor costs put pressure on management. However, the Sumo Kyokai has unique circumstances. A young Oyakata explains. "Even if the retirement age is extended or re-employment is implemented, personnel costs will not increase because the total number of elders is fixed at 105. In fact, personnel costs for re-employed elders will be kept at 70%. This is why the move can be made smoothly. However, if a retirement age of 70 is introduced, it will become even more difficult for active rikishi to remain with the Kyokai." Can this move really be said to be beneficial for the future of the sumo world? Future developments will be closely watched.

Due to popular request I added the career highest rank as an option.

My two cents on Hakuho leaving

Next on for Hoshoryu conspiracy theorists: Hoshoryu was just promoted so Onosato could have the number 5

Ugh, no. Just no.

I'm excited to find this. Scroll down a bit and there are incredible videos of matches, including shikona of the rikishi. If someone can decipher them it would be cool. The caption says 1900.. If this has been posted in the past, please break it to me gently. https://meiji.filmarchives.jp/works/

Hakuho and Takanohana are the only ones I can find since 1990. So he will make yokozuna, win tons of yusho, establish his own stable, annoy everyone, and get kicked out of the sport.

There once was a man from Madras Whose balls were both made of brass In stormy weather They clanged together And sparks flew out of his ass

The world of sumo has traditional shikona that have been passed down through the generations for decades. New rikishi are expected to live up to their names, and 20-year-old Maegashira Fujinokawa delivered a performance that lived up to expectations at the Nagoya basho. Fujinokawa, the eldest son of Isenoumi beya based Kabutoyama Oyakata, graduated from the prestigious Saitama Sakae High School and made his debut at the 2023 New Year basho. Starting the following Haru basho, he had 10 consecutive kachikoshi to reach Juryo and even was listed on the world famous and slightly prestigious lower division celebs list. He quickly passed through Juryo in just four bashos and made his Makuuchi debut in Nagoya, where he changed his shikona from "Wakaikari" to "Fujinokawa." "Fujinokawa" is a highly respected shikona that has been passed down at Isenoumi beya since the Meiji era. Entering the Nagoya basho as the sixth generation, Fujinokawa stumbled with two straight losses on the first days, but had five consecutive wins from Days 3 to 7. He struggled with a 1-3 record from the middle day through Day 11, but finished with four consecutive wins (including one fusensho) from Day 12 to the final day of the basho. He achieved double-digit wins in his debut tournament, earning his first Fighting Spirit Prize. Fujinokawa was initially expected to inherit the "Ooikari" shikona his father used during his active career, but it was at the request of the previous Isenoumi Oyakata (former Sekiwake, 4th generation Fujinokawa), that he decided to "adopt" the 6th generation shikona. He is expected to continue to shine next basho and beyond, but to do so, he will need to overcome the "26-year-old barrier" that both his predecessors, the Fujinokawas before him, could not cross. Both the previous two suffered from injuries.. Since 1958, when the six-basho a year system was established, the 4th Fujinokawa was active at Isenoumi stable from 1961 to 1972, and the 5th Fujinokawa from 1983 to 1987. Although the length of their careers differed, both retired from sumo at the young age of 26. The fourth Fujinokawa took about five years to make his Makuuchi debut in the Natsu basho of 1961, but he made a significant impact in Makuuchi , spending seven bashos in sanyaku (two Sekiwake bashos, five Komusubi bashos), winning seven special prizes (one Outstanding Performance Prize, four Technique Prizes, and two Fighting Spirit Prizes), and four kinboshi. He changed his shikona to Fujinokawa at the first basho of 1966, when he was promoted to Juryo . However, in the Nagoya basho of 1971, he suffered a serious injury, a broken left fibula, dropping him to Juryo . Then, in Aki of 1972, his second basho back in Makuuchi, he suffered a contusion to the lateral malleolus of his right foot, dropping him back to Juryo. This was the deciding factor, and he announced his retirement before the following Kyushu basho. The fifth Fujinokawa, who had won 17 titles as an amateur, made his debut in the March of 1983 as a Makushita tsukedashi. After three bashos in Makushita and nine in Juryo he took the name Fujinokawa in his third basho in Makuuchi in Nagoya 1985. However, due to a back injury he had been suffering from for some time, he was unable to reach sanyaku and fell to Juryo in Hatsu of 1987 and to Makushita in Haru the following year. He changed his shikona back to his real name, "Hattori," but was unable to make a comeback and retired after the Nagoya basho that year. Fujinokawa Mark VI is quite small, ranking 38th (176 cm) and 41st (117 kg) out of 42 makuuchi wrestlers at the Nagoya basho, but he has risen through the ranks thanks to his sharp tachiai and versatile attacking style. However, facing larger wrestlers day after day seems to take its toll, and he was forced to withdraw from this year's Hatsu Basho due to a distal rupture of his left biceps tendon. From the following basho through the Nagoya tournament, he is on a kachikoshi streak for three consecutive tournaments, but in his match against Maegashira Kotoshouhou on the fourth day of the basho, he appeared to be concerned about his left arm after a monoii was called on the first bout. How he prevents injuries to this and other parts of his lower body, which are vital for small wrestlers, will determine his future career. It is also important for him to continue and thoroughly adopt the same aggressive, forward-thinking style of sumo as he has done in the past. On the other hand, if he starts to use more defensive sumo, he will find himself in more positions that put a lot of strain on his body, which could result in a potentially serious injury. Having won 10 matches in Nagoya, where he was ranked Maegashira 14W, Fujinokawa is expected to rise to around Maegashira 9th in the Aki banzuke. His biggest goal at the moment is to be promoted to sanyaku, but will he be able to surpass his predecessors?

Aonishiki becomes the first maku'uchi wrestler to win two bouts by uchimuso in a calendar year since Kotomitsuki in 2008.

The oldest Japanese born in makuuchi and longest serving sekitori, Sadanoumi was in the focus on NikkanSP premium The father, komusubi Sadanoumi, retired at the Nagoya basho 1988 and became Hatachiyama (not Dewanoumi, heya attached Sekinoto at the intai press conference) - the son hasn't caught up with him yet, m1w is his highest rank so far, o o debut Haru 2003 in Sakaigawa-beya as Matsumura after middle school graduation - in kindergarten he wanted to become a rikishi, but then did no sumo - baseball, result: makekoshi start in jonokuchi - the only among those in makuuchi now with a jk makekoshi o after 1 year, for Hatsu 2004 he became Sadanoumi oo o o Hatsu 2010, makushita yusho o After Natsu 2010 juryo promotion o for Natsu 2014 makuuchi o o o o from Kumamoto, with Kumamon o o Natsu 2023 o wedding celebration (married in 2017, 2 daughters) o Natsu 2022, jun-yusho and 2nd kantosho o 4th oldest ever sansho winner last basho, where he turned 38 o Tananabata (7.7.) wish was sanyaku in 2023, let's see what it will be this year o

The twirling man, who was also a coach/helper at the sumo school. Much more notable retirement than your usual low ranker calling it quits. He bows out after nearly 30 years in ozumo. A couple fans handed him flowers, but I didn't see any stablemates waiting in the halls to greet him after his final match. https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202505240000273.html

Sawaisamu is retiring. After his last match today, he was greeted with a bouquet of flowers and could not stop crying. He had told his shisho last year that he would wrestle for one more year before retiring. He cited neck pain, a herniated disc, and high blood pressure as his reason for retiring. His hatsu dohyo was in Nagoya of 1992 and was the longest active wrestler after Hanazawa retired in 2022. He was a fan of Momoko Tsugunaga and from 2013 to 2017 had his shikona as Momochikazakura as a reference to his fandom. From 2018 he changed his shikona to the current Sawaisamu in honor of his father, whose stage name was Sawa Isamu as an enka artist. His father passed away in July of 2017. Highest rank was Jonidan 53. Last kachikoshi was in 2017 Natsu with a 4-3 record. He is the longest tenured jonokuchi wrestler with 135 basho ranked in the bottom division. He will work in food prep for a care facility in Chiba. His career record was 406-860-24 https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202505250000265.html Edit made to reflect the correction made by Yubinhaad

Final Day:

We've just observed the first time since Kyushu 2002 - Haru 2003 that three consecutive yusho have been won by ozeki. With three different ozeki it last happened Kyushu 1997 - Haru 1998.

Takayausu didn´t choke.Choking is a late string of unexpected losses. At the end he lost against a clearly superior opponent. No problem with that.

I know the fans are always impressed by shiko, but isn't this getting a little too up-close and personal?

In a few years sumo might have its own version of NFL Network, with live streaming of basho, documentaries, historical footage AOD, studio debate shows etc all in English. Some major players in global media are eyeing Japan's national sport with a view to making all that a reality

The forum software has been updated to the latest and greatest in branch 4.7.x. Due to us skipping a couple of versions a lot has changed under and over the hood. There are still settings to check and tweak, please allow us a bit of time to get things running smoothly. In the mean time, feel free to leave comments and feedback related to the update in this thread.

Sekiwake Wakatakakage appeared on ex-Toyonoshima's (42) YouTube channel, "Toyonoshima's Sumo-chan." His grandfather was former Komusubi Wakabayama, and his father was former makushita Wakashinobu. He's one of three brothers active in sumo, along with his eldest brother, Sandanme Wakatakamoto (33), and his second brother, Wakamotoharu (31). When Toyonoshima asked Wakatakakage, "What's good about having a father and brothers as wrestlers?" Wakatakakage replied, "All three of us are in the same stable, so we train together. I was the last one to join the stable. Since the two older ones were there, I don't think I had much to worry about when I joined." Toyonoshima then asked, "Do you three brothers get along well?" Wakatakakage replied, "Well, it's normal." Toyonoshima added with a wry smile, "It took you a few seconds to answer that..So, do you fight with your brothers?" Wakatakakage replied, "Not at all now." When asked about past fights, he recalled, "After all, Tsuyoshi (Wakamotoharu) and I are one year apart. I think my eldest brother (Wakatakamoto) and Wakamotoharu also fought." While his two older brothers joined sumo after graduating from high school, Wakatakakage went pro from university. When asked why, Wakatakakage replied, "Joining sumo right after graduating from high school? I never thought about it. I was small too. It was better than joining with half-hearted feelings.." "What did you do with your first salary?" "I bought my parents tickets for a holiday.." "Oh, back in the day, we used to give it to our Oyakata and it felt real good. Doesn't happen much these days, " said Toyonoshima. "Which rikishi would you have liked to face that you never faced?" "Takanohana.. I faced Hakuhou once and he had this aura about him.. I was scared, the whole atmosphere surrounding the bout was scary. He beat me by yoritaoshi..." "And I was scared of Asahouryuu. Really intimidating," added Toyonoshima. "Who did you admire growing up? "Harumafuji -small body, strong.." Full interview:

Hi! I'm Seseragi. I started watching sumo in November, keeping up with the Kyushu basho. One of NHK World's catchup videos appeared in my Youtube feed and I've been following sumo ever since! One thing I enjoy about sumo is the storylines and narratives that can develop over the course of Bashos. Like when people are on Yokozuna watch or whether this can finally be the time someone in particular wins a yusho. I've also been getting in to the fantasy games like Kachi Clash, Guess the Banzuke and Sumo Game, and for this basho I've tried out the Super Banzuke games (Chain Gang, ISP, Roto). Hoping to try some of the forum games in the future! It's good there are still traditional forums around!

I see you haven't heard about the special maegashira 0 rank created especially for Aonishiki

Well, it went down today- A rare sanban keiko session between two Yokozunae was held today. Yokozuna Houshouryuu and fresh Yokozuna Oonosato went to Sakaigawa beya in Fuso-cho, Aichi Prefecture, for degeiko. Houshouryuu and Oonosato took turns having several bouts each against Sekiwake Kirishima, Komusubi Takayasu, and Maegashira Hiradoumi of Sakaigawa beya, who were also there for the training session. After alternating and training with said opponents, they had 4 bouts between them as a finishing touch with Houshouryuu winning three and losing one. Apart from at the YDC soken, it is extremely rare for Yokozunae from different Ichimons to face each other in keiko. Even when combined with matches against other sekitori, Houshouryuu had a good record of 10 wins and one loss out of a total of 11 bouts. He had two bouts against Takayasu and five bouts against Hiradoumi, winning all of them. On the other hand, Oonosato had three wins and two losses against Kirishima and Hiradoumi, respectively. With a total of 14 bouts, he ended up with 7 wins and 7 losses, showing a mixed record. Their comments after keiko were also in contrast. Houshouryuu proudly stated, "I was able to train well. Even though I had fewer bouts, I was determined to put on a good performance." On the 4th, when he went to train at Isegahama beya, he hurt the area around his left big toe, and today he also trained with tape on the injured area. He did not train on the 5th and 6th, but emphasized that he has recovered, saying, "I'm much better now." Even with two days of rest, he continued to perform well, wiping away the sweat and saying, "All that's left is to train well until Friday and take care of my body. It's hot, so I have to be careful with my body." "Not there yet.. It was good that I got to train. We're in about the same situation, and it looks like we'll battle it out till the final day.. I want to do my best again starting tomorrow. Still, the quality was lacking, but on the plus side, at least I got to go all out. I want to continue to gambarize from here on, " said Oonosato.

Minitogawa (sorry )

I am immensely relieved that this isn't about a new scandal.

what makes you think those 3 are "far far better calibre guys"? I wont argue about them being better, but far far better? I disagree. Aonishiki is younger than all of them and has not hit a plateau not to mention Aonishiki has beat both Takerefuji and hakuoho and it was pretty easy for him. I can definitely understand disagreeing with his ceiling, but to say that there's absolutely nothing in Aonishiki that shows he's the real deal means you don't know what your seeing. Clearly he has much to improve but he also is the least experienced wrestler in the top division (and the youngest)

He already looks younger and healthier, somehow. Although not as young as this... I think I intended to post this shot from their amazumo days when they were all ranked in sanyaku together, but they never quite managed it. Three at once happened a couple of times, I think.

I take the point that young men doing dumb things while drunk is unsurprising. But I take issue with the idea that "this will remain very normal as long as there are young men and alcohol." That’s just another way of saying "boys will be boys"—and, respectfully, to hell with that. The only way this kind of behaviour remains normal is if people excuse it as such instead of calling it out for what it is: at best, ridiculously stupid and inappropriate; at worst, morally bankrupt and outright evil. A young person drinking and being too loud? Sure. Getting a bit emotional? Fine. Even roughhousing a little while mucking about? Maybe. But there’s a line—and I can say without hesitation that the sake bottle crossed it.

Apparent Lee?

My earliest memories of sumo go back to late 1995, followed by many wonderful evening broadcasts on Eurosport on German television. Until one day I came across a channel of a certain legend of this forum on the internet and have been a loyal viewer ever since. I've probably been a guest on sumoforum with its exceptional experts and enthusiastic members for just as long. Well, until now. My fondest sumo moment was when Moti-san has blurred Aoiyama. It was so spontaneous spot on and incredibly hilarious that other people ran into my room and asked me why I was laughing so hard. As I have not been able to see my all-time favourite rikishi live, I thought I would at least engage in a more personal exchange with all of you on this forum as you share your knowledge and deep love of sumo with us less linguistically gifted in Japanese and also share your private encounters with the rikishi. A versatile representative of the grandees was incredibly responsive to my simple comment and helped me to overcome the validation e-mail wall, that kept me from joining the forum for quite some time. Thank you once again Asashosakari. So now here i am and see you all later!