Yubinhaad

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I found this on an old memory stick now you can enjoy it too (A special haiku edition of Kintaro's Musings from the 1999 Natsu basho, for the record) ================================== Welcome to Day 7 of the Natsu Basho. I'm back from a brief hiatus. I was off finding my muse. My brother, Obana, pointed out that a phrase I used in an e-mail, "One-legged fighter, stronger than one-armed fighter" was a good haiku fragment. Hmmm... I wonder... Perhaps we can sum up yesterday's action as follows: Giant Ozeki Spooked by a matta Gave Elvis the lead Yes, I know that haiku should include a seasonal (or nature) reference. For purposes of tonight's musings, we'll just say they all pertain to the Summer basho. Now, off to the races... Starting in Juryo... Otsukasa vs. Asanowaka Feisty Little Salt takes that elevator ride much farther than most Dewaarashi vs. Hoshitango Argentinean furry like a Panda Bear dropped by the Slug Beast Kobo vs. Mainoumi Crowd fave Mighty Mite may be tiny in stature but his heart beats strong Gojoro vs. Mitoizumi Sheets of salt rain down on this dohyo of his dreams A career winds down Moving on to the Makuuchi Bouts... Wakanoyama vs. Oginishiki Today a monkey No, a hairy gorilla God my shoulder hurts! Kyokutenho vs. Asanosho Tall Mongolian willing to take some sharp slaps for yorikiri Daizen vs. Hamanoshima Old man are you back? I kicked your butt twice before How did you do that?! Wakanosato vs. Wakanojo One legged Strong Man Walls come 'a tumbling down The Young Castle drops Kaiho vs. Yotsukasa Kabuki makeup Son of Leonid Brezhnev Kaiho wins today Shikishima vs. Terao Equine Terao and Porcine Shikishima Wild boar forces out horse Ganyu vs. Higonoumi Rock Man four and two The faceless one hits the ground Rock Man five and two Ohinode vs. Tokitsuumi Big Jabba-the-Hut facing off with Superman used the Kryptonite Tamakasuga vs. Kotoryu Two lads, two and four Victory is out of reach for the Dragon Harp Minatofuji vs. Tochinowaka Snarling old Guard Dog may not get kachi-koshi Ranked a bit too high. ***Halftime*** Halftime for judges Fighters stretching, fans smiling Kintaro boils soy beans Aogiyama vs. Toki King of Rock and Roll in the gleam of the spotlights is zensho no more Tosanoumi vs. Chiyotenzan Two Kinboshi but running nuke-nuke now gets the lead out Flexible fighter tumbling off the dohyo Life can be a bitch Tochinonada vs. Takatoriki Tricky old gangster continues his Natsu slide losing to Nada Dejima vs. Kotonowaka No Hello Kitty Kotonowaka now loves The Teletubbies The One Minute Man Often puts the fans to sleep Gyoji, Hakke yoi! Tochiazuma vs. Akinoshima Only a mother could love Island of Aki's dohyo polished face Takanonami vs. Kyokushuzan The Mongolian still hunting Ozeki scalps but can't get 'Nami's Musashimaru vs. Kaio Is the Band-Aid there? Kintaro's megane or The Shiroyuki? The battle is long Ebb and floe and wax and wane The Godfather wins Akebono vs. Miyabiyama Another new face hungry for a Kinboshi. Feet don't fail me now! Kotonishiki vs. Wakanohana Small Yokozuna Not ready to retire yet Really need this win. Kotonishiki sparkling on the dohyo Seventh Kinboshi ------------- We're back to three co-leaders -- Toki, Kotonishiki, and Musashimaru. Kintaro heads up the Hanamichi...

Heh, hiding in plain sight here already - Sosorkhuu is the one holding the salt basket in this picture, so presumably he's training at Tokiwayama-beya.

Short pro career for Taiyo but he's been doing sumo since elementary school. As a third-year student at Sashiki Junior High he was on the winning team at a National Prefectural Junior High Championships, and then went on to Buntoku High School where was again part of a winning team at the Inter-Highs. He became familiar with Onoe-beya as they hold annual winter training camps in his hometown of Ashikita, Kumamoto prefecture. A few pictures from his danpatsu-shiki. And some from Nishikimaru's danpatsu-shiki. His last bout was a win in a lengthy struggle with Kyonosato, who is also arguably too big for his own good, or at least for his knees. A good final effort from Nishikimaru, but I think that was really the only type of opponent he could do it with.

I'd still like to know what the plan was - or rather why it didn't work out - years ago when Inagawa (ex-Futeno) moved to Chiganoura, which looked like a clear-cut case of new shisho getting plenty of time to bed in before assuming leadership. But anyway, one other note: Hochi says Tokiwayama will stay on as sanyo after retirement age.

The Kyokai announced today that Minatogawa-oyakata (former Ozeki Takakeisho) will take over as shisho of Tokiwayama-beya after the 2026 Hatsu basho, changing the name of the heya. Current shisho Tokiwayama-oyakata (former Komusubi Takamisugi) reaches retirement age on March 1st. A few of the heya personnel will move to other heya, effective January 26th: Juryo gyoji Kimura Hideaki and Sandanme yobidashi Hiroshi move to Tamanoi-beya. Santo tokoyama Tokosen moves to Kise-beya. Sewanin Tochinoyama moves to Yamahibiki-beya. https://www.sumo.or.jp/IrohaKyokaiInformation/detail?id=726

32 of the Showa Survivors participated in the final basho of 2025, and exactly half of them achieved kachi-koshi to close out the year on a high note. 14 others finished with make-koshi, plus Asatenmai (0-2-5) and Higohikari (1-3-3) who went kyujo during the basho. Altogether the veterans gathered 109 wins and 123 losses. Higohikari was absent and will start next year off the banzuke. Top performer this basho in my view was Chiyoraizan, who won all of his first six bouts to book a return to Makushita on the next banzuke. I was cheering for an unlikely yusho by the 38-year-old but alas it wasn't to be. Another good performance came from Sadanokuni, a year younger than Chiyoraizan. He had an opposite record, losing his first bout but winning the remaining six. The result should hopefully be just enough to put him back in Sandanme. Longest-serving rikishi Tenichi found himself back in Jonokuchi for the first time since his debut in 1993. He celebrated his 48th birthday on Day 14 with his fifth win of the basho, all of them by oshidashi. Shoutout to 45-year-old Dairaido who has chalked up four consecutive 4-3 kachi-koshi - a return to Makushita would be amazing. Nionoumi has been going the other way lately, a slump of four consecutive 3-4 make-koshi taking him out of Makushita, but he's ended that here with a 4-3 kachi-koshi, the first win of which was against Dairaido. Itakozakura - 1,300th career bout, Day 7 Fujiazuma - 1,200th career bout, Day 4 and 600th career win, Day 10 Tochikasuga 1,100th career bout, Day 9 Full results for 2025 Kyushu in banzuke order:

Do we have any idea what happened to him? On October 18th shindeshi attending the sumo school visited the Nominosukune shrine as part of their education about the history of sumo, and helped clean up the grounds. Gyotoku was present but said it was unlikely he would participate in this basho due to poor health (体調不良). At the time he was only able to do basic exercises like shiko and suriashi in keiko, so he remained in Tokyo to continue his recuperation. During the basho Nikkan's Sasaki reported that according to Tamanoi-oyakata (former Ozeki Tochiazuma) Gyotoku has myocarditis, apparently caused by a bacterial infection acquired through a wound. Gyotoku on the right during the shrine visit:

Shoutout to Hatsuyama for reaching 50 in Juryo this year. First to do that since Daishoho in 2018.

Sd1w Ieshima had a fusenpai for his bout on Day 13, having been sent to hospital after developing a fever. Opponent Tendozan finishes 5-2, the last two wins being by default. Probably a bug going around, newest gyoji Kimura Senshin wasn't there for his shift, nor were the first two yobidashi Katsuki and Kumajiro.

Ah, I see it. I had the division selected instead of specifying Rikishi 1's rank, so the Juryo visitations weren't being counted. Thanks for the cluebat! It wasn't a completely wasted endeavour though, apart from the Day 11 finisher I also found a case of two Jk rikishi fighting each other twice in the same basho, no kettei-sen obviously.

Hopefully I did my queries right but I can't find any other cases of a Makushita rikishi being done by Day 12. Even in Jonokuchi, where odd scheduling patterns are an occupational hazard, it hasn't happened since the early Heisei years. (One rikishi, Torakaze, was finished by Day 11)

It's five in, five out for the final round of lower division action in this basho. Two rikishi start their basho and three others return to action, with five others having to withdraw. Entering/Returning: Sd25w Kaishinmaru Sd64w Shoran (withdrew Day 11) Jd46w Nishikio (fusenpai Day 8, withdrew Day 9) Jd70w Datenoumi (withdrew Day 3) Jk19e Aoifuji Withdrawing: Ms58e Chiyonoo (fusenpai Day 11) - pulled a muscle in the back of his right thigh in his previous bout, says Kokonoe-oyakata (former Ozeki Chiyotaikai). Jd11w Tatsubayama (fusenpai Day 12) - cellulitis Jd59e Kotofuno Jd90w Komanofuji Jk17e Wakasasaki (fusenpai Day 12) Ms42w Kotodaigo had a fusenpai on Day 11 but stays in the basho, he was experiencing numbness after hurting his neck in his previous bout, but wanted to continue if it cleared up. Assuming they don't retire, four rikishi will drop off the banzuke after being absent here: Jk1w Toramusashi Jk10w Chiyoryusei Jk16e Kyokuhayate Jk22e Higohikari

Ahead of Day 11, one rikishi begins his basho and one returns after a brief absence, but four others have to withdraw. Entering/Returning: Sd40w Tsugaruumi Jd96e Takatairiku (fusenpai Day 7, withdrew Day 9) Withdrawing: Sd4w Hamayutaka (fusenpai Day 10) - he hurt his left knee when he was pushed from the dohyo in his last bout, although he managed to hobble away. Tokitsukaze-oyakata (former Maegashira Tosayutaka) says he went to the hospital for scans, the results of which will decide whether he can return for one more bout in the last round. Sd34w Senshoho Sd42w Daigoyama (fusenpai Day 10) - he was carrying his left arm very gingerly after a kotenage during his last bout. Sd64w Shoran - I replayed his last bout a few times and still couldn't work out what he actually injured, but as mentioned above he had to leave on the stretcher and later went to the hospital, where Hanaregoma-beya reports he was diagnosed with a neck sprain (首の捻挫).

Elsewhere, Tokitsukaze ichimon has also convened and decided to stand incumbent director Isenoumi (ex-Kitakachidoki) again, and newcomer Oitekaze (ex-Daishoyama) as a replacement for Katsunoura (ex-Kirinishiki) who is age-limited out.