themistyseas

Something that has bothered me for a while is the distribution of oyakata. I don't know if it's so much the number of heya (especially while the overall number of recruits is decreasing) as much as where the names are focused. Another thing that hasn't come up here is Takashima's defection from Miyagino to Isenoumi a couple years ago. I don't know if the real reason for this ever cropped up, and maybe he just didn't want to be a part of what Hakuho was going to build, but you'd think that having a veteran presence at the heya (ie adult in the room) would help to hopefully mitigate some situations. It seems absolutely nuts that Kasugano and Isenoumi account for 10% of all elder shares between just the two heya, and Kasugano has another 3 official staffers, supporting a grand total of 31 rikishi. It feels like now that everyone can be a sanyo, a good use of the role would be using their time to support new oyakata to help them develop. I could be wrong but newer shisho who have a sanyo or very senior oyakata in the backroom team (Oshima when he was Tomozuna, Ikazuchi now with Irumagawa, Hanaregoma with Minatogawa, Oshiogawa with Oguruma, etc) seem to have had it pretty smooth sailing so far. Miyagino obviously had ex-Miyagino until Ishiura needed the share, but Takashima's departure comes into light. Should Sakaigawa be lending Sekinoto (for example) to Takekuma beya for a couple years? Would Naruto have avoided some issues if he were able to borrow someone temporarily from Sadogatake? Should Minezaki be supporting a heya that might need him a bit more than the one he's attached to? I think there's something to be said for maintaining a continuity of culture and history, but equally it seems like the lessons in management shouldn't stop when a recent retiree branches out.

Well, that aged very quickly and very poorly!

Fairly but not totally rare reading, currently in use by Kotoshoho, Kinbozan, Mineyaiba, Hoshuzan, Fujiyuho, and Kotokiho for those keeping score

Fair enough, obviously a bit of confusion there. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, it's possible he's just got a 16 year old who got to be named after his two favourite rikishi, and he probably ends up with a career not too dissimilar to Jonidan perennial Hakuyo over at Isenoumi-beya. I think most people would assume Kakuryu is already in Hakuho's corner anyway (if that matters), but I take your point. Someone else might know more about whether Hakuho has been able to benefit Kakuryu, maybe he got a couple yusho care of Hakuho withdrawing! I also wonder how he's written the "ho," it could well be 鳳 instead of 鵬 I actually think it'd be brilliant to have a stable master who names his guys after Yokozuna, he could have a Tsurunosato or a Kakumafuji Kisenoshogiku would be a brilliant name, hahahah (it'd be more interesting than what the likes of Naruto and Nishiiwa have been up to anyway)!!!

Maybe it's just me, but it feels a bit conspiracy theorist to say one should be careful of associating themselves with Hakuho, who hasn't seemed to have really done anything that wasn't exemplary since joining the Kyokai (as an elder)? He's always going to be prominent by virtue of who he is, but I don't think another shisho really would start giving out shikona out of respect for a mostly unrelated oyakata's career. Could be wrong, but seems like a stretch. There have been plenty of other rikishi to have taken a "Haku" or a "ho" (possibly because they were fans, or just wanted it to rub off on them) from outside the stable over the years. Is it over the top for the Mongolian Daishōhō? I think the more notable thing is for Kakuryu to have started giving the "Kaku" prefix to rikishi, not just due to himself but to establish a through line to his old heya.

Surely it's Onosato? I know there are those who think he might be the next coming of Ichinojo and we haven't seen him have a sustained run at the top of the division but he seems a decent bet. This may strike some people as being a bit mad but Takakeisho's stable is closing in 2 years and he may only be 29 at that time, but given his challenges to remain consistently fit, it seems like he could rack up another yusho or two and then hang up the mawashi.

Sorry if this is covered off elsewhere, although I haven't seen it - Apart from the danpatsushiki and the online store, do we know if his wine will be sold at any physical locations? I'd love to pick up a couple bottles as souvenirs/gifts

お疲れ様でした！ Seems like statistically that entry class was a bit of a rarity? Small sample size but 4 out of 7 made sekitori (Akiseyama, Homarefuji, Kyokutaisei, Keitenkai), 3 of whom made makuuchi, 2 of whom are now kyokai blue jackets with potentially a third to join them... and out of the 3 that didn't make it to Juryo, two got very very close.

Both of these points remind me of also the opposite of Seiyashi's comment, and the oyakata that took forever to produce a sekitori if they ever did at all. It took the entirety of Hakuho's career for Musoyama to get someone that he developed into Juryo. And it's not like he's running some small operation and keeping himself to himself, he's been a very senior figure in the kyokai. Likewise, Kaio and Chiyotaikai haven't been able to really recruit AND develop anyone of note (all of the latter's guys being brought in by the guy before him). That's to say nothing of a former Yokozuna like Musashimaru who in over a decade never produced or recruited anyone to the top level. It's actually somewhat striking that Hakuho's supposed "big failure" (Toma) being talked about here is virtually another Yokozuna's high water mark (for the pedants yes I know he's got a few guys into mid makushita). Re: Chikubayama, for sure with regard to the current crop, although it was going to happen in the next couple years anyway and Hakuho will have designs (whatever people think here) of doing this for decades if he is trying to be the GOAT. We don't know, he may have been ready to retire anyway but for the pay check (I don't know many 68 year olds who don't want to be retired). Hopefully Hakuho is wise enough to keep his counsel and take his influence, even in an unofficial capacity.

I had a cake with Kintamayama once and a nice chat - don't let anyone ever tell you Kintamayama doesn't have good taste - but I think we'd have an even better chat in the wake of all of these YouTube shenanigans!! On the plus side, I have YouTube on the TV at home and my partner's like "what is Mord and why do you keep searching for it?"

With the greatest respect to the others in the game, while I have a lot of respect for anyone who has gone on the air to talk about sumo in English especially in the years where we were content starved, nobody else doing this could lay a finger on Gunning in terms of insight and analysis. It's a shame they haven't found a way at least to put JG on the air on the handful of days (shonichi, nakabi, senshuraku) that they do Grand Sumo Live on the English feed as well.

I was there as he was my favourite rikishi. The amazing thing is how different the vibe of the event is to how I imagined from always seeing these recaps/photos/videos on here. I'll do a more complete post later - curious though if anyone knows who the special guest performers were who sang for Ikioi (female) and with Ikioi (male)? The merch booth was very impressive, although also very expensive as makes sense since this is a funds driver for his second life. I got a few things (washi, official program, postcard set etc) but found it hard to justify the Ikioi/tegata/Kasugayama beach towel at ¥5500 though I was very tempted. Lots of soft cream on sale, nice for summer exhibition event vibes. A little sad to see it wasn't better attended though.

Probably depends how crocked 28 year old (29 this year) Enho is and how likely it is that he'll make it back. Enho's on 29 sekitori basho. So even if the rumour mill is correct and he has plans to join or replace Ishiura eventually in the heya, he might need to gambarise.

The blue jacket guys still wear the name to which they're attached even if they have it on loan (as he does now). I've seen him at the store during all three incarnations, also wearing a Hidenoyama pin, and an Otowayama pin. He's known for his personality, and he's certainly had a number of them over the past few years!

Well he didn't get a pocket square which is the real party foul here Also, unless the lower rankers have been paying tribute to the oyakata's former shikona this whole time, looks like they got some snappy new yukata as well to celebrate the promotion (so I can imagine they've been preparing the name/fabric for such a moment for a while? That's an impressive turnaround time if not). Looks good, disco vibes. I'd wear it around the house for sure. Not sure if I'm bold enough to do it in Ryogoku.

I think it would be quite difficult to get that for sumo, not least because of the privacy and secrecy involved - rikishi can't use social media anymore, anything that does go out is mostly kyokai vetted or approved, and as (as I understand it) the kyokai controls media accreditations, they may snap them back from people may be unreasonably critical. I have been by those in the media told that there have been times when media who used to have passes had to come and go then needed to retrieve them from Kokugikan on a daily basis so that they could be more closely managed, and we also know the kyokai has a track record of blackballing those who are seen as too much trouble. I don't know that anyone would rock the boat with any kind of unofficial exposé about rikishi when it could cut off their meal ticket to future access and content. I'm not sure the stables have any reason in a world where rikishi don't transfer between heya to leak news, they don't gain anything by talking about injuries. Their main motivation (in the current system) for having a media contact would seem to be selling tickets to senshuraku parties or danpatsushiki, or koen-kai memberships/donations. For what it's worth I totally agree it would be great to have. Funnily, a lot of hardcore fans on social media have started to call Fab a "tap in merchant" who aggregates rumours from elsewhere and applies a "here we go" when it's at the finish line. I think it's a bit harsh! But all of those parties have something to gain, whereas I think in sumo as currently composed it's a little unclear what anyone would have to gain by engaging with a 24/7 "hot stove" type of correspondent.

Still seems a bit of a weird one owing to the fact he's already met the sekitori requirement, so even if he'd been demoted a few months ago he'd likely be able to take up the name if it is in fact promised to him. And it's not like he'll ever meet the branch out requirement anyway. It's hard to work out what the end game is for him. I do kind of wonder if there will be some kind of arrangement where he needs to bring the name back into the Tokitsukaze family, like Kotonishiki did with Asahiyama. Maybe the play here is that he is the successor to Michinoku (in name) which becomes renamed Izutsu, and then Kakuryu technically branches out to start whatever his heya is called (Michinoku?) and brings the Michinoku rikishi.

My guess - Kokonoe or Sadogatake. He needs a place with a lot of sekitori, but not with loads of recent celebs like Miyagino or Nishonoseki. I just have this feeling like that would be a bit of a gift for both oyakata, I'd be willing to wager on it. Weird given the history of both heya that they would feel like a left field choice but if you're a top top prospect, do you want to go to work under Kotonowaka or Chiyotaikai? Sadogatake feels like it's turned into a bit of a tsukebito farm the last several years. Chiyotaikai doesn't seem to have a ton of pulling power on his own (rather than the heya's legacy) when it comes to recruitment, relative to his peers. It does make me wonder if Takekuma is a more viable avenue than one would have thought. Kasugano and Kise both tick the box you mentioned, and I feel like the former might be pretty attractive for a high level of keiko, if not for the shisho's age.

Onoe?!  Japonismo: SUMO (Sumo Stables or heya) - Google My Maps Haha! Shame that map's a little outdated, I think the South Tokyo (if memory serves) heya of choice might well be Takekuma... And for the Miami Heat reference, Goeido's certainly got an homage to Pat Riley with the slicked back hair these days....... He could just as easily be telling his Nittaidai coaches why he's made his choice and asking for their forgiveness as he could be confirming that he's going with one of their preferred heya, so without wishing to read anything into that latest update.... I just have a sneaky suspicion he's taking his talents to South Ibaraki to set up a poetic Nishonoseki v Miyagino rivalry for the next decade. Kyujo-beya Naruto-beya seems like it would be a shocking choice at this point, not sure any of the other traditional powerhouses make much sense either due to diminished status under new mgmt or oyakata set to retire in the near future. Surely it's Nishonoseki or Miyagino.

Jd34e Gohakuun

Sd55w Kyokutaisei (don't make me regret this!)

Ms57e Otani

It could be intended but i don't see how "now" makes for a good shikona... I think the inference is that it could be a bit of a pun that references his family name and dual heritage while also, via the first character, taking the prefix of the heya. It would certainly be a crazy coincidence!

For those who follow danpatsushiki: is this a bit curious at all? For someone like Hakuho, I'm surprised that his attendants aren't either A) from his stable, like Hokuseiho/Enho or even a longtime attendant/veteran like Ishiura (whatever his condition), or B) other recent Yokozuna in the Kyokai e.g. Kisenosato and Kakuryu. Wakatakakage is higher ranked than Hoshoryu so I imagine that signals his desire to be attended by the current top (Mongolian) talent?

Jk11e Kazenoumi