Terunofuji Applying for Japanese Citizenship

[WAKATAKE]

https://www.nikkansports.com/m/battle/sumo/news/202103280001177_m.html?mode=all

Kaiju is starting the process obtaining Japanese citizenship, meaning he’s definitely planning on staying in the NSK. He is at the stage of asking Mongolia to allow him to give up his citizenship there so that he can formally apply to Japan. Given the journey he has been through, it will be interesting to see what path he takes as an Oyakata once he gets the Japanese citizenship.

[Eikokurai]

Forgive the pedantry, but it only indicates he may want to stay in the NSK. There‘s more than one reason to want to acquire Japanese citizenship. :)

[yohcun]

If it is his intention to stay in sumo, I hope the process doesn't drag on too much, with those time bomb knees of his.

I can't help but dread a scenario where he makes yokozuna very quickly, only for his knees to immediately die, leaving him to stave off retirement as long as he can, ironically robbed of the ability to drop down the rankings.

[Seiyashi]

The article also speculates that he will take the name Suginomori, which is Isegahama's real surname (as well as Ajigawa's, since he is a cousin once removed). 

Herouth on Twitter was suggesting that Hakuho's acquisition of the Magaki kabu was semi-linked to this, at Isegahama's request; not only is it insurance for Hakuho, but if Hakuho does get his ichidai-toshiyori, the Magaki kabu is then free to be loaned out to ichimon rikishi who might need it - including Terunofuji, if his application goes through. There is a certain neatness in Magaki being Terunofuji's original stable, too.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Seiyashi

[code_number3]

On 29/03/2021 at 12:08, Seiyashi said:

...but if Hakuho does get his ichidai-toshiyori

Or, can Hakuho take Miyagino when current Miyagino reachs 65/70?

On 29/03/2021 at 12:08, Seiyashi said:

The article also speculates that he will take the name Suginomori, which is Isegahama's real surname (as well as Ajigawa's, since he is a cousin once removed). 

These are Terunofuji’s shikona throughout his carrer so far: 
Wakamisho Yoshiaki (若三勝　由章) - Wakamisho Noriaki (若三勝　章明) - Wakamisho Yoshiaki (若三勝　由章) - Terunofuji Yoshiaki (照ノ富士　由章) - Terunofuji Haruo (照ノ富士　春雄)

and he has been Terunofuji Haruo since 2013.

If his naturalisation process is completed, which first name will be taken as the article said he’ll take Suginomori as his surname?

[Seiyashi]

38 minutes ago, code_number3 said:

On 29/03/2021 at 13:08, Seiyashi said:

...but if Hakuho does get his ichidai-toshiyori

Or, can Hakuho take Miyagino when current Miyagino reachs 65/70?

Things are a bit interesting now that Hakuho has the Magaki kabu.

The Magaki kabu seems to have been a real wildcard, belonging mainly to the Isegahama ichimon before jumping to Nishonoseki and Takanohana. When Magaki-beya closed, all its staff and wrestlers transferred back to Isegahama, including a certain Wakamisho. It was then acquired by ex-Tokitenku from the Tokitsukaze ichimon, and later wound up with ex-Tosayutaka, who swapped with ex-Tokitsuumi after the latter was forced to retire. That retirement freed up the Magaki kabu to be acquired by Hakuho just 3 weeks after ex-Tokitsuumi left the NSK.

On top of the Magaki kabu, the following kabu are also possibly imminently available for the Isegahama ichimon, although at this time we don't know if they are going to be switched to other ichimon:

• Kiriyama of Isegahama (currently held by ex-Kurosegawa (70), who must retire by 13th May)
• Oshima of Tomozuna (currently held by ex-Kaiki (69))
• Miyagino (eponymous) (currently held by ex-Chikubayama (64))
• Takashima of Miyagino (currently held by ex-Koboyama (64), who was one of Terunofuji's re-ozeki messengers)

Even on Herutto's theory, I find it curious that Hakuho went to the trouble of acquiring the Magaki kabu off-ichimon when Kiriyama was going to be imminently available, and Oshima soon after. This might imply that those two kabu are already spoken for by a current sekitori. Don't forget that even if Hakuho doesn't have the Magaki kabu, he's entitled as a yokozuna to be Hakuho-oyakata on the jun-toshiyori system for 5 years (just as Kakuryu is now Kakuryu-oyakata), although he can't perform a kabu-swap as a jun- or ichidai-toshiyori. Likewise, Terunofuji as an ex-ozeki even before his repromotion was entitled to 3 years as a jun-toshiyori, so why the urgency in acquiring an off-ichimon kabu?

If Hakuho does get his ichidai-toshiyori Miyagino-beya is likely to be renamed to Hakuho-beya. Neither ex-Chikubayama nor ex-Koboyama can remain as stablemaster and I wouldn't put it past Hakuho to want to get Hakuho-dojo up on a signboard somewhere for posterity, just as Taiho (at now-Otake-beya) and Futabayama (at Tokitsukaze) have done. Then Magaki, Miyagino, and Takashima are all available to ichimon sekitori who might retire. Going solely by sekitori age and stable, Magaki might be loaned to Terunofuji, and Miyagino and Takashima might be kept in reserve for Enho and Ishiura. Kaisei might take over Oshima, and Takarafuji Kiriyama. 

If Hakuho doesn't get his ichidai-toshiyori then he's the natural candidate to be the 13th Miyagino, after a brief spell as Magaki. If Magaki is still to be kept for Terunofuji, then in that case, I myself have a theory that Takashima will be kept for Enho, and Ishiura will succeed his father as sumo coach at Tottori Johoku, securing Miyagino-beya a steady supply of sumo talent. 

38 minutes ago, code_number3 said:

If his naturalisation process is completed, which first name will be taken as the article said he’ll take Suginomori as his surname?

He might take Haruo. It's also the name of a significant sponsor and, IIRC, he was wearing a new keshomawashi from that sponsor when he made his makuuchi return.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Seiyashi

[Hakuryuho]

1 hour ago, Seiyashi said:

If Hakuho doesn't get his ichidai-toshiyori then he's the natural candidate to be the 13th Miyagino

Excuse my ignorance, but how would it be possible for him not to receive ichidai-toshiyori status?
What reason could the kyokai possibly have to deny their winningest rikishi of all time said status?

[Seiyashi]

1 minute ago, Hakuryuho said:

Excuse my ignorance, but how would it be possible for him not to receive ichidai-toshiyori status?
What reason could the kyokai possibly have to deny their winningest rikishi of all time said status?

That they wish to do away with the system.

Ichidai-toshiyori is a conferred honour, not a rule. There is nothing mandating that the NSK must give yokozuna who've won X number of yusho ichidai-toshiyori status. It is merely a convention that began from Taiho's time.

[themistyseas]

On 01/04/2021 at 10:07, Seiyashi said:

I find it curious that Hakuho went to the trouble of acquiring the Magaki kabu off-ichimon when Kiriyama was going to be imminently available, and Oshima soon after.

The other wild card here is that he may be playing the long game. We know he is strategic and intelligent. If you look around the ichimon there aren't a huge number of young stable masters apart from Tomozuna (and Ajigawa in a few years). If Hakuho has long term ambitions within the larger organization that would require votes, it probably doesn't hurt him to pick up another card for his deck opportunistically if it's easy to get and was within the ichimon historically anyway as you note.

If Miyagino and Takashima intend to stay on as consultants for another 5 years, that leaves Kiriyama/Oshima for Takarafuji and any of the several sekitori at Tomozuna who are presently the wrong side of 30 (or even Ishiura). I thought it was interesting to see in another thread recently that Tomozuna had used the services of Kyokutaisei for recruiting in Hokkaido, who knows if that's indicative if his longer term intentions. So if the theory is correct and he has picked it up as insurance for Terunofuji, I think that helps to create a safety net over the longer haul.