Rikishi Talk Day 9 Kyushu 2005

[Jonosuke]

Ama 5-4 (losing to Kotooshu by oshidashi)

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(Never wavering from his true blue straight-on sumo despite suffering a miserable loss. Still believing in himself that he will win one day)

"I did not want to go for a henka. After all he is an opponent I will be keep facing against time and time again. Today I just messed up my tachiai."

(On the yokozuna bout tomorrow)

"He is really scarely. I am not confident at all if I can beat him at all tomorrow but at least I want him to think I am gaining strength."

Kotooshu 7-2 (over Ama)

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(Couldn't grab the mawashi but pushed small Ama straight out of the dohyo. Feeling good about himself, showing his palm)

"See I got scratched..."

(Asking reporters about Kitanoumi Oyakata's press conference today and what he said about his promotion possibility and was told 10 wins. Now only counting the stars.)

"You mean a Fusensho counts as well? So it means only three more wins?"

Kitanoumi Oyakata, chair of the Kyokai

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(On Kotooshu's promotion possibility)

"It's important to show he has a power but 10 wins will get him the promotion."

Asashoryu 9-0 (over Kyokutenho by shitatenage)

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(Beating his own best of 78 wins in a year by one.)

"No, no, I am not there yet but it would be nice to get 80. I am not concerned about any records. I am not worried about what other are doing either. I just need to focus each and every single bout."

(Asked about two wins separating him and the rest but evading the question altogether, talking about a marathon race.)

"You know she had amazing spirits, Ms Naoko Takahashi (who won the Tokyo International Marathon on Nov 20 after four year struggles with a series of injuries). I saw her press conference a few days ago when she

disclosed muscle separation. She was smiling but she couldn't hide her anxiety you know. But she blew it away by winning yesterday. A great comeback for her."

Kyokutenho 5-4 (losing to Asashoryu)

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(Now his career record against Asashoryu, 2 wins with 23 losses)

"Didn't I tell you guys yesterday not to looking forward to the today's bout. You know I've done a henka against him too but it didn't work either. Perhaps, next, a slap down...you think?"

Kisenosato 4-5 (over Kotomitsuki by yoritaoshi)

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(Beating Kotomitsuki who was with one loss)

"I was able to get my left in so I just went in without taking a pause. I had a good showing against higher ranked opponents this basho but those bouts I lost were atrocious. I want to continue without getting too defensive minded."

Kotomitsuki 7-2 (losing to Kisenosato)

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(Losing to an opponent he has no trouble during training sessions.)

"That tachiai was a total failure. I went along with his. I was way too high. This one was really a painful loss. It's like I am going....What have I done it here. I even don't want to remember it."

Kokonoe oyakata, Chief Dohyo judge

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"He has such a difference in his good and bad bouts. He has to build his own winning pattern."

Futeno 1-4-4 (over Aminishiki by oshidashi)

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(Finally geting his first win)

"I am not doing badly at tachiai but from then on I am not moving well. I am not grasping my body at all. I still have awful lot of guys at top ranks to face. Each bout I will be doing my best, going all out till the end."

Jumonji 7-2 (over Kyokushuzan by yorikiri)

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(Beating Kyokushuzan whom he only won one in the last 10 encounters and keeping two loss record))

"I have been able to show good sumo lately. Kyokushuzan can always get away from me but today I was able to chase him down."

Takamisakari 6-3 (over Kasuganishiki by yorikiri)

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(Winning his sixth and going strong?)

"Not yet. Still have six more days to go..."

Kotonowaka 4-5 (losing to Toyonoshima by yorikiri)

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(Losing two straight since his son joined him on Sunday)

"I know, I know. I want to give my son a birthday (on Nov 19) present quickly too.

(On small Toyonoshima)

"Well myself, I hated Mainoumi, too."

Dejima 2-7 (over Tokitenku by sukuinage)

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(After 7 straight losses, now winning two. Beating Tokitenku with a powerful Sukuinage)

"Enough already, I've reached the limit. But I should have beaten him right there at the edge...."

Hakuho 6-3 (over Hokutoriki by yorikiri)

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(Preserving his three loss record after losing yesterday)

"I really felt lousy yesterday but I calmed down quite a bit now. I guess I was able to blow it away with today's good sumo."

Kaio 6-3 (over Iwakiyama by hatakikomi)

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"I got out a little bit too high but I was stepping forward. (At the dohyo edge) I decided not to go forward any more as I felt it's more important to get a win. It's gonna get much harder from now on. Rather than coming up with a strategy against each opponent, I want to get myself fully into my own sumo."

Chiyotaikai 7-2 (over Tamanoshima by hatakikomi)

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(Beating Tamanoshima with his favorite technique these days, slap-down)

"I am getting better as we head into the last half. I slapped him down even though he was already in a defensinve stance, I could have something else too. But my feet were all lined up, so I could have been easily slapped down myself as well so it was a pretty dangerous situation. My shoulders feel so heavy. At the tachiai I got a sharp electrical pain going through my neck. With the slapdown I think I was able to re-arrange the lines straight back again."

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- Juryo East 8 Shiraishi went on kyujo on Day 9 with a right foot joint sprain. He injured it trying to stay in the dohyo on the previous day bout against Daishodai. Tokitsuumi received a Fusensho win.

- Another poor attendance figure at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center with only about 4,200 speactators.

[Phelix]

Ama 5-4 (losing to Kotooshu by oshidashi)

"I did not want to go for a henka."

(Applauding...) I love you, Ama!

Asashoryu 9-0

(Asked about two wins separating him and the rest but evading the question altogether, talking about a marathon race.)

Have you noticed the difference between Asa two years ago and Asa now? He handles the press sooo well now.

Hakuho 6-3

"I really felt lousy yesterday but I calmed down quite a bit now."

The kid actually has got feelings? Amazing. He's always so cooool. (Applauding...)

[Jonosuke]

Asashoryu 9-0

(Asked about two wins separating him and the rest but evading the question altogether, talking about a marathon race.)

Have you noticed the difference between Asa two years ago and Asa now? He handles the press sooo well now.

You are really right about Asashosryu. I was sitting only a few feet away from him during a press conference in Vegas, he basically controlled the press corps. He handled them all alone - no Kyokai person or no helper. It was a masterful performance. Not only just responding to both American and Japanese press but all in his own when the session was over, he thanked the sponsors, the hotel and the fans. He knows the yokozuna's duty and responsibility too as I certainly did not hear anything like that from the other Ozekis who looked pretty anxious to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Kyokutenho is another amazing Japanese speaker as if I only hear him talking, I'd think he is a native Japanese speaker. He has such a good command of the language that he speaks better than 70% of Japanese rikishis who basically say more or less "gambarimise". The other day during an NHK interview he was describing his bout to the NHK announcer and he used the word, "微妙" (Bimyou), a sort of word I have a trouble translating to English as it has a unqiuely Japanese flavor.

[Jakusotsu]

Kitanoumi Oyakata, chair of the Kyokai

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(On Kotooshu's promotion possibility)

"It's important to show he has a power but 10 wins will get him the promotion."

(Applauding...)

Somebody call emergency! There's one heavy body leaning very far out of the window!

[Asashosakari]

Kitanoumi Oyakata, chair of the Kyokai

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(On Kotooshu's promotion possibility)

"It's important to show he has a power but 10 wins will get him the promotion."

(Applauding...)

Somebody call emergency! There's one heavy body leaning very far out of the window!

Why? He's just saying what should have been obvious anyway. (Well, except to fans who treat the Ozeki rank as a yokozuna near-equivalent and think it should take something like 12 wins for Osh to get promoted.)

Edited November 21, 2005 by Asashosakari

[Petr]

"微妙" (Bimyou), a sort of word I have a trouble translating to English as it has a unqiuely Japanese flavor.

The word is very trendy in Japan these days. Recently, even older generation has started to use the way the young do. You can use it for all the fuzzy stuff out there. It's one of my favorite Japanese words.

[Higashimori]

"微妙" (Bimyou), a sort of word I have a trouble translating to English as it has a unqiuely Japanese flavor.

The word is very trendy in Japan these days. Recently, even older generation has started to use the way the young do. You can use it for all the fuzzy stuff out there. It's one of my favorite Japanese words.

I would say that when I arrived (3 1/2 years ago), it was a buzz word, you heard it everywhere, kids, tv shows, etc. From where I stand, it seems to have lost a bit of that buzz, I actually don't hear it near as much now as I did then (and one would hope (!) my listening skills have improved)....it may well be that since the word has entered into the oba-oji set, it has lost some of it's cool factor. But it is a great word, every so useful. you can't really translate it into a single English word, would have to use a phrase instead.