|
Asashoryu Starts
Year with Perfect Effort
First
Zensho Yusho Since 1996
by
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
“Hatsu”
means “early” - but it can also be used to define “first”.
The
banzuke for the 2004 Hatsu Basho contained several firsts. For the
first time since Kyushu 1994, there was only one yokozuna listed.
For the first time since the 1960’s, there were no sumotori from the
United States anywhere on it. For the first time in the history of
professional sumo, a rikishi from a European country was “writ large”
on the top line (see related article). The most interesting first,
however, was the addition of two hiramaku for a total of 42 slots in the
Makunouchi Division. This represents the first change in the number
of sekitori since the 1960 Natsu Basho.
Yokozuna-East
ASASHORYU used the start of the new sumo year to serve a strong message on
the rest of the sumo world: with the mammoth Musashimaru now
retired (and on hanamichi duty) he was now the dominant force in
pro sumo and planned to remain as such for a long, long time. He had
it pretty well his own way from the very start of the festivities, was
never really threatened and was ‘very large and completely in charge’
all the way to a 15-0 - his first sekitori zensho yusho (the first 15-0
since Takanohana’s in the
1996 Aki Basho) and his fifth Makunouchi championship. It seemed to
this writer that every time he picked up his kensho package he stood up
with a look in his eyes that seemed to say, ‘yeah, I took this – what
are you going to do about it, huh?’
One very large factor in SHORYU’s success was his uncanny
quickness off the tachi-ai:
he was on his opponent with the initiative in hand before the other
man ever knew what hit him.
His yusho-clinching day 14 win over ozeki #1-West CHIYOTAIKAI was
his 200th victory in the elite division, but it was not without cost:
a cut on his right eyelid made him look like he had three eyes!.
Of
the four current ozeki two had good outings, one had only a fair outing
and one had his effort cut short by injury. It was figured that the
purists would be wholly behind Kyushu 2003 winner, #1-East TOCHIAZUMA:
another yusho would most likely result in yokozuna promotion for Tamanoi
Oyakata’s son. However, TOCHI lost his shonichi match to komusubi-West
WAKANOSATO. He won his next 7, but then lost 5 of his last 7 to fall
out of the race for the Tenno-Hai, finish at 9-6 and watch his promotion
hopes fade for the nonce. CHIYOTAIKAI and #2-East KAIO managed to
keep pace with the speeding Mongolian in the early stages of the
tournament. But TAIKAI lost to sekiwake-East TOSANOUMI on day 5,
while KAIO was bested on consecutive days by maegashira #2-West
KYOKUSHUZAN and SATO. Kokonoe’s top man and the Tomozuna
heyagashira both finished 10-5. #2-West MUSOYAMA, now ensconced as
Musashigawa Beya’s senior deshi, was 5-2 going into his day 8 match with
sekiwake-West TAMANOSHIMA.
MUSO landed badly – and then had his left knee crushed between
the falling TAMANOSHIMA and the unyielding tawara.
That was the last he was seen this tournament:
his 5-4-6 final records means he will be in the all-too-familiar
position of being kadoban for the Haru Basho.
Of
the four joi-jin in the lower sanyaku, three of them really had the shinai
laid to them hard. WAKANOSATO managed a decent showing, and even
served as a ‘spoiler’ against TOCHI and KAIO.
His 9-6 will probably push him all the way up into the sekiwake-East
position that was held this tournament by TOSANOUMI.
The roll of dishonor and demotion to the maegashira ranks reads as
follows: TOSANOUMI
went 4-11, TAMANOSHIMA rolled out a 5-10, and komusubi-East TOCHINONADA
could only manage a 6-9.
Aside
from SHORYU, the only other man to get the measure of maegashira #4-West
KOTOMITSUKI was #6-East DEJIMA. Sadogatake’s heyagashira easily
cleaned up the rest of the field to go 13-2 for the jun-yusho, top
hiramaku honors, the Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize) and a likely jump
to sekiwake in Osaka. Other noteworthy maegashira finishes were
turned in by:
#5-East
KAKIZOE (11-4)
#7-East
SHIMOTORI (11-4)
#7-West
MIYABIYAMA (11-4)
#6-East
DEJIMA (10-5)
#14-West
BUYUZAN (10-5)
#16-East
ASANOWAKA (10-5)
#8-East
AMINISHIKI (9-6)
#11-West
TOCHISAKAE (9-6)
KAKIZOE
was awarded the Gino-Sho (Technique Prize).
The Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) was not awarded this
basho. No
kinboshi were served up - for obvious reasons.
The
Juryo Division also expanded by two slots: it now contains 28
rikishi. Unlike the last time, when KOKKAI ran out a 14-1 outing on
his way up, there was no runaway leader in the second division under the
Kokugikan tsuriyane. When
the fog finally lifted, former Makunouchi veteran #6-West WAKANOYAMA had
the title with an 11-4 record.
Other noteworthy efforts in the second division were:
#3-West
CHIYOTENZAN (11-4)
#9-West
ROHO (Russia) (11-4)
#3-East
HARUNOYAMA (10-5)
#4-West
FUTENO (10-5)
#4-East
OIKARI (9-6)
#11-East
NAKAO (9-6)
#12-East
HAKUHO (9-6)
#14-West
JUZAN (9-6)
Former
komusubi, now Juryo #14-West OGINISHIKI retired after losing on day 13 to
go 4-9. The longtime member of Dewanoumi Beya (civilian name,
Yasutoshi Koiwai) had a career record of 605-585-107 and a Makunouchi
record of 299-359-47. He had won the Juryo yusho twice in his career
and had the following sansho: one Shukun-Sho, one Kanto-Sho and two
Gino-Sho. He had two kinboshi to his credit.
JUNIOR
DIVISION YUSHO WINNERS
|
Division
|
Pos.
|
Rikishi
|
Beya
|
Rec.
|
|
Makushita
|
18-E
|
HAGIWARA
|
Naruto
|
7-0
|
|
Sandanme
|
22-W
|
MUNAKATA
|
Kasugano
|
7-0
|
|
Jonidan
|
59-W
|
ASAMIYOSHI
|
Takasago
|
7-0
|
|
Jonokuchi
|
32-E
|
KENO
|
Ounomatsu
|
7-0
|
[back to top] [back
to Sumo shimpo home]
The
600-Win Club (updated after Hatsu 2004)
(Info from the NSK and Stefan Gelow web sites)
|
Rikishi (Top Rank)
|
MD
Basho
|
MD
Wins
|
|
Chiyonofuji (Y)
|
81
|
807
|
|
Kitanoumi (Y)
|
78
|
804
|
|
Taiho (Y)
|
69
|
746
|
|
Musashimaru (Y)*
|
73
|
706
|
|
Takanohana (Y)
|
71
|
701
|
|
Takamiyama
(S)*
|
97
|
683
|
|
Konishiki
(O)*
|
81
|
649
|
|
Akinoshima
(S)
|
91
|
647
|
|
TAKANONAMI (O)
|
73
|
642
|
|
Terao
(S)
|
93
|
626
|
|
Wajima (Y)
|
62
|
620
|
* Non-Japanese
[back to top] [back to
Sumo shimpo home]
Europeans
Pass Muster
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
Fresh
off his 14-1 Juryo championship in Fukuoka, KOKKAI was ranked at
maegashira #10-West for the 2004 Hatsu Basho.
This made the native of the Republic of Georgia the first man from
a European country to be ranked in sumo’s elite division.
He started strong with four wins in the first five days; but a
minor leg injury might have been part of why he lost three in a row on
days 6 through 8. He
then won four in a row to go 8-4; but he may have experienced a bit of
post-kachi distraction – which caused him to lose the last three
torikumi to finish 8-7.
It
took the Georgian (civilian name:
Levan Tsaguria) exactly two years from his sumo debut (Natsu 2001)
as a member of Oitekaze Beya to reach the Juryo (Natsu 2003).
In that space he won the yusho in the Jonidan, Sandanme, and
Makushita divisions.
At
the same time, back in Juryo, ROHO was making his sekitori debut at Juryo
#9-West. He
went at it hard from the outset, winning his first four before hitting a
three-loss skid. (Two
of his losses were to the sanyaku-experienced WAKANOYAMA and CHIYOTENZAN.)
He then powered through seven of his last eight matches to finish
in a tie for the second division’s championship.
The
Russian (civilian name:
Soslan Feliksovich Boradsov) made his sumo debut at the 2002 Natsu
Basho as a member of Taiho Beya.
He won yusho in the Jonokuchi and Jonidan divisions on his way to
his shin-Juryo debut for what is now Otake Beya.
[back
to top] [back to Sumo shimpo home]
To Bare It Or Not To Bare It, That
Is The Question
Editorial
By "Tonkatsu" for SUMO SHIMPO
As most of
you know, the contestants in a sumo match traditionally fight naked except
for a loincloth called a mawashi. In
Japan they have no problem with this. In fact, it is common in Japan for men and boys to dress only
in loincloths on other occasions, particularly during festivals.
Since not all cultures are as comfortable with the degree of
exposure as they are in Japan, when the International Sumo Federation was
founded competitors were given the option of wearing shorts.
How many entries would there be from Muslim countries otherwise?
Over the
years the number of athletes who have chosen to fight naked has varied.
For instance, at the first North American Sumo Championships in
1997 in addition to Manny Yarbrough and two of the Canadians, all but one
of the Hawaiians fought naked. The
next year all but one of the Hawaiians wore shorts and no Canadian has
since the first.
I
personally went bare only once, on the second day of the 1993 Japan Expo.
I haven't since out of consideration for my wife and the fact that
my sixty-three year old buns don't look that hot.
If I ever go to Japan, I will again.
Up until
last year, everyone wore shorts at local events.
Since then several have chosen to fight naked.
At the first five Goltz Sumo Tournaments everyone wore shorts.
Last year the kids from Palmdale, who ranged in age from five to
fifteen, all went bare and nobody complained.
This year, for the first time, two grown men decided to go bare at
Goltz. The result was a
complaint from the father of a ten year old girl who competed.
He had some pretty uncomplimentary things to say about the men who
went naked and was fairly certain he wasn't the only one who felt that
way. His view was that in the
future, shorts should be required at Goltz Sumo tournaments.
I have
several thoughts about this. First
of all, we are constantly fighting the public stereotype of sumo being a
sport for "Naked fat men in diapers."
I tend to feel that the father’s complaint was valid.
There are times and places to be traditional, in Japan or at the
World Championships or other major tournaments in Europe for instance.
Not at a city park in front of a lot of little boys and girls. Hopefully, in the future, members will use a little common
sense in deciding when to bare it. Otherwise,
we might lose one of our best venues.
California Sumo Series (Final Standings)
by “Tonkatsu” for SUMO SHIMPO
Over the last several years we have been operating under the theory that while it is great to have some
big tournaments each year, the growth of the sport requires a steady supply of small ones to keep people
interested. One of the things we have done is to have a number of "Fun Tournaments." These have been
small events, with no entry fees and no awards.
When this writer was a bicycle racer forty years ago, there was an annual series of races called the "BAR"
(Best All Round). Riders earned points by competing in selected races. Some people specialized in pursuing
"BAR" points. The "BAR" champions and the National Champions were rarely the same people.
It was with this idea in mind that we started the "California Sumo Series" last year. The idea was to encourage
participation and USSF membership by restricting it to USSF members and USSF-sanctioned events held in
California. We ended up using a points system we found in USA Wrestling. The points are as follows:
Participate in event 5 points, 1st place 16 points, 2nd place 12 points, 3rd place 10 points, 4th place 9 points,
5th place 7 points, 6th place 6 points, 7th place 4 points, 8th place 3 points.
There
was a certain amount of complaining during the year from people who didn't
understand the concept,
but in the end the results were fair.
Last year’s results are posted below.
(Certificates will be forthcoming – “Y”)
This
year, only selected USSF-sanctioned events will count towards the 2004
Series. These events are
marked on the calendar with asterisks (*). The Southern California Sumo Kyokai isn't doing any fun
tournaments this year. If
someone else does, they will not count for points.
CATEGORY/NAME
|
POINTS
|
CATEGORY/NAME
|
POINTS
|
CATEGORY/NAME
|
POINTS
|
Men's Lightweight
|
|
Men's Heavyweight
|
|
Men's Open
|
|
Trent Sabo
|
105
|
Richard Hopp
|
154
|
Richard Hopp
|
133
|
Brad Sykes
|
45
|
Jim Lowerre
|
110
|
Trent Sabo
|
102
|
Hiroshi Matsusaki
|
34
|
James Hernandez
|
84
|
Jeff Riddle
|
81
|
Art Morrow
|
32
|
Harry Dudrow
|
74
|
Kurt Rightmyer
|
75
|
|
|
Marcus Barber
|
17
|
Franklin Buddemeyer
|
74
|
Men's Middleweight
|
|
|
|
Harry Dudrow
|
70
|
Kurt Rightmyer
|
136.5
|
|
|
Jim Lowerre
|
65
|
Jeff Riddle
|
131.5
|
|
|
Doug Cochran
|
17
|
Franklin Buddemeyer
|
108.5
|
|
|
John Hidalgo
|
14
|
Greg Negri
|
56
|
|
|
Art Morrow
|
12
|
Harry Dudrow
|
12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[back to
top] [back to Sumo shimpo home]
 |
AND THE WINNERS ARE… The 2003 SUMO SHIMPO Awards were presented at
the recently-completed Goltz Tournament in Claremont. Middleweight Kurt “Tachikaze” Rightmyer (on left) holds
his infant daughter as he hears SUMO SHIMPO publisher Harry Dudrow
read the citation for his award as Outstanding California Amateur
Sumotori of 2003. Kurt’s
run at winning the California gubernatorial recall election drew
intense media interest from around the world.
Middleweight Franklin “Karashisan” Buddemeyer was
anointed the California Rookie Sumotori of the Year, while
heavyweight Richard “Daikashi” Hopp won the award for Most
Improved California Sumotori.
(Photo: Nathan
Goltz) |
End
of an Era
by
“Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
With
the retirements of Musashimaru and Sentoryu
after the 2003 Kyushu Basho - and the failure of Texan Kagamifuji to even get a sumo career launched - the era of the
American presence in professional sumo is definitely over.
This
writer does not think that Americans will ever re-enter the sumo world –
not when football and other team sports with less-rigid demands and
lifestyles are available to those who have the physical tools to put on
the mawashi and enter the dohyo.
But
this doesn’t mean the gaijin are quitting pro sumo.
Quite the contrary. In
March 1999, when ASASHORYU made his debut in the sumo world, he was one of
15 non-Japanese sumotori. Now,
as the sport’s sole grand champion, he stands at the top of a contingent
from Mongolia that numbers 30 men. And
there are 23 rikishi from 9 other countries also on the banzuke.
(See the “Gaijin List” from the Moti Dichne sumo page (www.dichne.com)
for further details.)
[back to top] [back
to Sumo shimpo home]
PODIUM
FINISHERS at the 2004 GOLTZ TOURNAMENT
Saturday, January 17, 2004:
Hughes Recreation Center, Claremont, CA (photos by Nathan Goltz)
| 
