December 2005

GRAND SLAM!!!

"Legendary" Yokozuna

   
GRAND SLAM!!!
Shoryu Shatters Records With Seventh Straight Cup:  Kotooshu Becomes First “Eurozeki”
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

The sumotori who were ranked in the Makunouchi on the Aki 2005 banzuke had the privilege of enjoying a unique experience:  a three-day koen in what is widely considered to be the most dynamic, most exciting city in the world.  (See elsewhere in this newsletter for more on this event – Ed.)  But what happened in Las Vegas in early October did indeed stay there once the members of the Nihon Sumo Kyokai trooped home to their stables:  it was back to the traditional routine of “train hard, eat plenty, train even harder, and eat even more”.  With a month of this under their mawashis, everyone boarded the southbound trains for the annual festivities on Kyushu.

From the standpoint of sumo history, the stakes were extremely high for yokozuna-East ASASHORYU.  In 2004, he had stalked into the Fukuoka Kokusai Center following a 9-6 humiliation in Tokyo.  No one (except maybe Takasago Oyakata) knows exactly what happened to him after that drubbing – but whatever it was, it had worked very well:  SHORYU won the next six consecutive Tenno-Hai, becoming only the second rikishi in the six-basho era (1958-present) to accomplish that feat.  One year later the mighty Mongol strolled imperiously into the FKC with the chance to climb to an altitude no one else had ever been able to reach, and win all six yusho in a single calendar year.  It quickly became apparent that he could breathe the extremely-rarified air without the slightest hint of choking or gasping.  After day 12 he was the only top-division competitor at zensho, with everyone else at least two losses back.  The following day sekiwake-East KOTOOSHU crushed out the “Blue Dragon of the Morning”, for what would turn out to be his only kuroboshi of the tournament.  SHORYU’s win over ozeki #2-West KAIO on day 14 clinched his seventh straight Tenno-Hai – and carved a special niche in post-1958 sumo history with its first true “Grand Slam”.  It was also his 83rd torikumi win for 2005, breaking Kitanoumi (55)’s record from 1978.  A hard-fought senshuraku victory over ozeki #1-West CHIYOTAIKAI put the exclamation point on a 14-1 finish, for a new annual aggregate record of 84‑6 and the 15th championship of his career.  This moves SHORYU into sole possession of fifth place on the “Legendary” list.  (A list of the five best annual aggregate records can be found elsewhere in this newsletter – Ed.)

KOTOOSHU’s 11-4 output under the FKC’s roof gave him a record of 36-9 over the past three basho.  That, coupled with his second Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) and third Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize), means he will be ranked at ozeki on the Hatsu 2006 banzuke.  The very handsome “Sofia Skyscraper” (civilian name:  Mahlyanov Kaloyan Stefanov) becomes the first European rikishi to ascend to sumo’s second-highest rank.  It was the first anointment of a new ozeki since ASASHORYU was elevated for the 2002 Aki Basho, and the first for a non-Asian since Musashimaru (67) was promoted for Haru 1994.  This promotion should inject a very real challenge to SHORYU’s dominance (two of the Mongolian’s six 2005 losses were to the Bulgarian) into an upper sanyaku that (in this writer’s opinion) seems to have become satisfied with being pale pretenders instead of real contenders.  A day 2 abisetaoshi loss to komusubi-East KYOKUTENHO (Mongolia) downgraded TAIKAI to a pursuer’s role behind the “Mongolian Express”.  The “Round Mound of Body Pound” lost further ground on day 6 when maegashira #4-East MIYABIYAMA slapped him down:  Kokonoe’s top deshi finished at 11-4.  The only rikishi besides SHORYU to hold the Cup within the past two years, KAIO was kadoban coming down to Fukuoka – and he had a history of not doing particularly well before the hometown fans.  But a day 11 uwatenage victory over maegashira #5-East KISENOSATO gave the “Human Juicer” the eighth win that keeps an ozeki’s paycheck flowing to his bank account for at least two more tournaments.  KAIO’s 10-5 mark gave him 631 top-division wins, to move past former sekiwake Terao into ninth place in the “600-Win Club”.  The vulnerability ‘buck’ is now in the hands of #1-East TOCHIAZUMA, who withdrew on day 4.

The “Bulgarian Blastwave’s” performance was the strongest among the lower sanyaku.  The other three men in this region of the rankings also posted kachi efforts, but not without serious struggle.  Sekiwake-West KOTOMITSUKI won seven of his first eight, but then collapsed with four losses in a row:  it took a win on day 13 for the Aki 2001 yusho winner to post an 8-7.  TENHO fought a .500 battle for 14 days to stand ‘on the bubble’ on senshuraku.  A slapdown win over MITSUKI gave him an 8-7 as well.  Komusubi-West HAKUHO (Mongolia) recovered from two opening losses to roll out eight wins in his next nine torikumi.  “Sleeping Thunder” then slumped a bit, but won out on senshuraku for a 9-6 record.

TOCHINOHANA rolled out an 11-4 effort at maegashira #14-East to win a share of the Kanto-Sho and take top honors among the hiramaku ranks.  Other strong maegashira performances:

#4-East MIYABIYAMA (10-5) (Kanto-Sho)

#6-West KOKKAI (Georgia Republic) (9-6)

#7-West TOKITENKU (Mongolia) (9-6) (Gino-Sho (Technique Prize))

#8-East ROHO (Russia) (10-5)

#9-West TAKEKAZE (9-6)

#12-West ASASEKIRYU (Mongolia) (9-6)

#13-East HAKUROZAN (Russia) (10-5)

#15-East KASUGANISHIKI (9-6)

#17-East JUMONJI (9-6)

No kinboshi were awarded (no surprise here).

In Juryo, #13-East TOKI pulled his sekitori career out of freefall with a 12-3 mark.  It probably won’t take him and his prominent “Elvis sideburns” all the way up to the ‘bright lights’, but it will give him a chance at that in the upcoming January wars.  More worthy second-division efforts:

#1-East TOCHISAKAE (9-6)

#1-West TOYOZAKURA (10-5)

#3-West TOKITSUUMI (9-6)

#5-West YOSHIKAZE (10-5)

#7-East USHIOMARU (9-6)

#7-West DAIRAIDO (10-5)

#8-West DAIMANAZURU (9-6)

#10-West ASOFUJI (10-5)

#11-East OTSUKASA (10-5)

After fifteen years and 90 basho in the Makunouchi Division, and facing relegation to the Juryo after his eighth loss on day 13, maegashira #11-West KOTONOWAKA announced his retirement.  The former sekiwake entered sumo at the 1984 Natsu Basho, made the Juryo in July 1990, and was shin-nyumaku in November 1990.  (Takanohana (65) made his Makunouchi debut in the same tournament.)  KOTONOWAKA leaves active competition with an overall career record of 785-764-100 and a Makunouchi record of 608-657-84.  He never won the Emperor’s Cup, but won the Sandanme Division championship twice.  He has two Shukun-Sho and five Kanto-Sho, and was among the kinboshi leaders with eight wins over yokozuna while ranked as a maegashira (downing both Takanohana and Akebono (64) at the 1996 Nagoya tournament).  He is figured to become the next Sadogatake Oyakata when his father-in-law, the current toshiyori holder & stablemaster, retires.

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“Legendary” Yokozuna (10+ Yusho)

(updated after Kyushu 2005)

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The 600-Win Club

(updated after Kyushu 2005)

* Non-Japanese

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List Of Officially-Chartered USSF Sumo Clubs

(as of December, 2005)

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SHUUBUN 2005  (“Dohyo of Dreams”, Garden Grove, CA) - OFFICIAL RESULTS

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Top 5 Annual Aggregate Records

(after Kyushu 2005)

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JUNIOR DIVISION YUSHO WINNERS