June 2006

Hakuho Seizes Moment Along With Cup

Junior Division Yusho Winners

Hakuho Seizes Moment Along With Cup
Auspicious Ozeki Debut at 14-1:  Shoryu Forced to Sidelines
by “Yukikaze for SUMO SHIMPO

There had been some whispering floating around about how yokozuna-East ASASHORYU had been nursing many injuries in closely-guarded secrecy.  Not that anything had been visible in his performance:  the letdown at Hatsu was understandable considering his record-setting 2005, and he’d bounced back two months later to grab his “Sweet Sixteenth”.  In any case, the “Mongolian Express” was expected once again to be the primary force majeure on the Natsu 2006 banzuke.  But a strange thing happened on the way to yusho number 17:  not only did he lose badly to resurgent maegashira #2-West WAKANOSATO on the second day, but he was injured badly enough to force him onto the shelf the following day – and that was where he sat for the remainder of the basho with an effective record of 1-2-12.

Almost instantly, the whole dynamic of the tournament changed.  As the days went on, the focus shifted to the zensho run by ozeki #2-East CHIYOTAIKAI.  Kokonoe’s “Round Mound” won his first 7 matches:  on day 10 he was 9-1 and in a three-way race with newly-minted ozeki #3-West HAKUHO (Mongolia) and moto-ozeki (now sekiwake-West) MIYABIYAMA.  At that point TAIKAI suddenly fell flat while MIYABI and HAKUHO stayed neck-and-neck through the final third of the basho:  when the dust cleared on senshuraku they both stood tall at 14-1 while TAIKAI finished out at 10-5.  For HAKUHO, the playoff was a golden chance to prove himself without SHORYU’s shadow looming over everything:  a win at this juncture could mean a tsuna and gohei around his own waist before the year was out.  As the only member of Musashigawa Beya’s “College of Sumo Knowledge” who had never held the Tenno-Hai, MIYABI was probably mindful of the time he’d had a chance to win it all at Haru 2002; only to be run out by Futagoyama tough guy Takatoriki for his only Cup.  But this was 2006; and HAKUHO was not an old, war-worn former sekiwake on the downhill side of his career.  The former college champion fought hard in one of the longest bouts of his career, but “Sleeping Thunder” would not be denied his moment:  he eventually prevailed for his first Emperor’s Cup.  MIYABI had to settle for jun-yusho, the Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) and the Gino-Sho (Technique Prize) as palliating consolation.

The sumotori who put an end to SHORYU’s yusho rensho in January, ozeki #1-East TOCHIAZUMA turned out to be a far cry from the man who was only 1 or 2 torikumi from yokozuna promotion earlier in the year.  The heir-apparent to Tamanoi Beya won only 2 of his first 6 matches, finally withdrew on day 7, stands kadoban yet again, and has probably lost all credibility as a future grand champion.  For a rikishi of such great power who put up such lovely numbers on his way up, suddenly #1-West KOTOOSHU (Bulgaria) looked worse than ordinary.  It took a senshuraku win over the slumping TAIKAI for the “Sofia Skyscraper” to come away with an 8-7:  the new Sadogatake Oyakata (former sekiwake Kotonowaka) is probably very displeased (if he isn’t, he should be!).  #2-East KAIO lost his first 2 matches, but then won his next 8 to ensure he would not be kadoban in July.  The Tomozuna heyagashira then promptly lost his focus – and 4 of his last 5 torikumi.  Still, the 9 Makunouchi wins he accrued this time out gave him 651 career wins:  the most by any ozeki who did not eventually earn yokozuna promotion (bypassing both Takanonami and Konishiki).  He is now in seventh place on the “600-Win List”.  His next target:  Takamiyama’s mark of 683 top-division victories.

MIYABIYAMA’s effort was the class of the lower sanyaku:  the others in this zone fared from fair to bad.  Sekiwake-East KOTOMITSUKI won 5 of his first 7, but then lost 5 of his last 7:  it took a senshuraku victory just for him to pull kachi-koshi.  Evil luck pitted komusubi-West AMA (Mongolia) against a healthy SHORYU on shonichi.  The loss set the tone for the small (114kg/250 lbs.) rikishi making his first sanyaku appearance:  he went down 8 times in his first 9 matches to end up with a  4-11 and relegation to the maegashira ranks for the Nagoya festivities.  Komusubi-East KYOKUTENHO (Mongolia) had better fortune (he did not fight SHORYU) but he still lost his first 4 torikumi and was never able to get his game unlimbered.  His 5-10 effort means he will be joining AMA amongst the hiramaku.

On the strength of his 15-0 Juryo effort in March, BARUTO (Estonia) found himself at maegashira #11-West for his first appearance on the banzuke’s top row.  The “Big Blond” did not leave anything behind in Osaka:  he slammed out a strong 11-4 to lead all maegashira and grab a share of the Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize) in the bargain.  (See related article in this issue.)  Other noteworthy hiramaku performances:

#2-East ASASEKIRYU (Mongolia) (10-5) (Kanto-Sho)
#3-East KOTOSHOGIKU (9-6)
#5-East KYOKUSHUZAN (Mongolia) (9-6)
#7-East FUTENO (9-6)
#8-West HAKUROZAN (Russia) (10-5)
#13-West HOKUTORIKI (10-5)
#14-West YOSHIKAZE (9-6)
Kinboshi:  WAKANOSATO

Unlike the last time, the Juryo division competition did not lack for drama.  When the senshuraku action was done, #3-West TOYOZAKURA, #11-West HOCHIYAMA and #13-East OGA were tied for the lead at 10-5.  TOYO won the yusho in a hard-fought three-way playoff.  Other honorable second-division mentions:

#5-West RYUHO (9-6)
#7-West TOCHISAKAE (9-6)
#8-West KAKURYU (Mongolia) (9-6)
#9-West KOBO (9-6)
#10-East WAKATOBA (9-6)

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JUNIOR DIVISION YUSHO WINNERS

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The 600-Win Club

(updated after Natsu 2006)

* Non-Japanese

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2006 US Nationals:  Not Perfect, But (IMHO) Successful
by “Yukikaze for SUMO SHIMPO

Many things that could have gone wrong in the hours leading up to the 2006 United States Sumo Championships in Claremont, CA did indeed go wrong on the morning of June 10th.  This writer, having experienced some of the worst instances of Murphy’s wrath, will not attempt to detail them here.

RESULTS OF 2006 US SUMO CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Rains Centre, Pomona College, Claremont, CA)

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The 2006 USSF Annual Meeting:  Few Fireworks, Upside for the Future
Report by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

My first big mistake was in even bringing my powerful Gateway laptop computer (which my lady Lorinda had christened “Black Bart”) to the Miyako Hotel.  My second big mistake was to offer to take the minutes of the annual meeting, because I had the equipment and had taken organizational minutes before.

The next thing I knew…but then, I guess I asked for it in a big way.  And it does mean that I hold a seat on the Executive Committee of a national sports organization.

In any case:  the minutes of the 2006 USSF Annual Meeting are hereby respectfully submitted in your Editor’s newly-commissioned additional duties as the Secretary of the United States Sumo Federation.  They are presented here not only as a convenience to the readers, but because their dissemination aids the USSF’s conformance to applicable statutes regarding non-profit organizations.

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The Juryo zensho yusho:  a brief history
Research by “Honetekawa” with write-up by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

At the 2006 Haru Basho, BARUTO (Estonia) became the first man in recent sumo history to win the Juryo Division championship with a zensho (15-0) effort.  At that time, this writer posed the question as to when this had last been accomplished.

Leave it to the diligent research capabilities of SUMO SHIMPO’s resident special research expert “Honetekawa” to dig out the answers to this very interesting question, which are hereby presented below.

BARUTO’s Juryo zensho marks only the fourth time in the six-basho era that this has been accomplished.  Of the previous three, all made their Makunouchi Division debuts the following basho, and all reached the rank of ozeki.

1.  Tochihikari made his 15-0 Juryo effort at the 1955 Haru Basho.  He made his shin-nyumaku at the 1955 Natsu Basho, and retired after the 1966 Hatsu Basho with a top-division record of 486-403-11.  He stood 176 cm and weighed 128 kg.

2.  Yutakayama rolled his Juryo perfecto at the 1961 Kyushu tournament.  He was on the top row in January of 1962, and retired after the 1968 Aki Basho with a Makunouchi record or 373-234-8.  A Makushita Division ‘insert’, he was 189 cm tall and weighed 137 kg.

3.  Kitanofuji (52) went 15-0 in the second division at the 1963 Kyushu Basho.  He made his Makunouchi debut at the height of the Taiho era at Hatsu 1964, went on to win the Emperor’s Cup 10 times (three 15-0), and retired after Nagoya 1974 with a Makunouchi career mark of 592-294-62.  Later, as Kokonoe Oyakata, he developed the legendary Chiyonofuji (58).

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California Sumo Calendar for 2006

CLASSES/TRAINING SESSIONS