December 2001

Musashimaru Is Large and In Charge

Tochiazuma Promoted to Ozeki

    
Kurisimasu Omedeto!
Hanaka Omedeto!
Oshogatsu Omedeto!
from “Yukikaze”, “Tonkatsu” and “Shirabara”
    

Musashimaru is Large and In Charge
Takes Ninth Yusho in Strong Fashion
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

By the standards of most serious sumo fans, the 2001 edition of the Aki Basho had been thin soup indeed.  One yokozuna had given away FIVE kinboshi – a modern record – and won only nine of his 15 contests.  The other yokozuna had not even appeared due to serious knee injury and resulting surgery.  Between injuries and generally poor performance, the ozeki ranks had been thinned from five down to three – and two of those were under the dark shadow of kadoban.  Oh, but what a difference two months made!  This writer does not know what went on behind the

…AND STAY OUT! – Komusubi-East ASASHORYU makes his point loud and clear by giving maegashira #10-East TAKANONAMI the ‘bum’s rush’ on Day 11 of the Kyushu Basho.  It was the Mongolian sensation’s kachi win:  he slammed out a strong 10-5 while the former ozeki went 9-6.  (Photo:  Ken Coller – SUMO NOW!)

 walls of Musashigawa Beya during that jungyo period – but yokozuna-East MUSASHIMARU came down to the Kokusai Centre in Fukuoka fully charged and ready to rumble.  And the “Big Kahuna” did just that, rumbling through his first nine torikumi to take the lead in the yusho race.  He slipped on day 10 and gave a gold star to old warrior, maegashira #6-East DAIZEN, but won his next three to keep the lead and force a showdown with his closest pursuer, sekiwake-East TOCHIAZUMA, on day 14.  Tamanoi Beya’s top deshi had won three of the five previous head-ons they’d fought this year.  But not this one:  he went down hard under the grand champion’s powerful attack, and the Hawaiian had his ninth Emperor’s Cup firmly in hand.  MUSASHIMARU’s final 13-2 was, beyond any doubt, a yokozuna-calibre performance.

Yokozuna-West TAKANOHANA appeared at AKEBONO’s danpatsu-shiki on September 29, but did not participate in the final dohyo-iri for his retiring former rival because of his surgically-repaired knee.  It is projected that he won’t be in position to add to his hoard of 22 Tenno-Hai and 685 Makunouchi victories until Haru 2002. 

  During the Aki contest, MUSOYAMA had been the only ozeki to put on a showing worthy of the rank.  This earned him the #1‑East slot for the Kyushu contest.  His November performance showed that September was no fluke:  he won 5 of his first 6 matches, lost two, then won 3 in a row to go kachi-koshi on day 11 and finish with an acceptable 9-6.  #2-East KAIO was the hometown favorite.  At the outset, Fukuoka’s home cooking did not seem to help Tomozuna’s top man much:  after taking 5 of his first 7 he lost three straight to stand even at 5-5.  But he regained control against TOCHIAZUMA and won his remaining torikumi (including a senshuraku win over MUSASHIMARU) to go 10-5.  The spectre of demotion that had been hovering over his head is dispelled, but he is a long way from where he’d been earlier this year when one good basho could have meant yokozuna promotion.  #1-West CHIYOTAIKAI was on the Public Injury shelf alongside TAKANOHANA:  his performance at Hatsu 2002 will be crucial if he wants to follow in his mentor’s giant footsteps.

With DEJIMA relegated to the hiramaku and sekiwake #2-West MIYABIYAMA’s return to ozeki status problematic, TOCHIAZUMA might have felt as legendary samurai chieftain Tokugawa Ieyasu did once he learned of the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi – mainly, that the time had finally arrived for him to ‘seize the day’.  The son of Tamanoi Oyakata came out of the blocks in full charge, winning his first 7 torikumi.  He was 9-1 after ten days, but fell to KAIO on day 11.  Wins over maegashira #10-East TAKANONAMI and maegashira #4-East KOTONOWAKA kept him within striking range of MUSASHIMARU.  When the dust settled he possessed a jun-yusho 12-3 and the Gino-Sho (Technique Prize).  In the last three tournaments TOCHIAZUMA compiled a 34-11 win-loss record - and the Nihon Sumo Kyokai responded in due fashion with his long-expected ozeki promotion (see related article).  KOTOMITSUKI had gained the sekiwake #1-West position on the strength of his yusho-winning 13-2 record in Tokyo.  But having soared like an eagle in September, Sadogatake Beya’s current heyagashira floundered like a wounded duck this time.  It wasn’t until day 14 that he had his eighth victory to assure himself another two months in the joi-jin ranks:  he finished at 9-6.  MIYABIYAMA was on Kosho Seido.

WAKANOSATO, #9-East KYOKUSHUZAN and #13-West BUYUZAN all went 10-5 to share the top mark among the hiramaku.  WAKANOSATO and BUYUZAN also shared the Kanto-Sho.  Former ozeki TAKANONAMI finished at 9-6.  DAIZEN’s kinboshi could have won him the Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) had he finished kachi-koshi; but since he did not, this prize was not awarded this basho.

The Juryo division championship went to #3-East OIKARI on the strength of an 11-4 showing which should return him to top division action.  #12-West TAKAMISAKARI (who, with the retirement of AKEBONO, is the new heyagashira of Azumazeki Beya) went 10-5.  Joining OIKARI in a return to Makunouchi will be #1-West ASANOWAKA, who knocked out a 9-6.  #8-East TOWANOYAMA also posted a 9-6 record, as did former komusubi HAMANOSHIMA whose toes were ‘on the precipice’ at #13-West.

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Tochiazuma Promoted to Ozeki
by "Yukikaze" for SUMO SHIMPO

On November 28, 2001, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai announced that sekiwake TOCHIAZUMA will be ranked at ozeki for the 2002 Hatsu Basho. He is the first deshi from Tamanoi Beya to earn promotion to sumo’s second-highest rank.

The son of the current Tamanoi Oyakata (who, as a moto-sekiwake, bore the same shikona), the Tokyo native (civilian name: Daisuke Shiga) entered professional sumo at the 1994 Kyushu Basho.  He rose rapidly through the ranks, winning the yusho in each of sumo’s four junior divisions to ensure promotion to the next-higher division the following basho.  He crossed the barrier into the sekitori ranks in May of 1996, won the Juryo yusho and made his debut under the ‘bright lights’ later that year in Fukuoka.  He was a factor in the yusho chase with a 10-5 record in his first Makunouchi tournament, in which one more win would have put him in the playoff while two more would have won it for him outright.  His progress up the hiramaku ladder was also fast:  he made his sanyaku debut at Nagoya in 1997.

TOCHIAZUMA became a steady sanyaku performer, but shoulder injuries would send him back down to the maegashira more than once.  And it was in the hiramaku ranks that he started 2001, coming off the Public Injury list ranked at maegashira #4.  He went 10-5 in Tokyo and was back in the sanyaku at komusubi in March.  Consecutive 9-6 postings moved him back up to sekiwake.  And then, in the second half of 2001, he won 34 of his 45 matches and was jun-yusho twice.  With DEJIMA dropping back to the hiramaku and MIYABIYAMA demoted pending a Hatsu 2002 comeback, there was room for another ozeki and TOCHIAZUMA had proven himself qualified for the slot.

TOCHIAZUMA’s record in 30 Makunouchi tournaments is 253 wins, 159 losses and 48 no-contests.  He has won the Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) 3 times, the Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize) twice and the Gino-Sho (Technique Prize) 6 times.  He has 4 kinboshi to his credit.

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Terao Sets Longevity Record, But Sits Out Due to Injury
by "Yukikaze" for SUMO SHIMPO

The 2001 Kyushu Basho marked TERAO’s 105th appearance on the banzuke ranked as a sekitori.  This eclipses the previous record of 104 sekitori basho set by moto-sekiwake Takamiyama (now Azumazeki Oyakata) and represents more than 17 years in the paid ranks.

TERAO (civilian name:  Yoshifumi Fukuzono) first appeared on the banzuke for the 1979 Nagoya Basho, when he was 16 years old.  He reached Juryo five years later at the 1984 Nagoya Basho and ascended to the Makunouchi the following March in Osaka.  He reached his top rank of sekiwake at the 1989 Haru Basho.  At one point, both he and his older brother Sakahoko (now Izutzu Oyakata) were ranked at sekiwake for the same tournament.  This was the first instance where brothers held the same sanyaku rank in the same basho (it would later be eclipsed by the TAKA-WAKA sibling tandem).

The 38-year old Kyushu native spent his record-setting tournament on the Kosho Seido shelf.

NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE TOURNAMENTS RANKED AS A SEKITORI
(Juryo and/or Makunouchi divisions)

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“Dohyo of Dreams” Hosts 2001 California Championships
by "Yukikaze" for SUMO SHIMPO

It has been over three years since a competition has been held on the "Dohyo of Dreams".  The requirement of using the rubber tawara from the Southern California Sumo Kyokai’s indoor dohyo was one reason among many for the long hiatus.

But on October 14, with its new permanent tawara clearly delineating the official 15-foot circle, the SCSK’s Garden Grove training facility played host to the 2001 edition of the California State Sumo Championship.  The weather was just right for the comfort of both the competitors and the surprising number of spectators who came to watch in the afternoon sunshine.  Three major competitive groups were present:  the SCSK, the LAPD wrestling team and the California Sumo Association (CSA) from UCLA.  Unfortunately, no female competitors came.

The first contest was in the Masters or “Old Boys” division.  Since the only two competitors in this bracket were SCSK oyakata Harry “Tonkatsu” Dudrow and jun-oyakata Jim “Yukikaze” Lowerre, it went to a best-2-of-3 with two-time world lightweight champion Svetoslav Binev officiating.  The results were:

Match 1:  Lowerre d. Dudrow, 4.30 seconds
Match 2:  Lowerre d. Dudrow, 5.64 seconds

There was a brief break in the action as “Tonkatsu” changed into uniform to officiate the remaining action.

The main drama in the lightweight division (<187 lbs.) action was whether anyone could pull a major upset by toppling Mr. Binev.  The four competitors fought a round-robin:  the results were then used to seed a single-elimination bracket with a repechage for the bronze.  Form prevailed in the results:

Gold:  Svetoslav Binev (CSA)
Silver:  Alex Smith (CSA)
Bronze:  Fernando Mora (LAPD)

The middleweights (187 to 253 lbs.) figured to be dominated by the LAPD team, which had made a strong showing in the North American Sumo Championships earlier in the year.  There were four competitors in this class as well, so it also went to round-robin followed by single-elimination w/repechage.  After the dust cleared this was the result:

Gold:  Troy Collins (LAPD)
Silver:  Mark Mireles (LAPD)
Bronze:  Joe Davis (CSA)

Before they began their action, the three heavyweight (>253 lbs.) competitors informed the referee that, by mutual consent, they would stand by the results of their round-robin and would not contest a bracket.  This was seen as a blatant move to conserve stamina resources for the coming Open competition, but there was no objection.  The results were:

Gold:  Marcus “Hokkyokuguma” Barber (SCSK)
Silver:  David “Akumu” Knight (SCSK)
Bronze:  Jim “Yukikaze” Lowerre (SCSK)

The ten competitors signed up for the Open competition were placed in two 5-man brackets.  As last year’s Open division champion, David Knight received a first-round bye.  Svetoslav Binev received the pass in the other bracket on the strength of his overall record.  Each bracket was fought as a single-elimination with repechage:  the winner in each bracket would meet to fight for the gold medal while the two repechage survivors would battle for the bronze.  The final matches went this way:

Bronze Medal match:  D. Knight (Hvy) d. M. Mireles (Mid), 5.68 seconds

The first gold medal match between S. Binev (Lt) and T. Collins (Mid) was too close to call, so a torinaoshi was called.

Gold Medal re-match:  Binev d. Collins, 4.27 seconds

Gold:  Svetoslav Binev (Lt)(CSA)
Silver:  Troy Collins (Mid)(LAPD)
Bronze:  David Knight (Hvy)(SCSK)

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Results of the California Sumo Open
by “Tonkatsu” for SUMO SHIMPO

On November 4, 2001, the California Sumo Association hosted the “California Sumo Open” (not to be confused with the California Open Sumo Championship) at the Blue Room in the Wooden Center at UCLA.  This was a follow-up to their “USA Open” which was held in August.  As advertised, there was no KONISHIKI, no taiko, no media and no fee for spectators, just sumo.

Twelve men and two women competed in four men’s divisions and one women’s division.  The results of the spirited competition were as follows:

Women’s Open
1st:          Mashid Tarazizadeh
2nd:        Mary Chung

Men’s Lightweight (<187 lbs.)
1st:          Jason Maron
2nd:        Eric Trencher-Smith
3rd:         Shinsuke Ayaki

Men’s Middleweight (187-253 lbs.)
1st:          Joe Davis
2nd:        Troy Collins
3rd:         Mark Mireles

Men’s Heavyweight (>253 lbs.)
1st:          Harry Dudrow
2nd:        Jim Lowerre

Men’s Open
1st:          Troy Collins
2nd:        Joe Davis
3rd:         Mark Mireles

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JUNIOR DIVISION YUSHO WINNERS

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SEKITORI BIRTHDAYS for December and January

Data from SUMO WORLD magazine.

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Fun With Japanese
by "Tonkatsu" for SUMO SHIMPO

As many of our readers know, this writer likes to make up shikona.  He thinks it is fun to play word games with Nihongo.  It is his understanding that the Japanese do as well.  Sometimes what seems like a good idea runs afoul of certain characteristics of the language...for instance, our idea to translate American Indian names into Japanese.

Such names as "Red Cloud," "Crazy Horse," "Standing Bear" and others seemed like the stuff of good shikona.  However, when we ran some of these past Mr. Matsuzaki we ran into some snags.  Lets take "Red Cloud" for an example.  He was a Lakota chief who conducted a war in 1866 known as "Red Clouds war."  This would seem to translate easily, Aka (red) Kumo (cloud).  So, what's the problem?  The problem lays in the fact that many Japanese words are pronounced the same way and spelled the same way in Roma-ji.  Only the kanji or the context tells you which.  For instance, kumo can also mean spider.  So, instead of "Red Cloud" we could have "Red Spider"!

One way past this dilemma is the fact that the Japanese have different words for the same thing.  Red Cloud could be written Seki (red) un (cloud), but seki can also mean "cough" and "seat."  Un can mean "fate" or "luck."  Unless you can read kanji, you can't tell.

At least we had better luck with "Standing Bear."  That renders as “Tachi (standing) Kuma” (bear).

Of course, some names wouldn't make good shikona for other reasons.  "Sitting Bull" wouldn't do at all.  In fact bulls, who fight on four feet, aren't a good choice for sumo anyway.  Bears, and even roosters, are better choices because they fight on two feet.  I'm not sure about Sitting Bull's nephew who's name was "Bull Bear"!

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Honor for Another LAPD Sumotori
by “Tonkatsu” for SUMO SHIMPO

Lightweight sumo competitor Fernando Mora has been honored as the LAPD’s senior (30+) Athlete of the Year.

This honor was built on his accomplishments in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.  His stats for 2001 are as follows:

June 2001 World Police and Fire Games
5th place, freestyle, 76 kgs

August 2001 California Summer Police and Fire Games
1st place, Greco-Roman 76 kgs; 1st place, freestyle, 76 kgs

September 2001 Nevada Police and Fire Games
1st place, freestyle, 165 lbs; 3rd place, Greco-Roman, 181 lbs

October 2001 Arizona Police and Fire Games
1st place, freestyle, 165 lbs; 1st place, Greco-Roman, 165 lbs

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TV Japan Update

In addition to Dish Network, readers in Southern California can get TV Japan’s sumo broadcast on the following cable companies: Time Warner South Bay (Torrance/Gardena) 310-618-9485.  Cox Communications (Rancho Palos Verdes) 310-377-1800.  Adelphia (Redondo Beach, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica. 877-523-3574.

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Local Tournament Update

WHAT:     The 5th Goltz Sumo Tournament

WHEN:     Saturday, January 19, 2002.  Check-in begins at 8:30AM; matches at 10:00AM

WHERE:    Alexander Hughes Recreation Center, 1701 Danbury Road, Claremont, CA 91711 (see map below)

WHO:         Amateur sumotori and judoka of both genders, in all ages and weight classifications from anywhere in the world

COST:              Spectators admitted FREE:  $5.00 entry fee for competitors

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