August 2002

Chiyotaikai Prevents Maru "Three-Peat"

Asashoryu Promoted to Ozeki

    
Chiyotaikai Prevents Maru “Three-Peat”
Pushes, Crushes Way to Second Career Yusho
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

The loud screaming and yelling you might have heard coming from the west around July 4th was the sound of angry sumo fans who had purchased tickets for the 2002 Nagoya Basho on the strength of “firm information” that TAKANOHANA would finally return to the ring after a full year on the sidelines – only to be informed that the younger Hanada brother was going to skip this one, too.  (For further information on this story, see related article.)

In a way, it was a fitting prequel for the Nagoya Basho, as ozeki #1-West CHIYOTAIKAI waded through an injury-riddled sanyaku to take the yusho with a truly stellar 14-1 posting.  He had good reason to be pleased with his effort:  he used his powerful oshi-tsuki game with terrifying effectiveness, pounding out nine solid victories in nine days.  Komusubi-West TOSANOUMI broke the rensho on day 10, but he bounced right back to stay on pace with sekiwake-East ASASHORYU.  Day 13 gave him his chance to separate from the Mongolian, and he did it in his typical push-and-crush style.  There was still one very big obstacle in his path to the Cup:  yokozuna-East MUSASHIMARU, who would be his opponent for the final torikumi of the tournament.  But even the huge Hawaiian couldn’t stand before TAIKAI, as he found himself spun and crushed out.

The yusho represents a strong bounceback for Kokonoe Oyakata’s top protégé, who went 7-8 in Osaka:  his 11-4 two months ago enabled him to keep his parking space under the Kokugikan.  TAIKAI now occupies the position as the #1 candidate for yokozuna promotion.  The question then becomes:  can he take that last big step by winning the next tournament?  No one can really say.  But if any man can prepare a deshi for a run at sumo’s hallowed pinnacle it would be the man who occupied that pinnacle himself in a courageous and honorable manner for 59 basho, won more top-division matches than any other man in sumo history and held the Emperor’s Cup 31 times in his storied career…in short, it would be the retired legend Chiyonofuji.

Nagoya was special ground for MUSASHIMARU:  not only did he win his first Emperor’s Cup under the Aichi Taiikukan’s roof, but he achieved it with the only 15-0 effort of his career.  The first clue that it was not 1994 was a tsukiotoshi loss on day 4 to maegashira #1-East TOCHINONADA.  He shook that off in his usual stolid fashion and steamrollered six straight wins to draw even with CHIYOTAIKAI and ASASHORYU.  His day 8 bout with previously-unbeaten maegashira #7-West TAKANONAMI had a bit of poignance:  these two rikishi had been promoted to ozeki at the same time, for the 1994 Haru Basho.  But while the big Hawaiian finally honed his focus and made that last step to the top, the ‘human derrick’ from Aomori who had made kimedashi his signature move was a shell of his once-powerful self.  And it showed all too well, as MARU won by yorikiri.  His day 11 win over maegashira #5-West HOKUTORIKI was his 683th in the top division, tying him with retired sekiwake and Hawaiian sumo pioneer Takamiyama (now Azumazeki Oyakata) for fifth place on the Makunouchi career wins list.  The final four days of action saw the Taiikukan roof cave in on him as sekiwake-West WAKANOSATO, maegashira #8-West SHIMOTORI, SHORYU and TAIKAI slapped him down, pushed him around, and ended his chance for a third consecutive yusho.  His final 10-5 record represents a passing grade; but he’s going to have to work at sharpening his game, especially if TAKANOHANA comes back to the wars.  (Losing a few pounds wouldn’t hurt.)

For the other three ozeki on the banzuke, Nagoya 2002 was an experience to be forgotten if not buried in the far-off jungles of the “Island of Death”.  #1-East KAIO had a miserable time due to his lingering back injuries:  he lost his first three bouts and pulled out of the action on day 4.  #2-East TOCHIAZUMA started off well enough with three wins, but then withdrew on day 5 after a yorikiri loss to maegashira #4-East TAKANOWAKA.  Both KAIO and TOCHIAZUMA will be under the shadow of kadoban at the Aki Basho in September.  The shoulder he injured in the last part of the Natsu Basho put #2-West MUSOYAMA on the Public Injury list, so he will not be under demotion threat in Tokyo; but if he does not go kachi-koshi at that time, he will be kadoban in November. 

ASASHORYU fought like a man who wants to get to the top of the mountain and is willing to do anything it takes to get there – in short, he fought like a real yokozuna candidate.  Takasago’s heyagashira came out of the gate in true Golden Horde fashion, with nine straight wins to keep pace with CHIYOTAIKAI.  The tidal wave broke against the “Noble Wave” as TAKANONAMI crushed him out on day 10, but it was only a small hitch as he rumbled toward confrontation  with TAIKAI on day 13.  The Kokonoe heyagashira kept the driver’s seat for the title with an oshidashi win, but SHORYU was able to keep his chances open by defeating MARU the next day.  His senshuraku loss to WAKANOSATO left him with a very strong 12-3 record, jun-yusho, a share of the Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) - and the expected promotion call (see related article).  Now that he was finally freed from the inherant scheduling inequities of the komusubi rank, WAKANOSATO was able to feast on a mostly-maegashira diet for the first ten days, and he built an 8-2 record over that span.  That, plus the day 12 win over MARU, helped him finish well at 11-4 and started him toward ozeki promotion as well.  Komusubi-East MIYABIYAMA did not have to face his yokozuna stablemate, or the injury-plagued KAIO.  But it didn’t help:  the former ozeki did not defeat any of the other joi-jin, went 6-4 against hiramaku talent and finished at 6-9 to become the only top-ranker who will almost certainly be demoted on the Aki banzuke.  TOSANOUMI lost to MARU on shonichi and was languishing at 4-5 after day 9.  But he then got a grip on himself and won his final six bouts to go 10-5, win a share of the Shukun-Sho, and guarantee himself a sanyaku paycheck for a minimum of four more months.

The top maegashira performance came from the low end of the division, where #15-West TAMANOSHIMA used a varied attack to go 11-4.  Not far behind was #14-West BUYUZAN, who went 10-5.  #2-East TAKAMISAKARI did surprisingly well for a high maegashira:  he logged a 9-6 record, took the Gino-Sho (Technique Prize) and made himself the prime candidate for a komusubi slot.  #7-West TAKANONAMI also went 9-6 as did #8-West SHIMOTORI, who was given the Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize).  #10-West TOCHISAKAE forfeited three matches for unknown reasons but managed to log an unusual 9-3-3.  TOCHINONADA and SHIMOTORI won kinboshi this basho.

#8-West USHIOMARU won the Juryo yusho with an amazingly powerful 13-2 mark.  Despite that fantastic effort, the #1 rikishi on the Meade Station koenkai list will probably not make his shin-nyumaku debut two months from now in Tokyo:  there were simply too many strong performances further up the second division ladder.  They were:  #1-West GOJORO (10‑5); #2-West ASANOWAKA (9-6); #3-West IWAKIYAMA (9-6); #4-East KASUGANISHIKI (11-4); #5-East TAKANOTSURU (9-6) and #7-West KOBO (10‑5).  #9-West OGINISHIKI also finished at 10-5.  South Korea’s KASUGAO broke through on senshuraku to get a hard-earned 8-7 in his first sekitori appearance.

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Asashoryu Promoted to Ozeki
First Mongolian to Earn Champion Rank
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

On July 24, 2002, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai announced that sekiwake ASASHORYU will be ranked at ozeki for the 2002 Aki Basho. He is the first deshi from Mongolia to earn promotion to sumo’s second-highest rank, and the first ozeki to come out of Takasago Beya since the promotion of Konishiki.  In fact, ASASHORYU’s promotion comes fifteen years to the month after the wide-bodied Hawaiian became the first non-Japanese to be elevated to the champion rank.

ASASHORYU (civilian name: Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj) was born on September 27, 1980.  He entered professional sumo at the 1999 Hatsu Basho as a member of (then) Wakamatsu Beya.  He won yusho in the Jonidan, Sandanme and Makushita divisions as he ascended the ladder and received a very special gift for his 20th birthday:  promotion to Juryo for the 2000 Aki Basho.  He slashed through the second division and put his name on the banzuke’s top line for the 2001 Hatsu Basho.  And he didn’t slow down:  two basho later he was promoted into komusubi hell.  He pulled out an 8-7 and won his first Shukun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize) but suffered his only make-koshi as a sekitori, a 7-8, in Nagoya.  Relegated to maegashira #1-West for the 2001 Aki contest, he slammed out a 10-5 for his first Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize).  With the exception of the 2002 Hatsu Basho (in which he scraped by with a minimal 8-7) he has gone 10-5 or better for an entire year’s worth of contests.  His record over the last three tournaments was 34-11, which easily met the Kyokai guidelines for promotion.

ASASHORYU has an effective migi-yotsu (right-hand) game, but he relies primarily on a powerful oshi-tsuki attack.  In that way he is not unlike former sekiwake TAKATORIKI.  But the new ozeki has taken something else from the 2000 Haru Basho winner:  a reputation for roughhouse play.  He is known to give opponents an extra shove when they’re already falling off the dohyo, and is not above dishing out an extra slap (or two) to the face after victory has been decided.  Among English-speaking sumo fans he is rapidly becoming known as the “Mean Mongolian”.

ASASHORYU stands 186 cm (6’ 1”) tall and tips the scales at 134 kg (295 lbs).  His record in 10 Makunouchi tournaments is 95 wins and 55 losses.  He has won the Shukun-Sho 3 times and the Kanto-Sho 3 times.  He has 1 kinboshi to his credit.

There are now five rikishi who will carry ozeki rank into the 2002 Aki Basho.  Two of them, KAIO and TOCHIAZUMA, are under kadoban and vulnerable to demotion.  Another one, MUSOYAMA, spent the just-completed Nagoya Basho on Kosho Seido.  The remaining ozeki, CHIYOTAIKAI, won the Nagoya yusho.

Data from the Nihon Sumo Kyokai, the Stefan Gelow website (http://w1.858.telia.com/~u85811045/) and the Hungarian Sumo website (www.szumo.hu) was used in this article.

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Mongolian wrestler promoted to ozeki

NAGOYA (Kyodo) The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) board of directors officially approved the promotion of Asashoryu to ozeki Wednesday, making him the first Mongolian and fourth foreign wrestler to reach sumo's second-highest rank.

Asashoryu, who finished runnerup at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with an impressive 12-3 record, won 34 bouts over the last three tournaments as sekiwake to meet the JSA's guideline for ozeki promotion.

"Now that I'm ozeki, I have to do everything I can to prove that I'm worthy of my rank," Asashoryu said after messengers from the JSA informed him of the news.

"I want to get stronger both mentally and physically so I have to look after myself, stay injury free and wrestle the best I can," he added.

The Ulan Bator native, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, came to Japan in 1997 and made his professional debut in January 1999 following an amateur career at Meitoku Gijuku high school in Kochi Prefecture.

With his fiery wrestling style, Asashoryu shoved and thrust his way to three junior division titles before being promoted to the elite Makuuchi division in January last year.

He has wrestled in just 22 basho as a professional and is the fastest to gain ozeki status since sumo went to six tournaments a year in 1958. At 21 years and 9 months, the Takasago Beya wrestler is the fifth youngest ozeki in sumo history.

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DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE – In a rare happenstance, the winners in the combined middleweight/ heavyweight competition at the 2002 California Open Sumo Championship placed in the exact same order in the Open competition.  From left:  Jeff Kramer (bronze), Jack Keener (gold) and Marcus Barber (silver).  (Photo by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO.)


Echoing traditional sumo demonstrations, Marcus takes on the entire kid division.
(Photo by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO.)

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“Killer Jays” Make Impact At 2002 California Open
First-Timers Post Strong Outings
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO

This writer is a firm believer in Murphy’s Law:  not only will anything that can go wrong eventually do so, but it will usually happen at the worst possible time.  Fortunately, the non-delivery of a “porta-potty” had only a small impact on the 2002 version of the California Open Sumo Championship, held on the 20th of July on the Southern California Sumo Kyokai’s “Dohyo of Dreams” in Garden Grove.

The only permanent outdoor sumo training facility in the continental USA had just undergone a major renovation:  the sand-filled canvas tawara that had been installed the previous year, and which were falling apart due to rot, had been removed and replaced with tawara made from synthetic fabric.  Made in Japan, these roped tawara have a projected life span of at least three years.  They were given to the SCSK by Mr. Hiroshi Matsuzaki, who has been extremely supportive of our efforts to bring back amateur sumo in California.  (Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu, Matsuzaki-san!)

The week before the tournament Katherine Nguyen, a reporter for the Orange County Register, honored a previous commitment by coming to the “DoD”, asking many questions and taking down tons of notes.  Staff photographer Cathy Yamanaka came and shot many, many photos of  “Tonkatsu” and your humble correspondent doing basic exercises, half-speed grappling, and teppo pole work.  And Ms. Nguyen continued to call right up to deadline with additional questions about terms, rules and the like.  The article was on the front page of the Local section when the paper hit the streets Saturday morning:  there was also a teaser photo of this writer on the front page ‘below the fold’.

The results were astounding in more ways than one.  Since admission was free, people came from as far away as La Habra to watch the action.  And then we had two men literally walk in off the street, sign the paperwork and pay the $10.00 entry fee to compete.  One was Jeff Kramer, a humor columnist for the Register; the other was Jeff Riddle, who had national-level experience in Greco-Roman wrestling.  They were rigged out in mawashi, taught the proper etiquette – and thrown headlong into the competition.

We were able to get started almost on time.  First up on the card was the Masters’ competition, for the guys who were on the wrong side of 40.  We always do this one first in our tournaments (except when we have kids competing) because that way We Who Organize the Tournament don’t have to wait several hours to get some action.  (AHIP.)  With the addition of both Jeffs to the mix (both of them were 40), this division’s round-robin reached a whole new level of hard-fought intensity.  (See end of article for complete results.)

Two men made the 187-pound limit for lightweight competition:  Trevor Roberts, veteran of the last Sushi, Sake and Sumo event in Denver and a founding member of the Snake River Sumo Association, who drove down from Sacramento to join the festivities; and Trent Sabo, former COSC lightweight champion and defending North American lightweight silver medalist.  When lightweights clash, it’s usually like watching wolverines fight:  it’s extremely fast, and if you blink you’re liable to miss the moment of victory.  Trevor and Trent went best 2-out-of-3 here, and the fans were not disappointed.

Jeff Riddle was the only competitor present weighing between 188 and 253 pounds, so the middleweight competition was merged with the heavyweight division.  It was here that Jack Keener emerged from the pack with his ultra-quick attack coupled with a pair of lightning-fast hands.  Not only did he cut his way right to the top in the mid/heavy action, but he went through the Open competition without breaking stride.  His dual victories should tell the novice fan that size and weight do not always carry the day.

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RESULTS – 2002 CALIFORNIA OPEN SUMO CHAMPIONSHIP
At the “Dohyo of Dreams” in Garden Grove, CA

MASTERS DIVISION (4 competitors, round robin)

1.              Jeff Kramer, 40 (OCRegister)

2.              Jeff Riddle, 40 (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

3.              Jim Lowerre, 49 (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

4.              Harry Dudrow, 62 (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (2 competitors, best 2-of-3)

1.              Trent Sabo (Southern California Sumo Kyokai), 2-1

2.              Trevor Roberts (Snake River Sumo Association) , 1-2

MIDDLEWEIGHT/HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (6 competitors, round robin)

1.              Jack Keener (UCLA Sumo Club)

2.              Marcus Barber (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

3.              Jeff Kramer (OCRegister)

4.              Jeff Riddle (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

5.              Jim Lowerre (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

6.              Harry Dudrow (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

OPEN DIVISION (7 competitors, single elimination w/repechage)

1.              Jack Keener (UCLA Sumo Club)

2.              Marcus Barber (Southern California Sumo Kyokai)

3.              Jeff Kramer (OCRegister)

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Is Takanohana a Dominant Force - or a Spent Force?  
The Readers Speak Out…

I think Takanohana is a spent force, because he is worried that he cannot perform like the Takanohana of old.  He is reluctant to practice with the higher-ranked rikishi and I think he is just trying to milk the Japan Sumo Association of a few more months of a yokozuna’s salary before he is asked to resign.

If Takanohana really had the heart, he would have already tried to appear in a basho.  But he knows that if he were to appear and do badly, the higher-ups would have made him resign already.  Imagine if it was Musashimaru who was injured for over a year:  the association would not let him go on that long.

In conclusion:  Takanohana's best days are way behind him.

James Hernandez
Hacienda Heights, California
jhernand@mtsac.edu

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I think Takanohana should be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his recovery.  He has proven himself to be a remarkable yokozuna, and his last yusho was a classic example of sheer will and determination.  Many yokozuna in recent years have suffered injuries that required extensive recuperation, Akebono being just one example, and while it is appropriate that yokozuna be held to a higher standard, some leniency must be granted in the case of proven champions.

The dramatic, recent decline of yokozuna hopefuls Dejima and Miyabiyama shows how important it is to cherish the yokozunas.  They are not a dime a dozen.

Kurt Rightmyer
West Covina, California
BEEIVY1@aol.com

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YDC Advises Taka:  Fight in September or Retire
From Japan Times news service

July 23, 2002 - The Yokozuna Deliberation Council decided Monday to advise grand champion Takanohana to (either) wrestle in the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in September or retire from the raised ring.

The Futagoyama stable yokozuna missed his seventh straight tournament at the recently concluded Nagoya Basho, still uncertain about the ligaments in his right knee which were torn more than 14 months ago.

"If it is unavoidable that Takanohana has to sit out the next tournament and if he can't live up to his responsibilities as a yokozuna in the ring, then I hope he will make up his mind about whether to continue or retire," council chairman Tsuneo Watanabe said.

Takanohana injured the ligaments in his knee on the next to final day of the Natsu Basho in 2001, but still had enough to throw down rival yokozuna Musashimaru on the final day to cart home his 22nd Emperor's Cup.  Takanohana has sat out each of the seven tournaments since then as his knee, which was operated on in July 2001, has failed to respond to rehabilitation training.

Watanabe indicated before the Nagoya Basho that the council would "issue a warning or recommend retirement" for the 29-year-old grand champion. With Takanohana on the sidelines, the Nagoya tournament was hit with the withdrawal of 16 wrestlers in the upper two divisions -- second only to the 19 wrestlers who missed the autumn tourney in 1945 in the postwar era.

“Yukikaze” edited and reformatted this item.

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The 600-Win Club (updated after Nagoya 2002)

(Info from SUMO WORLD magazine, the 1998 VAN VAN ‘face book’
and the Nihon Sumo Kyokai web site)

* Non-Japanese
** Active in Juryo Division

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Junior Division Yusho Winners

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Video Review
by “Tonkatsu” for SUMO SHIMPO

“The Story of Sumo, Japan 2000”
A co-production of NHK Joho Network and Tokyo Video Center
40 minutes, color

"The Story Of Sumo", subtitled, "The Grand Sumo: The Beauty Of Tradition" could have been subtitled "Inside Grand 
Sumo", or "Everything you always wanted to know about Grand Sumo, but didn't know who to ask".  It was made with 
special thanks to the Japan Sumo Association and Azumazeki Daigoro (former sekiwake Takamiyama).  This video 
has many features that clearly would not have been possible without the Nihon Sumo Kyokai's co-operation.

There isn't a lot of wrestling in this informative little video, because it is mainly about the supporting cast. What we get is 
a look at the preparations for a Grand Sumo Tournament.  We see a practice session at Futogayama Beya, yobidashi 
building the dohyo, junior gyoji painting the banzuke, a keshomawashi being embroidered and a tokoyama dressing a 
rikishi's hair, to name a few.  Two of the most interesting features are the ring dedication ceremony (dohyo matsuri) the 
day before the start of the basho, and the torikumi committee picking the following day’s matches.  In the dedication 
ceremony, the tate-gyoji acts in the capacity of a Shinto priest.

We see a yokozuna's tsuna being made at Futogayama beya.  Also, demonstrations and explanations of both styles of 
yokozuna dohyo-iri.  Viewers may be interested (or disappointed) to know that the yagura (wooden scaffold tower) 
outside the Kokugikan is actually made of steel!  Not only that, but the yobidashi ride an elevator to the top!

It seems a little strange to hear TAKANOHANA speaking obviously-dubbed English.  Interviews with the tate-
yobidashi and tate-gyoji are also dubbed in English.  Fortunately, the tate-gyoji's speech dedicating the ring is in 
Japanese with English sub-titles.

This video is a must for the library of any serious fan of Grand Sumo.  In fact, our only real criticism is that the narrator 
doesn't pronounce "yokozuna" properly!

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Faces in the Crowd
by “Tonkatsu” for SUMO SHIMPO

In the new film "Austin Powers in Goldmember," there is a scene where Austin and Foxy Cleopatra have just gotten 
seated at a sumo tournament.  Austin says to her, "Lets just try and blend in."  The camera then pulls back to reveal them 
as the only non-Japanese in the place.  As we told them when we met with them, "Funny, but not always the case."

Over the years that we have been watching sumo on TV we have seen quite a few non-Japanese.  They have ranged from 
Jack Nicholson (in his sunglasses, of course) to the Presidents of France and Mongolia; Mongolian girls in native costume 
to an assortment of Americans and/or Europeans.

The variety of Japanese is also quite varied.  Business men in suits, pretty girls, older men and women and little kids.  The 
dress varies from very casual to women in kimono.  It seemed to me at this past Nagoya Basho that there were more 
women in kimono then you usually see in Tokyo.

From time to time over the years I have noticed certain people, frequently sitting in the same seat for a number of days, 
sometimes every day.  Two people come to mind.  Over the last several Kyushu basho I became aware of an older man, 
slightly balding with a mustache and sideburns.  He was always dressed in a natty sport coat.  He always sat in the front 
row near the SE corner.  He wasn't always there, but he was most of the time.  I got in the habit of looking for him.  At 
last year’s Kyushu Basho, he was there in his normal seat on day one.  I didn't see him again for the rest of the tournament.  
I hope he is OK.

On the first day of this past Nagoya Basho, I noticed a woman in a black kimono with a white obi sitting in the fourth aisle 
seat on the West side hanamichi.  She was in that seat (always in a different kimono) every day except day nine, when she 
was on the opposite side for some reason.

Just faces in the crowd, but interesting ones.  Oh, one other thing I noticed at Nagoya that I hadn’t noticed before:  people 
talking on cell phones.

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DUNLOP TIRES 6th NORTH AMERICAN SUMO CHAMPIONSHIPS
Final Results (California sumotori in boldface)

  OMEDETO GOZAIMASU to all competitors!

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GAIJIN RIKISHI RESULTS courtesy of Moti Dichne (www.dichne.com)