Training news- Takayasu and newbies
Moti Dichne
Former Ozeki and current Komusubi Takayasu made his presence felt at his first degeiko before Nagoya. Today, he trained at Sakaigawa beya in Fuso-cho, Aichi. Yokozunae Houshouryuu and Oonosato were also there. Before the Yokozunae entered the ring, Takayasu faced some sekitori and won 10 consecutive bouts. He faced Sakaigawa beya's Maegashira Hiradoumi for five bouts, Sadanoumi for three bouts, and Sekiwake Kirishima, who also came for degeiko, for two bouts, won them all. Then Oonosato entered the dohyo and fought Kirishima, so the consecutive run ended there.. After that, he had two bouts against Houshouryuu and lost them both, resulting in a total of 10 wins and 2 losses in 12 matches. After the session, when asked by the press about his feelings after winning 10 consecutive matches, he said, "10 consecutive wins!? I didn't know I had that many," and was more surprised than anyone else. He continued, "I moved well today, but my stamina ran out. I didn't have the stamina left to fight a Yokozuna, hahaha. I'm 35 years old after all," and laughed it off. He had known that Oonosato will be coming to train with him, but was surprised that Houshouryuu also showed up. In honbasho Takayasu leads their rivalry by 9-1 (!!).
Although he was unable to win today due to being exhausted, he said that he had a good training session. During his 10-win streak, he tried out various tachiais and quickly responded to the high level of physical sumo of Kirishima and Hiradoumi. He showed off his movements without any signs of being affected by his chronic back pain. When asked if his back is better in hot weather, he replied, "I wonder. After all, it's the same if you're in an air-conditioned room," making the reporters laugh with his very smooth-talking. He was 6-9 at East Komusubi in the previous tournament, but was only demoted half a rank to the West. This is the first time since the 1949 summer tournament, when the 15-day basho system was established, that a Komusubi has dropped half a rank in the next tournament despite having only six wins. This was a rare occurrence, as all ten rikishi from East Maegashira 1 to West Maegashira 5 had a makekoshi in the previous basho. He expressed his gratitude for being able to compete again as a sanyaku rikishi, saying, "I'm grateful. I thought I would drop further." He has a chance to continue his goal of achieving double-digit wins in Sanyaku, which is the starting point for his return to Ozeki. Even though he is showing good form, he said, "I will not get carried away. I will not be able to perform well in the tournament if I do... Even if you're strong in training, it's meaningless if you can't win in the basho," he said, as if to convince himself. In the past, he has been in top form before tournaments, but his back pain would recur during the tournament, so he intends to pay close attention to keeping himself in good condition. He also enjoys Nagoya's specialty, eel, saying, "The chanko chef prepares it for me, and I have yakitori and kabayaki," while aiming to improve his stamina. As for future degeiko, "it all depends on my physical strength," he said, intending to take his time and adjust at his own pace.
Today, new Makuuchi Fujinokawa (20, ex Wakaikari) and Kotoeihou (21) faced off in a "newbie showdown" at Sadogatake beya in Nishi-ku, Nagoya. Fujinokawa, who was a year younger than Kotoeihou at Saitama Sakae High School, finished with 3 wins and 2 losses and vowed to work hard, saying, "I don't want to lose, and I want to work together to reach our goals." The Isenoumi beya to which Fujinokawa belongs also has lodgings in Nishi-ku, Nagoya, and Kotoeihou comes for keiko almost every day. Kotoeihou stressed the rivalry between them saying, "I don't want to lose to him, so I made the effort."