More news -busy day..

[Moti Dichne]

The YDC also gave Houshouryuu high praise. Council Chairman Oshima Tadamori (former Speaker of the House of Representatives) gave Houshouryuu high praise after his return from kyujo, saying, "I'm relieved to see him looking so healthy. We can have high hopes for him in the next basho."After the session, Houshouryuu talked about the Yokozuna-Ozeki matches. "It's rare to have a chance to practice with Yokozuna-Ozeki from another heya. We had talked lately about practicing together as a trio." He expressed satisfaction, saying, "I think we were able to practice well." He withdrew from the Nagoya Tournament in July due to an injury to his left big toe. During the summer jungyo in August, he injured his left shoulder and missed some keiko sessions. He emphasized his recovery, saying, "(My left big toe and left shoulder) are much better now." Looking ahead to Aki, where he is aiming for his first yusho as a Yokozuna, he said, "I want to show sumo that is true to myself. If I concentrate on each match each day, the results will follow."

Absent from the soken were Wakatakakage, Takayasu, Kusano, and Kinbouzan. No reason given for the last three.

Meisei (Maegashirs 13E, his lowest rank since May 2022) expressed his intention to carefully prepare for Aki.  Yesterday, he worked out at his heya in Taito Ward, Tokyo, winning all six of his matches against three makushita wrestlers, but losing all eight of his consecutive matches against Yokozuna Houshouryuu. After a total of 15 matches, he revealed his current condition, saying, "My body is back to normal, but my sumo instincts haven't returned." At the Nagoya Tournament, he struggled with a record of 3 wins and 12 losses, due in part to a back injury sustained before the tournament. After the tournament, he reportedly experienced severe pain and numbness in both legs, to the point where he was unable to even do shiko. He submitted a medical certificate for a "lumbar disc herniation" and missed the entire summer jungyo. "I wanted to join the jungyo midway through, but my condition wasn't good enough. I decided to get treatment so I could compete in the honbasho," he reflected. He still has lingering pain and has not fully recovered. Although he feels frustrated, he said, "It's difficult not being able to fight like I did in my better days, but I'm taking care of my body. I'm doing what I can day by day." Based on his experience of going into the previous tournament with some anxiety, he plans to gradually improve his condition for the Aki basho.