Wakamotoharu

[Moti Dichne]

With the Nagoya basho starting tomorrow, Wakamotoharu participated in morning practice at his heya's lodgings in Nagoya today, making his final adjustments. On this day, he focused on basic exercises such as shiko and suriashi, checking his physical condition as he moved around, and also gave instructions to younger rikishi. He said that he had suffered a sudden lower back injury a few days ago, explaining, "Even with that, I was able to recover well and keep moving my body." Regarding the impact on the tournament, he said, "I don't think it will have any effect. I do it all the time. I'm much better." On the first day, he will face Takayasu. In past matches, he has a poor record against him, but he said, "I'll just do what I can, and I don't have any sense of inferiority. I'll just go for it," showing no signs of anxiety. As for what he's looking forward to in Nagoya, he said, "I think I'm enjoying it. However, I haven't been able to eat Yamamotoya's udon yet this year." He said he would like to go to Yamamotoya, a restaurant known for Nagoya's famous miso-stewed udon, as a "reward" for achieving good results.

The Kyokai announced today that the total number of kensho applications for the Nagoya basho reached 3,504, significantly breaking the record for the most applications for a regional tournament. The previous record for a regional tournament was 2,724 applications for March of this year, so this represents an increase of approximately 800. It is also more than 1,100 more than the 2,391 applications for last year's Nagoya basho and surpasses the 3,469 applications for the last January basho. By rikishi, Yokozuna Oonosato has the most with 170 applications. He was followed by Ozeki Kotozakura with 159 and Oushouma (Huh? Really?) with 145. Ozeki Kirishima has 137 and Yokozuna Houshouryuu has 108. A total of 115 companies applied. Among the new applicants, Honshu Construction of Nagoya City applied for 198 applications in total, with 3 applications each for the first 18 bouts in Makuuchi on the first day, the middle day, and the final day, and also for the 5th bout on the other days. Aichi International Arena, which operates IG Arena, will sponsor two bouts per day, and the Chunichi Dragons baseball team, celebrating their 90th anniversary, will also sponsor two bouts per day. In honor of the 90th anniversary, a prize will be offered for the ninth bout in Makuuchi as well..