More on new Juryo Arashifuji

[Moti Dichne]

On the 27th, the Kyokai held the banzuke committee meeting for the Nagoya Basho in Tokyo and announced the promotion of Arashifuji (21, Isegahama beya) to Juryo. In Natsu, he was ranked Makushita 2E and had a record of 5 wins and 2 losses. On the final day, he defeated Oukaryuu from Juryo and will become a sekitori after about two years since his debut in Haru of 2024. The 21-year-old also has a love for music. In Nagoya, he will create a new "storm" on the dohyo, just as his shikona suggests. In contrast to the bravado of his shikona, his tone at the press conference was calm. Standing next to his Oyakata Isegahama  at his heya in Tokyo, Arashifuji quietly savored his joy at being promoted to Juryo, saying, "It was one of my goals, so I'm happy." Despite his small stature of 172 cm and 123 kg, he has forged his own path with a low, powerful tachiai and a swift pushing attack. He cited the "high-quality training" at his heya, which boasts eight sekitori , as the reason for his rapid rise, and declared his determination to "work hard to wrestle in a way that creates a storm." His Oyakata also expressed his expectations, saying, "I want him to create a storm on the dohyo." Arashifuji also revealed an surprising side of himself. In elementary school, he was involved in brass band activities and is a music lover, with "Back Number" being his favorite band for karaoke. Since changing his name to Arashifuji at this year's January tournament, he has been asked more often to sing songs by the nationally popular group "Arashi," but he declared, "I'm not confident I can sing a single song of theirs. I think I'll be asked again in the future, so I have to memorize them.." indicating that he will also be doing singing keiko. Looking ahead to the Nagoya basho, where he will compete as a new Juryo rikishi, he said, "First of all, I want to get a kachikoshi. I also want to aim for double-digit wins and the yusho." In contrast to his quiet demeanor, he is poised to carve a new mark on the dohyo with an Arashi whirlwind. [Ryotaro Yamada]