Training news

[Moti Dichne]

Yokozuna Houshouryuu had eight bouts against  Oushouma, who came to his heya today for degeiko. He finished with three wins and five losses, but said he enjoyed the experience, saying, "I was just checking out my moves. Oushouma came, and it was good keiko." Yesterday he rested, concentrating on receiving treatment for his injuries. Today, he carefully went against his opponent with a right-hand grip, and he seemed to be carefully checking out his ring sense.  He had a supporter around his injured right elbow, which caused him to miss the Haru basho but stated firmly, "I won't be wearing it during the tournament." He intends to focus on basic exercises these coming days, and it looks like he will be doing fewer actual bouts before shonichi. While still feeling a bit unsure, he appeared cheerful as he chatted with Oushouma, who came with him to Japan on the same plane ten years ago, after keiko.  "If I can 'borrow the Yokozuna's chest', the keiko would be good," said Oushouma.

Sekiwake Wakatakakage, aiming for promotion to Ozeki, trained at Ajigawa beya today, where he had 11 bouts against new Komusubi Aonishiki and others, finishing with 7 wins and 4 losses. This was his first degeiko  before this coming tournament, excluding the Tokitsukaze Ichimon rengo keiko。 With his favorite thrusts and skillful throws, Wakatakakage was 5-3 against Aonishiki, and calmly described it as "business as usual." After the keiko, he returned to his Arashio beya, where he was presented with a new kesho-mawashi. The design, featuring 15 stars, matches that of his older brother  Wakamotoharu, expressing his hopes for a perfect 15-0 record. The gift was presented by Tokyo Sekiryu Kogyo's President Hiroyuki Kikuchi, who expressed his hopes for the rikishi, saying, "His beautiful movements remind me of the rikishi of the past. I hope he will fight without regrets."

He will once again step onto the Juryo dohyo wearing a mawashi filled with the feelings of his mother and relatives. Former Ozeki Asanoyama who was promoted to Juryo for the third time for Aki 2025, revealed the thoughts behind his new mawashi  for the tournament. On the 10th, he wore the "Shigoku-colored" mawashi  that arrived about a week ago at his heya in Tokyo, working up a sweat by doing the basic shiko and suriashi  and lent his chest for some butsugari. After keiko, he spoke passionately about the mawashi, which he had only worn for the second time since he first put it on to adjust the length immediately after it arrived. Asanoyama: "It may look black, but it's actually a purple that leans toward black." "Shigoku-color." My mother told me before the tournament, either in May or July, that there was a color she wanted me to wear when I reached Juryo. It meant she wanted me to reach the pinnacle of sumo, and also meant something that seemed to refer specifically to me." With that, he showed me an email he'd received on his smartphone from his mother, Yoshimi Ishibashi (63). It mixed an explanation of the "shigokuiro" with words of encouragement from his mother: "Kendochorai (come back to life!) Those with great ambition and high aspirations should not give up or be discouraged by one or two setbacks or failures. Turn it around." Starting his career as a rikishi at the lowest rank in the third division, he rose through the ranks to the rank of Ozeki. He then received a six-tournament suspension for violating COVID-19 guidelines. He returned from Sandanme and rose back up to Komusubi, but then suffered a series of injuries. At the Nagoya tournament in July of last year, he suffered a serious injury, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, forcing him to start over from sandanme again. Nevertheless, after his return, he recorded a total of 18 wins and 3 losses in the three tournaments since his return, and has again returned to sekitori status. This is the first time in history that an ex-sekitori has returned to sekitori after dropping down to Sandanme twice.