Training News

[Moti Dichne]

Oonosato started training. He had nine bouts against Juryo Shirokuma at home on the 29th, going 7-2. Due to a string of events, including the London koen, he said it had been the first time he did real sumo keiko since before Aki in September. "It's been a really long time. I'd forgotten how to use my upper body, but my lower body was solid," he said, satisfied. His tachiai was sharp, and his deashi and right thrusts and left otsuke. "I've developed a habit of pulling back. I'll fix that," he said. He plans to continue training at his heya until the Nishonoseki Ichimon joint training on the 2nd of next month, saying, "I'm not in shape to go for degeiko. I want to tighten my body a bit more and get ready."

Houshouryuu began full-scale preparations for Kyushu on the 29th. He won all 11 bouts against rikishi ranked Makushita and  below at Tatsunami beya. He expressed his enthusiasm for the year-end tournament, where he will be aiming for his first Yokozuna yusho, saying, "I think I'm in good shape. I love Kyushu." On the 22nd, he returned from  London where he won all five of his bouts. He said he had been suffering from jet lag, saying, "Sometimes I'd wake up at 3 a.m. But since coming to Kyushu, I've gotten much better. It's difficult to adjust.." Last tournament, he lost in a playoff against fellow Yokozuna Oonosato. Fukuoka is a place he remembers from his 2017 New Apprentice Exam. This is his first time there as a Yokozuna and showed his competitive spirit, saying, "It's been eight years already. It took eight years for me to become Yokozuna. Oonosato did it even quicker, though."