Ex-Makuuchi Daishoumaru retires, new Juryo Tanji speaks

[Moti Dichne]

Former Makuuchi  Daishoumaru, who announced his retirement at the end of this tournament, held a press conference at the venue on the 26th. "I'm 35 now, and there's still more to come. I still had the feeling that I wanted to continue, but I want to move on to the next thing," he revealed, explaining his reason for retirement. He said his parents congratulated him, saying, "You did well despite your small stature." His Oyakata Oitekaze  who also attended the press conference, said, "We've talked about retirement several times. I thought it was finally happening," and offered his support, saying, "He was a rikishi who worked diligently. I hope he continues to work diligently, just like in sumo." Daishoumaru said that his future path is undecided, but "I haven't experienced the real world yet, so I want to learn a lot from now on." Finally, he left the press conference with the bouquet of flowers that had been presented to him. Daishoumaru made his professional sumo debut in the spring tournament of 2014, was promoted to Juryo in May 2015, and was promoted to Makuuchi in Haru of 2016. In this last basho, he was ranked  Makushita 57W and had a makekoshi of 3-4.

New Juryo Tanji - On the 29th, the Kyokai held its banzuke  committee meeting for Aki basho. at the IG Arena in Aichi, and decided to promote Tanji (20, Arashio beya), ranked Makushita 1E, to Juryo. The 20-year-old, who held a press conference with his Oyakata Arashio  at his heya's lodgings in Nagoya, spoke about the flexibility he cultivated through doing rhythmic gymnastics, the lessons he learned from Wakatakakage, and his feelings for his hometown. He was gradually feeling the weight of his new position at the press conference. When asked about his feelings upon being promoted, Tanji said, "Of course, the first thing I thought was that I was happy." Surrounded by reporters, he said, "I guess this is what it means to be a Sekitori," letting it sink in. Raised in Fukushima City, with a Japanese father and a Russian mother, Tanji has a foundation that goes beyond sumo. It was rhythmic gymnastics that he took up as a child. That experience remains forged in his body today. "I didn't have any trouble with the matawari, and I was made to do them every day." He added with a smile, "I'm not that good at it, but I could do a backflip." His mentor, Arashio Oyakata , also praised him, saying, "He originally did rhythmic gymnastics, so he has high physical ability."