Asanoyama

[Moti Dichne]

Former Ozeki Asanoyama, who overcame a serious injury to his left knee and returns to Makuuchi for the first time in nine basho at the  Hatsu Basho, participated in the annual end-of-year rice cake pounding at Takasago beya in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on the 28th. Aiming for a full recovery next year, he reaffirmed his resolve, saying, "I want to ring in the next New Year as a sanyaku rikishi. I will continue to train hard, aiming for even greater heights." He has dropped twice from Makuuchi to Sandanme and returned, the first time in history that this has ever happened. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first time in six years that the heya held a rice cake pounding event. "We were looking forward to it, too. I'm happy that so many people came," he said with a smile, interacting with the fans. He will continue training until the 29th, and will resume training on January 3rd. His preparations so far have gone smoothly, and he commented, "I'd like to train at other heya in the new year. I want to continue my career for a long time."