Oonosato and Kotozakura meet at the mall..

[Moti Dichne]

Yokozuna Oonosato, who is aiming for his first yusho in three tournaments at the Haru Basho, participated in the Nishonoseki Ichimon's rengo keiko on the 1st at Grand Front Osaka in front of Osaka Station. A special dohyo was set up in a commercial space crowded with Sunday shoppers, and Oonosato had 14 consecutive bouts against  Kotozakura, finishing 8-6. On the 26th, he faced (8-4) Kotozakura at Nishonoseki beya in Higashi-Osaka City, so this was their second meeting before the tournament. He often allowed his opponent to get the upper hand first, and was forced to fight defensively at times. While he did not perform his signature left thrust, which he had attempted in the previous keiko session, he tried countermeasures such as cutting the upper hand and moving forward, or striking and blocking his opponent's right while attacking. Last tournament he continued to focus on recovering from the left shoulder he injured during the Kyushu tournament, but he made a positive statement, saying, "I think it's better than last tournament." With one week left until Haru, he said, "I think it's going to be tough if I don't get my engine going from tomorrow. I know better than anyone what my condition is when I'm at my best. I'll go into the remaining week with a sense of urgency."