Otowayama Oyakata (ex-Kakuryuu) long interview
Moti Dichne
Otowayama Oyakata, ex- 71st Yokozuna Kakuryuu, retired from active competition at the March 2021 tournament and founded the Otowayama beya in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, two years later in December. His deshi, Kirishima, who won the previous tournament as a Sekiwake, has returned to the rank of Ozeki this tournament. Kirishima showed his strength from the start and faced Komusubi Wakatakakage in a championship playoff on the final day, but unfortunately finished as runner-up. Otowayama Oyakata, who has been serving as a shinpan since the spring tournament last year, accompanied the spring tour in April and actively provided training guidance. We asked the Oyakata, who is heading the Otowayama beya, where young rikishi are making remarkable strides, to reflect on the summer tournament once again. [Hazuki Takeda]
Advice given to Kirishima on the final day -- This tournament saw some fierce competition in Makuuchi due to the absence of two Yokozuna and two Ozeki. As the final day approached, there was a possibility of a championship playoff involving up to six wrestlers, including Ozeki Kirishima (3 losses), Komusubi Wakatakakage, and Yoshinofuji and Hakunofuji (4 losses)
Otowayama: To be honest, I never imagined it would get this close (laughs). Kirishima had been leading the championship race throughout, but his loss to Hakunofuji on the 14th day changed the situation. However, the two with 3 losses still had an advantage, so on the final day, during asageiko at the heya, I advised Kirishima, "Today, aim to take two bouts and make sure you have a solid plan to counter Wakatakakage." I wanted to avoid a situation where Wakatakakage maintained his 3 losses, Kirishima lost to Ura in the final bout, and Wakatakakage snatched the championship. In the main match against Ura, he won with a perfect sumo performance, and advanced to the championship playoff... --You were watching Kirishima's sumo from ringside as a judge in both the main match and the championship playoff. Honestly, what were your thoughts as you watched? Otowayama: The atmosphere of the championship playoff is different from the main match. And since Kirishima had his match as the final bout, he only had about 10 minutes between then and the playoff, so he had almost no time to think about a strategy. So I told him to "think of a second strategy," but I was also nervous and excited, wondering what would happen since it's a competition (laughs).
Could Wakatakakage be promoted to Ozeki if he gets around 13 wins next time? --In the main tournament, the two faced each other on the 11th day and Kirishima won by yorikiri, and he also leads in their head-to-head record, so some say "Kirishima has the advantage"...
Otowayama: Wakatakakage won the championship four years ago, but after that, he suffered a knee injury and dropped down to makushita. Then, in the March tournament, he injured his elbow and withdrew midway through, and also withdrew from the spring tour. But I think he had a strong desire to "definitely win the championship!"
--There are expectations that Wakatakakage will be promoted to Ozeki in the next tournament.
Otowayama: It's quite possible. Having won the summer tournament, if he can get around 13 wins in the next Nagoya tournament, I think the possibility is high. Looking back, Wakatakakage was a rikishi who was called an "Ozeki candidate" even before the current Ozekis (Kotozakura, Anseishiki), and he is just a very skilled rikishi. It is possible that what has been stifled due to injury will suddenly blossom.
"Charismatic Rikishi" Who Made It to the Makushita Division -- Yoshinofuji and Hakunofuji from Isegahama beya, who both received the Fighting Spirit Prize, achieved excellent results with 11 wins!
Otowayama: Yoshinofuji is almost certain to be promoted to Sanyaku next tournament, and he has good physical balance. He can be said to be a candidate for next Ozeki. And Hakunofuji, who attracted attention when he was promoted to Makuuchi in one go from Makushita back then, is a skilled rikishi, but his frequent injuries are a concern. He had knee surgery after March, but it was arthroscopic surgery, so he was able to return to the dohyo relatively quickly. These 11 wins will surely give him confidence. -
- Now, Makuuchi was a close race, but Makushita had a seven-way championship playoff, which was exciting. Fujinokawa's younger brother, Ikarigata, won the tournament.
Otowayama: Ikarigata is used to tournament matches. He wrestled confidently and without hesitation against older rikishi. He will likely rise to the single digits in Makushita next tournament, and the day he becomes a Sekitori is probably not far off. I would love to see him competing in Makuuchi alongside his older brother. Also, Oomori, who entered sumo as a Makushita tsukedashi last basho, has a slim build (185 cm, 120 kg) that is unusual for a rikishi, and he seems to be already popular with female sumo fans (laughs). It feels like a "flashy rikishi" has emerged."
Hoping for a review of the overly exhausting regional tours -
-Even so, with 5 out of 9 top-ranked rikishi absent from this basho, I think it must have been somewhat disappointing for the fans.
Otowayama: For the past few years, the regional tours have been so long that it has become a problem that rikishi do not have time to recover if they get injured. The spring tour in April and the summer tour in August last for four weeks, and then the banzuke for the next tournament is announced immediately afterward. However, it seems that the Kyokai has proposed reviewing this intense schedule from autumn onward, so I really hope they do that. Just looking at the rikishi during the spring tour, it looked tough for them... But it's strange that the rikishi who trained the hardest during the tour didn't perform well. -
-Who was the one who trained the hardest?
Otowayama: Ura. While many rikishi left the tour midway, he was on the dohyo every day, practicing in a knockout format. However, it is impressive that he was selected to compete in the final match of the last day and achieved 10 wins. (I thought he did rather well, no? MD)
The Nagoya tournament will see the return of Yokozuna Oonosato and Houshouryuu, who were absent due to injury, as well as Aonishiki, who will be demoted to Sekiwake, so the competition for the championship is likely to become even more fierce. In such circumstances, it will be interesting to see how far Wakatakakage, who is aiming for Ozeki , and Kirishima, who is aiming for Yokozuna, can get those wins. (Hazuki Takeda Non-fiction writer. )