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Moti Dichne
Juryo 4W Asanoyama, faced Yokozuna Houshouryuu and was 2-8. As he had lost all five of his matches against Houshouryuu in honbasho Houshouryuu is a difficult opponent for him to face. He was often unable to show his sumo against him and was easily beaten by his opponent's sharp thrusts, and was unable to stop the right-handed throws he had been hit with during a basho.. However, in the two matches he won, he used a straightforward right-handed thrust technique to win. In particular, the third match of their session was a complete victory, with a quick yorikiri from the tachiai. Houshouryuu couldn't help but exclaim, "Ahh..." and looked up to the sky. After the practice, Asanoyama commented , "I was happy to be called out. When I fight against a Yokozuna, I don't care about winning or losing, I just want to give it my all and win. When I won those two bouts it was good sumo. I want to be able to show that in honbasho as well. It was a plus to be able to get up close and personal with a Yokozuna."
The two first met in the Natsu of 2021, when Asanoyama was an Ozeki and Houshouryuu was in his fifth tournament in Makuuchi, ranked Maegashira 5E. After keiko, while the three of them, including Asahakuryuu, were chatting, Houshouryuu said, "Asanoyama was the first Ozeki I beat," and added, "Please come up to the top soon. It's hard to find someone who's fun to face." In response, Asanoyama said, "I also want to try to get to the top again. There's another Yokozuna, and the lineup up there has changed," expressing his desire to face the top rankers, which have changed significantly since he was an Ozeki, every tournament.
His impression of Houshouryuu remains the same: "He has a strong throw and a heavy waist," but "He's big. His body is getting bigger," he said, confirming the reason why he has risen to the top of the rankings, and his desire to get closer to him has grown stronger. After falling twice to Sandanme due to suspension and a serious injury, this tournament is his chance to return to Makuuchi for the third time. "I need to win at least 11 bouts," he said, expressing his strong desire to be in Makuuchi at the New Year's tournament in January next year.
Back in Maegashira Chiyoshouma also came to train at Takasago beya today and he faced Maegashira Asakouryuu, and Juryo Asahakuryuu and Asasuiryuu, for a total of seven matches - 4-3. His total for the day was 6-11. However, he said, "I'm doing enough matches, so I think it's fine. Today is the first time I've faced rikishi from other heyas. Everyone is getting stronger, and I'm able to do good keiko at my heya as well," he said.