Ichiyamamoto does stand up..

[Moti Dichne]

"Can't you see? No, you can see it, can't you??." Maegashira West 2 Ichiyamamoto defeated Ozeki Kotozakura in the musubi bout to secure his second win. He was turned sideways at the start of the bout, but he held on at the edge of the dohyo. It was a head-on battle, with him repeatedly charging at the Ozeki. The previous day, in the same final bout, he pushed back Kirishima, also an Ozeki, but his feet locked and he was slapped down. On this day, he lowered his hips to get into position at the edge of the dohyo and pushed Kotozakura out. "I was able to hold on well. At first I was only putting my weight on the top, but then I got into a good position and put my strength into it. I think it was good that my knees were bent at the edge of the dohyo." It was a magnificent victory, showing he had learned from his mistakes the previous day.

During his match against Kirishima yesterday, when he went to get the last salt in the final shikiri, he caught sight of a bundle of prize money that had been offered for the final match. "I saw it. There was no money falling on the dohyo in the end, though... Argh," he lamented. Having been in the final bout for two days in a row, there was a hefty amount of prize money again today as well. One might think that he had learned from his mistake the previous day, but... "I thought to myself I shouldn't look (when I went for the last shikiri), but I saw it. But rather than being self-conscious about it, I just decided to look. I stared at it," he said with a smile. "It's my job, so getting paid a lot is proof that I worked hard yes indeed," he said, his famously smooth and radiant skin shining brightly.. [Kazuhiro Masuda]