Ozeki Kirishima

[Moti Dichne]

Not much news, nothing much going on, but now that the banzuke is out, probably more news..

Ozeki Kirishima  who will be challenging for promotion to Yokozuna in Nagoya, held his first keiko session since the announcement of the banzuke at Sadogatake beya in Nishi Ward, Nagoya City on the 2nd, and showed excellent form, winning all 10 matches against Fujinokawa and others who were also training there. It was his first time doing serious sumo since the end of the Natsu basho, and he said enthusiastically, "It felt good to be back after a long time. I'm going to keep improving my condition." He also chose Kotoeihou, whom he faced for the first time on the 13th day of the last tournament and defeated by utchari. He showed the difference in rank with a variety of attacks, such as getting a left uwate and winning by yorikiri, and throws as well. "His movements are good, and he comes at you without holding back. I thought about what I needed to do in response to that," he said, clearly focusing on his challenges. In June, he returned to Mongolia after performing in Paris. He has been focusing on building his physique up until now, in preparation for the tournament where he has a chance of promotion to Yokozuna if he wins with a high level performance. "I have quite a bit of muscle soreness. This is a good thing," he said, showing his confidence. The plan is to continue training at other heya to improve his condition. His Oyakata Otowayama , who accompanied him, commented, "He needs to gradually get his body in shape. To aim higher from here, it's important that he doesn't lose in training either."