Ex-Tsurugishou danpatsushiki
Moti Dichne
Tsurugishou held his wedding reception and danpatsushiki on the 6th at The Prince Tower Tokyo in Tokyo. Approximately 90 people, including Ozeki Kotozakura and Kirishima, cut his maget, and the venue was resonating with blessings as he cut the cake with his wife, Yuka, a current flight attendant whom he married in January. Tsurugishou was seen smiling throughout the ceremony, but was overcome with emotion and shed tears towards the end of the hair-cutting ceremony. "I remembered everything since I joined sumo, and my last basho, and I was overwhelmed suddenly," he recalled. The night before, he consulted with Yuka and her parents about his new hairstyle, and they unanimously decided on a two-block short cut. The groom, who leads a busy life as the president of the yakiniku restaurant "Momomatsuen" in Tokyo, stood beside Yuka, who has always supported him, and the first day of his new beginning came to a bright close. While getting his hair styled after the ceremony, he spoke to reporters and revealed his current situation at Momomatsuen, a yakiniku restaurant in Tokyo where he has been serving as president since his retirement. "Well, it's tough," he said with a wry smile, but added with a happy expression, "I'm out serving customers every day because people who know me come in." "About half of the customers say, 'I came to see Tsurugishou-san,'" he said, and added, "If those people stopped coming, there would be no point in me being in the restaurant," expressing his gratitude to his fans. Regarding the future, he spoke confidently, "I want to open two or three stores. I want to expand into a chain," showing that even after leaving the sumo world, he is looking ahead to a new challenge.
He also spoke at length about the new star in his former heya Makushita Oomori. who is considered "handsome" by the public, "I guess he's handsome in the eyes of the public. He's muscular." On the other hand, he also explained his viewpoint as a rikishi', saying, "But it's not about physique or face, a strong man is cool." He continued, "No matter how much of a junior he is, when you see him win a championship, you think he's cool," and concluded by saying, "No matter how good-looking someone is, if they're weak, they're not cool," which made the reporters laugh. It was a moment that showed Tsurugishou's characteristic cheerfulness and support for Oomori on this joyous occasion.
