[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Rikishi talk about the Expo and other stuff

[Jeff A]

Moti

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 12, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Rikishi talk about the Expo and other stuff
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


I know i'm bombarding you with these, but a lot of stories that must ew
told, all of them quite interesting, I hope.. Nobody is complaining, so..

At the Osaka Kansai Expo Tournament held in Osaka City on August 3rd, some
rikishi showcased the charm of professional sumo, a symbol of Japanese
culture. Yokozuna Oonosato, Aonishiki, and other famous rikishi on
Jungyo for the Expo Tournament were there. Currently, the sumo world boasts
20 Mongolian-born wrestlers, including Yokozuna Houshouryuu. Other rikishi
include Ukraine (makuuchi divisions Aonishiki and Shishi), Kazakhstan
(Makuuchi  Kinbouzan), Russia (Rouga), and China (Juryo Daiseizan).

The number of "foreign-origin wrestlers" is even greater. One notable
example is former Ozeki and Makuuchi rikishi Mitakeumi, whose mother is
from the Philippines. Although he was demoted to Juryo for the first time
in about 10 years in May, he returned to makuuchi after just one tournament
at Nagoya , winning six consecutive matches from the first day. His
performance suggested he might win his fourth championship. Mitakeumi said.
"Why is (the Nagoya tournament) going well? Nothing in particular, but
maybe it's because my shoulder injury is getting better? I grew up in the
Philippines as a child, so I'm good with the heat. But this summer's heat
might be even worse than it was in the Philippines..." I don't like crowded
places." He grimaced at the continued heatwaves, but took a bite of the
bread that had been brought to him. "I heard there's a Philippine Pavilion,
but we're moving on to our next stop (Gifu City) after the Expo tour is
over, so it's a shame I can't go! But I'd like to go while the Expo is
still going on," he said, vowing to return. Makuuchi rikishi Ouhou is
another rikishi who has been gaining strength recently. Ouhou's grandfather
was former Yokozuna Taihou. Taihou, who hails from Hokkaido, had a father
from Ukraine. Inheriting that bloodline, Ouhou's skin is translucently
white. "I don't like crowded places. The Expo site faces the sea, so the
sea breeze is really nice." His hobbies include visiting aquariums so he
enjoyed the ocean atmosphere during his break.

The rikishi participating in the summer jungyo, which began with the Expo
tournament, are primarily Makuuchi rikishi and their tsukebito. Due to the
absence of Houshouryuu (who joined on August 7th), popular wrestlers Ura
and Endou, Juryo rikishi Hakuyouzan was invited to participate in the
jungyo as a filler. "I was lucky to be able to participate in the Expo tour
for the first time in a while. I love meat, especially churrasco, so I
personally wanted to go to the Brazil Pavilion. I also wanted to try some
authentic German sausages. While I won't be able to participate in the
London tour in October (as I'm a Juryo rikishi), I would love to take part
in the Paris tour in France next fall as a Makuuchi rikishi!" he said,
setting his sights on a promotion to the Makuuchi division this year. ◆

"I want to return to Ozeki" In March, he battled for the championship with
then-ozeki Oonosato and returned to Komusubi. In May Takayasu, 35, had a
losing record of 6 wins and 9 losses, but remained at Komusubi. Fueled by
this good fortune, he led the first half of the Nagoya basho with a record
of 5 wins and 1 loss through the sixth day. "Even now, I am devoting my
entire life to sumo, with the goal of returning to the rank of Ozeki," he
said. When he first joined Naruto beya, he couldn't stand life there and
ran away many times. He once walked home to his parents' house in Ibaraki
Prefecture, where they ran a Filipino restaurant. After eating the Filipino
food his mother cooked, his father would drive him to Naruto beya (at the
time) in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, where he would profusely apologize
to his Oyakata and senior apprentices. "Honestly, for the first two years I
was a 'soft kid' who wasn't serious about sumo. In fact, when I joined sumo
at the age of 15 in 2005, the 'Aichi Expo' was held in Nagoya. The Nagoya
dormitory (for Naruto beya) was in Nagakute, close to the Expo site, so
during the break after the Nagoya basho, I went to the Expo with my
classmates and looked around the various pavilions. It's been 20 years
since then. At that time, I couldn't even see what the future held, and I
never imagined I'd still be wrestling until this age (35). This
Osaka-Kansai Expo is a very emotional experience for me," Takayasu recalls. He
has a back injury that caused him to withdraw from the summer tour midway
through, but there is hope he will put up a fight that will give the top
rikishi a hard time in Aki come September.

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-- 
Best regards,
Jeffrey Anderson
Gaijingai - Foreign Ruler of the Dohyo
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
- John Greenleaf Whittier
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