[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Oonosato trains

[Jeff A]

Moti

Best regards,
Jeffrey Anderson
Gaijingai

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
- John Greenleaf Whittier


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Nov 2, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Oonosato trains
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Oonosato showed excellent form today, hinting at his chance to become the
first Japanese rikishi to achieve the feat of four yushos in a single year
since former Yokozuna Takanohana in 1996. Today, he participated in the
Nishonoseki Ichimon rengo-keiko held at Sadogatake beya in Fukuoka City in
preparation for the Kyushu basho which starts next Sunday.  He had 15
consecutive matches against Ozeki Kotozakura, finishing with 12 wins and 3
losses. Kotozakura withdrew late in the previous basho due to a right knee
injury, and even taking into account Kotozakura's delayed training,
Oonosato displayed superior techniques, including strong right hand grips,
left ottsuke, and even getting a morozashi after a grip-change. In short,
he overwhelmed and dominated his opponent.. As a result of the London koen
held in October, the rikishi are facing training challenges as they have to
deal with the late start.. After returning to Japan on October 21, Oonosato
had to attend an event in his hometown of Ishikawa Prefecture and travel to
Kyushu, which meant this was his first time training outside the heya
before the tournament. Even so, he commented, "I tried to work at a fast
pace, but I don't think my lower body felt too bad. I think I can still get
better. My stamina was a little low. 15 days is a long time, so I want to
prepare thoroughly. The regional tournaments are an issue for me. Last
year, I had a poor record of 9-6 -. This time, we had London, and my
training regimen was different from the usual. I'm not sure how it will go,
but I have one more week, so I want to prepare thoroughly and do my best."
While pointing out his issues, he also expressed a certain sense of
accomplishment. Of his five yushos to date, four came at the Tokyo
tournaments, and the remaining one came in Osaka. He has yet to win the
yusho in Kyushu. Regarding this, he said, "This is the last tournament of
the year. As I said when the rankings were announced, I want to work hard
and aim for four yushos this year." He did not hide his desire to finish
the final tournament of the year with the best possible result.

Nishonoseki Oyakata, who oversaw his training, also praised his excellent
condition. "He's been working on the basics well, so I think he is in good
shape. Now, if he can just improve his precision a little more, I think
he'll face day 1 prepared. I don't know why, but he came back (from London)
feeling energized. He seems to be in good shape. He feels more energized
than he felt last basho." The Oyakata speculated that he had not neglected
his physical training during his first overseas tour. "I think London was
tough, but he did well despite that. I think he was working hard there," he
said, showing his satisfaction at Oonosato's  heightened awareness as a
Yokozuna. While more keiko details are yet to be decided, he plans to
continue to go for degeiko as he has done in the past. "I think I need to
step up my game again from tomorrow and make adjustments. I want to
maintain my style as always, using both my right and left hands and fight
aggressively." He plans to further improve his condition, get stronger, and
achieve his goal of winning his fourth yusho this year with a perfect
record. [Takada Bunta]

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