[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Kusano- why the sudden shikona change to Yoshinofuji? And why did he skip London?

[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: Tue, Oct 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Kusano- why the sudden shikona change to
Yoshinofuji? And why did he skip London?
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Kusano, who will be competing under his new shikona, Yoshinofuji, answered
a series of questions and speculations from sumo fans, revealing the truth
behind the change. On the 28th, Yoshinofuji spoke to the press after
attending the rikishi-kai at the Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka
City. The name change, which was revealed the day before during the banzuke
announcement on the 27th, was suggested by his former Oyakata, Miyagino
(former Yokozuna Asahifuji). He explained: "First, we decided on the sound
of 'Yoshinofuji,' and then we looked for the kanji for 'yoshi,' narrowing
it down to two: 'yoshi' and 'ka'. 'Ka' sounded similar to the Nakamura beya
style (where former Sekiwake Yoshikaze is the oyakata), so we went with
'yoshi.'"

He also revealed the meaning behind his new shikona, which he chose after
consulting with his parents, saying, "It expresses the importance of
valuing obligation and human feelings." Since his debut under the shikona
"Kusano" at  Makushita tsukedashi in Natsu last year, he got his
kachikoshi  in all nine bashos. His achievements as  "Kusano" include
winning two consecutive Juryo yushos and competing for the yusho as a new
Makuuchi rikishi. "I want to develop my shikona along with my ranking," he
said, expressing his strong desire for sumo fans to associate his name with
his face, so that people won't ask, 'Huh, where did Kusano go?'"

There was one more thing he wanted to clarify, to clear up a
misunderstanding -  the reason for his absence from this month's London
Koen. During training at his heya two days before his planned departure,
Yoshinofuji had sustained an injury to his right ankle and calf, which
"left him unable to walk at first." He had to suddenly abandon his plans to
go to England, saying, "I don't want to be bothersome by not being able to
do anything." Yoshinofuji was the most surprised of all when he saw a
"rumor" online. "There was a false rumor spreading that I couldn't go to
London because I didn't have a passport. But I do have a passport. There
were even comments saying, 'You should get rid of it.' Social media is
scary," he said, chuckling bitterly at the blatant outrage. "People think
I'm a reckless person who's disrupting things. So please mention that in
the article," he said, hoping to put an end to the massive backlash he
received after the spreading of the false information. While he spoke with
a smile throughout, the condition of his right foot was worrisome. "I'm
still not sure if I'll be able to compete in the Kyushu tournament. I've
started doing suriashi today," he said. Depending on his recovery, he may
be forced to sit out from day one of the basho. His new shikona,
"Yoshinofuji," may naturally be destined to attract attention.

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