[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Shouketsu, oldest active rikishi

[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: Wed, Sep 16, 2026 at 12:57 AM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Shouketsu, oldest active rikishi
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Shouketsu (Shibatayama beya), the oldest active rikishi (ranked Jonidan
45W), suffered his first loss since turning 50 on the 5th. He was defeated
by uwatenage by Suigafuji  who is 29 years his junior, and reflected, "My
opponent's attack was better." On Day 2, in his first bout since turning
50, he had won by kimedashi against Komanofuji (20, Jonidan 45E), a rikishi
30 years his junior. While that victory drew significant attention, he
remained humble, saying, "It was just a fluke." He explained that the
interest stemmed largely from the fact that his opponent's shikona
"Komanofuji," was identical to the one he himself had used in the past. He
said he approached the match "as usual," but after being thrown, his back
and left elbow were covered in sand. He expressed regret, noting, "I ended
up wrestling too defensively." He is the second active rikishi in the Showa
era or later to reach the age of 50, following Hanakaze, who retired at 51
years and 7 months. Born on September 5, 1976, he made his debut at the
1995 Spring Tournament and has maintained a perfect attendance record for
over 31 years. With this day's result, his career record stands at 652 wins
and 652 losses. His record for the current tournament is now 1 win and 1
loss, but he remained calm, stating, "It’s just getting started. Will I
keep losing or keep winning from here? Nothing begins unless I step onto
the dohyo.."

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