The September 2023 Sumo Tournament

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

Despite a Yokozuna out with injury, and despite the loss to surgery of the impudent upstart Hakuoho (who almost won the last tournament as a complete rookie), the September basho started out very strong with a loud crowd in Tokyo. There are a number of storylines that provide interest. 

The top storyline has to be the two Ozekis (second-highest rank below Yokozuna) who are kadoban. That means they have to obtain a winning record in their 15 matches or lose their lofty rank. This is day three, and they have both lost a match. Oh my! They are each 2-1. 

Another major story is the rise of Hokutofuji. This fellow looks like a chubby accountant, but he is the ultimate pro. In fact, he reminds me of a slick shortstop with his crisp, clean movements (even in his pre-match routine). He is now 3-0, and he is responsible for defeating the two Ozekis. Hokutofuji challenged for the title during the last basho, and he is only looking stronger. 

A story that I'm very interested in is my favorite wrestler Hoshoryu, also known as the Golden Boy. He is another Ozeki, and he's already lost twice in three bouts! Not optimal. There has been an Ozeki curse for some time now, and I hope that Golden Boy doesn't fall under its spell. 

And finally, if you follow sumo or have read the reports here about the last tournament, you know that a fellow going by the name of NattoSumo has been putting the tournaments up on YouTube even though they are the property of the Japanese Sumo Federation and the Japanese TV giant NHK. Well, he's already had a couple videos removed in the last few days, so he's changed his name to JustinBeiberwrestling, apparently because YouTube would never ban Justin Beiber. 

These are today's matches, which went on YouTube a few hours ago. The video might not last long. Haha! 

 

 

That's Golden Boy, the Mongolian Ozeki in the picture. I also wanted to give you an action shot at 7:50 of the video showing the excitement of sumo. What you see below is Sadanoumi pushing Kotoshoho off of the elevated ring. Kotoshoho is flying out, while Sadanoumi is simply flying:

[Takuto_Otoguro]

What's the pay like for a high level sumo guy in Japan? 

[gimpeltf]

1 hour ago, Takuto_Otoguro said:

What's the pay like for a high level sumo guy in Japan? 

And is it enough to pay for his grocery bill?

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

1 hour ago, Takuto_Otoguro said:

What's the pay like for a high level sumo guy in Japan? 

I'm not sure. I know each of the upper ranks will get something akin to a base pay, and then there are incentive payments. It's certainly not USA baseball or football money. Haha! I have no idea if they get much from endorsements. 

Also, at the end of many of the upper division matches (like those in the video above), the gyoji (ref) will give the winner a stack of envelopes containing money. It's supposedly not much in each envelope, but some of those stacks can be pretty big. 

And, @gimpeltf, I've seen a few videos about their diets, and they eat like dinosaurs. Then, when they retire, many shrink by a hundred pounds or more. 

[gimpeltf]

2 minutes ago, ILLINIWrestlingBlog said:

And, @gimpeltf, I've seen a few videos about their diets, and they eat like dinosaurs. Then, when they retire, many shrink by a hundred pounds or more. 

I was only half-kidding.

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

Now that I'm hooked on Sumo, they've taken away my supply. Cold chills. Sweat. Itching. Wild eyes. It seems that NattoSumo has been completely scrubbed from YouTube and Twitter. Anybody with suggestions? 

To get me through the morning, I watched a replay of the Kirishima versus Hokutofuji match from yesterday. Kirishima is an Ozeki (2nd-highest rank) while Hokutofuji is the guy I call the Chubby Accountant. In the match, you can see the violence inherent in the system, as face slaps and head-butting are legal. Additionally, at the end of the match, the Gyoji (ref) gives a stack of envelopes containing cash to the winner (at 4:38). 

Start the video at 3:05 to see Hokutofuji's final pre-match preparations; start at 3:28 to see the actual match and the aftermath:

 

 

[D3 for LU]

IWB... I was stationed @ MCAS Futenma in Okinawa from May 1978 to May 1979. Beside getting the daily results of the seasonal sumo tournaments in the Stars & Stripes sport section, the locals that run air station barber shops would have the sumo tournaments playing on their portable B&W TV's. Remebered the Yokozunas at the time... Kitanoumi, Wakanohama, Mienoumi, and the Great Wajima. Plus the Hawaiian , Jesse Kuhaulua aka Takamiyama Daigorō  w/the highest ranking of sekiwake.

Sumo during my tour in Okinawa left quite an impression on me, to say at least. Didn't follow it much afterwards, other an occasional ESPN2 showing of a tournament.

D3

[CHROMEBIRD]

On 9/12/2023 at 6:06 AM, Takuto_Otoguro said:

What's the pay like for a high level sumo guy in Japan? 

I'm out of my element here but remember a documentary that said "senior" level sumo wrestlers can earn salaries well into six figures, but there are also intangibles like having lower-ranked guys in the stable serving you and not having to pay for food or lodging.

IIRC the envelopes after the matches start at around $200 (each) with more envelopes and more money as the tournaments progress. Not bad for matches that usually run less than 30 seconds a pop. The catch though is that you really don't make a living wage until you are in the top two ranks (divisions?).

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

3 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

I'm out of my element here but remember a documentary that said "senior" level sumo wrestlers can earn salaries well into six figures, but there are also intangibles like having lower-ranked guys in the stable serving you and not having to pay for food or lodging.

IIRC the envelopes after the matches start at around $200 (each) with more envelopes and more money as the tournaments progress. Not bad for matches that usually run less than 30 seconds a pop. The catch though is that you really don't make a living wage until you are in the top two ranks (divisions?).

Thanks for that info, CHROMEBIRD! I saw a listing of salaries last year for the top guys around that range, but I couldn't remember for sure. 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

9 hours ago, D3 for LU said:

IWB... I was stationed @ MCAS Futenma in Okinawa from May 1978 to May 1979. Beside getting the daily results of the seasonal sumo tournaments in the Stars & Stripes sport section, the locals that run air station barber shops would have the sumo tournaments playing on their portable B&W TV's. Remebered the Yokozunas at the time... Kitanoumi, Wakanohama, Mienoumi, and the Great Wajima. Plus the Hawaiian , Jesse Kuhaulua aka Takamiyama Daigorō  w/the highest ranking of sekiwake.

Sumo during my tour in Okinawa left quite an impression on me, to say at least. Didn't follow it much afterwards, other an occasional ESPN2 showing of a tournament.

D3

 

Good stuff, D3! Thanks for your service. And for a little slice of your life. 

Jason Sumo stepped up and posted videos of the upper division matches. Maybe I won't have to rob convenience stores to support my Sumo habit. The video below has the ten highest ranked wrestlers. Start at 1:00 as the first minute is filler:

 

 

[D3 for LU]

^^^ video unavailable^^^

Meanwhile...

D3

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

Haha! NattoSumo and his like are modern day pirates, and the authorities are after them. I finally found him on Rumble here and watched today's matches in the upper division, all 20 of them. It was like watching a whole season of the Chicago Bears in 30 minutes. My favorite guys: LOSS, LOSS, LOSS, LOSS, WIN, LOSS, WIN, WIN, LOSS, LOSS, LOSS, LOSS, LOSS, LOSS, WIN, WIN, LOSS, WIN, WIN, WIN. 

That win streak of my favorite wrestlers at the end is what keeps me coming back, just like that one perfect drive during a bad day of golf. 

I had to give Rumble a working email account, a birth date and a username. They verified the email account to complete the signup. Hakkeyoi!

 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

I figured that I'd do one post at the end of the November tournament. Because it is wrestling season, I wasn't able to watch all the matches in the upper division. However, I did catch the most important ones each day. 

Even without the injured Yokozuna, it was a very entertaining basho (tournament). The eventual winner was Kirishima, an Ozeki (2nd highest rank). He is one of my favorites because he looks like Sumo Elvis. He is also very nimble and strong and can use a variety of techniques to win. 

In fact, he frequently will adopt the style of his opponent, and then beat that guy using his own style against him. 

Two back with 11-4 records were Kotonowaka and Atamifuji. Kotonowaka is a Sekiwake (3rd highest rank). Atamifuji is a young rikishi (wrestler) in just his third upper division tournament. What makes these two especially interesting is that they are talented, and they are Japanese. Mongolians have held a stranglehold over the top rank (Yokozuna) for years. In fact, Kirishima is a Mongolian, and he's the guy who just won this tournament. If he wins the next one convincingly, he will become another Mongolian Yokozuna. 

That's why the great showings from Kotonowaka and Atamifuji were exciting. Hakkeyoi!

[D3 for LU]

When Planets Collide...

D3

[D3 for LU]

This one does a split...

OUCH!

D3

[mspart]

Ouch is right.   Splits with that kind of weight on you!!  I'll bet he was feeling that the next day.

mspart

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

[SPOILERS] The January Sumo tournament is over. 

I've never seen a better one. 

It came down to the high-ranking wrestlers, a play off, and that play off included the Yokozuna Terunofuji. Below is the match that he had to win against the second-highest ranked wrestler Kirishima (who also happens to be my favorite because he looks like Sumo Elvis) to get to the play off:

 

The actual match starts at 5:07 of the video and it ends at 5:12. The total length of the match was five seconds. Unbelievable dominance by the Yokozuna. And believe me, Kirishima is a fantastic wrestler. 

After this match, the Yokozuna had to come back for the play off, and he beat another talented wrestler named Kotonowaka for the Emperor's Cup. I will just link that match here, as it is unlisted on YouTube so as not to spoil the surprise that there was a play off. 

In any event, Hakkeyoi to you and may your feet land outside the ring after your opponent's for the rest of your life!

[CHICAGOSUMO]

On 9/12/2023 at 10:12 AM, ILLINIWrestlingBlog said:

I'm not sure. I know each of the upper ranks will get something akin to a base pay, and then there are incentive payments. It's certainly not USA baseball or football money. Haha! I have no idea if they get much from endorsements. 

Also, at the end of many of the upper division matches (like those in the video above), the gyoji (ref) will give the winner a stack of envelopes containing money. It's supposedly not much in each envelope, but some of those stacks can be pretty big. 

And, @gimpeltf, I've seen a few videos about their diets, and they eat like dinosaurs. Then, when they retire, many shrink by a hundred pounds or more. 

The top 70 guys get around 8k-12k USD a month, and the lower rankers get maybe 600-800 a month, an allowance basically. But the stables provide room and board for the lower guys, although the higher ranked guys like to get their own apartments and girlfriends and such. There are a bunch of other ways they get money too, incentives for attending the tournaments, money for wins, big time businessmen take them out and buy them gifts, plus money for ads and events.

I came across this forum when doing a search for sumo. I don't know if I am allowed to promote it here, but there a bunch of clubs in the US where one can do sumo now. We even have Yama, a former pro, coaching us sometimes.

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

29 minutes ago, CHICAGOSUMO said:

The top 70 guys get around 8k-12k USD a month, and the lower rankers get maybe 600-800 a month, an allowance basically. But the stables provide room and board for the lower guys, although the higher ranked guys like to get their own apartments and girlfriends and such. There are a bunch of other ways they get money too, incentives for attending the tournaments, money for wins, big time businessmen take them out and buy them gifts, plus money for ads and events.

I came across this forum when doing a search for sumo. I don't know if I am allowed to promote it here, but there a bunch of clubs in the US where one can do sumo now. We even have Yama, a former pro, coaching us sometimes.

Wow! This is so cool! I hope you continue to post here. I've been busy with American high school and college folkstyle, so I haven't posted about the current basho. You could tell us your thoughts about that, any national or international tournaments you and your teammates are wrestling, your practices, etc. 

It would be great to have another American in the upper divisions of the Japanese Sumo Association. Another person or persons to cheer for. Good luck!

Another reason I haven't posted about the current basho is because my favorite wrestlers are getting CRUSHED. The giant Yokozuna Terunofuji is 2-4, Sumo Elvis Kirishima is also 2-4, and Hokutofuji is 1-5. Another favorite Takarafuji was bounced down to a lower division, and even there, he's 3-3. Hakkeyoi!

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

With the NCAA tournament getting underway, I thought I'd write this up before I forget. This basho is no fun for me, as my favorite wrestlers aren't doing well. However, just about everybody else in the Sumo world is agog because of two newcomers who are thumping everybody. 

First, there is Takerufuji, who was an amateur and college star and has been in professional Sumo for just a few tournaments. He just won his match and became the first rikishi (wrestler) to win 11 consecutive matches to start his first basho (tournament) at the top division in 64 years. Almost not to be outdone, Onosato, another newbie, is 9-2. He's so new that he can't put his hair up in traditional sumo style. 

Everybody else has three or more losses, and there are only four days left in the basho. 

Besides the cool record, there is the fact that both of these rikishi have looked dominant against pretty good competition. Today, they both wrestled against respected and tested Ozekis (Takakeisho and Kotonowaka). That's the second-highest rank in Sumo, and both the new guys won. So, questions about whether they are flashes in the pan have been answered, at least in my mind. 

Not only did each beat a powerful Ozeki--and both of the Ozekis were near the top of the leaderboard and were in good form--but they also did not succumb to the incredible pressure of fighting in the last two bouts on day 11 of their first tournaments. 

It is also exciting for Japanese fans because Mongolians have held the top spot in the sport for a long stretch. These two are Japanese monsters. Okay, I'm a little excited! Hakkeyoi!

 

Image credit: The Japan Times from an hour ago.

 

 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

Correction: This is Onosato's second tournament in the upper division. He's the one at 9-2. 

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

And so the March basho ends with a surprise champion! Young Takerufuji won the 15-day tournament with a 13-2 record. This was his first tournament at the highest level, and he was dominant, although he didn't face a Yokozuna (highest rank) and only two of four Ozeki (next highest rank). 

So, there is still a question in my mind about how he will stack up against the top of the Banzuke (Sumo roster). Yet, he won his last match against a very competent opponent on a bum ankle/foot. That showed a lot of composure and courage and determination. 

There is no doubt that he is very powerful. 

In football terms, he "gets off the ball" faster than anybody near his size, and he is 315 pounds and 6'-3" tall. I think he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. A possible future Ozeki, maybe even a Yokozuna? We shall see. 

[tgrass21]

I was impressed with Takerufuji.  He has the size and strength to go a long way in Sumo.  Hope he can keep it up.  The Japanese need a Yokozuna.  

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

The May basho (tournament) is now 7 matches old. The winner will be the wrestler with the best record after 15 matches in 15 days. This particular tournament is plagued with injuries and no shows. The top-ranked wrestler, the Yokozuna, pulled out, and also among the second-highest ranked wrestlers, two of these Ozekis have pulled out. Additionally, one of the wonder teens from the last tournament, Takerufuji, is not wrestling. 

That makes for a blah basho for me. 

There are no undefeated rikishi (wrestlers) left. Moreover, a couple of the guys at 6-1, I think, have little chance to win. That includes Ura, who is more of a showman than a legitimate challenger. He likes to fly around and attempt difficult winning holds. He usually loses to who he is supposed to lose to and wins only against who he is supposed to win against.

Another, Takarafuji, is pretty old and has been feasting on lower-ranked wrestlers to get to his 6-1 mark. I like him a lot, but he looks like my personal accountant (or Conan the Librarian--see below). 

It is only match 8 tomorrow, but I think the championship is already on the line as veteran Daieisho (6-1) takes on wunderkind Onosato (6-1). These two have both been in form, and look to have real possibilities to win. Daieisho is perhaps the toughest wrestler in the whole banzuke (roster). He leads with his head and is always ready to fight hard. He would be a worthy champion, as he's already won one. 

This is only Onosato's third tournament in the upper division, but he has finished 11-4 in his first two. He is a real, emerging talent. The showdown between him and Daieisho will be the highlight tomorrow. I think the winner has the inside track to become champion. 

 

 

[ionel]

9 minutes ago, ILLINIWrestlingBlog said:

The May basho (tournament) is now 7 matches old. The winner will be the wrestler with the best record after 15 matches in 15 days. This particular tournament is plagued with injuries and no shows. The top-ranked wrestler, the Yokozuna, pulled out, and also among the second-highest ranked wrestlers, two of these Ozekis have pulled out. Additionally, one of the wonder teens from the last tournament, Takerufuji, is not wrestling. 

That makes for a blah basho for me. 

There are no undefeated rikishi (wrestlers) left. Moreover, a couple of the guys at 6-1, I think, have little chance to win. That includes Ura, who is more of a showman than a legitimate challenger. He likes to fly around and attempt difficult winning holds. He usually loses to who he is supposed to lose to and wins only against who he is supposed to win against.

Another, Takarafuji, is pretty old and has been feasting on lower-ranked wrestlers to get to his 6-1 mark. I like him a lot, but he looks like my personal accountant (or Conan the Librarian--see below). 

It is only match 8 tomorrow, but I think the championship is already on the line as veteran Daieisho (6-1) takes on wunderkind Onosato (6-1). These two have both been in form, and look to have real possibilities to win. Daieisho is perhaps the toughest wrestler in the whole banzuke (roster). He leads with his head and is always ready to fight hard. He would be a worthy champion, as he's already won one. 

This is only Onosato's third tournament in the upper division, but he has finished 11-4 in his first two. He is a real, emerging talent. The showdown between him and Daieisho will be the highlight tomorrow. I think the winner has the inside track to become champion. 

 

 

Is this tournament similar to when @Wrestleknownothing while wearing speedo accidently bumps into someone on the beach?