Saburo

Unryu-gata, PLEASE!

Honestly didn't look different to me from any other bow/non- bow from Hoshoryu following a loss. Who was the shimpan that barked at him to get back on the ring? I'm sure he had the scolding on the ready all day long.

Dated but worth watching just for the yakiniku restaurant segment...

Wow, I had no idea Wily had gone into acting. I really remember his quick rise up to Makushita. Anyone remember a showdown match between him and Kushima in 1988 or so? He blitzed the former college yokozuna off the dohyo in like a couple seconds, my memory tells me. Really thought he'd become the first sekitori in Azumazeki, but twas not to be. RIP.

FYI I checked my profile page and still have no Cover Photo option. Assume my account is just wired that way...

Just stunning news. He became an immediate favorite when I got back into watching sumo in the mid-1980s. Even the most casual of ozumo observers recognized Terao. I just saw Konishki this past Thursday in Waikiki and thought to myself, man he looks like he's slowed down considerably. The eighties are all dying, man...

I know, I watched (the original) Kirishima during his Heisei glory days, becoming the king of Izutsu-beya and possibly becoming the next Nishinoumi if he had advanced to Yokozuna. I'd rather Kiribayama hold onto his own legacy -- personal preference.

Eh, I'm not down with the new shikona. Unnecessary IMO... Nevertheless a grand day. Congrats to the shin Ozeki.

Checked out the YT link and completely whiffed on Dewanoumi Oyakata -- I was *there* for a good portion of Oginohana's career and can NOT believe how old he looks now. Even Kasugano looks younger than him.

Anyone in Japan get a sample of Kitanofuji curry? He's the best.

The great Chiba dead at 82. https://variety.com/2021/global/news/sonny-chiba-dead-dies-martial-arts-kill-bill-1235044575/ I understand Western media having to reference the likes of "Kill Bill" in any Chiba obituary but man, he didn't need any charity from Tarantino to bolster what was already a hall-of-fame list of credits. Like many kids in Hawaii I was introduced to Chiba as a star of TV detective shows like THE BODYGUARD and GORILLA 7, followed by a slew of jidai-geki: YAGYU CONSPIRACY and KAGE NO GUNDAN amongst others. I still envision Chiba doing battle with a katana more than his fists. (I didn't see any of the STREET FIGHTER movies until only a decade-plus ago.) I wonder who the more-famous COVID death in Japan is: Chiba or Shimura Ken? I assume Shimura had higher visibility for a longer period of time but Chiba was known overseas, if only for that niche.

So, is his first public dohyo-iri going to be in the honbasho next month?

Dumb question but... when's the tsuna-uchi? Used to be the day after the JSA reps came to visit. Is it postponed due to Olympic fever?

Memory is the smoothest of all liars but I recall reading that ex-Yokozuna Tochinishiki scored an ace in his oyakata days. Might have been an obit column in Sumo World magazine

The dean of yakitori chefs here in Honolulu was a ex-rikishi in Takasago Beya in the 1980s, Tsurumifuji. Never made it past Sandame but what a life in Hawaii. His omakase restaurant is still kicking it after all the pandemic shutdowns the last year and change. I read a quote from Konishiki years ago, saying he was small but tougher than nails. An old portrait at the restaurant: