Itachi

Takahanada!

Hmm, Doitsuyama has better information than I do. His latest pick fits too and apparantly he has 4 unmentioned ones to try. I'll just wait and see if the game is over before putting time in to finding Doitsu-zeki's other 4 possibilities.

I don't know if I can win any points for this but I must agree with Fujisan - Dewanohana is the only rikishi I can find who fits. I am assuming he beat Kitanoumi but I know he fits the other clues and I can't find anyone else who does. Congratulations Fujisan for finding him first!

Wajima! Thanks Fujisan - I deleted my post because I thought I was wrong about Wajima vs Chiyonofuji but you encouraged me to keep looking for information and eventually I found something. I'm only guessing that Wajima went mk as a shin-nyumaku. I might have to delete this post again ...

Konishiki and Wakashimazu

Higonoumi and Asanowaka!

Dewaarashi and Arashi ?

Tamanokuni & Tamanoshima ?

Japanese? Miyabiyama was good enough to do it once and he is beginning to look good enough again. He just got 10 wins as komusubi and since his spirited efforts in the basho during which his father was dying, his competitive fires seem to have been rekindled. I doubt that he will actually earn another promotion but he looks as likely as anyone in the short term. I have hoped for years that Wakanosato would put it together for long enough to make it and he has climbed back to joi after yet another setback. Maybe when Kaio and Chiyotaikai retire he will take a run at it again and actually get there. Kisenosato seems to have potential but he hasn't done well enough in makuuchi for me to imagine him winning any yusho. He is very young so perhaps he will develop into a champion but I'm still waiting to see it. Beyond them, I look to young rikishi like Kadomoto, Nakanishi, or Homasho. Foreign? Baruto is an obvious selection. He seems unstoppable so far. Will he learn well enough to compete with the best for the yusho each tournament? Maybe. We'll have to wait and see. I agree that Roho, Hakurozan, and Kokkai are not good enough to ever make it. They should be good competition around joi for a while though. Wakanoho looks promising. How about a long shot for Gagamaru? Mokonami? I don't think Ama will be able to do it unless he gets bigger.

I'll switch from Masuko to Jd26w Takunishiki. He's bigger and he did better in his Jk debut. He's older too - hopefully because he had a fine college career.

I almost got taken to visit Irumagawa-beya in Saitama in 2001. The nice folks I was staying with said they knew someone there but the Haru-basho had just ended and the heya was busy with more important things so visitations were discouraged. As this fell through, I have never actually visited any heya.

Man, I should've entered my daughters! They were seriously loud (but I didn't have the equipment to measure the decibels). My son isn't nearly as loud fortunately. Or perhaps I just can't hear properly anymore.

Sorry, I have nothing to add about Itai. I just wonder where Ikishima got his 'avatar' image from? I wonder if I know this place. Is it along the Tanesashi kaigan?

Jonidan 20 or so Masuko from Tokyo - Nakamura-beya. My 2nd wave has surpassed my first!

sd70e Masuhikari

[ If it's a picture you're looking for, he must be one of the guys behind Takanoyama on this (unfortunately low quality) pic: I suppose we have Tatsuyutaka on the left and Nishikikaze on the right. If you're interested in my impression of his performance, though, I'm afraid I don't have any. I saw him only once, on day 14, and have no recollection... I was looking for an impresion of his condition and his performance but thanks for the picture anyway. Here's another rikishi you may have seen - Sasaki from Sandanme. He's still pretty young but he's been limited to Sandanme for a few years now. Does he look like a rikishi who could still advance with a bit more seasoning and strengthening?

Many thanks to Azumaryu for his excellent report! Though he's not a young rikishi anymore, I wonder how does Nishikikaze look?

I'd like to thank all of you who play this game. Without such good participation, Oshirokita's efforts would go under appreciated. Thanks to Oshirokita for bringing this game into being and maintaining it despite all the computer troubles that always seem to hit him right around tournament time. I am honored to be promoted to Ozeki and I pledge to do my best to compete for the yusho in each and every tournament for the entertainment of my 'many' fans (I have at least 3 - my daughters and wife) and also to provide strong competition to challenge the other players. Thanks everyone, see you on the dohyo in May. Itachi

Ganbatte Kaio-zeki, I hope Kaio earns his kachikoshi and then retires on a successful note. He has been a great Ozeki when healthy and often a good Ozeki even when not healthy. Though he has been kadoban many times, it could never be said that the quality of his sumo was diminished, only that he ailments were limiting his actions. He is known for his great strength and stability both physically and emotionally. I think he will make a fine oyakata if he wishes to pursue it. Also, I am glad he did not reach Yokozuna because I would rather remember him as a great Ozeki than as an weak Yokozuna (such as the most recent Wakanohana who was a great Ozeki).

Now that I got my petty nitpicking out of the way, I will confess that I've followed Tamarikido's long climb back to sekitoridom. To me it seemed like he was getting good enough to survive in Makuuchi and I was glad to see him there back in 2004 (or whenever it really was). When he got injured and dropped like a stone, I hoped for him to recover fully so that he could return to Makuuchi and finish what he started there. Now I'm not sure if he has enough to get back there and stick anymore but Gojoro did a similar thing in the past as did Wakanoyama. Now the next returning sekitori I'm waiting for is Towanoyama but I fear he may have been unable to restore himself fully enough to make it back.

After careful reflection, I swtich to Jd30w Morioka!

No, I will switch to sd36e Seifu.

Masuhikari Jd69e