Hatsu 2008 Adoptee Reports

[Taizeniki 0]

Kazafuzan continues his 3-4/4-3 roller coaster ride. This time he ended up on the MK side with a 3-4 (Mk 32w) (Dohyo-iri...) Come on Tiger!

[Azumashida 1]

Masuko has changed his shikona to Masunofuji at the beginning of this year. One can't say it brought him luck, because he started this new stage of his career with 5 consecutive losses and eventually finished with 1-6 at Sd40e. (Dohyo-iri...) He'll be closer to the bottom of sandanme next basho, and I have no doubt he'll bounce back.

[messi19 0]

For the first time in his career Masunoyama (ranked Sd34w) suffered a second consecutive MK although it was another 3-4.

I mentioned this last basho, but I continue to be fascinated by the fact that Masunoyama continues to lose only by nage and pull-downs..in this basho he lost all of his bouts by pull-downs (hikiotoshi mainly) and has only been overpowered once in his career (oshidashi back in jonidan). This indicates to me that Masunoyama must employ a fairly risky tachi-ai making him susceptible to these kinds of losses though it is hard to tell when there is no coverage. At the age of 17 there is no reason to worry though. It is all a good learning experience.

[Onnagumo 4]

My adoptee, 16 year old Kotokashiwadani, had his 6th basho, and KK again.

His record since his entry in maezumo:

Maezumo 2 - 0, Jonokuchi 14e 3 - 4, Jonokuchi 14e 5 - 2, Jonidan 96W 5 - 2, Jonidan 53e 4 - 3 and now at Jonidan 28w 4 - 3 again.

Well done Kotokashiwadani! (Bye, bye...) (Clapping wildly...)

[ilovesumo 12]

See my signature.

Hoshizakura had bad luck when he re-injured his leg in March 2007. He told me he thinks about going back to Mongolia (First prize...) but then,

when he had the Yusho, I was very happy cause he had his fire back. Now this 3-4....it's not a bad mk and I don't know what happened during the bouts...but a kk would have been much better. Am a bit worried....This young man has everything and he could at least stay in Juryo with ...Don't go back home...

Shuho suffered 2 losses, but that's good too. He would not think about what to do better with all wins. エバ、頑張ってください！

When it comes to Oowaka... (First prize...)

He is a bit like Daiechizeno. Tall but too soft.

Great (Clapping wildly...) for Saio!

This 80-something kilos boy from Nishikido is great. No idea how far he can go, still developing his body and skills.

Gooo Saiooo! (First prize...)

Not my adoptee, but one I cheer for, congratulations to Tochinoshin. (Bye, bye...)

Edited January 27, 2008 by ilovesumo

[Kotononami 86]

Mankajo finished 4-3 in lower sandanme.

Hope seeing him in makushita till the end of the year.

Gambatte!

[Asojima 2,873]

Hitachigo (Sd66W) has to stop doing the heart stoppers. He got his second consecutive KK, and, in both, he started out with a 1-3 but finished off with 3 wins. He should be somewhere around Sd50 for Haru. It looks like he has hit his level in mid-sandanme.

I have acquired a new adoptee, Homarefuji. He is an Aomori boy entering mae-zumo from Kinki U. He has been active in sumo since third grade and has placed well in several tournaments. He joined Iseganama Heya, so he will have Ama and Aminishiki to show him the ropes. 23 years old, 179 Cm. and 148 Kg. He looks impressive.

Photos by Fay:

[Washuyama 639]

All my guys did like crap. Even my one guy that did get KK did it with a big ol' henka...

Oh well... ON TO HARU!!!

[Fay 1,677]

All my guys did like crap. Even my one guy that did get KK did it with a big ol' henka...

Oh well... ON TO HARU!!!

Aaaa, Takakiho just needs a bit more experience, he will make his way, Takanohana and I can't be wrong both (Nodding yes...)

[Peterao 3]

Like a bird, Makushita adoptee Kamakura slams into the glass ceiling again with a 1-6 record, and will return to his more familiar Sandanme habitat next basho.

[Torideyama 32]

m36E Minaminoshima finishes at 3-4, and will make another slide down the banzuke. He just can't get over the hump.

[Doyobi 0]

Jd26e Teraoho Hitohiro finished with a great 5-2 record (Jumping in ecstasy...) and might get repromoted to Sandanme

[Raishu 208]

Shibuya (Sd12W) finished with a 5-2 record and will be back in Makushita where he belongs. Of course, I hope this KK will encourage him to make a new run to the Juryo promotion zone.

Takanomiya (Jd90E) achieved KK as well (4-3) and will have a new career high rank in March. Unfortunately, his brother Kainomiya (Jd109E) didn't do so well and ended up with a 2-5 record. Hopefully, he will overcome his two consecutive MK's and will make a new start from Jonokuchi.

Edit: I recognized, that I forgot the fastest horse of my group. Minami continues to climb the Banzuke very quickly and managed to end with a 6-1 in mid-Makushita. I suppose he will be ranked around Ms 7-10 next Basho. I'm looking forward to seeing him in Juryo soon (Jumping in ecstasy...) .

Edited January 29, 2008 by Raishu

[aderechelsea 124]

Daiyubu is getting accustomed with his new weight and he marches on to Juryo basho after basho. Haru will be an indicator of his chances. This time around he finished with a 5-2 from makushita 9w.

Hoshihikari is piling up those Juryo KKs and he is now even closer to Makuuchi. His sumo is sharp at the start of each basho but his finish is really poor. He is either taking his time advancing on the banzuke or he just has a hard time focusing on week 2. The 9-6 record is not bad at all and next basho he will be in the promotion zone.

[Asashosakari 19,213]

Daiyubu is getting accustomed with his new weight

You make it sound like he got penalty weights strapped to him like they do in some racing series. (Neener, neener...)

My adoptee Koryu missed his opportunity for a makuuchi debut with a senshuraku loss, darn. Well, better luck next time from J2 or so. :-)

And on a whim, I've finally decided to adopt a new guy after nearly five years, hereby made "official"...for some reason, the lanky new kid named Ogushi from Oshima-beya caught my eye in the shindeshi photos (assuming I got the shusse photo identification right).

Not a clue if he has any sumo talent, but he "looks" like another Kyokutenho recruitment in the Kyokushuho mold, so I'm hopeful. ;-)

[Manekineko 200]

My not handsome and not skillful adoptee Kotokonjo doesn't fare much better after the shikona change (serves him right, for losing "neko" from his shikona (Sign of disapproval...) ). 3-4 in lower jonidan... Sigh. Ganbare! Some day you'll manage a consecutive kk in jonidan...

[Gusoyama 99]

Takanoyama did well at sd8 with a 5-2, and will be back in makushita in March. I expect a 4-3 or 3-4 there.

Oh, and Fukanoshi is my new adoptee. Anyone have maezumo results?

Edited January 29, 2008 by Gusoyama

[Danjinoumi 9]

Hello all!

I have decided to step onto the dohyo and adopt a rikishi. Without further ado, he is:

Sd25e SHIRATSUKA

He was first brought to my attention in the "Heating the Wall" thread before the start of Hatsu '08, having achieved his fifth consecutive KK (including mae-zumo) and earning an appointment to HTW's "Division 1" status as an up-and-comer. I also see some of you have rode the Shiratsuka wave to success in the Banzuke Surfing game.

You might think I'm hopping on a sure horse in order to share in Shiratsuka's potential fame and glory. However, that is not the case.

As some of you may know, I lived in Tsu, Mie Prefecture for two years. The next town to the north on the Kintetsu Line is ... Shiratsuka. That made me wonder if Shiratsuka (the town) was Shiratsuka (the rikishi)'s hometown. It wasn't. However, Shiratsuka's hometown turns out to be Matsusaka in Mie Prefecture, famous for two things - Matsusaka beef, and my favorite rikishi of all time, Yotsukasa. OK, maybe three things, if you include former Yokozuna Mienoumi.

Coincidence? I think not! So I have decided to adopt the young man and serve as his mouthpiece in this fine forum.

Some research in Doitsuyama's database turns up some interesting points. Of his 30 wins to date, only one, a hatakikomi, has been by anything other than forward-moving sumo. All of the others are by yori's or oshi's. Of his seven losses, one has been by yoritaoshi. All of the others have been by nage. So what does that mean? Limited offensive skills? Poor balance? It'll be fun trying to figure it out in the future.

Finally, the historical record (again, thanks Doitsu-san) suggests that a 6-1 record from Sd25 lands you at ~Ms45-50 for the next basho. Unfortunately, the last four rikishi in this position (most recently Minaminoshima at Kyushu '06) have crashed and burned to make-koshi.

So, will Shiratsuka buck the trend and avoid heating the wall in March? Your humble reporter will be on the scene to keep you all posted!

EDIT: as far as I can tell, no-one has adopted Shira-kun yet. If I'm wrong, please let me know ASAP so I don't step on anyone's toes (I am going off-topic...)

Edited January 30, 2008 by Danjinoumi

[kaiguma 0]

Edit: I recognized, that I forgot the fastest horse of my group. Minami continues to climb the Banzuke very quickly and managed to end with a 6-1 in mid-Makushita. I suppose he will be ranked around Ms 7-10 next Basho. I'm looking forward to seeing him in Juryo soon :-P .

I see that taking him more to the Ms10-12 range, but you never know.

@Asashosakari: I'm very glad you picked this guy! He caught my eye too, maybe looking like a very young Terao? I will be happy to hear his progress basho-to-basho.

@Asojima: ditto for Homarefuji. As a dutiful Isegahama fan, I will await your bi-monthly reports with baited breath.

And from my Brazilian adoptees, Kaisei and Kainohama of Tomozuna, I have great tidings! Kaisei achieved a 6-1 from Sd69e, so look for him hopefully at a new highest rank in March, somewhere in the Sd14-20 range. His current highest rank was Sd18, but I think he has an excellent chance of beating that. May it fuel his mojo to push into Makushita (I am going off-topic...)

Kainohama fell to Sd80w after last tournament's absence, and this consecutive absence will send him to Jonidan 40. But he will be back in March! (godwilling) so look for some serious yusho contention if he is fully recovered from the ankle injury :-D

[Sasanishiki 57]

Takanoyama did well at sd8 with a 5-2, and will be back in makushita in March.

My Czech adoptee did well but he is well below where he has been in the past (Ms15e two years ago).

I am thrilled with the results of my other two adoptees:

Mizuguchi got as high as Ms51w two and a half years ago, but since then has languished in Sandanme (as Teno). He had a brief foray into low Makushita again exactly a year ago, but his 3-4 MK dropped him down again. This time, on the back of 6-1 in November, he was at Ms55e and finished with 5-2 despite losing his first bout. I'm no good at working out promotions but this will put him to his highest spot ever!! Mizuguchi is from Ritsumeikan University and started his pro career with a zensho Jonokuchi yusho and two 6-1 results. I hope that his last two basho show that he is returning to his best form.

Hidenofuji is Mizuguchi's stablemate and a fellow Ritsumeikan alumni, following his sempai into ozumo a year later. He has just completed his third year in pro sumo, most of which has been spent bouncing around in Sandanme. He has had two basho in low Makushita in the last year, including Kyushu, going 3-4 both times. His 6-1 result will see him back in Makushita again. Hidenofuji's only loss came to Shoryu, who went 7-0.