Roho

[QttP 0]

First loss in Roho's ozumo career, after winning Jonokuchi in July and Jonidan in September, after 5 straight wins in Sandamme, he fell to 5-1.

I read about it briefly, so I don't even know who was it that beat him.

Of course, his first loss was going to come sooner or later, but I would prefer it to be later.  :-/ I'm still a bit shocked.

Today's loss means Roho won't win the Sandamme yusho, but he still has good chances advancing to Makushita, especially if he can win the last bout and finish 6-1.

The question is whether his progress will go on. He has beaten sekitori in training matches before, so I hope he will continue steadily climbing up the banzuke, and maybe we can even see him in Juryo some time next year.

Finally, does anyone know where I can find a picture of Roho (and perhaps his brother, Hakurozan)?

[Kintamayama 45,116]

First loss in Roho's ozumo career, after winning Jonokuchi in July and Jonidan in September, after 5 straight wins in Sandamme, he fell to 5-1.

I read about it briefly, so I don't even know who was it that beat him.

It was ex-Makuuchi Wakanojou, who no doubt will go on to win the Yusho.

Here are their photos:

http://www.sumo.boom.ru/eng/sumotori_m.html

Look for Soslan Boradzov (Rohou),and brothet Batraz Boradzov (Hakurozan)

[Manekineko 200]

Here's that picture of the three Russians I mentioned earlier (scan sent to me by Hahanoyama-zeki, many thanks). From left to right are Hakurozan, Roho and Amuru.

Edit: I removed the picture to free my limited web-space. If you want to see it, you can mail me.

[QttP 0]

Thanks for the pics, guys.

To Kintamayama:

I actually saw Wakanojo on your "unbeaten" page a couple of days ago and I thought that this rikishi, with 10 years experience and makuuchi past could be the one to stop Roho. Unfortunately for me, and for other fans of the young russian, this prediction came true. By the way, allow me to use this opportunity and compliment you on your great sumo site.

Q-double-T-P.

[Kintamayama 45,116]

Here's that picture of the three Russians I mentioned earlier (scan sent to me by Hahanoyama-zeki, many thanks). From left to right are Hakurozan, Roho and Amuru.

The writing says: "From Russia, With Love".

[Kintamayama 45,116]

By the way, allow me to use this opportunity and compliment you on your great sumo site.

Thank you very much. I will go on doing my best.

[Manekineko 200]

The writing says: "From Russia, With Love".

I thought it meant something like 'From Russia, following their dream'...  :-/

[Kintamayama 45,116]

I thought it meant something like 'From Russia, following their dream'...  :-/

It probably does..I was just trying to be James Bond funny..

[Hoshifransu 0]

Today's loss means Roho won't win the Sandamme yusho, but he still has good chances advancing to Makushita, especially if he can win the last bout and finish 6-1.

Absolutely. Watching precious data from Moti's special foreign rikishi page I realized that 6-1 will be widely enough to access to Makushita !

For example, look at Hakuba from Mongolia. He was E-Sandamne 51, he made it 6-1 last basho, and currently he's W-Sandamne 1. Hoshizakura was W-Sandamne 10, he made it 4-3 last basho, and he's currently E-Makushita 59. So, in Sandamne, each point calculated from the difference wins less losses, makes about ten places up !

So 5-2 won't be enough to Roho to catch Makushita, though he could reach a very good Sandamne 2-3-4, but a 6-1 could take him up to Makushita 42 ! Imagine a bit : Sentoryu is currently Makushita 44 ! Fortunately, Sentoryu could catch a great 6-1 and I will be happy to him, to watch him in Juryo in 2003 !

Kokkai made it a great come-back, that basho. He was 2-1 down, he's now 4-2 up, I wish he could make it 5 and be back as Top Makushita wrestler like the basho before and in Juryo very soon, no doubt !

Hoshitango limited the damages to end up at 2-5. I wish his career was not over and that he could fight one or two years more. Veteran Kotokanyu managed to catch a good 3-3, as E-Makushita 6, does someone know if Kotokanyu is the oldest wrestler among all divisions ?

Disappointingly, Hamanoshima won't come back too ... currently 4-2 down ... 2 losses in a row to Towanoyama who already secured the kachikoshi but who won't catch a top makushita rank for next basho ... I don't know that Tanaka who fights with his own name as shikona, but he was 4-0 down and he ended up with a 3-4 record to keep good chances to be promoted in Juryo in 2003 !

For Higonoumi, I don't think he will carry on in Makushita and his career will certainly end up in 2002. Fantastic "Makuuchi man" he was !

Well, back to Russia. I think everything is possible with Russian wrestlers in Sumo !

Beyond physical advantages or not, I think especially Russians have the mental strength required for Sumo.

Mongolians too. Look at Asashoryu or some others, for example.

When you come from such a country, with hard life's conditions, where you have to struggle very much to reach something, well, no doubt you're well prepared to the hard life of a sumotori and to the hard side of the ranking system.

Especially Russians have this strength. That's not me which explains that, in fact, but Gary Kasparov himself already talked a lot about the very special mental strength of the Russians for playing chess. Russians have something more, stronger discipline, "cold" mental attitude, very certainly.

So, these Roho, Hakurozan, Amuru, Oorora, and certainly Kokkai too, could all make a great Sumo career. Just wait and see. Though I wish (except Kokkai, Oorora) they could gain much weight because when you look at the picture (thanks Manekineko-zeki for posting it) they must eat more chanko-nabe to keep all the chances to succeed !

[Kintamayama 45,116]

Veteran Kotokanyu managed to catch a good 3-3, as E-Makushita 6, does someone know if Kotokanyu is the oldest wrestler among all divisions ?

Well, you must now visit my never-visited oldest rikishi in all of sumo page, at:

http://www.dichne.com/OldestRikishi.htm

there you will learn abouth the ML's favorite son Ichinoya, the oldest man in Sumo

[Kintamayama 45,116]

For Higonoumi, I don't think he will carry on in Makushita and his career will certainly end up in 2002. Fantastic "Makuuchi man" he was !

Higonoumi has retired two days ago.

[Hoshifransu 0]

Thanks a lot for all these precious infos, Kintamayama-zeki. And great page, one more time. Well, in my mind, Kotokanyu was aged of 38 and he's aged of "only" 36 and a half, in fact. So, big tribute to Daizen to hold on like that and after a bad start in Juryo this basho, he made a great come-back and certainly an unexpected kachi-koshi. Very courageous wrestler. I really thouhgt he was from these free falling wrestlers because of age but I still hope to watch him back to Makuuchi !  :-/

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

Gary Kasparov himself already talked a lot about the very special mental strength of the Russians for playing chess.

Kasparov himself is Azerbaijani from his father's side and Armenian from his mother's side. Then again he might very well have talked about Russians without counting himself amongst them.

The hairsplitter striked (stroke?) again... :-/

[Hoshifransu 0]

Really amazing !

I'm absolutely sure of what I'm talking about. It was a french report some three years ago dedicated to Kasparov ... Perhaps I was wrong writing "Russians" and not "Soviets". Surely ... Or, though Kasparov simply talked about the Russian chess "school" in general, including the other republics !

That's like when I'm talkin' about Kokkai. He's Georgian and not Russian, but from the former Soviet Union, of course. When I talk about mentality, I refer to former Soviet Union in general, in fact, which has still an influence on present countries like Russia, Azerbaidjan, Armenia, Georgia ...

[Yubiquitoyama 4]

Gary Kasparov himself already talked a lot about the very special mental strength of the Russians for playing chess.

Kasparov himself is Azerbaijani from his father's side and Armenian from his mother's side. Then again he might very well have talked about Russians without counting himself amongst them.

The hairsplitter striked (stroke?) again... :-P

struck   :-/

[QttP 0]

So, these Roho, Hakurozan, Amuru, Oorora, and certainly Kokkai too, could all make a great Sumo career. Just wait and see. Though I wish (except Kokkai, Oorora) they could gain much weight because when you look at the picture (thanks Manekineko-zeki for posting it) they must eat more chanko-nabe to keep all the chances to succeed !

Yes, weight is power in sumo, but it is also possible to succeed without much of it. Look at Asashoryu - he's about the same age and weight as Roho. Whatever Asashoryu lacks with weight and strength he complements with technique and fighting spirit. So I don't think a rikishi should make weight-gaining a goal, because it can distract him from the more important qualities of a sumo wrestler.

Kasparov himself is Azerbaijani from his father's side and Armenian from his mother's side. Then again he might very well have talked about Russians without counting himself amongst them.

Not quite true. Kasparov is Jewish from his father's side, Armenian from his mother's side, he was born and lived in Azerbaijan, but ever since the USSR split, Kasparov represents Russia. Talking about a mixture.  ;-)

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

Kasparov is Jewish from his father's side, Armenian from his mother's side, he was born and lived in Azerbaijan, but ever since the USSR split, Kasparov represents Russia. Talking about a mixture.

[Kaikitsune Makoto 209]

Well, back to Russia. I think everything is possible with Russian wrestlers in Sumo !

Beyond physical advantages or not, I think especially Russians have the mental strength required for Sumo.

Mongolians too. Look at Asashoryu or some others, for example.

When you come from such a country, with hard life's conditions, where you have to struggle very much to reach something, well, no doubt you're well prepared to the hard life of a sumotori and to the hard side of the ranking system

Indeed! Hard conditions strengthen the sumo career prospects especially when it comes to tolerating a lot to achieve something in sumo. The lack of training by some Japanese sumotori is quite conspicuous. I doubt a foreigner's lack of training would come to question at all. Not at least in the lower divisions. Whereas sumo is every day life to many Japanese sumofans, sumo training is very "common" in Japanese schools and this probably makes many enter sumo "just because". Then again many foreigner sumofans are totally thrilled about this great and unique sport which has so many Japanese culture aspects and remains exotic even after years of being a fan, also foreign sumotori who come to Japan and join ozumo are supposedly VERY motivated and willing to endure more than their Japanese colleagues.

Roho has very good tools. Very good weight to start with combined with lot of strength both in upper and lower body. Studies Japanese language eagerly and gave his jonidan yusho interview in Japanese without a interpreter. Maybe he is indeed at Kokkai's level already. Masumi Abe wrote on ML about him being high makushita level in training.

Yes, weight is power in sumo, but it is also possible to succeed without much of it. Look at Asashoryu - he's about the same age and weight as Roho. Whatever Asashoryu lacks with weight and strength he complements with technique and fighting spirit. So I don't think a rikishi should make weight-gaining a goal, because it can distract him from the more important qualities of a sumo wrestler.

Totally agreed. Bulking up fat just for the sake of it sounds quite strange. Naturally many sumotori are fat already when they enter sumo or at least have big bones and the genes to gain weight but what would Asashoryu benefit from extra fat? It would just slow him down and increase injury risk with his style of sumo a lot. On the other hand, what would have Shikishima accomplished without his weight? Then guys like Aminishiki or Kaiho would perhaps like to get 5-10kg more weight. All in all it is the balance of strength, mobility and weight that counts. What does it tell that 90kg Ama dominated 220kg Susanoumi? Susanoumi is more powerful? Sure, but not nearly as much as Ama is more skillful and faster with more explosive power.

Also it is not so common to see 170kg rikishi handle their weight very well. Only top rikishi can do that really. Maru, Kaio, Musoyama are examples of such phenomena, Hokutoarashi, Yanagi, Kainowaka are examples of too much weight compared to power and balance. Susanoumi is the extreme example.

Weight in itself is useful in keiko if injuries can be avoided. It is quite a keiko to do lot of suriashi with 170kg body and then 20 training bouts moving that much mass. It develops the strength quite automatically.

;-)