Asameshimae 220 Posted March 28, 2017 My sumo interest has been on the wane recently, but I decided to make the trip to Osaka for a few days to see some sumo and rekindle some interest. My first day (day 10 or so?) I saw a new rikishi I hadn't heard about who stood out from the others. I'm sure most here have heard of him, but he was new to me. Looked him up immediately: Wakaichiro, real name Ichiro Young. There isn't a lot of smiling in sumo, but the self-deprecating grin he gave after his bout made me grin too. I decided to find out more about him; the net had less than I wanted. I didn't have to try very hard though because the next day I got to talking to the two nice ladies next to me and it quickly turned out they just happened to be Wakaichiro's mother and grandmother. He is from Texas, half-African American, half Japanese (in case you hadn't guessed). He is a Texan boy, but has lived in Nagasaki for periods of time. Though he has the second name Kendrick, he is largely known as Ichiro even in America. He can get by quite well in Japanese which will do him well here. His mother introduced us, and he made quite an impression on me. He seems happy and adjusted and willing to stick it out for the foreseeable future. I wanted to show my support so I asked if I could post a pic. and they were fine with this. He's the one on the right. 21 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rocks 1,809 Posted March 28, 2017 That's awesome. Thanks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Katooshu 3,333 Posted March 28, 2017 I've enjoyed watching his bouts. He's fast and really goes for it each time... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger Tanaka 226 Posted May 7, 2017 Wakaichiro appears at #52 East Jonidan on the Banzuke, making his debut in the division after back to back KK to start his career in Jonokuchi. Looking forward to see how he progresses at the new level. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ack! 478 Posted May 13, 2017 A fellow Texan in sumo?! Whoop!!! I guess I missed this thread earlier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gurowake 4,107 Posted May 13, 2017 (edited) On 07/05/2017 at 16:49, Tiger Tanaka said: Wakaichiro appears at #52 East Jonidan on the Banzuke, making his debut in the division after back to back KK to start his career in Jonokuchi. Uh, he didn't have a KK in his first basho in Jonokuchi, and it's been a long time (roughly 10 years) since someone with a KK there didn't get promoted to Jonidan. Recruiting classes are getting larger though, so it might happen again. On the optimistic side, he's had the same record as Hakuho did in his first two basho. Edited May 13, 2017 by Gurowake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
