New recruits for Haru 2019

[rhyen 1,846]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

研修生 kenshuusei you become in Japan e.g. as foreign student before you get to a proper one,  like kenkyusei. I had half a year as well for my mombusho scholarship. Language courses were held during that time. I was at the institute before and went on without, but officially remained kenshuusei.

I was astonished when with Roga, also in sumo kenshusei appeared, I haven't  seen this new system explained yet.

Perhaps it is a probation period for foreign recruits. Making them live in the heya and doing chores to acclimatized them and for the oyakata to evaluate?

i believe that Ama and Ako also spent almost a full year at Ajigawa heya before their debut?

[Rocks 1,809]

9 hours ago, Kamitsuumi said:

From left: Sadanoumi, Ichinojo, Goeido, (Sergey), Mitakeumi?, Kakuryu, Shimanoumi??, Shodai

Shimanoumi looks right. Whoever it is I don't want to pick up the dinner tab for this bunch. 

[Itachiyama 119]

On ‎02‎/‎02‎/‎2019 at 17:40, Yubinhaad said:

Meanwhile, the new gyoji I suggested for March is joining Nishiiwa-beya, a 17-year-old from Aomori, the home of the shisho. He'll be Kimura something (木村 公輝), but no reading for the given name yet. Koki perhaps. Seen here with the rest of the heya.

Yes, reading is Koki, Nishiiwa Oyakata told me!

[maorencze 144]

Seeing that photo, this Ukrainian newbie looks positively huge. Now let's see if he got skills

[Katooshu 3,325]

Sergey's Instagram, which includes some footage of him in action. It's reported that he is a multi-time European champion and has won a few medals at the world championships, so much more experienced in sumo than the last European recruit, Torakio. A 2014 article listed him as 190cm/155kg at 17, and a 2016 article had him up to 170kg.

https://www.instagram.com/sokol_sumo/

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Katooshu

[Wakamiyama 11]

I had the opportunity to wrestle Sergey at the 18th annual US Sumo Open and he was a good wrestler losing only to Roy Sims and Konstantin Abdula-Zade. The only thing I can say negatively about him is that he seems unwilling to use his size and strength at times often going for an almost half hearted henka.

[Katooshu 3,325]

So looks like that world championships silver being reported from last year is actually silver at the US Open in the openweight competition ( Homarenishiki won gold a few years back). He won bronze in the HW competition.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Katooshu

[Akinomaki 40,753]

On 02/02/2019 at 17:40, Yubinhaad said:

Joining Musashigawa-beya is 18-year-old Komei Yanagida (柳田 孔明), currently a third-year student on the wrestling squad at Takamatsu Agriculture High School in Okayama prefecture. In 2018 he took third place in the Greco-Roman 125kg weight division at the Kokutai, following that with the runner-up spot at the national high school championships. He also took third place in the Freestyle 125kg at the Interhigh.

He met the shisho (former Yokozuna Musashimaru) several times while he was travelling the country looking for new recruits and was drawn towards ozumo, despite having the potential to continue with wrestling at the top universities. He wants to emulate former Sekiwake Washuyama, a fellow Okayama native - Yanagida happens to be roughly the same height.

The oyakata came to the school today, tomorrow Yanagida starts to train at the heya.

Local paper with vid http://www.sanyonews.jp/article/864539

the video seems to be for Japan only, to get it from Yahoo: youtube-dl  https://gw-yvpub.c.yimg.jp/v1/hls/LewakiiO3mkpkcYK/video.m3u8

NHK local vid http://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/okayama/20190207/4020002206.html

NHK knows what the dohyo debut is and gives it for him as the Haru-basho -

local Yomiuri though may confuse it with the banzuke debut - they name as earliest date for Matsuo's debut Natsu https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/ehime/news/20190129-OYTNT50069/

On 29/01/2019 at 20:31, Yubinhaad said:

Interesting new recruit for Futagoyama-beya (I think for March but not 100% sure), 21-year-old Kiryu Matsuo (松尾 基隆), currently a student at Kawahara Medical Welfare College in Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture.

Fortunately the local Ehime paper mentions that he plans to enter at the Haru basho https://www.ehime-np.co.jp/article/news201901290021

o

[Akinomaki 40,753]

Yuma Yagi 八木裕真 (15, 176cm, 140kg) from Ie Island, Himeji-city, enters Yamahibiki-beya - the oyakata (ex-Ganyu) is from Himeji-city, Katsuhara ward. Yagi was approached by several sumo stronghold high schools, but after an experience stay at the heya opted to join the pros as early as possible.

There is no dohyo on the island and his family was indifferent towards sumo, he went to a dojo in Himeji mainland, and was instructed by another Himeji ex-pro, Nagasawa, former Daikiyama of Mihogaseki-beya, revived by Himeji local ozeki Masuiyama I, the oyakata of Kitanoumi. Nagasawa and Kitanoumi's prime deshi Ganyu are acquainted since middle school, and then associated for long as being from closely related heya. Yagi attracted the attention of the 2, and the oyakata wants to raise rikishi from his hometown.

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/himeji/201902/0012035246.shtml

Leaving home on the 3rd to head for the new life in sumo

at the national pref. middle school championships last August - 3rd with the Hyogo team

  

Edited February 7, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,753]

Middle school yokozuna Ko Yoshii  吉井虹 (176cm, 145kg) from Minami-middle school, Shizuoka, will enter Nakagawa-beya: "I wanted to quickly go to the pros. I want to become yokozuna." Nakagawa: "The character is good,  with effective wit. I will guide him with all my effort."

3rd at the Hakuho-cup today

o o o

his amateur results on the forum http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/search/?q=Yoshii&type=forums_topic&nodes=5

Edited February 11, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Raishu 208]

15 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Middle school yokozuna Ko Yoshii  吉井虹 (176cm, 145kg) from Minami-middle school, Shizuoka, will enter Nakagawa-beya: "I wanted to quickly go to the pros. I want to become yokozuna." Nakagawa: "The character is good,  with effective wit. I will guide him with all my effort."

3rd at the Hakuho-cup today

o o o

his amateur results on the forum http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/search/?q=Yoshii&type=forums_topic&nodes=5

 

As predicted by Yubinhaad: http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/topic/38295-new-recruits-for-hatsu-2019/?tab=comments#comment-380151

[Akinomaki 40,753]

In addition to Kimura Kouki, real name Tsugawa Kouki 津川公輝, the NSK as of Feb. 1st also employed a new tokoyama:

Tokoshun (16) from Tottori. pref. for 玉ノ井 Tamanoi-beya - real name Tamai Shun 玉井竣 - what a match

http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/201902040001297.html

[Yubinhaad 11,761]

3 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

In addition to Kimura Kouki, real name Tsugawa Kouki 津川公輝, the NSK as of Feb. 1st also employed a new tokoyama:

Tokoshun (16) from Tottori. pref. for 玉ノ井 Tamanoi-beya - real name Tamai Shun 玉井竣 - what a match

Would be nice, but he's in Miyagino-beya.

[Akinomaki 40,753]

2 hours ago, Yubinhaad said:

Would be nice, but he's in Miyagino-beya.

Indeed - Nikkan changed the article - the version I downloaded on the day had

日本相撲協会は4日、1日付で行司と床山を1人ずつ採用したことを発表した。採用者は以下の通り。

▽行司　木村公輝（こうき、17＝西岩）。本名・津川公輝、青森市出身。

▽床山　床竣（とこしゅん、16＝玉ノ井）。本名・玉井竣、鳥取県出身。

[Akinomaki 40,753]

Hiroki Idenuma 出沼大樹 (18) from Mukainooka technical high school in Kawasaki enters Futagoyama-beya. The oyakata was at the school on the 5th and his start at the Haru basho was announced. 3rd with the team at the interhigh last year.

Futagoyama: "When I came to watch keiko, his god sumo contents stood out of all. From the 3rd year students this year, he's the athlete I wanted most."

Idenuma: "How far can I develop, how far can I go - I want to challenge by strictly observing the instructions of the oyakata."

The sumo coach of the school: "We had the honor of the oyakata coming to the training ground for instructions many times over. I want him to become a rikishi with a magnificent tsukioshi as a weapon, like the oyakata."

From the school, Tainaka is In Futagoyama-beya, an uchi-deshi he took with him from Fujishima-beya.

http://www.townnews.co.jp/0203/2019/02/15/469729.html

vs. Saito at the interhigh team sf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-InlgBPBrY

[Jakusotsu 6,045]

Hard to believe that Miyabiyama was only 18 years old when I started watching sumo. He looks close to retirement now.

[Yubinhaad 11,761]

A pair of 15-year-old recruits for Dewanoumi-beya, Junpei Kiyota (清田 純平) and Masanari? Oyama (大山 雅也), third-year students at Koriyama Daiichi middle school in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture.

Kiyota, the son of former Makushita Kiyonoumi, competed at the national middle school championships last year but lost in the group stages, while Oyama finished fourth at the prefectural middle school championships.

Kiyota (left) and Oyama.

[Yubinhaad 11,761]

Another pair of schoolmate recruits, but joining different heya and a bit older this time from Tottori Johoku high school. Heavyweight Tsuguto Toma (當眞 嗣斗) from Okinawa prefecture is quite well known already and is joining Miyagino-beya, having a long established link with Hakuho over the years. Articles say he is now 184cm and 206kg.

Meanwhile, Rento Yabugasaki from Hyogo prefecture (藪ヶ崎 蓮人) is joining Yamahibiki-beya, where the shisho is also a Hyogo native. The articles give him as 185cm and 155kg. He has a younger brother also involved in sumo at middle school level, if I recall correctly?

Hakuho attended on behalf of his shisho alongside Yamahibiki-oyakata (former Maegashira Ganyu).

 

Some Toma stuff from earlier threads:

 

On ‎13‎/‎12‎/‎2015 at 09:59, Akinomaki said:

Hakuho with his special protégé Touma, now at age 15 185cm (Sponichi has 182 - unlikely, at age 13 he already was 181cm, 150 k), 170kg: he wants to go to high school first and then enter ozumo.

 

On ‎08‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 10:42, Asashosakari said:

* In the 30-odd year history of the wampaku national championship (running since 1985), Nogami was the third kid (out of 5) to become triple yokozuna in 4th, 5th and 6th grade. Three others have turned pro as well, but so far no sekitori:

Asahimaru (Masato Miyoshi, 1989-1991) - turned pro after university in 2002 as one of the earliest Ms15 tsukedashi, but a major knee injury early in his professional career prevented him from reaching juryo, retired in 2008
Ota (Goki Ota, 1997-1999) - turned pro after middle school in 2003, also injured early on and subsequently never even established himself in makushita, still active in mostly jonidan now at 30 years
Yamamoto (Masakatsu Yamamoto, 2006-2008) - turned pro after high school in 2014, currently struggling to break through lower sandanme at age 21

The fifth competitor to have done it is Tsuguto Toma/Touma (2010-2012), who's been mentioned quite a bit over in the Amasumo section. He is currently in his second year of high school at Tottori Johoku and would likely be turning pro in either 2019 or 2023 if that's in his plans.

 

Edited February 17, 2019 by Yubinhaad

[Katooshu 3,325]

Toma has been struggling not to fall over. Too heavy and unbalanced already, and I think he'll continue the trend of 3x wampaku yokozuna not becoming sekitori.

I've seen Yabugasaki in the background at tournaments, but I don't recall seeing him compete and I'm not sure he made the cut for the 3 or 5 person Tottori teams. Tottori is a high school powerhouse, but I wouldn't say they had a great deal of depth last year so that and the lack of notable results raise some question marks about him.

Still no collegiate recruits? I thought we might see Kindai's Motobayashi (previous talk of going pro and won several tournaments last year, though bombed at the 3 tsukedashi granting tournaments for collegiate rikishi) or Toyo's Shiraishi (East Japan champion + sandamne tsukedashi qualification and was thinking about it).

Edited February 17, 2019 by Katooshu

[mikawa 1,794]

Totally agree with @Katooshu on this one. I've seen Toma over the years, and he has NEVER shown good sumo, even when he was sweeping all 9 tournaments during his elementary school days. In fact, part of my reasoning for awarding Tottori Johoku with high school of the year is that their other members carried the team to very good results last year, despite having Toma as their captain. He probably won't even get to higher Sandanme.

The thing is that in order to win the Wanpaku Tournament three years in a row, you pretty much have to be a strong kid with a very big body, which would inevitably mean that their skills and techniques never improve to a high enough level because they've never needed it. Once they've grown up, that's when this will come back to bite them.

Regarding what @Yubinhaad said, it does look like that Yabugasaki Rento has a younger brother, called Yabugasaki Akihito, who was a Wanpaku quarter-finalist when he was in Grade 5. Akihito will be starting middle school this coming April, a few weeks before another Akihito is set to graduate.

Edited February 17, 2019 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Out of the new recruits so far, Yoshii Ko seems to have the most potential.

[Akinomaki 40,753]

8 hours ago, mikawa said:

I've seen Toma over the years, and he has NEVER shown good sumo, even when he was sweeping all 9 tournaments during his elementary school days. In fact, part of my reasoning for awarding Tottori Johoku with high school of the year is that their other members carried the team to very good results last year, despite having Toma as their captain. He probably won't even get to higher Sandanme.

If Touma enters as uchi-deshi of Hakuho, Hakuho's unblemished record of getting those to sekitori is at stake. So far he managed to help the too small ones to success - if he can do that also with the too big new recruits, he'll be on the way to become the GOAT coach as well.

[Akinomaki 40,753]

On 07/02/2019 at 20:01, Akinomaki said:

Yuma Yagi 八木裕真 (15, 176cm, 140kg) from Ie Island, Himeji-city, enters Yamahibiki-beya - the oyakata (ex-Ganyu) is from Himeji-city, Katsuhara ward. Yagi was approached by several sumo stronghold high schools, but after an experience stay at the heya opted to join the pros as early as possible.

Leaving home on the 3rd to head for the new life in sumo

Yamahibiki-beya posted more pics from the departure - the oyakata came to get him

o o o o

 

15 hours ago, Yubinhaad said:

Another pair of schoolmate recruits, but joining different heya and a bit older this time from Tottori Johoku high school.

The local paper posted a video of the press conference at the school

pics from the other papers

oo

Edited February 18, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,753]

New recruit for Takadagawa-beya Riki Ootsuji 大辻理紀 (15), 3rd year at Hotoku gakuen middle school, 3rd at the Hakuho cup early this month http://www.hotoku.ac.jp/news/10847 and national middle school runner-up

On 20/08/2018 at 21:19, mikawa said:

And our Middle School Yokozuna for 2018 is......

Individual Competition

Winner - Yoshii Ko (吉井 虹), Shizuoka

Runner-Up - Otsuji Riki (大辻 理紀), Hyogo

today promised the mayor of his hometown Kakogawa, Hyogo, a successful career in ozumo.

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/touban/201902/0012077273.shtml

Edited February 18, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,753]

Itsuki/Itsu/Ju/Tatsu/Shige/Miki/Tatsuki/Mura - ki/ju/itsuki/tatsuki/miki/tatsuru Ishioka 石岡樹 (15, 180cm, 135kg), from Kuwabara middle school, Matsuyama, Ehime, the 1 year younger brother of Daiyusho joins the same Oitekaze-beya: "My brother is my rival and my benchmark". He started sumo as 3rd grade, was national 3rd as 5th grade and last year 3rd at the Shikoku regional tournament. About entering the sumo world: "The path I did chose myself. Come what may, I'm prepared to keep up with it." http://www.ehime-np.co.jp/article/news201902200043

Edited February 24, 2019 by Akinomaki