Yamanashi 3,840 Posted November 23, 2021 What is the SF take on him? Record-breaking rise, peak at Komosubi, downslope to Juryo, injury(?) and drop to Sd23, then rise to ... ping-pong between upper Ms and lower J. The vibe I get from comments about him are "flash in the pan", etc. He's got the requirements for Toshiyori (ex-Komosubi and 30-plus basho); is there any buzz for this guy getting or borrowing a kabu in a few years (he's 33 now)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tigerboy1966 1,448 Posted November 27, 2021 My feeling about the latter-day Jokoryu is that his body can stand up to a 7-bout schedule, but not a 15-bout one. He still has the strength and the smarts but the speed and mobility has gone. I missed out on his early rise, but January 2015 was typical: fighting at M4 he beat Harumafuji fair and square to earn a kinboshi... and then he got injured. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shumitto 418 Posted November 28, 2021 There was a lot of hype surrounding his rise as there was with Endo and others. Senior forum members didn't buy into it, because when it comes to college rikishi, the future once in a lifetime Komusubi like Jokoryu and the future Yokozuna will crush lower rankers in a very similar way, so there is no way to tell at this point which is which. What was possible to see, though, is that College sumo had taken its toll on Jokoryu's knees, as he wore braces in both on his debut. With time, his injuries aggravated and have sapped him of both his power and speed. His fighting spirit is still there but there is not much he can do at this point. I believe he will eventually get a kabu, as many College grads do. Once I read that many such rikishi are promised a kabu or a help to get one by some Oyakata before they join. I am not privy to his case, however. 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gurowake 4,052 Posted December 25, 2021 On 28/11/2021 at 05:54, shumitto said: Once I read that many such rikishi are promised a kabu or a help to get one by some Oyakata before they join That seems like counting chickens before they hatch, but I suppose talented college prospects need some sort of reason to go to one heya over another, and whoever can promise a kabu if they qualify would have a leg up. I'm guessing that they probably know which kabu it will be based on retirement dates as well. They just can only really do that for those they're pretty sure will qualify though, as once you promise a future kabu to someone you kinda have to keep it open as an option for someone that's not quite guaranteed to qualify. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
