Nishonoseki-beya happenings

[Seiyashi 4,087]

Inspired by Yamanashi's Narutobeya happenings thread, here's the Nishonoseki-beya happenings thread. It's a good time to start it because this just dropped on their Twitter:

Nishonoseki-jō is complete!

(Oof, that tarmac dohyō though. I hope it's only used for show and not, god forbid, actual butsukari or something.)

[Yamanashi 3,840]

Great idea, @Seiyashi!  It would be great if more heya were covered in this way (one's enough for me, though).

Incidentally, the picture you're seeing is the result of another impressive Nishonoseki innovation: Street Sumo, an attempt to reach out to inner-city youth in Tokyo and Osaka.

[code_number3 704]

7 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

Inspired by Yamanashi's Narutobeya happenings thread, here's the Nishonoseki-beya happenings thread. It's a good time to start it because this just dropped on their Twitter:

Nishonoseki-jō is complete!

(Oof, that tarmac dohyō though. I hope it's only used for show and not, god forbid, actual butsukari or something.)

What are we going to do with parking-lot dohyo? Robot sumo? Probably RC-car butsukari session 

[Yarimotsu 578]

1 minute ago, code_number3 said:

What are we going to do with parking-lot dohyo? Robot sumo? Probably RC-car butsukari session 

I immediately thought to put on some grippy shoes and full skater pads + helmet and just go at it.

 

Yes, this is a horrible idea and I don't even want to think about the joint injuries

[Seiyashi 4,087]

A relatively good bashō for Nishonoseki beya. Of 18 rikishi, 10 scored their kachikoshi. Of the remaining 8, only Jk2 Nishihara had a dismal result being forced to withdraw after winning his first bout for a 1-0-6 return for one bout to avoid going banzuke-gai. The remaining 6 makekoshis were all 3-4 (the last rikishi was Takahashi, who made his maezumō debut this basho).

http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx?b=202205&heya=60&shusshin=-1

Special mention goes to Tomokaze, getting ever closer to a sekitori return with a 6-1 at Ms10 and almost certain to be in the promotion zone next time out; Kayō, who turned in a 6-1 from Sd90TD, and Hanafusa with 7-0D at Jd72, involved in that 4-man playoff in Jonidan who lost a playoff against Kototebakari.

Nishonoseki's Twitter throughout the bashō posted pictures of their rikishi as they scored their kachikoshi, with a bonus of Adachi and Hayashiryū celebrating with bara-chirashi sushi on the last day:

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Seiyashi 4,087]

More pictures of Nishonoseki-beya's new buildings have emerged, with an emphasis on the carpark and gateway. There's even a basketball half-court so the rikishi can have some recreation.

 

[Katooshu 3,227]

That is one nice looking heya. Looks almost like a small resort. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by Katooshu

[Seiyashi 4,087]

The advantage of being in the boondocks, I guess - he can have a more expansive building and still have a large courtyard, compared to most heya which are built straight up. If that were built in Tokyo the land would have cost a fortune and then some. 

[Chartorenji 235]

16 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

A relatively good bashō for Nishonoseki beya. Of 18 rikishi, 10 scored their kachikoshi. Of the remaining 8, only Jk2 Nishihara had a dismal result being forced to withdraw after winning his first bout for a 1-0-6. The remaining 6 makekoshis were all 3-4 (the last rikishi was Takahashi, who made his maezumō debut this basho).

http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx?b=202205&heya=60&shusshin=-1

Special mention goes to Tomokaze, getting ever closer to a sekitori return with a 6-1 at Ms10 and almost certain to be in the promotion zone next time out; Kayō, who turned in a 6-1 from Sd90TD, and Hanafusa with 7-0D at Jd72, involved in that 4-man playoff in Jonidan.

Nishonoseki's Twitter throughout the bashō posted pictures of their rikishi as they scored their kachikoshi, with a bonus of Adachi and Hayashiryū celebrating with bara-chirashi sushi on the last day:

 

Hate to be a stickler. But:

 

-Nishihara was out for the first 6 bouts, then came on like Day 13 to not go into Maezumo. 

-Hanafusa was a part of the 2-way playoff against Kototebakari, just losing in a really close bout. 

 

16 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

More pictures of Nishonoseki-beya's new buildings have emerged, with an emphasis on the carpark and gateway. There's even a basketball half-court so the rikishi can have some recreation.

 

It's pretty crazy how exact this way to the designs. Like, even the colors are as bright. Also, the temple design is really cool.

[Seiyashi 4,087]

44 minutes ago, Chartorenji said:

Hate to be a stickler. But:

 

-Nishihara was out for the first 6 bouts, then came on like Day 13 to not go into Maezumo. 

-Hanafusa was a part of the 2-way playoff against Kototebakari, just losing in a really close bout. 

Thanks, edited the post to reflect it. Guess that's a lesson not to post without doublechecking the DB...

44 minutes ago, Chartorenji said:

It's pretty crazy how exact this way to the designs. Like, even the colors are as bright. Also, the temple design is really cool.

I know, right? I thought the shot of the gate was a render, then I looked closely at the window and realised no artist's impression gives a reflection of the neighbouring buildings with the power lines.

Their photographer picked a really good time of day to take the shots. This is a heya I actually would be excited to stay in if I were a rikishi, compared to the rather drab, apartment block feel of the other heya. Well, maybe Hakuhō's new beya will be different and glitzier, but still...

Edited May 24, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Yamanashi 3,840]

The resort/inn look was part of the design from the beginning.  Nishonoseki spoke about his interest in having destination tourism written into the design plan.  I believe there is still a gift shop in the plans.  Smart -- his image will be a draw for several years; if he can generate sekitori, and provide a high-quality experience to the visitor, it will be quite a draw (even if it's a little out of the way).

[Seiyashi 4,087]

13 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

The resort/inn look was part of the design from the beginning.  Nishonoseki spoke about his interest in having destination tourism written into the design plan.  I believe there is still a gift shop in the plans.  Smart -- his image will be a draw for several years; if he can generate sekitori, and provide a high-quality experience to the visitor, it will be quite a draw (even if it's a little out of the way).

Oh, it's definitely a draw for THIS visitor, even if it is in the boondocks. The only trouble is that it's not as if Ibaraki is overflowing with tourist attractions, and what attractions there are are relatively sparsely scattered over the whole prefecture and not well connected by train, as a result. The only other attraction that jumps at me in Ibaraki is the Tsukuba Space Centre (the rest being rather naturey and not of much interest to me), but that is on a different line to Hitachino-Ushiku (Nishonoseki's "home" station) and might necessitate a bus or even a taxi connection, if one even exists at all.

[Yarimotsu 578]

4 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

Oh, it's definitely a draw for THIS visitor, even if it is in the boondocks. The only trouble is that it's not as if Ibaraki is overflowing with tourist attractions, and what attractions there are are relatively sparsely scattered over the whole prefecture and not well connected by train, as a result. The only other attraction that jumps at me in Ibaraki is the Tsukuba Space Centre (the rest being rather naturey and not of much interest to me), but that is on a different line to Hitachino-Ushiku (Nishonoseki's "home" station) and might necessitate a bus or even a taxi connection, if one even exists at all.

I immediately thought to also visit Tsukuba Circuit, but it's on completely the other side of Tsukuba. Can reach it with a simple line transfer by the looks of it though. I'd consider walking to the Tsukuba Space Center from Nishonoseki-beya but I can appreciate that not everyone's up for a 6km walk.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Yarimotsu

[Seiyashi 4,087]

36 minutes ago, Yarimotsu said:

I immediately thought to also visit Tsukuba Circuit, but it's on completely the other side of Tsukuba. Can reach it with a simple line transfer by the looks of it though. I'd consider walking to the Tsukuba Space Center from Nishonoseki-beya but I can appreciate that not everyone's up for a 6km walk.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/JAXA+Tsukuba+Space+Center/@36.0109075,140.1642755,333m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc204da122b39f493!8m2!3d36.0681803!4d140.1304758!5m1!1e4

On relooking Nishonoseki-beya's surroundings, it's actually quite imposing. The walled area is pretty large.

If one is up for that 6km walk, then perhaps a possible itinerary is take the Joban line to Hitachino-Uchiku to catch asageiko at Nishonoseki, take a leisurely hike to Tsukuba over noon (maybe about 1 hour's+ walk, stopping for lunch somewhere along the way, tour the Tsukuba space centre in the afternoon, then return to Tokyo by the Tsukuba Express. There's some large expanses of field immediately north of Nishonoseki bordering the Otto River, but beyond that the area is generally suburban and I see several restaurants on Google Maps - Katsuya, KFC, as well as others.

No doubt the schedule will be assisted by Nishonoseki's relatively late asageiko after their breakfast, compared to the unholy hour one would need to be up to get from Tōkyō to Ami if they adhered to more conventional timings.

EDIT: Of course this is best advised in seasons other than summer, for a 1 hour walk at noon to not be a hardship...

Edited May 24, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Katooshu 3,227]

Heck of a commute to the kokugikan from the stable....more like a journey

Edited May 24, 2022 by Katooshu

[Seiyashi 4,087]

9 hours ago, Katooshu said:

Heck of a commute to the kokugikan from the stable....more like a journey

I think we did the math once previously - about 1 hour by train, less if there is a stable-provided shuttle. There are at least two other heya that have/had it that bad: Shikihide and the old Tatsunami premises (which is how Akua got rear-ended by a dumpster truck).

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Seiyashi 4,087]

With Castle Nishonoseki complete, it's time to make the dohyō(s):

(Has there ever been a need to consistently refer to dohyōs in the plural?)

And stock the fridges:

Nishonoseki going shopping with Adachi, with at least one trolley chockful of meat for their 18 wrestlers. I doubt this is all for a week - feels like it'd be gone in less than two days. He's even using the term for "binge shopping/shopping spree" (lit. explosive buying) rather than the usual terms for shopping. (Couldn't they set up a local delivery from the supermarket?)

Edited May 31, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Seiyashi 4,087]

Dropping a link here for archival and reference purposes:

TLDR, Ami and Nishonoseki-beya are collaborating to hold an exhibition on the occasion of Nishonoseki-beya's opening, with a display of some of Kisenosato's stuff and a talk show hosted by Nishonoseki and Nakamura oyakata.

[Kintamayama 45,122]

The heya officially opens. 10 minute walk from the nearest train station, many gigantic supermarkets in the vicinity. "The doors are  high, the ceiling is high, the entrance is wide-everything to make it livable for the rikishi," said the Oyakata. The roof color reminds us of the KKan, two dohyos, a basketball court- very different. "It's a great location. It's as I envisioned," added the ex-Kisenosato.Asked what the cost was he answered: "About a few million apples.." And the rikishi? "We are even more surprised than you reporters. There are a lot of single rooms and some double rooms but we won't fall into being lazy.."  said ex-Makuuchi (and soon to return?) Tomokaze, hinting at the guys' seriousness. The air conditioning is great as well. "It's an environment where we can totally concentrate on sumo, so i want to gambarize," said 19 year old great prospect Hanafusa who just lost the the Jonidan yusho playoffs. "The first target is to produce some great rikishi. Then, we'd like to have a good basho, the kind that would make the local people in our area proud of us, " summed Nishonoseki Oyakata.

ס

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 45,122]

Add a walk-in freezer (ex-Yoshikaze was marveling about that..), a bathroom as equipped as a public bath-house (2 baths, 10 users possible at a time),and  a fully-equipped training room, where he intends for other sportsmen from the area to train  as well. "I want to produce some Yokozunae and Ozeki from this stable. I want to turn Ibaraki into a sumo site!" concluded the proud Oyakata.

[Seiyashi 4,087]

First glimpse of the okami-san. She kept her mask on even during the commemorative photos when Nishonoseki took his mask off.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Akinomaki 40,498]

Pics overview of the heya opening

o o o  o o o o o o o o o o o o o o  o o o  o  o o o  o o o o  o  o

banners from Ushiku and Ami - the heya is on the border

o o

Videos

News clip from the local paper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxcmK2rTDlk

from the Ami town assembly member who does PR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw5Z3c-nziY

Edited June 10, 2022 by Akinomaki

[Kintamayama 45,122]

First training session on the new dohyos today. "I want to produce strong, sturdy rikishi!" declared the Oyakata. The boys trained for two hours. "The two dohyos let me divide the group into two-those that have to work on something, and those that do outright keiko.. The training was intense as usual.." he added

.

Edited June 15, 2022 by Kintamayama

[Tochinofuji 384]

On 04/06/2022 at 23:15, Kintamayama said:

 

 

I have to say, I absolutely love the design/style of the new kanban. 

[Seiyashi 4,087]

Nishihara's first mage!