Akiseyama Intai

[Katooshu 3,334]

Now Izutsu

He ends his career with a good 5-2 basho, in which he defeated rising prospects Takerufuji and Kototebakari.

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Katooshu

[Asashosakari 19,663]

Unless Shimanoumi has miraculously recovered from whatever it is that has derailed his career over the last 12 months, this seems like a very bold move even for a heyamate of Shimanoumi's...

That aside, I'm going to miss Akiseyama on the dohyo. Back in 2011 when his initial foray into juryo ended after just four basho, I don't think many people would have expected that this oddly-shaped, technically limited guy with the puzzling tachiai - remember his three point stance-like starting position with the one foot way in front? - would manage to turn himself into a tenacious yotsu competitor that'll end up spending 7 years worth of tournaments in the paid ranks. Really unfortunate that injury struck so badly two years ago just as he appeared to have found yet another gear at the ripe age of 35.

[Gernobono 467]

NOOOOOOO 

i will miss the yokozuna of the hearts 

[Kaninoyama 1,818]

I originally laughed at him for his horrendous physique. But over time became a fan. His unique brand of sumo, and his prodigious eating on the Japanese TV variety show circuit, will be missed. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Kaninoyama

[Tigerboy1966 1,474]

He's still in the top 10 for most consecutive wins from entry into sumo with 20 straight wins (not including a play-off defeat).

[Akinomaki 40,790]

Intai press conference today - Akiseyama made the decision to retire after the Natsu basho, but wanted to be at his home basho in Nagoya one more time. Natsu 2-5 though he felt good and thought the kachi-koshi string would continue. He managed to show his family a 5-2 in the end.

vid

oo o

in smiles, with Kise oyakata

ooo

flowers from sumo reporter Reiko Yokono

o  oo o o

 

oo ooo  o

Edited August 10, 2023 by Akinomaki

[Gernobono 467]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

Intai press conference today

any word what he is up to after sumo?

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,276]

23 minutes ago, Gernobono said:

any word what he is up to after sumo?

He took the name Izutsu and became oyakata (on loan I guess)

[Gernobono 467]

10 minutes ago, Tsuchinoninjin said:

He took the name Izutsu

soooo difficult to find

[Gurowake 4,107]

First rikishi to appear on http://udh.seisa.de/udh_fpxal.html (UDH 4+ point list) that wasn't at least close to the joi, and at that first time he did as expected with a 4-11.  He had a second such appearance on the list as well his next time in Makuuchi, but surprised everyone with a 9-6 and then didn't make the list the next two basho he was in Makuuchi for.  Since the first appearance, the Yusho-winner Tokushoryu also made the list, which makes the Yusho even more spectacular, and also Azumaryu has made it less than a year ago near the bottom of the division.  These occurrences are mainly possible (IMO) because the evenness of the competition in the joi the last few years makes it less common that there's obvious candidates for bad records up there, and so people are more likely to look to those who barely scraped a promotion to Makuuchi as their top picks.  Akiseyama's first instance though was well before the joi parity though, which shows how little people expected of him in Makuuchi.

[RabidJohn 1,855]

An overview of Akiseyama's career from Mr Gould: Akiseyama retires at 38 (さらば、明瀬山関) - YouTube

[Wakawakawaka 160]

Good luck to Akiseyama in his future endeavors!

I only saw him compete in his 2021 Makuuchi stint, but he seemed to just be loving every minute of it, says good about the man.

[Koorifuu 1,020]

Sad to see him leave without another go at juryo, which judging by his current performance, wasn't all that farfetched. Lots of people will miss him, which is beyond fair for a man who's proven time and time again that he's a paragon of dedication in all aspects. It's all the more bittersweet that he was on the best form of his career when some lower makushita sluggers screwed up his jaw, but at least he had the chance to be there.

... which goes a bit beyond what some users in this forum circa 2005/2006 were expecting! "Fukao" was disparaged left and right for being too obese and not good enough. I couldn't find it today, but there were users predicting that he wouldn't last long.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Koorifuu

[Reonito 1,521]

15 minutes ago, Koorifuu said:

It's all the more bittersweet that he was on the best form of his career when some lower makushita sluggers screwed up his jaw, but at least he had the chance to be there.

From Wikipedia: "In May [2021] he withdrew from a tournament for the first time in his career, after suffering a jaw fracture in a bout against Chiyotairyū.^[5] He missed the next two tournaments causing him to fall to the makushita division."

[Benihana 1,937]

12 hours ago, Gernobono said:

NOOOOOOO 

i will miss the yokozuna of the hearts 

Sorry, but this title belongs to Aminishiki.

I hope Akiseyama can stay longer in sumo, he seems to be a decent guy. Let the kabu-shenanigans begin.

[Ganzohnesushi 526]

10 minutes ago, Benihana said:

Sorry, but this title belongs to Aminishiki.

I hope Akiseyama can stay longer in sumo, he seems to be a decent guy. Let the kabu-shenanigans begin.

As much as I like Aminishiki I fully disagree. Akiseyama is the real Yokozuna of hearts. And I will miss him too. Now I'm sad.

Ganzohnesushi

[Ripe 73]

14 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

Unless Shimanoumi has miraculously recovered from whatever it is that has derailed his career over the last 12 months, this seems like a very bold move even for a heyamate of Shimanoumi's...

Is it confirmed that Izutsu now belong to Shimanoumi or is that another situation as we had with Chiyootori and Sanoyama?

[Koorifuu 1,020]

1 hour ago, Reonito said:

From Wikipedia: "In May [2021] he withdrew from a tournament for the first time in his career, after suffering a jaw fracture in a bout against Chiyotairyū.^[5] He missed the next two tournaments causing him to fall to the makushita division."

Maegashira, makushita, mamboshira, mangashita. My bad. At least I hope that context made it obvious I had maegashira in mind!

I specifically remember that Ishiura and Chiyoshoma detonated him with harite on the days just before he went kyujo, and the jaw fracture announcement was a 'oh, that makes sense now' moment.

Geez, I'm going to miss Der Flabmeister. 

[Seiyashi 4,108]

5 hours ago, Ripe said:

Is it confirmed that Izutsu now belong to Shimanoumi or is that another situation as we had with Chiyootori and Sanoyama?

Considering he's married to the daughter of the former owner, it seems safer to assume that Shimanoumi does have some sort of right to the kabu. 

6 hours ago, Koorifuu said:

Sad to see him leave without another go at juryo, which judging by his current performance, wasn't all that farfetched. Lots of people will miss him, which is beyond fair for a man who's proven time and time again that he's a paragon of dedication in all aspects. It's all the more bittersweet that he was on the best form of his career when some lower makushita sluggers screwed up his jaw, but at least he had the chance to be there.

... which goes a bit beyond what some users in this forum circa 2005/2006 were expecting! "Fukao" was disparaged left and right for being too obese and not good enough. I couldn't find it today, but there were users predicting that he wouldn't last long.

Jesus Christ - too obese for sumo?! 

[Yamanashi 3,904]

He first caught my eye in Juryo in 2020.  Nobody else looked like him!  With all that flab in front, I remember thinking "all those other guys will take years to slim down after intai.  He's already planning ahead."

[Kaioshoryu 63]

Ugliest belly in sumo. Seemed like a very likeable guy, and always provided entertainment on the dohyo, both in victory and defeat.

[themistyseas 242]

お疲れ様でした！

Seems like statistically that entry class was a bit of a rarity? Small sample size but 4 out of 7 made sekitori (Akiseyama, Homarefuji, Kyokutaisei, Keitenkai), 3 of whom made makuuchi, 2 of whom are now kyokai blue jackets with potentially a third to join them... and out of the 3 that didn't make it to Juryo, two got very very close.

[Faustonowaka 130]

Probably one of the heaviest recruits ever at 198 kg in his maezumo basho

[sumojoann 1,268]

21 hours ago, Koorifuu said:

 

... which goes a bit beyond what some users in this forum circa 2005/2006 were expecting! "Fukao" was disparaged left and right for being too obese and not good enough. I couldn't find it today, but there were users predicting that he wouldn't last long.

Here's a comment in an interesting thread ----- New recruits for January 2008 ----- where a lot of disparaging comments were made about "Fukao".  He was called a "Meatbomb", and one member was of the opinion that he would "Hit the Wall" in Sandanme.  Elsewhere in the thread, there is a photo of his first weigh-in as a shindeshi, 198 kilos, the 6th heaviest shindeshi up to that point.  He did have some fans, though.

 

[ryafuji 815]

3 hours ago, Faustonowaka said:

Probably one of the heaviest recruits ever at 198 kg in his maezumo basho

And by the time he made juryo he was down to 171kg! I wonder how many other recruits have had to lose that much weight to make it to sekitori.