Akiseyama Intai

[Katooshu 3,334]

Akiseyama, with a Saitama Sakae and Nihon University background, was a runner-up in the All Japan Championship and 3rd place in the National Student Championship - no way was he going to max out in sandanme. 

Yes his build was unique, but his sumo wasn't bad at all. At the peak of his career I'd consider him more a technician with good dohyo IQ than a mass monster who simply used his size to overwhelm opponents. Even in his last basho, look how he downed muscular young guns Takerufuji and Kototebakari.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Katooshu

[Ripe 73]

16 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

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.

Didn't know that... but yeah, in that case it would be a huge surprise if he don't get it in the end.

[Koorifuu 1,020]

18 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

Jesus Christ - too obese for sumo?! 

<ref>Orora</ref> 

3 hours ago, sumojoann said:

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.

 

That is the one! Thank you for looking it up. The forum's landscape is vastly different these days...

2 hours ago, ryafuji said:

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. 

That's not even taking built muscle into consideration. He definitely shed a lot more than 27kg of fat.

2 hours ago, Katooshu said:

Akiseyama, with a Saitama Sakae and Nihon University background, was a runner-up in the All Japan Championship and 3rd place in the National Student Championship - no way was he going to max out in sandanme. 

(...)At the peak of his career I'd consider him more a technician with good dohyo IQ than a mass monster who simply used his size to overwhelm opponents. (...)

That'd be a sandanme tsukedashi these days. But in his case, maybe it was for the better.

That's how he's generally struck me - incredibly dedicated hard worker, but also much better at learning than the average sumotori. Good IQ on and off the dohyo. I've no doubt he'll be a massive asset for the NSK.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Koorifuu

[Gospodin 219]

On 10/08/2023 at 20:38, 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."

He suffered that injury on day 3 and all his subsequent opponents went after his jaw until him going kyujo on day 9. Though understandable, watching this remains one my low points since I started following sumo.

[Reonito 1,519]

1 hour ago, Gospodin said:

He suffered that injury on day 3 and all his subsequent opponents went after his jaw until him going kyujo on day 9. Though understandable, watching this remains one my low points since I started following sumo.

Yeah I recall a lot of replays of Ishiura's harite in particular, though I don't think the injury was public at the time.

[Kujo 123]

Oh no, first Gagamaru ends his ozeki run, and now Akiseyama has ended his run...err..a...jiggle.

Good luck to him as Izutsu. I hope he can hold on to it, or latch onto to a kabu more permanent.

[Koorifuu 1,020]

8 hours ago, Reonito said:

Yeah I recall a lot of replays of Ishiura's harite in particular, though I don't think the injury was public at the time.

It wasn't, but those guys share locker rooms everyday, don't they? It takes one of them to find out Akiseyama couldn't move his mouth properly, and he's toast.

[Jakusotsu 6,049]

8 minutes ago, Koorifuu said:

It wasn't, but those guys share locker rooms everyday, don't they?

Cheers, now I can't shake the picture of Akiseyama stowing his mawashi in the locker.

[Koorifuu 1,020]

35 minutes ago, Jakusotsu said:

Cheers, now I can't shake the picture of Akiseyama stowing his mawashi in the locker.

His tsukebito probably can't, either!

[Muhomatsu 246]

I would say that I was not a fan at first.  He always just appeared as an excessively big, technically limited guy for many years.

However, when he came up last through Juryo and had his kachi-koshi in the top division, I finally "saw" his sumo and his style.  While he was not flashy, he definitely stuck with his particular brand of sumo. I found myself cheering for him to make a comeback and greatly enjoying his appearances in Makushita when he came back.

So, he is someone who made me change my mind about a sumo wrestler - and I think gave me a keener eye for the sport and quite a bit more respect for some of the lower rankers that I had never considered "good enough". 

A few years ago, I would have wondered what took him so long to retire - and moved on.

Now, I am sad to see that he will no longer be on the dohyo.

 

I would say that I was not a fan at first.  He always just appeared as an excessively big, technically limited guy for many years.

However, when he came up last through Juryo and had his kachi-koshi in the top division, I finally "saw" his sumo and his style.  While he was not flashy, he definitely stuck with his particular brand of sumo. I found myself cheering for him to make a comeback and greatly enjoying his appearances in Makushita when he came back.

So, he is someone who made me change my mind about a sumo wrestler - and I think gave me a keener eye for the sport and quite a bit more respect for some of the lower rankers that I had never considered "good enough". 

A few years ago, I would have wondered what took him so long to retire - and moved on.

Now, I am sad to see that he will no longer be on the dohyo.

 

[Akinomaki 40,784]

Intai press conference

 

[Akinomaki 40,784]

The danpatsushiki of Akiseyama, now Izutsu, is planned for June 2nd next year in the kokugikan. He revealed it today at his oyakata talk event in the sumo museum. https://www.sanspo.com/article/20230915-ANCF2TOJWZIKLOYJQAUAS2DERA/

likely he won't still be Izutsu then

[Gurowake 4,107]

On 15/09/2023 at 07:20, Akinomaki said:

June 2nd next year

That seems like a very long prep time for someone with so few Makuuchi basho, and I don't think there's a back log anymore.

[Akinomaki 40,784]

On 15/09/2023 at 13:20, Akinomaki said:

The danpatsushiki of Akiseyama, now Izutsu, is planned for June 2nd next year in the kokugikan. He revealed it today at his oyakata talk event in the sumo museum.

likely he won't still be Izutsu then

The NSK announcement and akiseyama_intai_flyer.pdf for likely still Izutsu then https://www.sumo.or.jp/IrohaKyokaiInformation/detail?id=636

https://twitter.com/aksym_718

Edited March 15, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,784]

Announcement for the event in a week by the man himself from the heya channel - Japanese subtitles in the video, English in the options

[Jakusotsu 6,049]

Wish I could be there.

[yohcun 401]

Curious who this final opponent is going to be.

This could be a really far-fetched guess but... Kiyoseumi?

[rhyen 1,846]

1 minute ago, yohcun said:

Curious who this final opponent is going to be.

This could be a really far-fetched guess but... Kiyoseumi?

Jokoryu 

[Koorifuu 1,020]

11 hours ago, rhyen said:

Jokoryu 

Is there any college-based significance behind this, or is it just another sumo-related gig for Jokoryu?

[Yamanashi 3,904]

16 hours ago, rhyen said:

Jokoryu 

 

4 hours ago, Koorifuu said:

Is there any college-based significance behind this, or is it just another sumo-related gig for Jokoryu?

Maybe it was meant as a Joke-oryu.

[Akinomaki 40,784]

Akiseyama also had about 300 cutters, 270-300. While Ishiura had a set of the usual seats on sale, Akiseyama and Chiyonokuni only unreserved seats, Izutsu for 10 000Yen, Sanoyama for only 6000 Yen, tickets also available on the day. Ishiura and Chiyonokuni were/are on sale on Piaw.pia.jp/t/chiyonokuni/w.pia.jp/t/ishiura/, Akiseyama not. Accordingly, there are much less pics from the NSK  - but we can be sure to get a fine video from the Kise-beya channel on a later date.

o o

He also announced that he had married - in December 2020, without announcing it then due to Corona, the first son Sounosuke was born November 2021.

He now has about 180kg.

The NSK so far only posted pics of him on duty - his home basho is coming

o oo

 

The usual program: last dohyo-iri and last bout with his son, who still needs assistance

o o

So far only the sumo channel has videos, the playlist has started

 

danpatsushiki - message to the invited

o oo

Kotozakura, Takakeisho

oo

final cut by Kise-oyakata

oo o o o

o 

tie fixed by Izutsu-okamisan

o

oo o o o o

Edited June 3, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,784]

Apart from the small playlist of so far only 4 videos, not much from Izutsu - he had the usual style with the announcer telling the story of his career and then the final cut to end it and the bows together with the shisho, Ishiura had his real shisho and the official shisho in a row and the career announcement after the cut, with flowers but without mage, as his career was already over. Izutsu had 6 heya sekitori for a cut (Ishiura 7), many more oyakata and only a few less total number of cutters, with a much smaller event, watching the empty ranks in the videos - no intai-zumo: the sekitori cutting were all in kimono - that enabled Onosato to skip the event.

On 06/06/2024 at 09:08, Akinomaki said:

Really many female cutters - the whole family did it from the extra stage added to the dohyo, also the older son, who didn't need help from his grandma like his younger brother - and 2 male  Ishiura - apparently uncle and cousin - after mother Ishiura. After and not as usual before these 2, the chair was moved back to the middle of the dohyo for the NSK cutters, first the oyakata group, those from Nichidai in the end, except riji Sakaigawa as first, then ichimon riji Asakayama, Oshima, Isegahama's Tateyama, Kiriyama (Asahisho), Chiganoura to start the Nichidai group, Kitajin and next day Akiseyama as last. Nichidai sekitori next, first Hidenoumi and Endo, last there like Ishiura from both Tottori Johoku and Nichidai, Churanoumi and Mitoryu.  Then the Isegahama-beya sekitori in reverse banzuke order starting with Hakuoho, then father Ishiura, Chikubayama, Miyagino and Isegahama. Daikiho was in the general part.

Assuming the oyakata were all shown in the video (but I guess there were more), Akiseyama had first Tateyama, then Nichidai Kitajin, Yamashina, Kumagatani, no announcement in the video till then, then Goeido, Chiganoura, Onoe, Onogawa, Shikihide, Yamahibiki, sekitori not in the heya had a cut before this oyakata group, likely also much more than for Ishiura, and after the heya sekitori the 3 oyakata of the heya.

Edited June 7, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,784]

NSK report

Kise-beya report

Both with the long letter he read after the final cut - Kise as always with subtitles

Edited June 8, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,784]

No intai-zumo, but a bit of hana-zumo for the spectators: a makushita tournament, which Kise-beya intends to post in full later, mage making and taiko.

On 04/06/2024 at 00:24, Akinomaki said:

He thanked his wife at the end of his 9.5min long address after the final cut. o

He revealed that the Akiseyama danpatsushiki organizing committee was his wife: ticket sales and everything organized by her, which makes the whole event much less costly - an oyakata needs to pay himself for the preparation of this event and has to break even with enough sales.

[Akinomaki 40,784]

On 08/06/2024 at 13:56, Akinomaki said:

No intai-zumo, but a bit of hana-zumo for the spectators: a makushita tournament, which Kise-beya intends to post in full later, mage making and taiko.

For now the heya posted the long story of Akiseyama, read by the ex-NHK announcer Kariya - with the final cut in the end