Asashoryu Welcomes Young Lions

[karlsmom 0]

Do you think all the cuties would hang around a loser?

[madorosumaru 7]

Ryu: I'm Going to Wear the Gold Mawashi

Asashoryu opted for a light workout Friday, engaging in some impromptu Mongolian wrestling with Asasekiryu. Lifting his friend's leg high in the air, he would chortle mischievously, "You see, a yokozuna's speed is of another level." The mood throughout was a relaxed one.

For Shonichi, he said he would be wearing his new gold mawashi.

After keiko, he chatted with boxer Koki Kameda, who had come to visit. When Kotooshu was mentioned as the opening day opponent, Kameda muttered, "That ain't good." Ryu just laughed, "I don't think so."

[Elenrian 0]

Do you think he will really wear it? That would be fuuuuuuunnny!!! :-( (Punk rocker...)

[Ryukaze 0]

He had damn well better pimp that gold mawashi...I know I would lol.

[Odoriou 0]

For Shonichi, he said he would be wearing his new gold mawashi.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, finally the golden Mawashi. (Punk rocker...)

If I got it right, Asashoryu didn't wear it in Hatsu because his first bout was against Hakuho. As Ryu didn't want to loose the first bout in his new Mawashi, he kept the old one for Hatsu.

That would mean he does not at all expect to be beaten by Kotooshu (first bout in Haru)... Very optimistic! :-(

[Kintamayama 45,132]

Pic from last keiko today:

[madorosumaru 7]

More on the Gold Mawashi

Asashoryu appeared at the keiko-ba in his shining gold mawashi, He wore it around for awhile to get a good feel for it. "I'm going to debut it on shonichi so you can't take any pictures today," he told the cameramen. It seemed like he was looking forward to the fans' surprised reaction.

Another rikishi famous for gold mawashi was former-yokozuna Wajima. When you say Wajima, you think of his "Golden Left." Asashoryu also favors an attack from the left. On this day, during his final preparatory workout, he unleashed a variety of waza from the left. He said of himself, "Yokozuna's speed is awesome! That's our man, Asashoryu!"

When his visitor, boxer Koki Kameda, asked him "Who is stronger, Kotooshu or Hakuho?" he replied, "Koto is just as strong as Hakuho." Then, Kameda followed with another toughie, "Wouldn't it be a bad scene if Koto bear-hugged you with a double uwate?" Asashoryu could only manage a chuckle, "No, I don't think so."

Asashoryu entertaining his guest, boxer Kameda.

Asasekiryu lifting flyweight Kameda.

* * *

When Kotooshu was asked about his shonichi bout against the yokozuna, he said sharply, "It's the same no matter when I meet him. It makes no difference." He sounded a trifle on the edgy side. His oyakata, Sadogadake, sought to relax him, "Even a yokozuna can make mistakes."

[madorosumaru 7]

It's All Golden For the Champ

It looked like a [boxing] championship belt. Asashoryu changed his mawashi from "Chiyonofuji Color" to "Wajima Color," and in the process, made short works of Kotooshu's challenge. His winning streak is now 16 and he is on his way to his third consecutive yusho.

"Hey, I want to ask you guys. Does it look good? No? It's bright? That sounds like [you thought] it was too somber before," the yokozuna bantered with the press. The black maswashi that he had used since his sekiwake days "has gotten a bit tattered. That's the only reason why I changed it." Still, in the superstitious world of sumo, to toss the old black one means, as even Kitanoumi Rijichio said, "He is so confident that he doesn't need to be superstitious."

In Mongolia, gold is considered a "classy" color. His opponent on shonichi was the giant Kotooshu, who equaled the speed record he had held along with Konishiki for reaching sanyaku. It is the intention of the champ to nip the upcomer in the bud. Ryu, undaunted by the height difference of 20 cm, hit Oshu hard from the left at tachiai and then pushed off with his right hand. He followed that up with an attack of rapid-fire sukui. "That was a good flow," he said. He didn't even let the young komusubi lay a finger on the brand new gold mawashi.

Warm one day; cold the next. It's been hard to stay healthy in such climate. Ryu fought off hay fever by forcing water into his nose and out his mouth. This morning, it snowed and got so cold that Ryu decided to skip keiko so as not to catch cold. On the other hand, he is wont to say about the whiteness of snow, "It [brings] good luck. This is the first time I saw snow in Osaka."

Edited March 13, 2005 by madorosumaru

[madorosumaru 7]

Left Is Left and Right Is Right and the Twain Shall ...

The yokozuna has been going great. In four days, no one has been able to even lay a finger on his resplendent gold mawashi. On this day, he made quick works of fellow-Mongolian, Kyokutenho. A harite with the right stopped Tenho in his tracks. A nodowa raised the body, and a well-timed pull-down had his foe on his fours.

Then, in a surprise, Asashoryu used his right hand, instead of the usual left, to receive the kensho. That was the first time since the shonichi of Hatsubasho.

Later in the dressing room, Ryu sat in silence. His eyes were shut throughout. For some inexplicable reason, he appeared to be in a bad mood. Earlier, Kitanoumi Rijicho had given him another compliment: "There is no sign at all of his crumbling." Yet, Ryu is upset about something. What? Was there an ultimatum issued for him to use the right hand?

The plot thickens ...

Forced hand?

[Jakusotsu 5,969]

For some inexplicable reason, he appeared to be in a bad mood.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe he 'forgot' to use the left and it just came 'naturally'. ;-)

[madorosumaru 7]

Thou Shalt Not Touch Thy Opponent's Mawashi

The talk around Osaka Basho is not "Who is going to upset Asashoryu?" Instead, it is "Who the heck is going to be the first to touch his new gold mawashi?"

On shonichi, two rikishi startled the Osaka fans. One was Miyabiyama, who appeared on the dohyo with a bright red mawashi. The other was Asashoryu with his much-anticipated golden mawashi. Sadly, Miyabi started out with two consecutive losses. "I am so ashamed," he whimpered and reverted back to the trusty bluish purple belt he wore before.

As for the yokozuna, he had his mawashi ready last basho and had debated whether to use it. The sycophants around him had urged him to wear a belt worthy of a man of his stature. Finally, he decided to go ahead and don it this basho. He did have some misgivings, "What if I wore this flashy belt and lost miserably? That would be pathetic."

Thus, a psychological stimulus was added to the existing dominating power, putting even more impetus to the One-man Yokozuna's indomitable charge.

"My goal for the basho was not so much to keep opponents from touching my belt, but to grab theirs first and go on immediate attack," he revealed. "It was a matter of creating my own pace from the tachiai and attacking forthwith." He had moved up the ladder to ozeki and then to yokozuna by utilizing an unrelenting series of waza augmented by his unparalleled speed. Now, he has stepped into a period of unrivaled dominance without any observable pursuer.

So far this basho, all five of his opponents have experienced "instant deaths," lasting only 2 or 3 seconds each. No one has even laid a finger on his mawashi. The time required for his victories in the first five days is probably less than 15 seconds total. Even during last year's Hatsu Basho, when he embarked on his 35-bout winning streak, he needed 16 seconds for his first five wins. It may be simplistic, but using this guage, it would appear that this year's easy victories are even more "energy-saving" than last year's.

One needs to be cautious when things are going too well. There is always the unexpected misstep. Kitanofuji-san, commentating on TV, said, "Simply awesome. So far, I can't see any weakness whatsoever." It looks like for the foreseeable future, it's going to be a continuation of his solitary run to glory.

[madorosumaru 7]

Hey, Ryu,

[aderechelsea 125]

so Dejima will have another bandage on him tomorrow ... i wonder where is the limit ...

tough fight indeed.

Asa looks pissed all the time although he is winning... it's like he feels he should prove himself everytime he enters the dohyo.He should relax a bit, noone is challenging him seriously.

[Naifuzan 1]

Wow, that's a very dramatic article (Spooky TV program...)

[Ryukaze 0]

Isnt this thread dead yet? goodness......Anyhow I think it was "Shoryu" who started the "silliness" if im not mistaken, I hate it when he tries to force sotogake on his opponents. As for the touching the gold mawashii I think plenty have touched it yet not quite come to grips with him as dejima did, Dejim does not look good at all his sore (and fat!) legs have hempered his usually "crisp" tachiai which has always been crucial to his style of "oshi-zumo".

As for the word "sasuga" I think an equal equivalent would be "just like" or something of the sort "as expected". Either way until someone wants it as bad as "Asashoryu" does he's just gonna keep taking! lol.

[madorosumaru 7]

The Devastator

"Devastating" would be the word. A volleyball-sized wound, bloody and skinless, on the left shoulder and back of Dejima attests to the destructive power of the yokozuna.

He has unleashed his fury before, especially against Kotomitsuki, his favorite patsy, and Takamisakari, whose work habits, or lack of such, rile him to no end. The victim this time had upset him by using hesitation tactics at tachiai. As a punishment, Ryu decided to use the "special waza" he had perfected in keiko.

Prior to the basho, Ryu had tried out some new moves against stablemate Asasekiryu. He would experiment with various waza from the standing position of Mongolian sumo. On of the moves was "The Flamingo," where he would wrap his leg around his opponent's lower limb, as in a soto-gake. Then, while he, himself, maintained balance with his pivot foot, he would throw his aite off balance and vulnerable to his finishing blow. His friend and sparring partner, Asasekiryu, was slammed into the sideboards of the keiko-ba time after time.

* * *

Past victims of The Devastator:

During keiko prior of Kyushu Basho in 2003, he dumped Robocop with a tsuri-otoshi that partially dislocated his houlder.

During Okayama Jungyo last October, he lifted Osh's right leg to shoulder-level and slammed him to the dohyo, injuring a ligament in his right knee.

Finally, prior to this basho, he treated shin-juryo Chiyohakuho to another one of his tsuri-otoshi and, perhaps as a result, the young rikishi is winless, 0-7, so far.

[kotooshu_bulgaria 0]

Does anyone think that the yokozuna injuring his opponents is heroic or what? I personally think that an yokozuna should be more noble and not aim at hurting his opponents...

[madorosumaru 7]

Does anyone think that the yokozuna injuring his opponents is heroic or what? I personally think that an yokozuna should be more noble and not aim at hurting his opponents...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan threw (the former still throws) 95+ mph fastballs near the heads of opposing batters. Pete Rose, in an All-Star game, slammed into a catcher named Ray Fosse so hard that it, for all practical purposes, ended his promising career. Chris Chelios, the hockey defenseman, has put numerous forwards in the hospital with his vicious body checks. I don't think we need to list examples from boxing or American football.

The top pros in every sport play for keeps. An athlete has to be vigilant at all times. He gets hurt when he is lax, lazy or unmindful of what's going on. Former yokozuna Wakanohana III revealed in his autobiography that he was "scared for his life" every single time he walked on the dohyo.

Asashoryu doesn't intentionally go out to hurt another rikishi. He is simply a ferocious battler in an inherently violent sport that gives no quarter to his foe on the dohyo and expects none in return.

[Ryukaze 0]

Does anyone think that the yokozuna injuring his opponents is heroic or what? I personally think that an yokozuna should be more noble and not aim at hurting his opponents...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lasts nights bout against Dejima seemed extremely random dont tell me that was planned lol "A sotogake to whirl around hikiotoshi" no, complete chance and im not so sure he can say he "tried" to hurt him either Dejima just ended up falling on his shoulder. Dejima has seemed rather "soft" these last few years (of his career id wager to bet) seems a bit too chunky for his own good as virtually any hard fall and he's hurt, conditioning conditioning, conditioning.

Aside from his "tsuri-otoshi's" I dont see how Shoryu can really put the hurt on opponents intentionally, as aside from tsuppari its the only real deliberate waza you could do to hurt someone (but a perfecty legal waza nonetheless...). Once again until anyone steps their game up to his level there will continue to be victims lol ......cant wait for his bout with Hakuho this tourn tho as hakuho seems to be the only real opponent who wants to "take it to" shoryu and isnt afraid of him....

[Kintamayama 45,132]

Does anyone think that the yokozuna injuring his opponents is heroic or what? I personally think that an yokozuna should be more noble and not aim at hurting his opponents...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No one aims to hurt his opponents. Poor injured and devastated Dejima-just beat Tosanoumi easily. Big deal.

If anything, this experience seemed to have "woken him up".

[kotooshu_bulgaria 0]

Good for Dejima to get the win today! I was just left with the impression that he might have injured his knee or something in that dance with the yokozuna, but seems ur right about the slap-down having woken him up!

And about the yokozuna's bout today, I think that Iwakiyama got the closest yet this basho to defeating him, but it was not meant to be... :-P