Asashosakari 19,032 Posted November 27, 2005 (edited) Yotsukasa apparently lost his Day 15 bout against Tamamitsukuni by fusen...anybody know what's up with that? (Intai...?) Edit: Intai confirmed on the Kyokai site. Yotsukasa assumes jun-toshiyori as Yotsukasa-oyakata. (Showing respect...) Edited November 27, 2005 by Asashosakari Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fujisan 532 Posted November 27, 2005 Not a big surprise but a shame to end on such a sad note. (Blushing...) Happy intai Yotsukasa. (Nodding yes...) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danjinoumi 9 Posted November 27, 2005 Well, I would be remiss in my duties as Yotsukasa's most ardent fan (?) if I didn't add my 2 yen worth. Yotsukasa spent most of 2002 toiling in Makushita, and I remember at the time thinking that was probably about it for him. But clearly his fighting spirit was still there, as he slogged his way up to his higest rank of M11E for the Hatsu '04 basho. From there, though, it was all downhill. Aside from two 8-7 hiccups, he struggled to a number of 7-8 and 6-9 records, with a 4-11 and a 5-10 performance thrown in for good measure, before the wheels finally came off the cart this basho. What you saw was what you got with Yotsukasa. Most of his matches he won by going forward. Most of his matches he lost by going forward also. There wasn't a whole lot of finesse to his sumo. In fact, is there another rikishi in recent memory that could be considered to be so non-descript? On another forum we had a discussion of Higonoumi as a good candidate, but I submit that even Higonoumi had a nickname among the foreign sumo aficionados frequenting these discussion groups -- "the Higonator." Ever heard anybody call Yotsukasa the "Yotsukasanator"? Didn't think so! On a personal note, I had a chance to ask the man himself for a photo and autograph opportunity at a jungyou last year, and after getting over his surprise at being accosted in poor Japanese by a foreigner, he proved to be just as surly and uncommunicative in real life as he appears on TV. In all fairness, I'm sure he's a great guy to go drinking with if he actually knows you. Even though Yotsukasa is now intai, his avatar will continue to grace the pages of the Sumo Forum for at least the near (and probably distant) future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonosuke 28 Posted November 27, 2005 (edited) Even though Yotsukasa is now intai, his avatar will continue to grace the pages of the Sumo Forum for at least the near (and probably distant) future. For one thing most Japanese sumo websites will be thankful that he's gone as they no longer have to list his shikona with hiragana saying "it's 火 left hand radical with 華" as the kanji cannot be displayed. Edited November 27, 2005 by Jonosuke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterao 3 Posted November 28, 2005 Even though Yotsukasa is now intai, his avatar will continue to grace the pages of the Sumo Forum for at least the near (and probably distant) future. For one thing most Japanese sumo websites will be thankful that he's gone as they no longer have to list his shikona with hiragana saying "it's 火 left hand radical with 華" as the kanji cannot be displayed. Wouldn't this character be available in the Chinese character set? I think most people's PCs would be able to handle those by now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shomishuu 0 Posted November 28, 2005 In fact, is there another rikishi in recent memory that could be considered to be so non-descript? On another forum we had a discussion of Higonoumi as a good candidate, but I submit that even Higonoumi had a nickname among the foreign sumo aficionados frequenting these discussion groups -- "the Higonator." Ever heard anybody call Yotsukasa the "Yotsukasanator"? Didn't think so! Higonoumi might well be a good parallel, despite having nearly a nine year unbroken string of appearances in makuuchi, something that Yotsukasa could have only contemplated while making a thorough inspection of the country's finest sake. Even with that Higo never became a household name - BUT he will gain fresh and well deserved notoriety in the next issue of SFM (teasing never my strong suit). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doitsuyama 1,178 Posted November 28, 2005 Even though Yotsukasa is now intai, his avatar will continue to grace the pages of the Sumo Forum for at least the near (and probably distant) future. For one thing most Japanese sumo websites will be thankful that he's gone as they no longer have to list his shikona with hiragana saying "it's 火 left hand radical with 華" as the kanji cannot be displayed. Wouldn't this character be available in the Chinese character set? I think most people's PCs would be able to handle those by now... It is available in Unicode, no problem. Japan should just give up on the Shit-JIS stuff and their websites would be better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterao 3 Posted November 28, 2005 It is available in Unicode, no problem. Japan should just give up on the Shit-JIS stuff and their websites would be better. Was that a typo or clever joke? If the latter, it is the first time in all these years I've ever seen you write an obscenity. (Applauding...) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doitsuyama 1,178 Posted November 28, 2005 It is available in Unicode, no problem. Japan should just give up on the Shit-JIS stuff and their websites would be better. Was that a typo or clever joke? If the latter, it is the first time in all these years I've ever seen you write an obscenity. (Applauding...) It was the attempt at a clever joke, heh. But maybe you haven't read all from me on the forum yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterao 3 Posted November 28, 2005 (edited) Well, the archives quoted you as writing "Shit happens" as recently as this January. No F-bomb to be found though, so this doesn't change my opinion of you all that much. (Censored) Edited November 28, 2005 by Peterao Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itachi 395 Posted November 30, 2005 Even though Yotsukasa is now intai, his avatar will continue to grace the pages of the Sumo Forum for at least the near (and probably distant) future. For one thing most Japanese sumo websites will be thankful that he's gone as they no longer have to list his shikona with hiragana saying "it's 火 left hand radical with 華" as the kanji cannot be displayed. Sorry to come to this topic so late, but I'm so glad this was mentioned. I'm sorry to see Yotukasa go for this very reason. I had a lot of trouble finding that kanji at first and I'm always pleased to find a character that tests the limits of my resources. I can't remember the base meaning of the ji. Something like flamboyant? Splendid? Flourishing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danjinoumi 9 Posted November 30, 2005 Hmmm, I guess I was wrong. Nobody's going to remember Yotsukasa's sumo, but at least they'll remember how hard it was to write his shikona (well, the first kanji anyway) on a word processor :-/ . I would argue that even with that rather dubious distinction, he's still well above Higonoumi on the non-descript-o-meter, especially if Higo's going to get some run in an upcoming Sumo Fan Mag. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonosuke 28 Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) For one thing most Japanese sumo websites will be thankful that he's gone as they no longer have to list his shikona with hiragana saying "it's 火 left hand radical with 華" as the kanji cannot be displayed. I can't remember the base meaning of the ji. Something like flamboyant? Splendid? Flourishing? As you know the left side means "fire" while the right means "flower". Irumagawa oyakata named him with a wish that he displays such intensive sumo that "ignites fire and transform himself as a brilliant flower". Edited November 30, 2005 by Jonosuke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
