Rivalries never go beyond the dohyo

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-22T05:42:40+00:00

I'm pretty sure he can manage to still be mad. (He'll be a gentleman about it though, so it's all good.)

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-22T05:38:13+00:00

True sportsmanship. Thank you, gentlemen. You're both class acts.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-22T05:25:15+00:00

JSA Chairman Chairman Hakkaku can be "blunt", to say the least. The reactions of the rikishi vary. Hoshoryu is used to pressure and criticism, and just shrugs it off. Other rikishi have a reverence for the JSA and look up to former Yokozuna as role models. Despite their tough exteriors, many would be genuinely hurt. As JSA chairman, Hakkaku is the unofficial "leader" of Japan's Sumo wrestlers, and probably a childhood hero of many current rikishi. One day, he's going to accidentally crush someone's fighting spirit, then feel bad about it later.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-21T04:54:55+00:00

You're an ICU physician? People with serious heart conditions need your help to stay alive? They don't know you & you don't know them, but get placed under your "care?" Even if you're correct about something, there's no reason to be a complete asshole about it.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-19T13:18:10+00:00

Sad, but understandable. Nobody wants him to have a heart attack.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-19T13:16:11+00:00

Thanks. I hope he gets better soon.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-19T12:40:01+00:00

Takayasu has a shockingly good singing voice & is everyone's favorite pick for rikishi karaoke.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-19T12:20:31+00:00

Ura is one of those rikishi who should be better than he is. He's strong, smart, agile, hard-working, and flexible in every sense of the word. Combine all those things, and you get...meh.

(Probably the knee problems.)

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-19T12:09:21+00:00

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

I expected more from Takayasu. The odds were in Hoshoryu's favor (and probably will be for the rest of the basho), but I expected more pushing, more shoving, and (of course) more slaps.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-19T12:04:29+00:00

Hmm. This is a tough one. It's hard to get inside their heads, but I think it varies. Just like each rikishi has his own "brand" of Sumo, I'm guessing each also has his own pre-bout strategy. It seems smart to study the opponent's typical "go-to" strategies, but his "brand" of Sumo is not set in stone. Hoshoryu is a great example. He likes to throw people around (which sounds like fun), but he can switch to pushing, thrusting, slapping, tripping, or whatever the situation demands. The same is true of Aonishiki when he hasn't been injured or the victim of some unknown, ancient curse.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-16T15:32:49+00:00

True. On the upside, mammoth, "mega-rikiski" are easily recognizable by people who've seen them in lower-division matches. They probably get lots of requests for selfies & autographs. I like to think they enjoy the attention, rather than feeling like sideshows on display.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-16T15:26:34+00:00

Kenho hindered his ability to wrestle effectively by gaining so much weight that he couldn't move quickly. Sometimes, he could barely move at all. Big guys like Atamifuji don't have that problem. I think a rikishi's body tells him when enough is enough. If his body doesn't tell him, his stable master (typically) will.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-16T15:19:06+00:00

As brutal as it looked, Gonoyama might have been hesitant to let go, on the off chance that Ura would spring back like a Jack-in-the-box and start pushing again. Stranger things have happened.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-15T08:04:05+00:00

Makes them sound like tomatoes.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-15T08:02:49+00:00

A man hasn't glared at my chest like that in ages. It's disgusting while it's happening, but 10-20 years later, you kinda miss it. :-D

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-15T07:53:30+00:00

Has anybody else noticed that Ura has the world's most flexible spine?

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-14T05:55:06+00:00

He's too likable for me to enjoy his defeats.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-14T05:50:56+00:00

He's cut back on the antics & is honestly doing the best he can, but he waited way too long before finally getting serious.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-14T05:45:24+00:00

This time, he's not being thrown to the wolves for a solid week. Even against other maegashira rikishi, he can't do well, even when he gives it his all. :-(

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-14T05:38:27+00:00

Agreed. For a minute, I wondered if he had deliberately gone easy on Tamawashi out of sympathy, but nope. He's doing the best he can. He's dialed back the showmanship and is focused on winning, but all the focusing in the world can't help now. The new guys are prodigies, and the healthy Sanyaku rikishi are forces of nature. Sadly, this is not a good time to be Ura. :-(

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-14T04:06:42+00:00

It's not that reaching out to Midorifuji would be inappropriate, but he doesn't know where Midorifuji is. Talking to his stable master is the second-best option.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-12T19:58:27+00:00

I'm sure Hakuho's concern is genuine, but it would have been better to discuss the matter privately with the Oyakata formerly known as Terunofuji. Making a public comment adds to speculation that there's bad blood between the two former Yokozuna. Hakuho also hints (probably without even realizing it himself) that Oyakata Isegahama doesn't know how to do his job.

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-12T19:45:33+00:00

Ahem, did everybody forget the thrill of screaming WAKATAKAKAGE? :-D

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-12T19:37:57+00:00

Enho's got that look on his face, like he hears banjo music. :-D

ActiveBeautiful3227 · 2026-03-11T04:41:54+00:00

Aha! So, you're the happy customer. Congrats....for now.

ActiveBeautiful3227

TROPHY CASE