The first day of the Sumo Kyushu Tournament will be held on November 10th at the Fukuoka International Center. Onosato is promoted to the new ozeki and feels a new wave in the sumo world, but some wrestlers feel lonely as shikona disappears from the new banzuke. This is Takakeisho, a former ozeki. The 28-year-old, who had been competing in the dohyo with injuries all over his body, including his knees, ankles, arms, and finally his neck, retired at the autumn tournament in September, saying, “I’m burnt out.” From now on, as Master Minatogawa, he will be instructing the younger generation.

It was the 14th day of the Autumn Tournament, where Ohnosato won for the second time. In the same room at the Kokugikan, Takakeisho spoke with an expression as if he was completely overwhelmed. “I no longer had the stamina and energy to pursue my dream of becoming a yokozuna since the third grade of elementary school.”

He experienced his second ozeki fall at the Nagoya tournament in July. He was aiming to make a comeback with 10 wins as a special exception at this place where he was a sekiwake, but suffered consecutive losses on the first and second days. I decided to take a break from the third day. I think there are many fans who think it’s too early considering his age. However, the man who chose to use the words “Bushido spirit” when he was first promoted to ozeki was an honest man.

“I have no regrets at all. I’m burnt out. I’ve had a wonderful sumo career. Even with my injuries, I’m capable of it. I wasn’t able to show my strength, so I thought, ‘That’s it.'”

If he had been able to heal the injury to his neck that supports his wrestling, it might not have been impossible for him to continue his life as a sumo wrestler and challenge for Ozeki for the third time. However, as he competes based on his feelings, he had no choice but to lose his desire to become a yokozuna, his ultimate goal.

Since the time of Konishiki and his predecessor Kirishima in the early Heisei period, there has been an increase in the number of sumo wrestlers who continue to compete in the dohyo even after failing to make a comeback after falling from ozeki. At the upcoming Kyushu tournament, there are five former Ozeki players: Takayasu, Asanoyama, Shodai, Mitakeumi, and Kirishima. Still, Takakeisho said, “I’ve been allowed to work in a job that I like, and since I was young, I’ve prepared 100% for the main tournament.However, recently, I haven’t been able to prepare for that or do the things I need to do before fighting.” He revealed the circumstances that led to his resignation.

At the time of the Nagoya tournament, where he finished with 5 wins and 10 losses, he was not thinking about retiring. “(Retirement) should be done when it crosses your mind.Although I fell from ozeki at the Nagoya tournament, I still believed in myself.I thought, “Maybe the gears aren’t aligned.Also, the next tournament will be the deciding factor.” ”I thought,” he said.

175 cm, 165 kg. His arms and legs were short, and his physique was not particularly good. Still, he pushed through and won four times among ozeki and below, second only to Kaiou’s five times. He says he pushed himself because he was overwhelmed by the size and power of makuuchi wrestlers when he entered the group after graduating from Saitama Eiko High School. Looking back on those days, he said, “I came to the wrong world. It’s a terrible world. I can’t win if I’m just like everyone else. I thought I had no choice but to do it in my own style.”

He is one of the few wrestlers who can push himself through training without being told by his master. What surprised me was that at that weight, he also incorporated bodyweight “dips”, a type of upper body squat. Although he does not use any special equipment, he supports the sides of his left and right hips with both hands while on tour, and bends and stretches his elbows without lowering his raised legs. Your chest, arms, and shoulders including the shoulder blade area will be strengthened, allowing you to move your arms through their full range of motion. He fought by making the most of his body.

Of course, don’t forget about traditional training. Before the main event, I made sure to carefully repeat the “teppo”, which is the basics of tsuki, by tightening my armpits and hitting a pillar in the corner of the training area, to check my movements. I used to say, “If I don’t do this, I won’t be able to do well at the main venue.”

As a professional sumo wrestler, he learned his beliefs from his father, who practiced Kyokushin karate. “Even if I win, I don’t feel happy. Even if I lose, I don’t dwell on it. Even if I’m happy, I don’t feel happy. Even if it’s hard, I don’t act like it’s hard. Sumo is a sacred ritual, so I keep it calm. That’s all I tried to do.” True to his words, he didn’t talk much in the preparation room, and I never heard him make excuses for his injury.

He has a strong sense of responsibility in the ring, and his master Tokiwayama Oyakata (formerly Komusuru Misugi) describes him as “He has courage and mental strength.He’s a man who never says he’s in pain.” Chairman Hakkaku (former yokozuna Kitakatsumi), who was also an oshi sumo wrestler, also paid tribute to him, saying, “Although he was ranked as an ozeki, he performed as well as a yokozuna.He gave his all.”

When I entered the sumo world, I was in the room of former yokozuna master Takanohana. However, due to his master’s retirement in 2018, he moved to his current room where the masters were brothers and disciples. Naturally, he must have felt grateful to his former parents as well. A question was asked, “What do you think of your two masters?” and the answer was as follows.

“My master is Master Tokiwayama. He originally moved into another room, but he took me in and raised me until today. Thanks to you, I was able to come this far. I’m grateful.” As if to repay his kindness, he wrote words only to his current master.

“Do it or lose? I thought, “This is going to change my life.”” One of my fondest memories is the match against Tochinoshin (then an Ozeki) at Senshu Raku in the spring of 2019, where I won and was promoted to Ozeki for the first time. listed. At that time, Takakeisho excelled in not only his head-first attacks and violent thrusts, but also his sideways thrusts and attacks that left space between him and his opponent two or three times. However, after becoming an ozeki, he suffered a knee injury and lost his nimble footwork. As a result, it became all about pushing from the front. If he had been able to maintain his light footwork then, I think he would have come even closer to his “dream” of becoming a yokozuna.

Exactly 10 years and 60 places since the first dohyo. He served as ozeki at 30 of them, half of them. Regarding his future, he said, “What I learned from my seniors in the Showa era.It may not be suitable for today’s era, but I want to train wrestlers with guts and spirit.” With his strong beliefs and passion, he is sure to become a good leader.

(Takahiro Takezono/Sports Writer)