[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Spotlight-Fujinokawa-extremely long but worth it?

[Jeff A]

Moti


Best regards,
Gaijingai

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
- John Greenleaf Whittier

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 25, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Spotlight-Fujinokawa-extremely long but worth it?
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Part 1:

With only two tournaments remaining in 2026, the popularity of sumo in the
Reiwa era remains high thanks to the heated yusho races and the remarkable
performances of young rikishi, making the competition for tickets as fierce
as ever. However, what truly captivates people in any era is the refined
skill and individuality of said rikishi. Nonfiction writer Hazuki Takeda
introduces noteworthy active rikishi in her series "Famous Rikishi of the
Reiwa Era." In this installment, we feature 21-year-old Fujinokawa, who
defeated two Yokozuna in a row at the recent Nagoya tournament, creating a
lot of excitement in the arena. "We're having yakiniku
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiniku> tonight!" he said with a smile on
his way home. Fujinokawa, who competed as the top-ranked Maegashira in the
July 2026  tournament, was scheduled to face Yokozuna Oonosato on the
second day. Although Fujinokawa had won his first match against Oonosato at
the Spring Basho that same year, the power of the Yokozuna, who weighed 70
kilograms more, was immeasurable. At the start of the bout, Oonosato pushed
Fujinokawa up and moved forward, but at the edge of the dohyo, Fujinokawa's
desperate thrust-down sent Oonosato's massive body crashing to the ground.
Cushions flew through the air and a huge roar of cheers erupted at the IG
Arena, the venue for the Nagoya Basho . What surprised the audience even
more was the "thickness" of the prize money envelopes Fujinokawa received.
The sight of Fujinokawa walking down the aisle, clutching the prize money
carefully in both hands, further heightened the excitement of the crowd.
"At the start, I was able to make solid contact. The final thrust-down was
a bit forced, but I could see my opponent's body turning," Fujinokawa
calmly recalled when called into the interview room. Then, with a smile, he
headed home, saying, "I'm having yakiniku tonight (with the prize money)!"

The 21-year-old rikishi, a rising star, was scheduled to face Yokozuna
Houshouryuu the following day. In fact, he had a perfect record against
Houshouryuu, with one win in one previous encounter. On this day too, he
was pushed to the edge of the dohyo, but he nimbly dodged at the last
moment and secured the victory with a tsukiotoshi. The cheers grew even
louder as he achieved his second consecutive "kinboshi". He received 53
prize envelopes in his match against Oonosato on the second day, and 48 in
his match against Houshouryuu on the third day. A total of 101 envelopes
over the two days, amounting to over 6 million yen. Despite this,
Fujinokawa was in high spirits, saying, "I think the tsukiotoshi worked
because I was able to make contact at the tachiai. I couldn't go to a
yakiniku restaurant yesterday, so I'd like to go with my tsukebito today!"
At 177 cm and 123 kg, he is the lightest rikishi in the top division.
Nevertheless, Fujinokawa's courageous challenge against the Yokozuna left a
lasting impression on the fans' eyes and hearts.

Having lost his younger sister and mother in quick succession, and with his
father being the ex- Makuuchi rikishi Ooikari, sumo was a familiar part of
his childhood. At his father's urging, he attended a boys' sumo dojo near
his home to hone his skills. However, as a boy, Fujinokawa was small in
stature and lacked the strength to beat boys his age. Around the time his
two younger brothers and one younger sister were born, a tragic event
occurred: his sister and mother died in quick succession. His father and
the three siblings were left stunned. His father, who had retired from
active sumo, had become an Oyakata, but his work kept him busy and he was
often unable to be in Tokyo. "I must raise these children properly!" His
father resolved, and he made lunches for his three sons and frequently
attended sumo tournaments as well. Fujinokawa does not speak much about
that time. However, at this time, he developed a strong will and a sense of
responsibility as the eldest son of the Saito family, thinking, "As the
eldest son of the Saito family, I have to work hard together with my
younger brothers!" He never complained or grumbled. Fujinokawa's skills
began to improve when he was in his third year of junior high school. He
won the national team championship and went on to become the captain of the
prestigious Saitama Sakae High School sumo club, where he was recognized
not only for his sumo skills but also for his ability to lead a team.
Behind his rapid rise to success was his father's teachings.

Upon graduating from high school, Fujinokawa received offers from
university sumo clubs. However, he chose to become a professional rikishi.
He probably also wanted to become a full-fledged rikishi as quickly as
possible to put his father's mind at ease. In any case, his decision to
enter the world of professional sumo after graduating from high school
turned out to be a good one. His shikona, "Wakaikari," inherited the
character "kari" from his father's sumo name, "Ooikari." Wakaikari passed
through the Jonokuchi, Jonidan, and Sandanme divisions in a single
tournament each, and was promoted to Makushita in the 2023 Autumn
tournament. His rise through the ranks continued smoothly, and a year
later, in the 2024 Kyushu tournament, he was promoted to Juryo. At the
young age of 19, he was able to become a sekitori. The strength of
Wakaikari's sumo lies in his sticking to the fundamentals. Combined with
the sharpness of his movements, his opponents cannot keep up with his
speed. His father has been instructing new recruits at the "Sumo Training
Center" for many years. He is a "strict instructor" who teaches not only
sumo etiquette and techniques, but also manners and the basics of life. It
is likely that the teachings of his father, which he unconsciously
absorbed, contributed to Wakaikari's rapid rise through the ranks.

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