[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Toshinofuji, and old sumo story

[Jeff A]

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From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 13, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Toshinofuji, and old sumo story
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Makuuchi Toshinofuji did some butsukari-geiko with Yokozuna Oonosato for
the first time, testing his strength against the Yokozuna. Although he
charged vigorously for about four minutes, he was repeatedly knocked down
and covered in sand. "He is huge and heavy. We are about the same
height—195 cm for me and 190 cm for him—but he carries so much more weight.
It made me realize I need to gain more weight and work on my fundamentals,"
he said, clearly inspired by the experience. The 26-year-old, who made his
Makuuchi debut in the previous basho, is participating in a Jungyo as a
sekitori for the first time. He has been training energetically day after
day in moshiai-geiko (winner-stays-on sparring) sessions with other
Makuuchi rikishi. "It’s fun to wrestle against guys I don't usually face. I
want to get as many bouts in as possible against opponents I might meet in
the next basho," he said, looking satisfied. A graduate of Doshisha
University, he is looking forward to the Jungyo stop on the 16th in Kyoto,
where he spent his university years. "I love Kyoto, so I'm happy to be
going back," he said with anticipation.

Asahishou inherited the "performance" of Mitoizumi.  How did it happen?

When one thinks of rikishi who gained popularity for scattering massive
amounts of salt—creating a scene that looked as if snow had piled up on the
dohyo, names that come to mind include Wakachichibu and Mitoizumi
(currently  Nishikido Oyakata) from the past, and Asahishou
<https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=6531> after them in 2014.
Mitoizumi, who even won a Hiramaku (Maegashira rikishi) yusho at the 1992
Nagoya Tournament, began his spectacular salt-scattering routine during the
Summer Tournament of 1984—his seventh year in sumo and the tournament where
he finally achieved his long-awaited promotion to Juryo. Although he got
off to a strong start with three consecutive wins, he suffered a crushing
defeat on the fourth day. Overcome with anxiety, he found himself unable to
sit still, worrying, "What if I never win another match?" That night, as he
sat looking pale and distressed, a veteran Makushita rikishi took pity on
him and offered this advice... "Hey, Sekitori, don't let a single loss get
you down. Starting tomorrow, try tossing that salt with some real gusto,
really liven things up. It’ll blow away any useless worries." Thinking that
made sense, Mitoizumi followed the advice starting on Day 6 (skipping the
day after the loss). He threw the salt with such force it seemed to hit the
roof of the ring's canopy, and he went on to finish the tournament with a
kachikoshi of 9–6. The reason he waited until Day 6 instead of starting on
Day 5 was that his opponent withdrew from the tournament on Day 5,
resulting in a fusensho, so he didn't get the chance to throw the salt.

For Asahishou, too, a loss was the catalyst for his habit of tossing
massive amounts of salt. During the Summer Tournament of 2012, his fourth
basho in Juryo, he suffered a staggering ten consecutive losses right from
the start. Nothing was going right; he was at a complete loss as to what to
do. On the morning of Day 11, he thought, "If I throw a huge amount of
salt, maybe it’ll surprise my opponent and make him flinch." He decided to
give it a try that very day, grabbing a heaping handful with his right hand
and tossing it, a move born out of sheer desperation. And what happened?
His opponent, Yoshiazuma (ranked West Juryo No. 3), began to backpedal
helplessly. Asahishou easily pushed him out of the dohyo for the win. That
moment completely turned the tide; he went on to win all four of his
remaining matches in the tournament. From then on, there was no stopping
his massive salt-tossing routine, and "the salt-tossing man" became his
trademark nickname. That said, simply throwing it around haphazardly isn't
always the answer. Three tournaments later, on Day 3 of the Kyushu
Tournament, Asahishou tossed the salt with his usual flair, creating a
cloud so thick the ring turned white. But disaster struck: he slipped on
the salt. The moment he rose from his tachiai crouch, he lost his balance
and fell forward, his hands touching the clay. He lost the match via
hatakikomi to his opponent, Chiyonokuni. It was a total blunder. Shaking
his head as he retreated, Asahishou spoke with surprising vehemence:
"Slipped on the salt? I’m sure that’s what the spectators thought. But I’m
not going to stop tossing, and tossing heaps of salt just because of
something like that." Given that the culprit was the salt itself, he likely
resigned himself to the situation with a shrug, deciding that, well, there
was simply nothing he could do about it.. True to his word, Asahishou's
flamboyant salt-tossing continued unabated until he retired.
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