For Mom #2: Technique Prize

My Mom asked how the Sumo Association decides who will win the Special Prizes, so here is an example.

This Tournament Maegashira #3 Aminishiki took home the Technique Prize (His third!).

Aminishiki's Profile (you can't tell from this picture but he's actually quite handsome

Let's take a look at his record:

Day 1 W - beat Miyabiyama with a pulling overarm throw (uwate-dashi-nage)
Day 2 L - lost to Iwakiyama
Day 3 L - lost to Asashouryuu (no surprise there)
Day 4 W - beat Koto'oushuu with a forward push-out (oshi-dashi)
Day 5 W - beat Kaiou with a thrust-down (tsuki-otoshi)
Day 6 W - beat Hakuho with an outside leg trip (soto-gake)
Day 7 W - beat Kyokutenhou with an outside leg trip (soto-gake)
Day 8 W - beat Toyonoshima with an overarm throw (uwatenage)
Day 9 W - beat Kotomitsuki with a thrust-down (tsuki-otoshi)
Day 10 W - beat Kakizoe with a hand pull-down (hiki-otoshi)
Day 11 L - lost to Chiyotaikai
Day 12 W - beat Futenou with a rear push-out (okuri-dashi)
Day 13 L - lost to Tochiazuma
Day 14 W - beat Kisenosato with an outside leg trip (soto-gake)
Day 15 W - beat Kokkai with a hand pull-down (hiki-otoshi)

This is a good record. He won 11 out of 15 matches and beat 3 of the 5 Ozeki (sumo's second highest rank). He also did several nice throws and trips rather than relying on the standard frontal force-out (yori-kiri) or slap-down (hataki-komi). All in all a very solid technical performance; looking at it this way it's easy to see why he was chosen to receive the Technique Prize this tourney!

Goog Afternooner

PS: Here is an exhaustive list of all sumo winning techniques (kimarite) for those interested

Asashouryuu Triumphant Again!

Asa took home his 18th career victory in the makunouchi division yesterday. He earned a respectable 13-2 record, having been taken down only by Kisenosato and Chiyotaikai, but I still would like to see him return to his peak form and sweep with a 15-0 record again.

In other news my old boyfriend Takanowaka won the juryou division title and is probably looking to be bumped back up to makunouchi in November.

The special prizes were awarded as follows:

The Shukun-sho or Outstanding Performance Award went to Kisenosato
The Kanto-sho or Fighting Spirit Prize went to Ama
The Gino-sho or Technique Prize went to Aminishiki

Also I learned that the Sumo Association web site has special section detailing various statistics of interest. Now sumo is a sport with a ton of statistics, and some of these were quite interesting. For example : "[Kokkai is]... the thirteenth foreigner to earn a sanyaku (sekiwake or komusubi rank) debut." Some of them however make you just think WTF? "[Hochiyama's debut]... is the thirty-seventh Makuuchi Division debut by an Aomori Prefecture native since the end of W.W. II" Umm... good to know.

Check it out here if you're interested

Goog Niter
PS: Pictured here with Asashouryuu are his wife, Tamir and his daughter Ina.