A dark cloud over the engagement of the late master’s eldest daughter… Tsururyu Oyakata’s “longing to achieve his dream” too deeply troubled

All I can say is thank you for accepting the letter I wrote to you when I was 16. He taught me to be like a demon in the ring and gentle when I was away from it.

Former yokozuna Tsururyu, 36, who retired in March this year, said at a press conference at the time. Tsururyu, 36, a former yokozuna who retired in March this year, said at a press conference at the time that he was grateful to his mentor, Izutsu Oyakata, who died of pancreatic cancer in September 2007 at the age of 58. Tsururyu had a long-cherished wish that he had promised his respected master, Izutsu.

In September 2007, Tsururyu died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 58. “Tsururyu was fascinated by NHK’s sumo broadcasts in his native Mongolia, and wrote to his master Izutsu to be allowed to enter the sport. He was fascinated by NHK sumo broadcasts in his native Mongolia, and wrote to his master Izutsu, who allowed him to enter. Just before he passed away, his respected master told Tsururyu, “If you can take over the stable, it will be a great honor. You are the only one who can take over the stable. I’m counting on you. When the master passed away, the Izutsu-room was closed down. It was Tsururyu’s long-cherished wish to revive the stable.

After his master’s death, Tsururyu moved to the Mutsu stables. Currently, the nenyose shares of “Izutsu” are held by the wife of the deceased master. It is not an easy task to take over the shares. But Tsururyu, who battled injuries during his 41-year reign as yokozuna, will be able to revive the Izutsu stable as a worthy master.

The true identity of a powerful rival

However, a dark cloud has begun to form over the achievement of Tsururyu’s long-cherished dream. The December 23 issue of Shukan Shincho reported that the eldest daughter of Izutsu Oyakata, the former Takarazuka Chika Amasaki (34), and the sixth-ranked Maegashira Shimanoumi (32) were engaged to be married. If they marry, Shimanoumi will become the son-in-law of his wife, who owns shares in Izutsu.

Mrs. Shimanoumi is apparently building a condominium in Ryogoku, Tokyo. She is building a condominium in Ryogoku, Tokyo, which will be completed in March next year and will have a sumo stable. It is said that her eldest daughter also hopes to become the proprietress of the stable in the future. The possibility of her husband, Shimanoumi, succeeding to the Izutsu stable is increasing.

Tsururyu must be uncomfortable with this, but ……. He is said to be surprisingly unfazed.

There are several conditions for becoming an independent stablemaster. The first is that you must have been a yokozuna or ozeki. The second is that you must have served at least 25 tournaments as a san’yaku (small sumo wrestler) or higher. The third is that he must have been in the makuuchi division for at least 60 tournaments.

Shimanoumi has only been in the makuuchi division for 15 tournaments. Naturally, he has not yet reached the rank of yokozuna, ozeki, or even san’yaku. Simply calculated, it would take him seven and a half years to reach 60 makuuchi tournaments. At that time, Shimanoumi will be around 40 years old ……. In the past, there have been rikishi who have stayed in the makuuchi even after the age of 40, such as Asahitenho and Daizen, but they are very few. It would be a very high hurdle for Shimanoumi to become an independent stablemaster,” said a sports journalist.

If this is the case, is Tsururyu the only one who can revive the Izutsu stables? Things are not going so smoothly.

By marrying the eldest daughter of Izutsu Oyakata, Shimanoumi might be recognized as a ‘bereaved family member’ and allowed to take over the stable as a special exception. In the past, a rikishi named Kanechika (the second highest juryo rank) married the second daughter of Miyagino Oyakata and took over the stable (he later got into trouble and was demoted to stablemaster in December 2010). It remains to be seen whether Tsururyu will be able to fulfill his promise to his mentor, or whether Shimanoumi will become a special master after his retirement.

At present, Tsururyu is the stablemaster of the Mutsu Beya. With the privilege of being a former yokozuna, he has assumed the name of nenryo “Tsururyu. However, it is a rule in the sumo world that he must acquire another nenryose name within five years. Will he be able to fulfill his long-cherished wish with his late mentor?