Oonosato, who will be challenging for the top rank in the May tournament, confesses his “ideal type” in a frank manner.

Interview” during a visit to a local area

In the first part of the article, “[Behind the Scenes of His Tsuna-Taking Challenge] Ozeki Ohnosato Reveals the Factors behind His Dramatic March Tournament Win and His Preparations for the May Tournament,” Ozeki Ohnosato, who will win the May tournament, looks back on the path that led to his dramatic victory at the March tournament.

Ozeki Onosato, 24, won his third sumo championship in the March Grand Sumo Tournament, and is challenging for his first “tsuna-tori” in the May Tournament. On the ring, Onosato is a sincere and devoted sumo wrestler, but in his private time after practice, he often watches TV dramas in his room in the Nisshonoseki stable,” he says. In a calm tone of voice, he reveals, “I watch ‘School Drama’ on Corona Disaster.

I watched “School☆Wars” on COVID-19 crisis. Recently, I enjoyed the popular “Jijishi-tachi” (The Groundhogs). Both are based on true stories, so it’s easy to get into the story. I love non-fiction films. I saw the movie “The Worst of Japan,” starring Go Ayano, and it got me hooked on nonfiction about incidents.

Ohnosato’s love of “crime stories” began during her high school years.

I heard from the matron of my high school that she had interviewed me about the murder of a family of lawyer Sakamoto in 1989,” she said. She told me that she had been interviewed about the murder of the Sakamoto family, which took place in 1989. She told me that she had heard about the murder of the Sakamoto family in 1989, and that crab shells had been found near where the dead lawyer’s body had been buried. So the police came to the matron, who was working at a crab restaurant at the time. After I heard this story, I began to look online whenever there was an incident that caught my attention.”

He sometimes “interviews” and “jitters” about incidents on his way out the door. Ohnosato’s big eyes widen even more.

The last time I went to Komatsu City in Ishikawa Prefecture to attend a charity event, I was told that ‘Komatsu’ means ‘Matsuyama Hostel. I thought, ‘Komatsu is the place where Kazuko Fukuda (57 years old), who murdered a hostess in Matsuyama in 1982, was hiding out. I happened to stop by a Japanese sweets shop and talked to the shopkeeper, who happened to be the person who used to work with Kazuko Fukuda. …… Also, the driver of the cab I happened to take in Tokyo happened to be in Nagano Prison with Tatsuya Ichihashi, 46, a convict in the murder of an English conversation teacher in Chiba in 2007.”

Public baths, crane games, and Hanshin

Whenever there is an incident that interests him, he watches YouTube commentary videos. Last year, Furuta, 24, a fellow member of the Nitaidai University Sumo Club and also an incident buff, joined the Nisshonoseki stable. They share their knowledge of the case with each other.

The Nisshonoseki stable is located in Ami-cho, Ibaraki Prefecture, about an hour and a half from central Tokyo. It takes about an hour and a half to get to the center of Tokyo, but what does he do when he is not training?

Whenever I have some free time, I go to a super public bath near my stable and relax. I relax by playing the crane game there. I collect figures of “Dragon Ball” characters. How good are you at crane games?　Do you feel like you have to put your money where your mouth is?　I’m not going to lose if I have the money (laughs).

Ohnosato has been known as an avid Tigers fan since his childhood, but his roots go back to his father, Tomoyuki. As a boy, he was taken to the Ishikawa preliminary round of high school baseball games.

He said, “My schedule doesn’t allow me to go to the stadium for Tigers games. I always watch the live broadcasts, though. Who do you root for?　I like Shota Morishita (24), who is the same age as me, and I am happy when he plays well. We don’t have a close relationship, but I would like to meet him.

Selfish but indecisive

Although Onosato is steadily approaching Yokozuna status, he currently lives in a room in the town of Ami. Since he does not have to pay rent, he says, “I am accumulating money.

The room is new and spacious, so I have no complaints. But someday I will have to move to a better house.”

Is there a “partner” he intends to live with after he moves out of his room? When we probed him, he confided with a bashful smile, “I don’t have a partner at the moment,” he said.

I don’t have anyone at the moment (laughs). My type is a quiet person. I would also like a woman who will listen to my selfishness. But I have an indecisive personality, so if someone wants to get a pet, I might say, ‘Okay,’ even though I’m not good with animals. ……

If he wins the tug of war at the May tournament, he will become the second wrestler from Ishikawa Prefecture to win the tug of war, following the late Daishi Wajima (70 years old, born in Nanao City), the 54th yokozuna. He and Wajima share some similarities in that both were university graduates who became amateur yokozuna and both made their debut as makushita tsukegashidashi.

Mr. Wajima is a senior in my hometown. There are many rikishi who graduated from universities, but only Wajima-san has been promoted to yokozuna. If I could match him, I would be very proud. It will be a long 15-day battle, but the cheers of my supporters will give me more strength than anything else, so I will do my best!

Onosato declared his determination to become the fastest yokozuna in history. I hope he will become the fastest yokozuna in history, and become the “one and only” in his favorite phrase, “the only one.