PicoBlog

I’ve been busy with my other substack (and actual paid work, can you believe it?)

But this post from Italianozeki, which translates an interview with sakiizuka, has pushed me over the top.

Go to the original post on X/twitter here:

https://twitter.com/italianozeki/status/1781568269322944720

Here are a few excerpts:

Former Makuuchi wrestler Terutsuyoshi, famous for his agility and the excessive amount of salt thrown on the dohyo, is planning his Danpatsu-shiki (hair-cutting ceremony). Born in Awajishima on the day of the earthquake that devastated the area, he joined the Isegahama-beya after middle school. At 19, he was diagnosed with diabetes, and at 21, he became a Sekitori. The wrestler retired due to deteriorating health conditions, and the sumo retirement ceremony will take place on June 23.

….

- You fought against diabetes for a long time during your career on the dohyo. What was your motivation and mood behind the decision to retire?

"When I saw my emaciated body in the mirror, I realized I couldn't continue. Even the doctor told me I had to lose weight to improve, which meant I wouldn't heal as long as I kept fighting. I was almost 30, and I thought the time was right. I managed to become a sekitori and leave my mark in the sumo world for six and a half years, so I have no regrets. After retiring, I finally felt free and relieved."

….

- How would you evaluate your sumo career?

"I started at 15 after graduating from middle school, reached the Makushita level at 17, became a sekitori at 21, and made my Makuuchi debut at 23. When I think about all this, I would say my sumo career was quite brilliant! (laughs) I'm grateful I chose this heya, and I want to thank the oyakata and the okami-san. If it weren't for the tough training in this stable, I would never have become a sekitori. In the end, the choice of the heya was mine, but I'm really happy I chose it. In the future, I hope to continue visiting the oyakata who has always supported me and to visit the wrestlers who continue to train in the stable, bringing them gifts occasionally."

- What are your future plans?

"For now, I'll focus on helping my mother with her business in Awaji. She runs four businesses: onion processing, waste disposal, an online sales site, and a local information site. I want to promote the brand of my onions and expand the business, so I think I'll spend a lot of time between Tokyo and Awaji."

I first noticed Terutsuyoshi when he was up in Makuuchi back in 2019, and he made his highest rank in 2020 at Maegashira 3… but he may have achieved that via many wrestlers having to miss tournaments during the pandemic.

He fell to Juryo in January 2023, so I didn’t track his weight in 2023.

But before we go to the stats, I want to go to Sumo Kaboom, which featured a fan letter with a great Terutsuyoshi profile:

I use two main data sources currently: the Sumo Resource (which I usually refer to as the Sumo Database) and the JSA’s site.

Both of these sources have shortcomings.

I am an actuary, based in the U.S., and the Actuarial Standards Board ASOPs (actuarial standards of practice) apply to me. In particular: ASOP 23, on Data Quality.

(Look, the ASOPs don’t actually apply to my blogs on substack. That said, they’re useful for building a good reputation in having reliable data standards and similar issues.)

I’ve written about the intersection of sumo statistics and data standards before:

I wrote that one due to a very suspicious recorded height of Midorifuji, which persists.

I’m highlighting data issues right now because I cannot get the historical recorded weight of Terutsuyoshi from the JSA site, and because the Sumo Reference site does not update rikishi weights well.

From ASOP 23:

3.1. OVERVIEW

Appropriate data that are accurate and complete may not be available. The actuary should use available data that, in the actuary’s professional judgment, allow the actuary to perform the desired analysis. However, if significant data limitations are known to the actuary, the actuary should disclose those limitations and their implications in accordance with section 4.1(b). The following sections discuss such considerations in more detail.

So this is what I’m going to report:

• Tasha on the Sumo Kaboom podcast reported that Terutsoyoshi lost weight once he got to Makuuchi and as he lost rank after that.

• I recorded Terutsuyoshi’s weight at 117 kg in January 2022 (from official JSA weigh-in), and I didn’t have a different weight record until November 2022 at 107 kg… and after that, Terutsuyoshi fell to Juryo for January 2023, so I don’t know the weight arc. Did he fall below 100 kg?

• The Sumo Reference record has a weight record from 2021 as its last record for Terutsuyoshi.

Some people may think this is getting too nit-picky, but weight is an important indictor of fitness in sumo.

It’s not just a matter of physics in wrestling, but specifically for Terutsuyoshi who battled with diabetes, weight loss was an indication of loss of muscle mass.

On the other hand, I have found the Sumo Reference site to be reliable concerning kimarite data.

That’s what the rest of the post will be about.

Before I get to any OTHER metrics, I want to note, Terutsuyoshi logged 41 different kimarite in his career. Hakuho had 42, for comparison.

There are 82 real kimarite and 5 non-technique wins.

Some of the kimarite Terutsuyoshi had in his list, I had to say… WHAT is that?!

Susoharai? “Rear foot sweep”?

Interesting - and it was against the similarly short Enho.

And the other one I was trying to get a video for, sotokomata “over thigh scooping body drop”, was also against Enho. HMMMM.

I was not able to find a good video for sotokomata. You’re going to have to click on this link.

So, like most wrestlers, oshidashi and yorikiri were his top two, so if we want to look at what makes him different, we can see that his shitatenage was his go-to, the underarm throw.

Interestingly, his weakness was hatakikomi, perhaps related to his being so short. Slap that shortie down.

The other weakness compared to other wrestlers was yoritaoshi — frontal crush out. Ouch.

I looked at his record in yoritaoshi losses, and the last 7 were in Makuuchi. He’s been in lower divisions for a while, so it’s interesting that this is the move that the top wrestlers had to use against him.

Three yoritaoshi in one tournament?! (November 2022)

YOWCH.

I look forward to seeing the June festivities for our salt fairy. I hope he improves his health.

I leave with this blessed image:

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