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(From left) Wakatakamoto, Wakamotoharu and Wakatakakage promise to make further progress towards the next venue.
Wakamotoharu (30), the second son of the “Ounami 3 brothers” from Fukushima City and leader of the Higashi-mae clan, won 10 wins and 5 losses in his first Grand Sumo tournament held at Ryogoku Kokugikan on the 28th in Tokyo. It was his first double-digit four-court win since the tournament. He received a gold star from yokozuna Terunofuji and won his first Distinguished Service Award, making him a strong candidate for a return to sekiwake in the next tournament. Takakage Waka (29), the third son and leader of the Makushita tournament, is sure to return to Sekitori with a clean sweep at the Makushita Championships. The eldest son, Takamoto Wakamoto (32), who is third in the Nishi Third League, finished the race with a record of 5 wins and 2 losses. All three brothers achieved great results and promised to make even greater progress in the next tournament.
Despite being considered an ozeki contender, Wakamotoharu lost six wins and nine losses at the Kyushu tournament last November, losing for the first time in eight tournaments and dropping from Nishi Sekiwake to No. 1 Higashi Maegashira. It’s been a long time since I last held a flat curtain, but I changed my mind and thought, “I’ll start from the beginning,” and focused on what was in front of me. On the second day, he had a heated battle with yokozuna Terunofuji that lasted over a minute and a half and won his first Gold Star. The next day he also scored a win against ozeki Takakeisho, defeating a yokozuna and an ozeki. Chiakiraku has an easy win over Nishikigi. I grabbed the upper right hand tightly from the left side and cut off the heavy opponent.
I am not satisfied. Speaking at the opening party of the Arashio stable in Tokyo on the 28th, he said: “I fell down the rankings and won the third prize. I lost ground to yokozuna Terunofuji and Kotonowaka, who were fighting for the championship, but I only won 10 wins. “I will definitely aim for a higher ranking in this tournament with my own style of sumo,” he said, with the aim of moving up to ozeki.
Takakage Waka, who was in second place upon his return, ended his current position with a makushita victory with all seven wins on day 13. After suffering a serious right knee injury in the spring tournament last year, he returned to the Kyushu tournament in the sixth East Makushita tournament after missing four straight tournaments with five wins and two losses. The fan he carried on his right knee until the last game came loose and he called for a comeback. “My body moved more than it did before,” he said, feeling the reaction. It is certain that he will return to Juryo next time. “There were times when I felt depressed because of my injury, but thanks to the people around me I was able to come this far,” he said, expressing his gratitude. “I want to work hard so I can return to Makuuchi as soon as possible,” he said, setting his sights on the next location.
Wakatakamoto injured his neck and missed Day 5 of the previous tournament. The ranking was downgraded to the 3rd page of the western third dan of Makushita, which has been maintained since the beginning of 2018 (Heisei 30). “I’m coping well with the pain and working hard,” he said, with a win in the current tournament and the hope of a return to makushita. “I was able to gain some momentum this year. My goal is to be in the top ranks of Makushita,” he said enthusiastically.
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