Kisenosato Must Reign Next Tourney to Cinch Yokozuna

The Nagoya Tournament just over, Kisenosato once again fell short of marking his first victory and has to challenge the next tournament to come near his promotion to Yokozuna or grand championship.

As Yokozuna Hakuho was never in a proper shape this tourney and another grand champion Kakuryu dropped out on injury, Kise had too good a chance of marking his long-awaited first tournament victory which would have cinched his promotion to the rank of Yokozuna.

Kise is an excellent, skillful rikishi with high potentials for the highest rank in the sport but lacks mental agility and self-control at crucial moments. That mental shortcoming has cost him a number of tournaments he could have reigned.

The Yokozuna Deliberation Council met July 25 evening to discuss the chances of Kisenosato's promotion to Yokozunaship and concluded Kisenosato would have to once mark his first tournament victory in and after the next fall tournament.

A member of the council confided:

"Kisenosato finished the tourney 12-3, a win behind Yokozuna Harumafuji, and certainly stands eligible for promotion but must win a tournament once, or else the council finds it hard to make recommendation.

"Promoted Yokozuna without having won a single tournament and compelled to retire in a short while, Kisenosato himself will find it hard to bear."

He also commented that not every member of the council shared his view, implying that some members of the council were unaware of Kise having won a single tournament.

My impression of Kise at the Nagoya Tournament was quite far better than expected. He hardly flew out of his handle this tournament as he had often done and stuck to his defense. In his last match with Hakudo, Kise demonstrated his will to win till the last moment and pulled a valuable win.

Kise has an honest God crucial tourney this fall. (Nathan Shiga)