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Musashigawa stable
fields yokozuna, 2 ozeki for
summer sumo

Akebono, Musashimaru ranked No. 1, 2

TOKYO, April 24 (Kyodo) - The Musashigawa stable had its string of six tournament championships snapped in March, but returns with a yokozuna and two ozeki for next month's summer tourney, according to the rankings released Monday by the Japan Sumo Association.

Newly promoted ozeki Musoyama joins yokozuna Musashimaru and ozeki Dejima in the elite ranks for the May 7-21 Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, with sekiwake Miyabiyama poised to give the Musashigawa stable a third ozeki.

Yokozuna Akebono, 12-3 in the Osaka spring tourney, takes over the grand champion's top position on the east side of the ring, while rival Takanohana is top-rated on the west side.

Musashimaru, the defending champion still looking for his first championship of the year, also gets a seat on the east side.

Dejima is top-rated among the ozeki, while stablemate Musoyama will be seated across the ring on the west after earning promotion to sumo's second highest rank with a 12-3 record as a sekiwake in Osaka last month.

Rough-and-tumble Chiyotaikai grabs a second spot on the east for ozeki, while Takanonami hangs onto his ozeki ranking despite a 7-8 record at the spring tourney, but will face demotion with eight or more losses in the upcoming basho.

Miyabiyama and Tochiazuma give the sekiwake rank two wrestlers who can pull some upsets over higher-ranked opponents. And with 23 wins in his two previous tournaments, Miyabiyama could possibly become Musashigawa stable's third ozeki with 10 or more wins.

Takatoriki, the surprise Emperor's Cup winner in Osaka as a No. 14 maegashira, vaults 14 places into the komusubi rank to join fellow veterans Tosanoumi and Kaio.

The promotion of Takatoriki to komusubi is the first time in a year that the grizzled pusher-thruster from the Futagoyama stable has appeared in "sanyaku" - the three ranks below yokozuna.

Three new wrestlers - Kotomitsuki, Tochinohana and Jumonji - advance into the elite makuuchi division for the first time, while Kinkaiyama returns after a one-tourney tour in the second-tier juryo division.

The summer tourney will also see a record 25 wrestlers in the top two divisions who entered professional sumo from collegiate programs.

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Rankings for Summer
Grand Sumo Tournament

TOKYO, April 24 (Kyodo) - Rankings for the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament to be held at Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 7-21 (spring tournament rankings and results in parentheses. Yyokozuna, Oozeki, Ssekiwake, Kkomusubi, Mmaegashira, Jjuryo):

RANK--EAST--WEST

Y Akebono (Y, 12-3) Takanohana (Y, 11-4)
Y Musashimaru (Y, 11-4)
O Dejima (O, 11-4) Musoyama (S, 12-3)
O Chiyotaikai (O, 8-7) Takanonami (O, 7-8)
S Miyabiyama (S, 11-4) Tochiazuma (S, 8-7)
K Tosanoumi (K, 8-7) Kaio (K, 8-7)
K Takatoriki (M14, 13-2)
M1 Tochinonada (M6, 9-6) Asanowaka (M8, 8-7)
M2 Wakanoyama (M1, 6-9) Hamanoshima (M9, 8-7)
M3 Oginishiki (M9, 8-7) Daizen (M12, 9-6)
M4 Kyokushuzan (M1, 5-10) Tamakasuga (M2, 5-10)
M5 Kaiho (M13, 8-7) Kotoryu (M3, 5-10)
M6 Kyokutenho (M2, 4-11) Chiyotenzan (M5, 6-9)
M7 Takanowaka (M4, 5-10) Akinoshima (M5, 6-9)
M8 Kotomitsuki (J1, 13-2) Tokitsuumi (M7, 7-8)
M9 Toki (M7, 7-8) Minatofuji (M4, 2-11-2)
M10 Shikishima (M6, 4-11) Kinkaiyama (J2, 10-5)
M11 Hayateumi (M10, 7-8) Higonoumi (M11, 0-0-15)
M12 Tochinohana (J6, 13-2) Asanosho (M10, 6-9)
M13 Aogiyama (M13, 0-0-15) Terao (M12, 7-8)
M14 Jumonji (J5, 10-5) Kotonowaka (M3, 0-0-15)

(Note: Results are shown as won, lost and rest days)

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Musoyama to wrestle
for first time as ozeki

OSAKA, Japan (AP) - Musoyama will wrestle for the first time at sumo's second-highest rank of ozeki (champion) in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament beginning May 7.

The wrestler, who finished with a strong 12-3 record in the spring sumo tournament, will hold the top west ozeki rank, according to new rankings announced Monday by the Japan Sumo Association.

He won his first Emperor's Cup in January with a record of 13-2.

Two wrestlers from Hawaii, Akebono, or Chad Rowan, and Musashimaru, or Fiamalu Penitani, will hold the top east yokozuna (grand champion) ranks.

Takanohana was given the west yokozuna position. His elder brother, former yokozuna Wakanohana, retired in the middle of the spring tournament in March.

The upcoming tourney will be held at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena.

The winner of the spring tournament, Takatoriki, was promoted from lowest ranked No.-14 maegashira (senior wrestler) to komusubi (junior champion second class).

Takatoriki's triumph in March's Spring Grand Sumo Tournament was his first tournament victory since he joined sumo wrestling in 1983. He finished with a 13-2 record.

Up-and-coming wrestler Miyabiyama will aim for ozeki promotion while fighting as the east sekiwake (junior champion).

Kyokushuzan, or Batvayar Davaa of Mongolian, slipped from top maegashira to No. 5 maegashira. Kyokutenho, or Tsevegnyam Nyamjav of Mongolia, will be No. 6 maegashira.

In the 26-member juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, Sentoryu, or Henry Armstrong Miller of the United States, will be ranked No. 2. Hoshitango, or Imach Marcelo Salomon from Argentina, will be ranked No. 10.

In the top junior division of makushita, Hoshiandesu, or Jose Antonio Juarez of Argentina, will be ranked No. 9, as will Asashoryu, or Mongolian Dolgorsvren Dagvadrj.

Wakaazuma, or Yoshinobu Kuroda from Brazil, will be placed No. 17.

Kuniazuma, or Vader Ramos from Brazil, will be ranked No. 22, and Kasugaoh, or Kim Son-tek of South Korea, will be ranked No. 47. Kyokutenzan, or Mongolian Enkhbat Batmunkha, will be No. 51.

In sandanme, the second-highest junior division, Kaihakusan, or South Korean Baeg Yun-gi, was placed No. 49.

Azumaoh, or Brazilian Yasuto Morita, will be No. 82, while Ryuo, or Wang Yu from China, was ranked No. 93.

In jonidan, the third-highest junior division, Akasekiryuu, or Mongolian Badaarch Dashunyam, was placed No. 80. Daibanjaku, or Mongolian Batsukh Khaidavmunkh, was ranked 93.

Fudoyama, or Nyamjuv Luvsandorj of Mongolia, was placed No. 112; Hakuba, or Mongolian Ariunbayar Unurjargal, was at No. 130; and Kitakasuga, or Mongolian Tsolmonbayar Munkhbat, was ranked No. 133.

In jonokuchi, the lowest junior division, Ryuo, or Erkhem Ochirsanchirbold of Mongolia, was ranked No. 13, while Orora, or Russian Mikhakhanov Anatolivaleryevich, was ranked No. 20.

Wrestlers in junior divisions have only seven bouts during the 7-day tournament.

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Results in Scoreboard

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