| Feb 08 | Golf: Imada 15th, Ishikawa 32nd at Northern Trust Open (AP) |
| Ryuji Imada finished tied for 15th and Ryo Ishikawa shared 32nd, his career-best result on the U.S. PGA Tour, at the Northern Trust Open on Sunday. Imada closed with a bogey-free 3-under-par 68 for a 7-under 277 total. Ishikawa finished a further three strokes behind after a 72 at Riviera Country Club. Imada bounced back from his opening 73 to shoot 68s in the next three rounds, making birdies on the first, 12th and 17th holes on the final day. |
| Feb 08 | Soccer: Japan football president Motoaki Inukai concerned about scoring drought (Canadian Press) |
| Japan Football Association President Motoaki Inukai has expressed concern over Japan's recent lack of scoring and says the team will need much improvement before the World Cup. Japan was held to a scoreless draw with China on Saturday in the East Asian Championship. A friendly with Venezuela on Tuesday ended with the same score. Japanese fans booed the team as they left the field after Saturday's match with China. Neither China nor Venezuela qualified for the World Cup. |
| Feb 07 | Sumo: Goeido stuns Hakuho en route to victory at one-day tourney (AP) |
| Second-ranked maegashira Goeido stunned Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho en route to winning a one-day sumo meet in Tokyo on Sunday. Goeido bumped out Hakuho in the semifinals of the knockout tournament before going on to trip up Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu in the final to capture the winning prize of 2.5 million yen. |
| Feb 07 | Golf: Ishikawa just outside top 10 at Northern Trust Open (AP) |
| Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa easily made the cut and remained on course for his best finish on the U.S. PGA Tour at the Northern Trust Open on Saturday. The 18-year-old JGTO money title winner was in a tie for 12th at 6 under for the tournament through 17 holes in his third round when play was suspended again because of darkness. Ishikawa completed the final five holes of the rain-hit second round earlier in the day on the par-71 Riviera Country Club course. |
| Feb 07 | Baseball: Female knuckleballer Yoshida plugging away despite the odds (Japan Times) |
| I have never met Eri Yoshida, so I do not have her meishi (name card) but wonder if it reads, "Eri Yoshida, Female Knuckleballer." That is the way she is identified in just about every news article about her appearing in the media. Or maybe it says, "Knuckle Princess," since in Japanese media reports she is the "Knuckle Hime." While her Jan. 29 debut in the Arizona Winter League was less than spectacular, I have to say I am pulling for the 18-year-old to go as far as she can in trying to make it a career in professional baseball. |
| Feb 06 | Golf: Ishikawa gains further ground at Northern Trust Open (AP) |
| Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa picked up two more strokes Friday to boost his chances of making the cut at the Northern Trust Open. Ishikawa moved to 5 under for the tournament -- a tie for seventh on the provisional leaderboard -- through 13 holes before a rain-hit second round was suspended by darkness at Riviera Country Club. Tied for ninth at the start of the second round, he rolled in a birdie from 13 feet on the par-4 second and added another from 10 feet on the next hole. |
| Feb 06 | Sumo: Mongolian newspapers blast Japanese sumo over Asa's retirement (AP) |
| Several Mongolian newspapers on Friday featured articles on their front pages, reporting that a conspiracy was behind former grand champion Asashoryu's decision to quit sumo over his alleged assault of a man in downtown Tokyo. Most of them failed to mention Asashoryu's problematic behavior, instead stressing that Japanese sumo officials had pressured him to retire for fear of the fiery yokozuna breaking sumo legend and former yokozuna Taiho's record of 32 title wins. |
| Feb 06 | Sumo: End of the line for Asashoryu (Japan Times) |
| Yokozuna Asashoryu retired Thursday in the wake of controversy after he allegedly attacked a man while drunk, causing injuries that included a broken nose. He has repeatedly acted in a way unbefitting a sumo grand champion. Still, his retirement is too sudden and at too young an age - he is only 29 - for many fans who will miss the powerful and often charming sumo wrestler. Asashoryu was the first Mongolian-born yokozuna. He won his 25th championship at the New Year's tournament in Tokyo, gaining third place on the all-time list for most title wins. |
| Feb 05 | Sumo: Asashoryu retires in tearful farewell (Reuters) |
 Troubled sumo grand champion Asashoryu announced his retirement from the ancient sport at a tear-filled news conference on Thursday, following a probe into reports of a drunken scuffle in Tokyo last month.
"I have caused great trouble to everyone, as well as to the Japan Sumo Association," the 29-year-old said, dabbing his eyes at times.
Asashoryu has often been in hot water outside the sumo ring but is beloved by fans for his exploits in it. Japanese broadcasters flashed new bulletins with his plans to retire, later telecasting his farewell announcement.
|
| Feb 05 | Rugby: Rebels to swap Melbourne for Japan (The Australian) |
| The Rebels Super rugby team will almost certainly play their first match in Japan, rather than the new Melbourne Rectangular Stadium next year. Rebels head coach Rod Macqueen revealed yesterday the new franchise is negotiating to stage a three-match tour of Japan in November in an attempt to forge some combinations ahead of the Melbourne team's Super 15 debut next February. |
| Feb 05 | Golf: Ishikawa makes strong start at Northern Trust Open (AP) |
| Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa got off to a promising start with a 3- under 68 in his first U.S. PGA Tour start of the year at the Northern Trust Open on Thursday. A year after missing the cut in his PGA debut here at Riviera Country Club, the 18-year-old JGTO money title winner stood in a tie for ninth when play was halted due to darkness with three players still on the course. Ishikawa had five birdies and two bogeys, going as low as 5 under at one point. |
| Feb 05 | Sumo: Yokozuna council's strong push behind Asashoryu retirement (AP) |
| With his head on the cutting block and ready to roll, Mongolian-born grand champion Asashoryu did a last-ditch Houdini rather than face the disgrace of being fired or asked to voluntarily put an end to his career. Pressure from the Japan Sumo Association's Yokozuna Deliberation Council was mounting after a committee was set up Monday to investigate Asashoryu's alleged involvement in the assault of a man in downtown Tokyo last month. On Thursday, the investigation panel only intended to question Asashoryu about the case, in which he reportedly went on a drunken rampage, without taking any punitive action. But the yokozuna council had planned to call an emergency meeting after the board meeting with the intention of pressing JSA Chairman Musashigawa to recommend Asashoryu's retirement and, if push came to shove, his termination. |
| Feb 04 | Sumo: Japan's grand champion Asashoryu to quit sumo (guardian.co.uk) |
 Sumo grand champion Asashoryu today announced his retirement, weeks after he allegedly assaulted a man outside a nightclub in the latest scandal to hit the troubled sport.
The Mongolian wrestler, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, made the announcement after meeting with officials from the sumo association, which had come under pressure to ban him from the sport he has dominated for most of the last decade.
The association's elders were due to decide how to punish Asashoryu before he took the decision out of their hands.
|
| Feb 03 | Sumo: Stablemaster Ajigawa to resign from sumo association in wake of election (Mainichi) |
| Sumo stablemaster Ajigawa told a news conference Tuesday that he planned to resign from the Japan Sumo Association for causing trouble to the stablemasters of his faction in a recent election. Ajigawa's move came after stablemaster Oshima (former ozeki wrestler), who belongs to the same faction as Ajigawa, failed to win a seat in the association's recent board of directors' election. |
| Feb 03 | Sumo: Wrestling champion could be banned after nightclub attack (guardian.co.uk) |
 For Asashoryu, one of the finest sumo wrestlers of all time, it was always going to be a one-sided affair.
The problem for the 150kg grand champion is that his latest high-profile bout took place not in the ring but outside a Tokyo club after a night of heavy drinking.
As police decide whether to question Asashoryu over the incident, which left his victim with a broken nose, a split lip and facial bruising, sumo's elders appear to be running out of patience with the enfant terrible of Japan's troubled national sport.
|
| Feb 02 | Sumo: Asashoryu's car driver denies yokozuna's drunken rampage (AP) |
| The head of a Japan Sumo Association panel investigating Asashoryu's alleged drunken rampage said Tuesday the grand champion's driver has denied a recent magazine report that the Mongolian broke a man's nose and caused him other injuries in the car in the early hours of Jan. 16. "The driver did not see Asashoryu slug the man. He said it was nothing like what was reported," Tomozuna said after questioning the driver. A weekly magazine called Friday reported two weeks ago that Asashoryu had been "wrecked" and slugged an acquaintance, originally believed to have been his manager, outside a nightclub in Tokyo's Nishiazabu district. |
| Feb 02 | Soccer: Japan, Venezuela draw in friendly (AP) |
 Japan and Venezuela have played out a scoreless draw in an international friendly.
Japan had the better of the scoring chances and controlled the play throughout Tuesday's match but was never able to make its superiority pay. Kashima Antlers captain Mitsuo Ogasawara came close in the 16th minute with a powerful right-foot shot from the top of the area that forced the Venezuelan goalkeeper to make a spectacular diving save.
|
| Feb 01 | Sumo: Reform-minded Takanohana elected to JSA board (AP) |
| Reform-minded former grand champion Takanohana was elected to the 10- man Japan Sumo Association board on Monday. Takanohana was among 11 candidates running in the governing body's first board election in eight years, held because of his surprise departure from the Nishonoseki faction. The 37-year-old Takanohana drew 10 votes. Oshima lost his seat after receiving eight votes. |
| Feb 01 | Sumo: Asashoryu was too drunk to remember assault: stablemaster (AP) |
| Asashoryu's stablemaster Takasago said Sunday the Mongolian- born grand champion was so drunk that he does not remember injuring a man in a booze-fuelled late night incident in mid-January. Asashoryu, 29, was reported by weekly magazine "Friday" last week to have been "wrecked" before slugging an acquaintance, who was originally believed to have been his manager, outside a nightclub in downtown Nishiazabu in the early hours of Jan. 16. |
| Jan 30 | Sumo: Asashoryu settles case with man in assault incident (AP) |
| Asashoryu has reached an amicable settlement with a man who accused the Mongolian-born grand champion of causing him serious bodily harm in a recent drunken rampage, Japan Sumo Association chairman Musashigawa said Saturday. The latest indiscretion by sumo's perennial "bad boy" purportedly took place outside a nightclub in downtown Nishiazabu in the early hours of Jan. 16 during the recently concluded New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. |
| Jan 30 | Baseball: Female knuckleballer Yoshida allows 5 runs in Arizona Winter League opener (AP) |
| Japanese female knuckleballer Eri Yoshida gave up five runs in two innings Friday, starting in the opening game for the Yuma Scorpions in the Arizona Winter League. The 18-year-old Yoshida held Team Canada scoreless in the first inning but struggled with her command throughout. She allowed three hits, walked one and hit four batters at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona. |
| Jan 29 | Soccer: Japan to push for 2018 World Cup bid despite Europe deal being negotiated (AP) |
| Motoaki Inukai said Friday he plans to push ahead with Japan's bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, despite the head of soccer's world governing body saying earlier this week that only a European candidate would be evaluated for the 2018 finals. "The situation has not changed. Right now we are going for everything," said Inukai, Japan's bidding committee chief and the president of the country's soccer association. Inukai's comments come after FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Monday a deal for Europe to host the 2018 finals was being worked out. |
| Jan 29 | Japan's Asada wins singles skating title (AFP) |
 Japan's former world champion Mao Asada won the Four Continents Championships on Friday with her season-best performance in the ladies' free skating event.
Asada carded an overall 183.96 points, with her best score of 126.74 in the free skating event, beating her compatriot and short program leader Akiko Suzuki who received a total of 173.75.
Asada, 19, had stood at third after a short programme Wednesday in Jeonju, 243 kilometres (152 miles) south of Seoul.
|
| Jan 29 | Sumo: Sports minister orders investigation into Asashoryu assault allegations (AP) |
| Sports minister Tatsuo Kawabata has ordered the Japan Sumo Association to launch a full investigation into allegations that Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu seriously assaulted a man after a recent late night drinking session in Tokyo. "Recently there have been punishments meted out by the Japan Sumo Association because of distressing incidents involving violent behavior. If this (report concerning Asashoryu) is true then it is deplorable," Kawabata said Friday. |
| Jan 29 | Rugby: Japan coach turns to 'Jedi' methods (Globe & Mail) |
| Japan's rugby coach John Kirwan will try almost anything to toughen up his players -- from sumo and crash-test dummies to ancient "Jedi magic". The New Zealander's latest brainwave is to tap into the mystical powers of a 90-year-old aikido master whose techniques help petite Japanese nurses lift patients off hospital beds. Kirwan famously began sending Japan's "Brave Blossoms" to brutal sparring sessions with giant sumo wrestlers in 2008 in an attempt to add some steel to his side. |
| Jan 29 | Golf: David Smail recommends Japan to young pros (hedgeweek.com) |
| New Zealand's top-ranked professional, David Smail, is surprised not more New Zealand and Australian golfers try and give their careers a kick start on the Japanese Tour. Smail has played on the tour for 13 years and has made a handsome living. It also carries enough world-ranking points to keep him in or near the top 100 in the world, and offers opportunities to qualify for the majors. Smail played in three last year -- the British and US Opens and the US PGA. He has become so accustomed to the Japan Tour he has no desire to try to qualify on the European or US Tours. |
| Jan 29 | Baseball: Chunichi fans can't cheer team with musical instruments, Nagoya court rules (Japan Times) |
| Fan groups for the Chunichi Dragons lost a lawsuit Thursday and will have to continue cheering for the team without musical instruments, drums or whistles. The Nagoya District Court rejected a request from some 100 members of eight privately organized cheering squads based in the city that pro baseball's ban on the use of such instruments and items be nullified. |
| Jan 26 | Sumo: Gang leader's presence in prime sumo seats causes stir (Mainichi) |
| Police discovered the head of a gang affiliated with Japan's second-largest yakuza crime syndicate sitting in one of the ringside guest seats during the New Year sumo tournament last week. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department spotted the head of the gang affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai syndicate at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on Jan. 18. He moved after being prompted to do so by one of the information desk staff. |
| Jan 26 | Horse racing: Vodka honored again as Japan Horse of the Year (Thoroughbred Times) |
 Japan Cup (Jpn-G1) winner Vodka garnered the Japan Racing Association's Horse of the Year title for a second consecutive year in 2009.
The six-year-old mare received 246 of 287 votes and was a unanimous selection to retain champion older female honors. She also was the JRA's champion two-year-old filly in 2006.
|
| Jan 26 | Soccer: Japan's soccer 'kick' machine (woodtv.com) |
 With the World Cup less than six months away, a company has unveiled a machine that can kick a soccer ball more than 125 mph.
Castrol is an officials sponsor of the 2010 World Cup, and ahead of the big event, it unveiled the world's first-ever engine-driven "free kick" machine in Tokyo.
The machine can smash a soccer ball with its steel leg at more than 125 mph.
|
| Jan 26 | Baseball: Japan to follow ball-strike count (Japan Times) |
| Japanese baseball umpires decided Monday to change the order in which they call the count in the game. The umpires will start counting balls first, and then strikes, in the upcoming season as used in the major leagues and international tournaments. Until now in Japan a full count was 2-3, instead of 3-2. |
| Jan 26 | Sumo: Asashoryu warned over conduct (Japan Times) |
| Yokozuna Asashoryu, who was reported to have punched an associate in a drunken tirade during a recent night out, was strictly reprimanded on Monday, one day after celebrating his 25th Emperor's Cup victory at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. The 29-year-old Asashoryu admitted to drunken conduct, which allegedly took place in downtown Nishiazabu after midnight on the sixth day of the New Year meet, after he was summoned along with his stablemaster Takasago by Japan Sumo Association chairman Musashigawa. |
| Jan 25 | Japan's skeleton master makes no bones of age barrier (Reuters) |
 The oldest member of Japan's Olympic squad spends his time hurtling down an icy chute head first at 130 kilometers per hour, but the 45-year-old is showing few signs of wanting to slow down in the twilight of his career.
Instead, skeleton slider Kazuhiro Koshi plans to go out in style at next month's Winter Games in Vancouver despite the dangers of a sport in which intense G-forces will be the least of his worries.
"I'm in it to win it," Koshi told Japanese reporters after returning from a World Cup event in Europe. "All I am thinking of is the gold medal."
|
| Jan 24 | Sumo: Hakuho dampers Asa's title celebrations at New Year basho (AP) |
| Hakuho prevailed in an all-yokozuna showdown to take the gloss off Asashoryu's 25th championship win on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. In an anticlimactic finale, Asashoryu, who secured the tourney hardware on Saturday, failed on his attempt to knock over Hakuho with a pair of inner leg trips as both grappled for control at Ryogoku Kokugikan. And with only pride to play for, Hakuho (12-3) countered and followed through to march Asashoryu out to only his second defeat of the 15-day meet. |
| Jan 23 | Sumo: Asashoryu clinches 25th Emperor's Cup at New Year basho (AP) |
 Asashoryu shrugged off fresh reports of thuggish antics off the raised ring to clinch his 25th Emperor's Cup on Saturday with victory over compatriot Harumafuji on the penultimate day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Sumo's self-styled enfant terrible, accused by a tabloid magazine of becoming embroiled in a drunken scuffle at a Tokyo night spot during the first week tournament, needed to be on top of his game to see off the challenge of ozeki Harumafuji (11-3) in an absorbing encounter at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
|
| Jan 22 | Sumo: Asashoryu zeroes in on title as Hakuho crashes again at New Year basho (AP) |
| Asashoryu produced a classy win over Kotooshu and zeroed in on his 25th Emperor's Cup on Friday after fellow grand champion Hakuho was sentenced to a shock second defeat in a row at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Asashoryu pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the day's penultimate bout at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the Mongolian magician breaking free from a mid- ring stalemate and deploying a rare "kainahineri" two-handed arm twist down technique to send the Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu crashing to the clay surface. |
| Jan 21 | Sumo: Hakuho tripped to 2nd defeat, Asa leads at New Year sumo (AP) |
 Hakuho was sent packing to a shock second defeat by ozeki Harumafuji on Thursday, handing over the sole lead to rival grand champion Asashoryu with three days remaining at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Constantly a fly in the ointment for the yokozuna, Harumafuji set up Hakuho with a series of hard shoves at the charge before darting sideways when his opponent ill-advisedly lunged forward in the day's penultimate bout at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
|
| Jan 21 | Tennis: Date Krumm crashes out in 1st round at Australian Open (AP) |
| Veteran Kimiko Date Krumm was defeated by Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, leaving Japan with no remaining players in singles competition. The 39-year-old Date Krumm, ranked 61st in the WTA rankings, fell 6-4, 6-2 to the 22-year-old Shvedova at Melbourne Park. Date Krumm failed to win her first match at a Grand Slam since a victory at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships. |
| Jan 21 | Sumo: Dominant yokozuna lay waste to challengers (Japan Times) |
| Hakuho and Asashoryu remained poised for another mouthwatering showdown with both Mongolian-born yokozuna banging out their 10th victories on Wednesday as the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament enters the final four days. Hakuho, seeking his second consecutive Emperor's Cup and 13th overall, knocked the bejesus out of rank-and-filer Takekaze in the day's final at Rygoku Kokugikan. |
| Jan 21 | Baseball: Matsui backs idea of global World Series (Japan Times) |
 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui likes the idea of games between the World Series and Japan Series champions even though he may be retired by the time such a matchup takes place. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig told his Japanese counterpart earlier this month that he is open to games between the champions of both countries but no steps have been taken to set up such a series.
|
| Jan 20 | Asashoryu, Hakuho on collision course for title (Japan Times) |
| Yokozuna Asashoryu and Hakuho both registered ninth victories to turn the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament into a two-horse race Tuesday after Estonian sekiwake Baruto's winning streak ended with a surprise defeat to Toyonoshima. After grabbing the limelight with convincing wins over Hakuho and four ozeki, Baruto (8-2) finally came a cropper and squandered his share of the lead after losing his balance and allowing top-ranked maegashira Toyonoshima (4-6) to bundle him out at Ryogoku Kokugikan. |
| Jan 19 | Olympics: Japanese Winter Olympic delegation launched (AP) |
 The Japanese delegation for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver was officially launched at a ceremony in Tokyo on Monday.
Around 90 members of the delegation, which currently comprises 86 athletes and 102 officials for the Feb. 12-28 Games, were present at the ceremony, which was also attended by Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko and Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda.
|
| Jan 18 | Sumo: Baruto stuns Kotooshu to keep pace with yokozuna at New Year basho (AP) |
| Giant-killing sekiwake Baruto stunned Kotooshu to claim European bragging rights and keep pace with yokozuna Hakuho and Asashoryu at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. The Estonian behemoth tore into Kotooshu at the charge and buried his head in the Bulgarian ozeki's chest before methodically working him over the bales to claim to his latest upset win at Ryogoku Kokugikan. |
| Jan 18 | Judo: Anai, Ono triumph at judo Masters (Japan Times) |
| Takamasa Anai won the men's 100-kg title as Japanese judoka collected two more gold medals on the final day of the Masters in South Korea on Sunday. National champion Anai beat South Korea's Hwang Hee Tae in the final while Takashi Ono was a winner in the 90-kg final against Russian Kirill Denisov. Keiji Suzuki finished runnerup to Frenchman Teddy Riner in the over 100-kg division. |
| Jan 17 | Sumo: Hakuho bounces back, 5 tied for lead at New Year basho (AP) |
| Hakuho bounced back with a vengeance and forced Kisenosato into the splits to get his campaign for a 13th Emperor's Cup back up and running at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. Chief rival Asashoryu, meanwhile, scored an imperious win over Kakizoe and preserved his share of the lead alongside Hakuho and three other wrestlers at 7-1 at the 15-day Tokyo meet. |
| Jan 17 | Sumo: Hakuho falls, all even with Asashoryu at New Year sumo (AP) |
| Hakuho ran into a titanium wall in the form of Estonian big man Baruto and dropped to a first defeat at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday. Baruto took Hakuho by surprise with a slick move that set up the victory in the day's finale at Ryogoku Kokugikan and spelled the end of the Mongolian grand champion's 30-bout winning streak. |
| Jan 16 | Hakuho takes control in New Year basho (Japan Times) |
 Hakuho gave Hokutoriki a good hiding to move into sole possession of the lead at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday. The Mongolian yokozuna was at his devastating best in the day's penultimate bout at Ryogoku Kokugikan, knocking the stuffing out of third-ranked Hokutoriki in a flash to extend his winning streak to 30 bouts.
|
| Jan 15 | Nagasaki gives up bid to host Olympics (AP) |
| The city of Nagasaki has given up its bid to co-host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games with Hiroshima, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said Friday. But Nagasaki would be willing to offer its full cooperation to the city of Hiroshima if it tries to host the sporting event alone, the mayor said at a meeting of city assembly members. |
| Jan 14 | Sumo: Hakuho still squeaky clean, Asashoryu falls at New Year sumo (AP) |
| Hakuho stretched his consecutive winning streak to 29 bouts on Thursday but rival grand champion Asashoryu was sent to a shock first defeat at the hands of upstart Goeido at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Hakuho shares the lead at 5-0 with surprise package Kisenosato in the early going at Ryogoku Kokugikan. |
| Jan 13 | Sumo: Chiyotaikai hangs it up, Asa, Hakuho in lead at New Year sumo (AP) |
| The bombshell dropped before the day's action in the elite makuuchi division even got started at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday. Grand champions Hakuho and Asashoryu improved to 4-0 to remain in a share of the lead with rank-and-filers Kakizoe and Kisenosato in the early going, but it was Chiyotaikai's announcement of his retirement that was the big story of the day at Ryogoku Kokugikan. |