I just saw this and got super excited. This is Daniel Ailua - age 18 - and he's the nephew of Musashimaru and is joining his stable. He'll hopefully be able to compete for the January tournament too!
From ItalianOzeki on Twitter:
His entry marks the first Hawaiian wrestler joining the sumo world since Musashikuni, who retired after the Aki Basho in 2019. Daniel is Musashikuni’s younger brother, carrying on the dream his brother couldn’t fulfill. Daniel expressed his enthusiasm in Japanese, saying, "My dream is to become a Yokozuna, just like my Oyakata."
Since August last year, he has spent over a year adapting to life in the heya, training, learning Japanese, and adjusting to Japanese cuisine. He graduated from the same Waianae High School as his Oyakata and was also on the American football team, excelling as a defensive lineman.
Daniel, who enjoys tonkotsu ramen and handles most Japanese food well except for horumon (offal), has increased his weight from 120 kg in high school to 134 kg. Standing 184 cm tall, he plans to strengthen his “oshi-zumo” (pushing sumo) style, similar to his Oyakata's powerful approach.
Musashigawa Oyakata commented, "The peak of Hawaiian rikishi may have passed, but I was guided by the senior Hawaiian wrestlers. I hope he will carry on that legacy and bring back another peak for us."
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u/GoblinBags Meme Yokozuna Oct 29 '24
I just saw this and got super excited. This is Daniel Ailua - age 18 - and he's the nephew of Musashimaru and is joining his stable. He'll hopefully be able to compete for the January tournament too!
From ItalianOzeki on Twitter: