# Unusual! Ozeki Kotozakura conducts external training for the first time in a year: "I was surprised myself"; 4 wins and 8 losses in sanban-geiko with Yokozuna Onosato at Nishonoseki-beya

Ozeki Kotozakura (28, Sadogatake-beya) visited the Nishonoseki stable in Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture on the 26th, finishing with 4 wins and 8 losses in a sanban-geiko (a series of bouts between the same two wrestlers) with Yokozuna Onosato (25, Nishonoseki-beya).

While he was frequently forced out by Onosato’s yorikiri, there were also moments where Kotozakura gained a left-hand inside grip and attacked powerfully. Reflecting on the session, he said, "From the beginning, I was able to stay thoroughly focused. I was checking how well my body can move."

The catalyst for this external training was the banquet celebrating Onosato’s promotion to Yokozuna held on the 14th of this month. His master, Sadogatake-oyakata (former Sekiwake Kotonowaka), who visited the Nishonoseki stable, explained: "They have always come to us. It is also important for us to go to them. I had the desire to let him train with the Yokozuna. During the promotion party, I told the Yokozuna, 'Take care of him.'" He added with emphasis, "Because there is still one rank higher (on the banzuke) to reach."

Kotozakura posted a 5-10 record in last year’s January tournament, where he first challenged for the Yokozuna rank. In February of the same year, prior to the March tournament—where he faced his first kadoban status in his seventh tournament after promotion—he visited the Tokitsukaze stable for two consecutive days; this marked his first external training in a year. Regarding the sudden training session with the Yokozuna, he said, "I was surprised myself."

In the previous tournament, he started with three consecutive wins from the opening day, but from the 13th day onward, he suffered losses against Onosato, Yokozuna Hoshoryu (26, Tatsunami-beya), and Ozeki Aonishiki (21, Ajigawa-beya), finishing with an 8-7 record for the second consecutive tournament. Heading into the March tournament (starting March 8th at Edion Arena Osaka) where he seeks a resurgence, he expressed his determination: "I want to be fastidious about the content of my sumo."

Source: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/24121dac2ed860bc457b3498a25d95c9c8319032/images/000 


Ozeki Kotozakura conducts external training for the first time in a year: "I was surprised myself"; 4 wins and 8 losses in sanban-geiko with Yokozuna Onosato at Nishonoseki-beya