一山本関所属・放駒部屋に道民の新弟子が入門！(4月22日放送)

Hanaregomabeya, the stable to which Ichiyamamoto-zeki, a member of the "Today's Dokki! Family" and a native of Iwanai Town, belongs. The stable is coached by former Sekiwake Tamanojima, now stablemaster Hanaregoma... On the 1st of this month, he visited a residential area in Nishi Ward. Director: "Good morning, stablemaster. Thank you for today." Stablemaster Hanaregoma: "I thought I'd say hello since he decided to join our stable." Shirakami Reiji, 23 years old. With a large build of 180 cm tall and 175 kg, he decided to join Hanaregomabeya this spring. Oyakata Hokoma: "It depends on his own effort, but I believe he can definitely become a sekitori (Juryo or higher)." Father, Osamu Shirakami: "Whether he does it or not, whether he rises or not, it's all up to him, so all that's left is for him to do it." For one year after graduating from university, Mineji worked at his father Osamu's company while also serving as a coach for the youth sumo club that Osamu had been instructing for many years. Director: "When did you start sumo?" Mineji Shirakami: "It was because of my father (the youth club coach), so I don't really remember, or rather, before I knew it, I was wearing a mawashi (loincloth). I hated sumo. I was also doing other extracurricular activities like skiing and swimming, and sumo was my least favorite." Nevertheless, by the time he was in sixth grade, with a gifted physique of approximately 170 cm tall and 100 kg in weight, he participated in national tournaments many times. After that, he left home and studied sumo at a strong school in Ishikawa Prefecture during middle and high school. However, after enrolling at Toyo University, he suffered a series of injuries and was unable to achieve satisfactory results. Shirakami Reiji: "Initially, in the summer of my third year of university, I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and desperately tried to rehabilitate, but it didn't recover as I had hoped. At first, I thought maybe I was done with sumo." After graduating from university, he worked as a civil engineer, digging wells and so on, but this year he had a change of heart. Shirakami Reiji: "It was an intuition, or rather, I didn't want to regret it later, so I thought I'd try my luck with something I'd worked so hard at." Entering sumo at the age of 23 after spending a year as a civilian is exactly the same career path as his senior, Ichiyamamoto-zeki. While it's a relatively late start in the world of sumo... Shirakami Reiji: "When I was little, I played with him at training camps in Hokkaido. He's been working for a year and is now at his current level in sumo, so he's a role model for me and I have a lot of respect for him." What are the characteristics of Reiji's sumo? We asked the stablemasters. Hankomaya Stablemaster: "He's a fast sumo wrestler. I expect that, and it also reduces the risk of injury, so I've decided that he'll definitely become a sekitori (ranked wrestler)." Father, Shirakami Osamu: "He's low and powerful, and because he's big, he has pressure, so I think he'll be able to make it in the professional world if he continues like that." Boys' group: "We want him to win!" "We want him to rise all the way to Yokozuna!" "Go, Reiji-sensei!" Director: "Thank you for having him. He doesn't seem nervous." Shirakami Reiji: "I'm not the type to get nervous." His sister, Yuki, who lives in Tokyo, also came to celebrate her brother's special day. His younger sister, Yuki Shirakami, said, "(Is he a reliable older brother?) He's kind. From today, he'll be getting a lot of attention and support from many people, so I hope he puts in his best effort." Then the press conference finally began, and he answered questions surrounded by many reporters. Reiji Shirakami: "Basically, I do pushing sumo, and sometimes I grapple in that flow. I wanted to do it while I'm young so I wouldn't have any regrets later. (Why did you choose Hokoma?) Because of the atmosphere of the stable and the good character of the stablemaster." His younger sister, Yuki Shirakami, said, "He's acting as usual, but he seems a little nervous. I think he'd say he's not, though." The stablemaster's wife said, "There are a lot of things he has to learn, including customs, so I hope he gets used to this new lifestyle." His sumo name has been decided as his real name, "Shirakami." A new sumo wrestler to watch has been born from Hokkaido!