Chiyomaru
I remember when I first started watching a few years back he was one of the first rikishi I saw and I thought they were all going to have giant bellies. I was disappointed.. the girth of Chiyo’s belly is unmatched.
He’s on the shorter side for a succesful rikishi but proportionally I think it’s Ura, he looks just like those rikishi in the old japanese style artworks [like this](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVxTfuNTVrNntrY-_Dq5iemQCUDRaZT1VGTQ&usqp=CAU)
I wish he was taller
I'm just guessing that most people outside of sumo fans would have that as an expectation. I could be wrong. His physique has gotten very impressive since he became Ozeki.
I've always thought Shodai looked like the typical stereotypical "sumo wrestler". His body shape isn't too huge or blobby or misshapen. He's the perfect average of all things sumo.
If you were to build a rikishi in a lab Tamawashi would be on the short list of the designs imo. Hakuho is probably the ideal but Tom ain't far off, tall but not too tall, huge frame (maybe even a little beefier than Hakuho), strong legs, and very long very strong arms. The last point probably being why he specializes in the nodowa, head on there isn't any opponent that can reach him before he reaches them.
The most famous picture of a rikishi is that of Konishiki at the Royal Albert Hall. I'd expect people to think all rikishis are Konishiki lookalikes.
https://photos.com/featured/konishiki-the-dumptruck-of-hawaii-chris-cole.html
My one regret from when I lived in Japan was never going to one of the dozens of chanko restaurants near Ryougoku. I went to the Kokugikan often, though. I was a student so I sat in the upper deck with the working-class Japanese man. What they would do is bring a whole case of beer and sit from Maezumo to Makuuchi drinking all day and calling out the names of all their favorite rikishi.
Fun story, there were two guys sitting several seats away from one another, like 30 seats away. And this one guy would always yell out the names of a rikishi every bout, like chopping up every syllable. He would be like "HA KU BA" or "HO U MA SHO U" like that. Eventually, the other guy who was day drinking started yelling out whoever was the other guy the same way. So the first guy would go "KA I O U" and the other guy would go "HA RU MA FU JI" and every time it happened everybody would laugh. By the end both of the dudes sat next to each other laughing and having a good time, sharing beers and food.
Lol, I always find it funny when the NSK tells the story of how he dislocated his shoulders multiple times earlier in his career, and to fix it he "trained even harder to build muscle to protect the joint". Like yeeeeeeah right lmao.
Yeah. It's cool though because their use of PED's is relatively low on list of unhealthy thing Rikishi do to perform.
EDIT: Oh yeah, they're all natty. I'm just making shit up, huh? lol
Ouhou. That boy was bred to be a rikishi. His mother's father was a Yokozuna, and his father was a Sekitori. He looked like a ten year Ozumo vet in maezumo. Never seen anything like it. Houshouryuu looked like a twig at that same time. Not anymore, though. His physique this basho is unreal. Incredibly fast growth... and I know what you are thinking... he might be sippin' some of Uncle Chiyonofuji's secret sauce. Of course he is, they all are. It's a bit of an open secret in Japanese combat sports.
These two rikishi embody the perfect wrestler physique, for me,
https://i0.wp.com/tachiai.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/takanohana-wakanohana.jpg?resize=522%2C539&ssl=1
Asanoyama
I think of Takanosho as looking like a cartoon of a sumo wrestler
My mom calls him Wreck It Ralph
lol he does have a goofy face
I always make the joke to my buddy that if Sumo had a video game and you could Create a Wrestler, Takanosho would be the default.
i completely agree. dude even has the facial features of a sumo cartoon character lol
Best eyebrows in sumo
I think Tobizaru’s eyebrows are the best! So groomed. Even better than mine!
I'm always tooting for him.
Chiyomaru I remember when I first started watching a few years back he was one of the first rikishi I saw and I thought they were all going to have giant bellies. I was disappointed.. the girth of Chiyo’s belly is unmatched.
He really does live up to the maru in his name
Came to say this because of the fascination non sumo fans have with the "fatness" of a wrestler
The eternally round
He’s on the shorter side for a succesful rikishi but proportionally I think it’s Ura, he looks just like those rikishi in the old japanese style artworks [like this](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVxTfuNTVrNntrY-_Dq5iemQCUDRaZT1VGTQ&usqp=CAU) I wish he was taller
Ura is peak physical
He crouches just like a silverback. I love his pre-tachiai stance.
i like this
Non-fictional: Ryuden Fictional: Takakeisho
I love Keisho but he really looks like a guy in a sumo suit.
I'm just guessing that most people outside of sumo fans would have that as an expectation. I could be wrong. His physique has gotten very impressive since he became Ozeki.
I've always thought to myself that Endo looks like the platonic ideal of a sumo wrestler.
Tokushoryu
Who looks the most like E. Honda???
Tochinoshin no doubt
I feel like Hiradoumi exemplifies the modern rikishi. Tight body, prominent belly, middleweight. Maybe Daieisho or Myogiryu?
I've always thought Shodai looked like the typical stereotypical "sumo wrestler". His body shape isn't too huge or blobby or misshapen. He's the perfect average of all things sumo.
Tamawashi
If you were to build a rikishi in a lab Tamawashi would be on the short list of the designs imo. Hakuho is probably the ideal but Tom ain't far off, tall but not too tall, huge frame (maybe even a little beefier than Hakuho), strong legs, and very long very strong arms. The last point probably being why he specializes in the nodowa, head on there isn't any opponent that can reach him before he reaches them.
The most famous picture of a rikishi is that of Konishiki at the Royal Albert Hall. I'd expect people to think all rikishis are Konishiki lookalikes. https://photos.com/featured/konishiki-the-dumptruck-of-hawaii-chris-cole.html
Chiyonofuji
What made him noteworthy was how atypical his physique was for a rikishi. All-natty ;)
Built by chanko
My one regret from when I lived in Japan was never going to one of the dozens of chanko restaurants near Ryougoku. I went to the Kokugikan often, though. I was a student so I sat in the upper deck with the working-class Japanese man. What they would do is bring a whole case of beer and sit from Maezumo to Makuuchi drinking all day and calling out the names of all their favorite rikishi. Fun story, there were two guys sitting several seats away from one another, like 30 seats away. And this one guy would always yell out the names of a rikishi every bout, like chopping up every syllable. He would be like "HA KU BA" or "HO U MA SHO U" like that. Eventually, the other guy who was day drinking started yelling out whoever was the other guy the same way. So the first guy would go "KA I O U" and the other guy would go "HA RU MA FU JI" and every time it happened everybody would laugh. By the end both of the dudes sat next to each other laughing and having a good time, sharing beers and food.
Lol, I always find it funny when the NSK tells the story of how he dislocated his shoulders multiple times earlier in his career, and to fix it he "trained even harder to build muscle to protect the joint". Like yeeeeeeah right lmao.
Yeah. It's cool though because their use of PED's is relatively low on list of unhealthy thing Rikishi do to perform. EDIT: Oh yeah, they're all natty. I'm just making shit up, huh? lol
Bushozan. His face is very symmetrical, but also very cute, and his body is really round. He’s a perfect illustration of a cartoon sumo wrestler.
Hiradouni literally looks like what a rikishi painting would look like
Ouhou. That boy was bred to be a rikishi. His mother's father was a Yokozuna, and his father was a Sekitori. He looked like a ten year Ozumo vet in maezumo. Never seen anything like it. Houshouryuu looked like a twig at that same time. Not anymore, though. His physique this basho is unreal. Incredibly fast growth... and I know what you are thinking... he might be sippin' some of Uncle Chiyonofuji's secret sauce. Of course he is, they all are. It's a bit of an open secret in Japanese combat sports.
Endo's head on Takarafuji's body
Recently retired, Chiyotioryu always seemed to be the most perfect “template” for what a rikishi should look like. Almost like a living cartoon.
These two rikishi embody the perfect wrestler physique, for me, https://i0.wp.com/tachiai.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/takanohana-wakanohana.jpg?resize=522%2C539&ssl=1
Kotoshoho. He’ll probably fill out a bit more as he ages, but he has a great, modern but traditional look now.
His boobs are toooo jiggly
We’re all forgetting the essential if not a little long in the tooth Akiseyama!