Happy Birthday

Tochinokuni (栃ノ国) !!!

Congratulations on your 20th!!!!

These were taken with Tochinokuni on June 1st at Ryogoku Kokugikan during the one day tournament. One with me and one with Tomomi! He is her favorite Kasugano rikishi!!

This picture was taken in October 2007 during the Kasugano Chanko dinner party in Iruma during the week long training camp here!

This picture was taken of me with Tochinokuni in August 2006! Before my diet! I do look like a different person don't I? Thank god for my diet! I hate these old pictures!!!!

These pictures were also taken in August 2006 after lunch when the Tokoyama (床山) did each rikishi's hair for us. Some expressions on their faces were funny. It does hurt though surely you get used to it!

July 7^th, which is also the Japanese tanabata festival happens to be Tochinokuni’s birthday as well!!

Tochinokuni celebrates his 20^th birthday today! And Tochinokuni if you are reading this please know your special present is on the way from today! Please forgive me for being late!

Tochinokuni is a Sandame rikishi at Kasugano beya. His rank for the Nagoya basho is Sd East 28. It isn’t his highest rank as that was Sd west 25 in Kyushu last year! But he is back on track and moving up… hope to see him in Makushita very soon!!

Tochinokuni is from Utsunomiya City in Tochigi prefecture. Utsunomiya isn’t so far from where I live here and it is famous for delicious gyoza!! I love Utsunomiya!!!

I first met Tochinokuni here in Iruma at a Koenkai lunch. One week a year the Kasugano beya comes to Iruma where I am an Iruma Koenkai member. They do training for a week and stay at a local community center less than 10 minutes from my house. Then once during the week they invite the koenkai members to have chanko lunch or dinner with them. I was lucky to meet Tochinokuni in 2006. He was just 18 years old at that time! He is a couple of years older now but he hasn’t changed too much as you can see from the above pictures!

Good Luck in Nagoya!! Tomomi, Kazuko & I waiting for your Makushita debut!!!!