On the opening day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, west maegashira No. 2 Ichiyamamoto (32, from the Hakkaku stable) once again wowed fans with a lightning-fast departure from the venue, making his exit just nine minutes after his bout.
Facing newly promoted sekiwake Atamifuji (Isegahama stable), Ichiyamamoto secured a win by sidestepping his opponent’s charge and executing a swift slap-down. “I just moved to the side. I’ll prepare again starting tomorrow,” he said, quickly shifting focus.
This rapid getaway recalls January’s Hatsu Basho, where Ichiyamamoto set an unofficial “fastest ever” record: he washed his feet at the bath, removed his mawashi, changed into a kimono, and completed media interviews within four minutes of his bout against a yokozuna.
On this day, Ichiyamamoto’s match was the third from last. The bout ended at 5:34 PM. He headed straight to the bath, then promptly faced the press. At 5:42 PM, he announced, “Thank you very much!” and cut the roughly three-minute interview short. By 5:43 PM, he had hastily changed into his kimono and trotted out of the dressing room, completing the “high-speed change” in about one minute and leaving the arena roughly nine minutes after his bout ended.
