Hakkaku's Mother Marks Hometown Honor Day on the Calendar
At the Hiroo, Hokkaido family home of Japan Sumo Association chairman Hakkaku (former yokozuna Hokutoumi; real name Nobuyoshi Hoshi), a calendar on the wall carried three characters his mother Mieko, 88, had written in marker in the blank for October 11: "Nobuyoshi — Congrats." That was the day he was honored as an honorary citizen of Hiroo. Hakkaku, who can only make it home about once every two years because of his schedule, figured she had been looking forward to it.
His father Takeshi, 90 — who worked kelp fishing into his late 80s and was said to bring in more than anyone — was waiting too. Hakkaku credits the burst and grit needed for kelp work, from hauling and drying to hours of grading, as something he inherited from him. A visiting reporter shared a lunch Mieko had prepared of the foods her son loved as a boy, and caught a glimpse of the former yokozuna away from the association office.
Source: Yahoo! Japan Sports