TL;DR
- Anseikin won his first championship at the Kyushu tournament, defeating Hoshoryu in a playoff.
- Four wrestlers received Sansho awards, but Yoshinofuji's exclusion from the Shukunsho award caused social media dissatisfaction.
- Yoshinofuji defeated two top wrestlers, contributing to the championship excitement, but missed the award.
- Fans questioned Yoshinofuji's Shukunsho award exclusion, citing his wins against strong opponents.
■受賞ナシにSNSでは不満も
11月に行われた大相撲九州場所では、関脇・安青錦が横綱・豊昇龍との優勝決定戦を制し自身初優勝（12勝3敗）を果たした。その安青錦を含め、同場所では計4名の力士が三賞を受賞した。
The three awards consist of the Outstanding Performance Award, the Fighting Spirit Award, and the Skill Award, with the recipients being decided by The Three Awards Selection Committee, which is comprised of referees from The Japan Sumo Association. The Outstanding Performance Award is given to a wrestler who defeats a Yokozuna or Ozeki, or achieves victories that significantly impact the championship race. The Fighting Spirit Award is presented to a wrestler from the mid-to-lower ranks who demonstrates a fighting spirit, such as achieving double-digit wins. Lastly, the Skill Award is bestowed upon a wrestler who executes numerous or unusual winning techniques.
The Japan Sumo Association revealed the Sansho awards for the tournament on its official X account prior to the final day's top division bouts. The contenders for The Shukunsho were Aoiyama (if he won the championship), for The Kanto-sho were Kirishima and Ichiyamamoto (if they both won), and for The Ginosho were Aoiyama and Yoshinofuji, with all wrestlers meeting the conditional requirements.
Among these four individuals, there were no particular objections on social media regarding the awards given to Anseikin, Kirishima, and Ichiyamamoto. However, concerning Yoshinofuji, a considerable amount of dissatisfaction was observed regarding his not being selected for The Shukunsho award, with comments such as "I think the Shukunsho award would have been more appropriate," "It's unbelievable he didn't get the Shukunsho award! I want to know the reason," and "He beat Osato and Anseikin, so how is that possible?"
■優勝争い盛り上げるも条件すらつかず
九州場所の義ノ富士は成績自体は9勝6敗とまずまずだったが、10日目にここまで全勝だった横綱・大の里を押し出しで撃破し初金星を獲得。さらに、翌11日目には1敗を守っていた安青錦に完勝を収めた。
In the same tournament, Ohno-sato, Hoshoryu, and Aoyagi battled for the championship (Ohno-sato withdrew on the final day), yet Yoshinofuji managed to defeat two of them, significantly contributing to the event's excitement. Consequently, many fans anticipated his first career Shukunsho award, but he ultimately missed out on the honor without even meeting the basic requirements.
なお、千秋楽後の報道では、義ノ富士が三賞受賞について「周りから殊勲賞では、と言われていた。技能賞とは」とコメントしたことが伝えられている。本人や周囲も、殊勲賞ナシに“肩すかし”を食らったことがうかがえる。
■簡易的にも説明はすべき？
The Outstanding Performance Award is considered the most challenging of the three awards, as factors beyond an individual's control influence its bestowal, setting it apart from other accolades. The selection committee apparently deemed Asanoyama's performance more memorable this time, as he fought valiantly against Ohochi and defeated Hoshoryu twice to claim the Emperor's Cup.
また、三賞を受賞した力士には各賞ごとに200万円が贈られるため、受賞力士を増やすとそれだけ協会の懐はダメージを負うことになる。こうした“大人の事情”が絡んだ可能性もゼロではないかもしれない。
Meanwhile, in the previous autumn tournament, the jury selected the makuuchi wrestler Hōhō for The Shukunshō award on the fourth day after he defeated Ōnosato, with the condition that he win on the final day (Hōhō did win and received the award). Perhaps this inconsistency with past precedents is what led to the fans' dissatisfaction.
相撲協会は毎場所、各段優勝力士に加えて三賞受賞力士も公式サイトに記載している。現在は当場所成績や所属部屋などの情報が主だが、ここに受賞理由についての説明も含めるとファンの納得感は増すかもしれない。
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