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John Gunning
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 29, 2023
Kiribayama’s victory raises possibility of historic double promotion
The Spring Basho winner is the man best positioned to take advantage of what's likely to be a liberal promotion atmosphere for the foreseeable future.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 23, 2023
Sumo's second division takes center stage in Osaka
Jūryō outshines a top division lacking stars and excitement.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 23, 2023
Amateur yokozuna Daiki Nakamura joins Nishonoseki stable
The NSSU graduate's extensive list of titles in amateur sumo will allow him to start his professional career in May at the rank of makushita 10 (tsukedashi) in the third tier.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 15, 2023
Pressure back on JSA to reconnect with fans as pandemic ends
After nearly three years of restrictions, there are plenty of ways for sumo officials to widen the sport's audience both domestically and globally.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 10, 2023
Yokozuna promotion appears within Takakeisho's grasp at Spring Basho
Reaching sumo’s highest rank is one of the toughest challenges in all of sport, but the odds of Takakeisho achieving it later this month appear good.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 8, 2023
In sumo, size doesn't matter (much)
The lack of weight classes in Japan's national sport makes it unique among combat sports such as boxing, where smaller competitors would quickly find themselves overpowered.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 1, 2023
Makuuchi's international brotherhood grows with Kazakhstan's arrival
Kinbozan’s promotion to the rank of maegashira has resulted in sumo’s top tier gaining its first-ever wrestler from the central Asian nation.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Feb 26, 2023
CFL deepens links with Japanese football in combine's fourth year
The international combines and draft are a part of a global outreach program, dubbed CFL 2.0, that was initiated by CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie in 2018.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 22, 2023
Sumo's changed landscape reflected in 2023 depth chart
If all 600 or so active rikishi, and those projected to join in the near future, were available to be chosen by stables, which men would make the top eight?
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 15, 2023
Hawaiian sumo makes triumphant return to Kokugikan ring at Hakuho Cup
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021 edition and kept foreign wrestlers away in 2022, the former yokozuna's annual youth tournament was back in force on Sunday.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 1, 2023
Hakuho positions himself to dominate sumo once again
Now known as Miyagino, the former yokozuna's proactive recruiting style has seen the stable add some seriously impressive talent under his watch.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 25, 2023
Not promoting Takakeisho is the right move for both him and sumo
Against a field which contained no other ozeki or yokozuna, the 26-year-old failed to dominate in a manner which would have made promotion impossible to deny.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 24, 2023
Japanese football misses its big opportunity in Dream Bowl game
Frustration dominates after the Japan All Star team fell 24-20 to an Ivy League selection in a gripping and tightly fought match at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 18, 2023
Unstoppable Asanoyama well-positioned for return to top division
After serving a long suspension for violating the Japan Sumo Association's COVID-19 guidelines, the former ozeki is battling his way back to makuuchi with flair.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 11, 2023
Hoshoryu's recent rise may earn him a speedy promotion
Japan's national sport has been going through a period of flux over the past few years and is in desperate need of a new marquee name.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jan 6, 2023
Takakeisho enters New Year Basho with golden opportunity
The first professional sumo tournament of the year gets underway at the Kokugikan in Tokyo this weekend.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 4, 2023
Another season of turbulence in store for sumo in 2023
While there are several candidates to become sumo's next big thing, it seems likely that it will take time for one or more wrestlers to separate themselves from their rivals.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 21, 2022
Sumo's topsy-turvy 2022 showed hopeful signs for sport's recovery
For the first time in over 30 years, all six grand tournaments in a calendar year were won by different wrestlers, with rank-and-filers sweeping the final three tournaments.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 14, 2022
High school hopefuls make leap into professional sumo
While university graduates have dominated headlines at recent tournaments, just one of eight new wrestlers entering the sport ahead of the New Year Basho boasts a college background.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 8, 2022
Wrestlers with amateur backgrounds becoming new normal in sumo
These days elite top-tier wrestlers without an amateur background are an increasingly scarce sight.

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