Search - sumo-wrestling

 
 
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Feb 19, 2017

Media outside Japan must stop normalizing sumo as an ethno-sport

Foreign correspondents should not pander to stereotypes, passing overt racism off as 'tradition' practiced by those mystical, hidebound, inscrutable Japanese.
Japan Times
SUMO
Mar 19, 2023

Female sumo wrestlers slap down prejudices in Brazil

The president of the Brazilian Sumo Confederation says women are behind the sport's growth in the country.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 4, 2021

Storied stadium lends sumo flavor to Tokyo's Olympic boxing

Boxing bouts are taking place at the legendary Kokugikan Arena, a 7,300 seat stadium described by Olympic organizers as the 'spiritual home' of sumo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Reviews
May 3, 2023

‘Sanctuary’: Bad boy of sumo’s journey doesn’t pack a punch

Centered on a brutish underdog, the Netflix series about professional sumo offers satisfying heft in its action sequences, but its uneven storyline is anticlimactic.
SUMO
Mar 11, 2019

Sumo 101: Pusher-thrusters

When many people think of sumo, they imagine two large men locked in a vice-like grip straining to force each other out of a ring.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2019

'Little Miss Sumo' wrestles with sexism in Japan's ancient sport

A young wrestler dubbed "Little Miss Sumo" is fighting sexism in the ancient Japanese sport, hoping to inspire other women to step into the ring and elevate sumo to Olympic status.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 24, 2019

Sumo superfan to skip basho finale, saying tight security for Trump is an unwelcome distraction

When U.S. President Donald Trump arrives with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to take in live sumo wrestling on Sunday at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, security will be beefed up to its highest level — with bodyguards even on alert to protect the president from flying cushions tossed by excited fans, according...
Japan Times
SUMO / Regional Voices: Chubu
Jul 18, 2022

1972 Nagoya Basho a key turning point for foreign sumo wrestlers

The year was pivotal, marking the return of Okinawa to Japan and the normalizing of diplomatic ties between Japan and China.
Japan Times
SUMO
Dec 11, 2021

Young sumo wrestlers chase dreams of fame and fortune in Japan's ancient sport

Japan's Children's Sumo Association says some 40,000 children from ages 10-12 take part in the sport.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 5, 2013

Hard-charging foreigners inspire Nagoya University sumo team

With the 2013 July Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya set to kick off Sunday, Osunaarashi of Egypt is grabbing the media spotlight as the first pro sumo wrestler from Africa.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 5, 2019

Envisioning comparisons between sumo and rugby as RWC approaches

Sumo isn't the only show in town this September, as the world's third-largest sporting event comes to Asia for the first time ever.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 3, 2016

Economist says pre-bout parade of sumo sponsors gives clues to Japan Inc.'s health

When the giants of sumo wrestling prepared to step into the ring for last month's grand tournament in Tokyo, Akiyoshi Takumori fired up his spreadsheet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Aug 31, 2014

Glimpses of Ryogoku, Japan's sumo wrestling mecca

Home to the Kokugikan sumo stadium, Tokyo's Ryogoku district in Sumida Ward has long been known as the mecca of the sport.
SUMO
Mar 1, 2013

Wrestling's fall from Olympic grace sends wake-up call to International Sumo Federation

The quest of the International Sumo Federation (IFS) to have amateur sumo accepted as a bona fide Olympic sport has long been viewed as as a pie-in-the-sky proposition by many.
SPORTS
Dec 15, 2018

Wrestle mania: The changing landscape of professional wrestling in Japan

In June 1976, professional wrestler Kanji "Antonio" Inoki took on iconic American boxer Muhammad Ali at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo in a fight that would be broadcast to an estimated global audience of 1.4 billion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2019

Anime, manga, pro-wrestling? Tokyo firm hopes Japan's next big cultural export comes from inside the ring

If one Japanese business has its way, wrestlers will be the next hit entertainment export from the country that introduced the world to Hello Kitty and animation sci-fi films such as "Akira."
Rui "The Hurricane" Junior (right) takes down Mohamed Kamal during the World Championship Sumo tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York on April 13.
SUMO
Apr 19, 2024

World Championship Sumo adds WWE-style pizazz to Japan's traditional sport

A boisterous, nearly full crowd got an in-person look at sumo wrestling at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Akebono waves an American flag as he watches U.S. skaters in Nagano on Feb. 5, 1998, ahead of the Winter Olympics.
SUMO
Apr 11, 2024

Sumo legend Akebono, first foreign-born yokozuna, dies at 54

Akebono, born Chadwick Haheo Rowan in Waimanalo, Hawaii, became the 64th yokozuna in 1993 and gained immense popularity.
Aonishiki competes at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Jan. 28.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 6, 2024

Head to sumo's second tier and it's a dog-eat-dog world

Jūryō action is something fans of exciting sumo shouldn’t miss.
Former sumo wrestler Daisuke Yanagihara discusses his lawsuit against the Japan Sumo Association during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday.
SUMO
Aug 1, 2023

Former wrestler sues sumo association for alleged mistreatment

The former fourth-division rikishi said he was told to fight or quit as coronavirus cases rose in Tokyo ahead of the 2021 New Year Basho.
Gold medalist Nao Kusaka celebrates after winning the men's 77-kg Greco-Roman event at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 8, 2024

How wrestler Nao Kusaka used sumo to win Olympic gold

A timid and kind-hearted boy, Kusaka reached the top by developing resilient legs in the sumo ring and fully dedicating himself to his craft.
The heights Akebono reached in sumo helped pave the way for future foreign-born yokozuna Asashoryu and Hakuho.
SUMO
Apr 15, 2024

Akebono's human side eclipsed his incredible sumo achievements

Talk to anyone personally acquainted with recently deceased former yokozuna Akebono and almost immediately the words “generous” and “kind” will arise.
Kotonowaka (left) competes at the Spring Basho in Osaka in March. The grandson of former yokozuna Kotozakura has decided to take on the legend's ring name.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 2, 2024

Love of family behind return of historic sumo ring name

The tenure of ozeki Kotonowaka lasted just one tournament, with the wrestler changing from his father’s ring name to that of his late grandfather.
Aonishiki at the Sumo World Championships 2023 on Oct. 8. The Ukrainian wrestler remains on track to reach the sport’s salaried divisions by the end of the year.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
May 22, 2024

Is Ukraine's Aonishiki set to be the next European sumo superstar?

28 wins in 30 bouts suggests the former evacuee is on the fast track to glory.
Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa with his dog Sunny in Fukuoka
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 9, 2023

Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa: 'It’s better to live without being noticed everywhere.’

A former rikishi, Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa has swapped his sumo stable for the life of a salaryman.
Hakuoho (right) shoves out Aoiyama during the Nagoya Basho in July last year. The promising young wrestler is now part of Terunofuji's Isegahama stable after the Miyagino stable was forced to close following a bullying scandal.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 3, 2024

With absorption of Miyagino stable, Isegahama looks to be building sumo super team

Whether it’s Real Madrid’s famous Galacticos or the 2024 Dodgers, few things in sport divides opinion among fans more than the creation of a super team.

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