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September 16, 2025
 

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INSIDE SUMO

Hakuyo at Kokugikan in Tokyo the day before his first tournament in professional sumo in May 2014.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 10, 2025
What drives sumo journeymen to endure one of the world's most grueling sports
Professional sumo is one of the harshest environments in sports. Yet many toil away in the sport's lower-tier divisions for years or even decades.
Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Hello Kitty, an ambassador for sumo's upcoming tour to London, at Tokyo's Kokugikan on Tuesday
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 3, 2025
London’s calling and sumo’s top division — along with Hello Kitty — are ready to answer
Ahead of professional sumo's highly anticipated return to Europe, the release of the September rankings confirms who will be on the plane to England.
Wrestlers approach the ring during a regional sumo tour in Misato, Saitama Prefecture in April 2016.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 27, 2025
Sumo’s grueling summer tour reveals wrestlers' true condition
The heat and length makes the summer tour by far the most physically taxing in sumo, giving fans greater clarity regarding the health of their favorite rikishi.
A training session at Shikoroyama stable in June 2016. Sumo training sessions are increasingly simulated or the preserve of group tours.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 20, 2025
Is sumo becoming a victim of its own popularity?
In 2025, fans and tourists alike are all too often getting an experience that pales in comparison to what was previously possible.
Otake <i>oyakata</i> and his wrestlers at Otake stable in April 2018
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 6, 2025
Fresh start for stable founded by legendary yokozuna Taiho
In a historically significant move, the Otake sumo stable will be taken over by someone without a direct connection to its founder.
Kotoshoho celebrates winning his first Grand Sumo Tournament at IG Arena in Nagoya on Sunday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 30, 2025
Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
Kotoshoho's first Grand Sumo Tournament win in Nagoya on Sunday was perhaps even more surprising than early leader Ichiyamamoto’s would have been.
Ichiyamamoto (left) defeats Gonoyama to secure a winning record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, at IG Arena on Monday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 23, 2025
Disappointing start to Nagoya tournament turns into fascinating final stretch
Sumo’s schedule makers will almost certainly ensure that if Ichiyamamoto is going to taste glory for the first time, he’ll have to do it the hard way.
Egyptian wrestler Osunaarashi has some fun with children during a special Japan Sumo Association event in 2017.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 16, 2025
JSA’s 100th anniversary event is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for sumo fans
People in attendance for the celebration will get a chance to see the rare "sandangamae" performance and demonstrations of ancient sumo.
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 9, 2025
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
Modern cooling infrastructure will likely have few sumo fans wishing for a return to the hot and muggy Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 2, 2025
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Onosato is listed as yozokuna-ōzeki on the latest banzuke, the first time since 1981 that a new yokozuna has been given such a designation.
Naoya Kusano in action during the Summer Basho in Tokyo in May.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 25, 2025
Former college star Kusano looks ready for challenge of sumo's top tier
While Onosato was claiming Emperor’s Cups in Osaka and Tokyo in recent months, Kusano was doing something similar, albeit one level down.
Masuiyama competes during a tournament in Tokyo in May 1980.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 18, 2025
Music star Masuiyama, a former ōzeki who died Sunday at 76, blazed unique trail
Masuiyama was unique in the world of sumo in that he gained as much fame — if not more — for what he did outside of the ring.
Former yokozuna Hakuho arrives at a news conference to announce his future plans in Tokyo on Monday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jun 11, 2025
Hakuho’s new venture not an automatic 'Grand Slam'
World Sumo Grand Slam is a very catchy name, but for those wanting more details, that’s all it seems to be for now.
Former <i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs a ring-entering ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in February 2020.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jun 4, 2025
Hakuho’s departure highlights worrying sumo trend
Though many former yokozuna have exited over the past two decades, Hakuho’s resignation is the biggest blow to the Japan Sumo Association.
Onosato celebrates winning the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Sunday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
May 28, 2025
Historic rise to yokozuna just the beginning for Onosato
There is a good argument to be made that Onosato is already the most widely decorated wrestler in sumo history.
Onosato (left) battles Gonoyama on Day 6 of the Summer Basho. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion to yokozuna, there could soon be two titans at the top of the sport fighting for titles.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 21, 2025
Onosato’s march to yokozuna could usher in golden age for sumo
It's been 5½ years since two yokozuna battled head-to-head for an Emperor's Cup. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion, that streak could soon be over.
Onosato (left) battles Abi on Day 3 of the Summer Basho in Tokyo on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 14, 2025
Sumo title contenders already emerging in early stages of Tokyo meet
With Onosato looking untouchable during the summer meet’s opening stages, excitement is already building over his yokozuna bid.
Former sekiwake Toyonoshima and Airi Hisano train at Tachihi Sumo Club on May 1.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 7, 2025
Former sekiwake Toyonoshima is new head coach at innovative women’s club
Detailing how she struggled with injury over the past few years, Airi Hisano said she had considered retirement before being approached to join the club.
Chiyoshoma (right) battles Churanoumi during the New Year Basho in Tokyo in January. The Mongolian's drop down the sumo rankings ahead of the May tournament was one of the biggest surprises of the latest banzuke.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 30, 2025
Puzzling decisions and opaque rankings are all part of sumo's charm
There are always a handful of head-scratching promotions and demotions, and the latest banzuke is no exception.
Wrestlers at a Yokozuna Deliberation Council practice in 2016. Although banzuke ranking positions aren’t at stake, the fact that the practice is so close to a real tournament ensures that most rikishi give it their all.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 23, 2025
More than just training: Sumo's open practices are intense — and entertaining
The Yokozuna Deliberation Council practice is a rare — and, when open to the public, free — chance to see sumo's top wrestlers battle it out in the final days before a basho.
SDF spots China’s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
The Fujian aircraft carrier is seen in Shanghai in May 2024 as it leaves for its first sea trial.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Strikes on Qatar and Poland shake U.S. sway among friend and foe
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington on Sept. 8. Israeli strikes in Qatar and Russian drone incursions into Poland have challenged the U.S. leaders claims of global respect.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.

Podcast

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