Tag - sumo

 
 

SUMO

Hoshoryu shoves down Hakuoho to move to 3-0 on Day 3 of the Autumn Basho at Kokugikan in Tokyo.
SUMO
Sep 17, 2025
Onosato and Hoshoryu off to hot starts as other contenders fall
Onosato has been dominant while Hoshoryu, who is returning from injury, has had to work harder for his wins.
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.
Aonishiki (left) finished 11-4 in his first three tournaments in the top division
SUMO
Sep 5, 2025
Rising star Aonishiki set for another chance to strengthen promotion bid
Yokozuna duo Onosato and Hoshoryu still have to be considered the front-runners to lift the Emperor’s Cup in the upcoming autumn meet.
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.
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.
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.
Onosato will be making his <i>yokozuna</i> debut during the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, which begins Sunday.
SUMO
Jul 11, 2025
Nagoya Basho shaping up to be another red-hot affair at new venue
With the IG Arena promising a far more pleasant viewing experience, anyone lucky enough to get tickets for the upcoming Nagoya tournament should be in for a treat.
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.
After decades of dominance by foreign wrestlers, last month Onosato became just the second Japanese this century to be named to sumo's highest rank of <i>yokozuna</i>.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2025
The national sport of Japan wrestles with a generational change
As one legend departs, another star is rising. In a new era, sumo is grappling with its future.
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 yokozuna Hakuho gives a news conference to announce his retirement from the Japan Sumo Association and reveal his future plans in Tokyo on Monday.
SUMO
Jun 9, 2025
Hakuho vows to grow sumo globally after exiting domestic sports body
The impetus for the decision, Hakuho said, was the failure of the Japan Sumo Association to provide a clear timeline about the restoration of Miyagino stable.
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.
Oscar Dolan (center), the founder of the New York Sumo Club, officiates at a match between Josh Ortiz (left) and Daniel Akandu during the Empire Cup competition at Japan Village in New York on May 17.
SUMO
Jun 3, 2025
At this New York City sumo club, ‘Everybody gets thrown’
The New York Sumo Club has about 100 wrestlers, with around 20 regulars.
Then-<i>yokozuna</i> Hakuho performs the New Year's ring-entering rite in 2018. The Japan Sumo Association has accepted his resignation and he will officially leave the association on June 9.
SUMO
Jun 2, 2025
Former yokozuna Hakuho to leave sumo association
Hakuho's departure comes more than a year after his stable closed down over a physical abuse incident involving one of its wrestlers.
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 speaks to reporters after receiving a report from the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, on Monday in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture.
SUMO
May 27, 2025
Onosato locks in promotion to yokozuna
Onosato will reach the rank of yokozuna in only 13 tournaments after his debut, the fastest among those who debuted in or after 1958.
Onosato after defeating Kotozakura at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Friday. The win gave him a 13-0 record and clinched the Emperor's Cup, assuring him of promotion to yokozuna next week.
SUMO / Basho reports
May 25, 2025
Onosato set for yokozuna promotion after clinching Emperor’s Cup
The title marks the second in a row for the Nishonoseki stable wrestler and the fourth overall, completing his meteoric rise to the top of the sport.

Longform

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