Emperor's Cup expands to 52 teams after adding J2 and J3 champions
The national cup tournament had previously cut most of its J. League participants in order to allow clubs to focus on completing their seasons.
Who should be engraved on sumo's Mount Rushmore?
If Hakuho and Futabayama are locks, then who should occupy the remaining two slots is far less clear.
With professional soccer at a standstill in Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual tournament will be shortened to allow J. League clubs to focus on completing their seasons.
J. League clubs feeling financial crunch from pandemic
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Tuesday night announcement of a state of emergency marked the latest and most dramatic step in Japan’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency declaration covering seven prefectures, which will last through May 6, is also a fresh setback for the ...
Kotonishiki experienced historic success without reaching ozeki
Of the four ranks in sumo's top division, komusubi is the one at which a rikishi is least likely to win a championship. Since the advent of the six-tournament system in 1958, yokozuna have lifted the Emperor's Cup on 294 occasions, ozeki have won 84 ...
Sunrockers, Brave Thunders advance to Emperor's Cup final
The dynamic duo of Sebastian Saiz and Ryan Kelly guided the Sunrockers Shibuya to their first Emperor's Cup gold-medal game with a 96-69 win over the Shiga Lakestars in the All-Japan Basketball Championship semifinals at Saitama Super Arena on Saturday. Saiz, a 205-cm Spaniard, collected ...
National Stadium less than sum of its parts
The new National Stadium is open for business, having survived a December opening gala featuring J-pop icons Arashi and the 2019 Emperor's Cup final with a number of online grumbles but few out-and-out disasters. But is that enough to earn the $1.4 billion centerpiece of ...
Vissel rings in new year with first-ever Emperor's Cup title
A new year, a new decade, a new stadium and a new champion. Vissel Kobe christened Tokyo's rebuilt National Stadium with its first-ever Emperor's Cup title on Wednesday, taking advantage of a pair of defensive lapses to defeat Kashima Antlers 2-0 on New Year's Day. The ...
Andres Iniesta scored one goal and helped set up another as Vissel Kobe advanced to the Emperor's Cup final with a 3-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday. The star-studded J. League club will christen the new National Stadium in Tokyo on New Year's Day ...
Veteran Tochiozan clawing back to makuuchi in twilight of long career
After finishing five straight tournaments with a losing record, Tochiozan was demoted to the juryo division for the ongoing Fukuoka meet. The veteran is in a good position for instant repromotion to the top tier after securing a winning record on Day 12, but whether ...
Vissel Kobe's David Villa wants to end career on New Year's Day
In a Wednesday news conference occasionally interrupted by tears, Vissel Kobe striker David Villa announced his decision to retire after the end of the current J. League season. The 2010 World Cup winner has spent the twilight of his career globetrotting since establishing himself as ...
Hakuho's many accomplishments make him the greatest of all time
Sumo has been around in various forms for over 2,000 years. Even what we can call the modern form of the sport has existed since the 1600s. It's hardly surprising when dealing with a timeframe of centuries or millennia that the number of all-time-great rikishi is ...
