Ukrainian Sergey Sokolovsky follows sumo great Taiho's career path
Sergey Sokolovsky recently took the new recruit exam and, when he makes his competitive debut in March, the 22-year-old will become the first-ever Ukrainian in professional sumo. He won't be the first rikishi with a connection to the eastern European nation, however. The father of yokozuna ...
Tochiazuma's bloody rivalry with Asashoryu a spectacle
In terms of sumo's vintage years, 1976 was one of the best. The bumper crop included three-time champion Chiyotaikai, fellow ozeki Kotomitsuki (also a title winner), long time sanyaku (the three ranks below yokozuna) occupant Wakanosato and several other top-division stalwarts. A third ozeki, Tochiazuma, was ...
Kisenosato is gone, but his impact lives on
The current boom in sumo popularity is a product of many factors. Increased exposure through various media channels is one reason, as is the fact that a host of camera-friendly up-and-coming wrestlers rose to prominence at roughly the same time. The No. 1 cause of the ...
Technical acumen couldn't get Kotomitsuki over hump
The three pillars of sumo are shin-gi-tai, which translate as heart-technique-physique. Heart is the most important as a strong fighting spirit can make up for deficiencies in the other areas. Sheer size or wide-ranging technical abilities on their own can get you pretty far in sumo, ...
American-born Akebono blazed path to pinnacle of sumo
Rowan, an anglicization of the Irish O Ruadhain, isn't a name widely found in sport. Indeed, apart from a South African cricketer active from the 1930s to 1950s, you'd be hard pressed to find any noteworthy athletes with the name. A few journeymen soccer and baseball ...
Asahisho's comedic talents have provided many laughs
Sumo is a sport with a surprising amount of interesting characters. For a lifestyle so intrinsically violent and harsh, it attracts a striking number of comedians and practical jokers. Social media feeds of rikishi like Chiyomaru are filled with hilarious antics. Everything from scaring people with ...
Terunofuji endured tough times to get back on track
On a day when yokozuna Hakuho all but sealed his 43rd Emperor's Cup, the biggest news out of Fukuoka concerned a man in sumo's third division. Terunofuji clinched the makushita title with a perfect 7-0 record and will be back in the salaried ranks in ...
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 ...
Relatively light Takanoyama paid his dues in lower ranks
About five years ago a sumo video went viral online and was widely shared on websites dedicated to other fighting sports. The video itself was a low resolution (360p) poorly-edited effort with ill-fitting music, featuring a rikishi that spent only five tournaments in the top ...
Tamawashi's January victory among sumo's biggest shocks
Roughly half of sumo's recent first-time champions have been rikishi on the way up. Takakeisho, Mitakeumi and Asanoyama are young guns who should all win titles again in the future. The other half are rikishi like Tochinoshin and the now-retired Kisenosato — veterans whose Emperor's Cup ...
Konishiki went from rags to riches in colorful career
One of the most famous rikishi of all time was never promoted to the rank of yokozuna. That decision to deny Saleva'a Atisano'e (better known as Konishiki) the sport's top rank in the early 1990s almost caused a diplomatic incident and was certainly played up ...
Immaturity cost Wakanoho bright future in raised ring
When it comes to could-have-been rikishi, the first name on most people's lips is Futahaguro. His controversial expulsion from the sport in 1988 makes him the only yokozuna never to have won a championship. Futahaguro, however, at least made it to the rank of yokozuna. Another troubled ...
