Takakeisho, who was injured in his May debut as an ozeki and failed to win eight bouts, said Thursday he will skip the upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament and forfeit his elite status as a wrestler at the sport's second-highest rank. The fan favorite is ...
Title appears up for grabs at upcoming Nagoya Basho
Commentators often divide sumo into eras, each defined by its outstanding rivalry. Whether it's Akebono vs. Takanohana, Taiho against Kashiwado or Tochinoshiki taking on Wakanohana, great yokozuna pairings have traditionally been the standard way to separate one generation of rikishi from the next. So dominant has ...
Predicting next yokozuna a formidable task
When veteran sumo journalists get together and the conversation turns, as it inevitability does, to up-and-coming wrestlers, talk is rarely of who will be the next yokozuna. Most writers or commentators are only willing to hypothesize rikishi with the ability to reach sanyaku (the three ...
Yokozuna Kakuryu rebounded from his first loss at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with a smooth victory on Monday, while sekiwake Tochinoshin found himself granted a win following a rare second withdrawal by new ozeki Takakeisho. The two upper-ranked fighters remain tied for the lead ...
Overnight leaders Kakuryu and Tochinoshin fell into a three-way tie with rank-and-file grappler Asanoyama following their upset losses at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. The joint leaders sit at 7-1 after lone yokozuna Kakuryu was stunned by No. 3 maegashira Tamawashi and sekiwake ...
New ozeki Takakeisho has pulled out of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament due to a right-knee injury, the Japan Sumo Association said Thursday. The 22-year-old wrestler, promoted to the sport's second-highest rank for the 15-day tournament which began Sunday at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, sustained the ...
Yokozuna Kakuryu earned his third straight win on Tuesday and gained some breathing room as all three ozeki were defeated on Day 3 of the 15-day Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. The yokozuna survived a scare against top-ranked maegashira Kotoshogiku (1-2), when the former ozeki's elbow ...
Lone yokozuna Kakuryu stayed unbeaten Monday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, cruising to victory over rank-and-file opponent Hokutofuji. Kakuryu, seeking his sixth top-division title, improved to 2-0 by quickly pushing out the winless No. 1 maegashira in the final bout on Day 2 at ...
Pint-size Enho could shake up banzuke in Reiwa Era
The first banzuke (ranking) of the Reiwa Era was released on Tuesday with newly minted ozeki Takakeisho the standout promotion. It's been a fantastic 12 months in the ring for the stocky wrestler from Chiganoura Stable. Double-digit wins in five of the last six tournaments, ...
Takakeisho's name was officially placed among the sumo elite on Tuesday when the rankings for next month's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, the first of the Reiwa Era, were released by the Japan Sumo Association. On the last day of the Heisei Era, wrestlers picked up ...
U.S.-style draft opens world of possibilities for sumo
Sumo has no free agency. Once a man enters a stable there is no system in place to allow transfers to a different one. Of course wrestlers do sometimes move, but only when their original heya (stable) closes down or the oyakata (sumo elder) who recruited ...
New ozeki Takakeisho can draw strength from stable
Takakeisho is sumo's newest ozeki. The Hyogo native has lifted the Emperor's Cup, received seven special prizes, defeated yokozuna three times and reached his chosen sport's second highest rank — all by the age of 22. In other words, his career has peaked and there is ...
