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November 21, 2024
 

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John Gunning
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 9, 2018
Future without sumo unthinkable for Hakuho
The Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which gets underway on Sunday, is shaping up to be a make-or-break one for several wrestlers.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 2, 2018
Ancient banzuke adds human touch to sumo
"I can't do this for 10 years. I want to have a normal job. I want to live in a normal house. I want to eat normal food. I want to live a normal life."
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 25, 2018
Powerhouse Nihon University keeps churning out sumo talent
When the rankings for the upcoming Summer Grand Sumo Tournament are released next Monday, Endo should find himself among sumo's top four ranks for the very first time.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 18, 2018
Family legacy weighs heavily on young sumo prospects
Jigjidiin Monkhbat, the father of yokozuna Hakuho, passed away recently. A legendary figure in Mongolian wrestling, the six-time Naadam festival champion was also a silver medalist at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 11, 2018
Time for sumo to ditch ban on women in ring
Less than a month after International Women's Day, sumo found itself embroiled in a gender-discrimination controversy when a female nurse administering CPR was ordered to leave the ring by an official.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 4, 2018
Osunaarashi trying to navigate post-sumo life
Disgraced former top-division wrestler Osunaarashi appeared on a late-night variety show this week. Head freshly shaven, the big Egyptian hammed it up, participating in sumo bouts with veteran TV personality Bobby Ologun and erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 28, 2018
Quiet man Kakuryu on top after long struggle
Kakuryu won his fourth championship last Sunday. It was the yokozuna's first Emperor's Cup in eight tournaments and the relief on his face was visible as he accepted a stack of kensho (prize money) envelopes after downing Goeido on day 14 to take the title.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 28, 2018
Sumo-rich Osaka ready for stormy Spring Basho
That stretch in the evenings and the plum blossoms in bloom means just one thing to sumo fans — it's time for the Osaka Basho.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 31, 2018
Hard work pays off for good guy Tochinoshin
Tochinoshin finally lifted the Emperor’s Cup on Sunday, 12 tumultuous years after joining the sumo world.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 27, 2017
Belief could lift young sumo talent to glory in 2018
Before the Harumafuji scandal broke, 2017 had been shaping up to be one of the better sumo years of recent times.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 30, 2017
Harumafuji retires with impressive legacy in ring
It was plain from both Harumafuji's words and body language at Wednesday's news conference announcing his retirement that he was going under duress and felt harshly treated.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 29, 2017
Harumafuji had with no choice but to retire
Yokozuna Harumafuji announced his intention to retire at a press conference on Wednesday.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 19, 2017
Harumafuji incident highlights sumo's inherent problems
The Harumafuji scandal continues to morph almost daily and at the time of writing appears to be evolving into a pitched battle between stablemaster Takanohana and the Japan Sumo Association.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 1, 2017
Sumo needs to tackle cause of rising injuries
Yokozuna Harumafuji, who won his ninth championship in September, edged compatriot Hakuho for top spot in the newly released rankings for the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 27, 2017
Autumn Basho flourishes in absence of stars
The 2017 Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament ended with a yokozuna beating an ozeki in the title-deciding final bout.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 25, 2017
JSA offering foreign fans rare glimpse of special sumo rituals
The Japan Sumo Association will hold an Ozumo Beyond 2020 Basho at Ryogoku Kokugikan on Oct. 4 for the second straight year.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 31, 2017
More multiracial wrestlers making mark in raised ring
Sumo’s long and grueling summer regional tour came to an end last Sunday with the now yearly KITTE Basho held in the heart of Tokyo at the 38-story JP Tower. The following day, the new banzuke was released for the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament that gets underway on Sept. 10.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 26, 2017
Yokozuna Hakuho showing no signs of letting up anytime soon
Hakuho continued to defy time, as well as a host of up-and-coming young fighters, winning the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with a 14-1 record. That came two months after he took the Summer Basho without a loss.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 21, 2017
Hakuho's place in pantheon of greats continues to grow
On Dec. 24, 2000, a skinny, dejected young Mongolian kid, near the end of his two-month stay in Japan, had seemingly failed in a bid to join sumo. Weighing just 60 kg and barely 180 cm tall Davaajargal Monkhbatyn had been unsuccessful in finding a stablemaster willing to take him in.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 28, 2017
Nagoya Basho contenders looking to stay cool in tournament known for upsetting the odds
With the release of the new banzuke rankings on Monday, thoughts turned to the upcoming Nagoya Basho.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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