author

 
Menu
Search
 
November 21, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@JohnGunningISJ

John Gunning
Terao, later known as Shikoroyama, defeats yokozuna Takanohana at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka in 1995.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 20, 2023
Stablemaster Shikoroyama's lasting sumo legacy
The stablemaster √ leaves behind a legacy as a popular star who fostered respect for the sport and its participants among the general public.
Fighters quaterback Shuta Hoshino scores a touchdown against the Orange during the Koshien Bowl on Sunday in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Dec 17, 2023
Kwansei Gakuin crushes Hosei University for sixth straight title
The win continued the Kansai region's dominant run in the national football title game.
Set allocations to tea houses and other businesses, combined with various presale lotteries — some exclusive to paid fan club members — account for the bulk of sumo’s premium seat purchases.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 13, 2023
Sumo's big ticketing problem
Securing tickets for sumo's biggest matches can be a headache, particularly for sumo's many foreign fans, partially due to outdated information online.
Kirishima waves to fans as he celebrates his second Emperor's Cup, in Fukuoka last month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 6, 2023
Wild 2023 the storm before the calm for Japan’s national sport
The sport finished on a high this year, setting up enticing possibilities for 2024 as several potential stars emerge.
Kirishima has had injury woes of his own since earning promotion to ozeki following the May meet, but with 11 wins or better in four of six tournaments this year, and two Emperor’s Cup wins since March, his stock is rising quickly.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 29, 2023
Kirishima takes Emperor’s Cup and yokozuna hopes from Takakeisho
As Takakeisho heads back to the starting line, Kirishima steps into the spotlight and will feature in most sumo-related content in the near term.
Takakeisho (seated, left) following his loss to Asanoyama on Sunday in Fukuoka.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 22, 2023
Takakeisho falters as sumo’s wait for next superstar continues
The good news for Takakeisho is that slip-ups elsewhere mean he remains in the title race.
Takakeisho (left) wins his opening-day bout on Sunday in Fukuoka. The Hyogo Prefecture native is nearing a promotion to yokozuna.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 15, 2023
Top wrestlers' hot starts set stage for dramatic Kyushu tourney
The opening three days of action at the Fukuoka International Center has seen the six highest-ranked wrestlers that are taking part go a combined 17-1.
Ozeki Hoshoryu is a match for anyone in sumo despite his occasional bouts with inconsistency.
SUMO
Nov 10, 2023
Young ozeki duo may be ready to step into spotlight at Kyushu Basho
Kirishima and Hoshoryu have generated much of the excitement in Japan’s national sport over the past 12 months.
Asahanshin Torakichi's ring name is nod to the Osaka native's favorite baseball team, the 2023 Japan Series champion Hanshin Tigers.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 8, 2023
Tigers’ triumph resonates in a sumo world full of Kansai natives
As Hanshin fans celebrate a long-awaited championship, it's timely to look back at what sumo looked like when Hanshin last won it all in 1985.
Gonoyama (right) faces Daieisho at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Sept. 22
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 1, 2023
The risers — and fallers — in the latest sumo rankings
The sumo rankings ahead of the upcoming Kyushu Basho produced its share of winners and losers.
Takakeisho celebrates with the trophy after winning the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sept. 24.
SUMO
Oct 26, 2023
Takakeisho heads to Kyushu Basho with yokozuna promotion in sight
The 27-year-old has put himself in line for elevation to the sport’s highest rank following the upcoming Kyushu meet.
Without the World Games, the Sumo World Championships remain amateur sumo's top-level international competition.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 18, 2023
Sumo's Olympic dream requires fresh approach
A new variant of the sport wouldn't replace the professional or amateur versions, but would instead create a new path to participation and fandom.
U.S. wrestlers (from left) Christina Griffin, Madison Guinn, Etan Perez and Kellyann Ball celebrate after winning bronze in the women's team competition at the Sumo World Championships in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa on Sunday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 11, 2023
American women make history at Sumo World Championships in Tokyo
The achievement by the U.S. team, two of whom are new to the sport, ended a 22-year wait for American women to reach the podium at the worlds.
Hakuoho's (left) impressive performance at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament saw him nearly win the Emperor's Cup in his top-division debut.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 4, 2023
JSA on right track with new rules to increase pro sumo participation
Revisions to the tsukedashi system will see more spots reserved for top amateur performers in the third and fourth divisions.
Takakeisho's (right) henka against Atamifuji in Sunday's Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament title playoff drew significant ire from sumo fans.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 27, 2023
Frustrating September tournament contained silver linings
The worst possible outcome for a playoff has set up an even more intriguing storyline for the final grand tournament of the year in November.
Atamifuji is declared the winner following his bout against Mitakeumi at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Day 6 of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Sep 21, 2023
Eyes on Atamifuji for possible record at autumn sumo tournament
The 21-year-old wrestler enters Day 12 of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament having won 10 of his first 11 bouts.
Hokutofuji (right) grapples with Kirishima during Day 3 of the Autumn Basho at Ryogoku Kokugikan on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 13, 2023
Hokutofuji shines early as sumo's English streaming era begins
The Day 2 presentation by YouTube channel Sumo Prime Time was a welcome development for international fans.
Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa with his dog Sunny in Fukuoka
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 9, 2023
Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa: 'It’s better to live without being noticed everywhere.’
A former rikishi, Kazuki Paul Tsuyukusa has swapped his sumo stable for the life of a salaryman.
Kotonowaka surely has his eyes on eventually emulating his grandfather, former grand champion Kotozakura.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 30, 2023
New sumo ranks highlight rise of next generation
Ahead of the autumn tournament in Tokyo, it's the up-and-coming wrestlers who are making waves.
Hoshoryu (left) beats rank-and-file wrestler Hokutofuji in a playoff on the final day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at Dolphins Arena last month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 23, 2023
A closer look at sumo's 'hot hand' after Hokutofuji's Nagoya run
Hokutofuji’s career best 12-win outing in July not only came out of the blue, but was his first winning record of any kind since the previous September.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER