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SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 29, 2008

Asa might not have been all there, but Haku certainly was

When yokozuna Asashoryu withdrew from the July 13-27 Nagoya Basho on Day 6, public opinion was largely split.
Reader Mail
Oct 18, 2007

Other wrestlers must step up

Regarding the Oct. 10 sports brief "Tokitsuumi replaces fired elder": The tragic death of the young wrestler in the Tokitsukaze stable has brought many private details of sumo life to light. For the 34 years I have intensely covered sumo as a reportage artist, and having been married to a Japanese...
Reader Mail
Aug 12, 2007

Wrestlers deserve independence

With the latest shenanigans in the sumo world, isn't it about time to consider free agency for sumo wrestlers, or the creation of an independent sumo league without the supervision of the almighty Japan Sumo Association and outdated stable masters? I recently read that there had been very little interest...
SUMO / Basho reports
May 28, 2007

Undefeated Hakuho dominates Asashoryu

Hakuho overwhelmed fellow Mongolian Asashoryu on Sunday to finish the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with a perfect 15-0 record.
SUMO
Nov 7, 2006

The safe money goes on Asashoryu

In November, 1957, a maegashira ranked near the foot of the makunouchi division went 15-0 to claim his first ever yusho. His name was Tamanoumi, a 34-year-old Oita man, and his name goes down in history as the winner of the first official Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
SUMO
Mar 28, 2006

HARU HAPPENINGS -- Something for everyone

In perhaps the most entertaining sumo tournament in years, the recently completed Haru Basho essentially had it all.
SUMO
Dec 22, 2005

Kotooshu ready for ozeki debut

Bulgarian giant Kotooshu shoved grand champion Asashoryu's pre-tournament comments back down his throat when he pulled of a revenge victory over the feisty Mongolian at the Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament last month.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Mar 21, 2003

Nyumen: Warming noodles are just the ticket

The other day we lined up for standing-room tickets to see the grand sumo tournament here in Osaka. It must have been 10 years since I had attended a tournament — it only comes to Osaka once a year.
SUMO
Sep 23, 2002

Maru overpowers Taka to take title

Yokozuna Musashimaru overpowered fellow-yokozuna Takanohana on the final day of the Aki Basho to win his 12th title with a 13-2 record. It was the 31-year-old Hawaiian-born yokozuna's third yusho this year; he also triumphed in March and May.
SUMO
May 12, 2002

Takanohana is still star of the no-show

Much of the focus in the runup to the Natsu Basho has been on a rikishi who will not even compete: yokozuna Takanohana.
SUMO
Mar 10, 2002

Two Ozeki aiming to boost promotion hopes in Osaka

The Haru Basho gets under way in Osaka today, with ozeki Tochiazuma and Chiyotaikai aiming for yokozuna promotion, while sekiwake Kotomitsuki sets his sights on ozeki.
SUMO
Aug 22, 2000

Kaio makes ozeki for autumn basho

Kaio checks out the new sumo rankings. Kaio became the first wrestler from Fukuoka Prefecture since 1918 to reach sumo's second highest rank of ozeki on Monday when the Japan Sumo Association released its rankings for next month's Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
SUMO
Jun 27, 2000

Musashigawa stable makes some history

(See rankings for the Nagoya Basho) The Musashigawa stable became the first sumo stable in history to have a yokozuna and three ozeki ranked for the same event Monday when the Japan Sumo Association released its rankings for next month's Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
SUMO
Mar 12, 2000

Osaka to see yokozuna battle

For the first time ever, the four current yokozuna -- Takanohana, Akebono, Musashimaru and Wakanohana -- are expected to compete in the same basho when the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament (Haru Basho) gets under way in Osaka today.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 9, 2022

Former amateur yokozuna Hidetora Hanada shifts gears toward NFL dream

The Nippon Sport Science University student impressed in a recent X League combine and will attempt to leave his mark on the gridiron before taking on the world of professional sumo.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 27, 2020

Yusei Nakanishi gets new shikona, but what's in a ring name?

Ring name changes are not unusual, and regularly happen upon significant promotions, or as a way of changing luck after a string of bad results.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 23, 2019

Quest to capture 10 titles a tough challenge for current crop of star wrestlers

It's been over 15 years since Andre 3000 of seminal Atlanta rap group OutKast once asked — and answered — a pressing question: "What's cooler than being cool? Ice cold!"
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 12, 2019

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.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 10, 2019

As basho sellouts continue, regional tour offers peek behind curtain

Within 90 minutes of going on sale, tickets for the upcoming Summer Grand Sumo Tournament were all snapped up.
Reader Mail
Feb 9, 2018

Admiration for Tochinoshin

The story "Tochinoshin stands out amid chaos" in the Jan. 29 edition represents the current state of sumo in Japan.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Dec 28, 2017

The top sports stories of 2017

The Japan Times newsroom selected these domestic sports stories as the most important of 2017.

Longform

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