'sumo' Category
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Greatest of all time
September 23, 2018Hakuho did it again. A day after securing his record-extending 41st championship, Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho closed out the aki basho today with a spotless 15-0 record. Adding to the accolades was Hakuho’s 1000th victory bout in sumo’s top-ranked division, the sanyaku. It’s hard to argue Hakuho is not the greatest sumo wrestler of all time. […]
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Sumo Nagoya 2018: Time for the next generation?
July 22, 2018Congratulations to Mitakeumi, winner of sumo’s latest basho, the July tournament in Nagoya. This young rikishi from Nagano has demonstrated relative consistency at sumo’s third-best rank of sekiwake. Now he holds a championship trophy. With all three yokozuna injured (one of whom, Kisenosato, might need to hang it up any day now), could it be […]
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Sumo’s greatest on display
May 28, 2018Sumo’s natsu basho (夏場所), which ended yesterday in Tokyo, proved one of the most exhilarating in recent memory. The top three contenders for the Emperor’s Cup of this tournament each manifested some of the best traits of sumo today. All three are foreign-born, yet have integrated into Japanese culture with humility and dedication. Two are […]
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Kakuryu
March 25, 2018Kakuryu always struck me as the underdog yokozuna — never have I heard him cited publicly as someone’s favorite rikishi — and yet he has now delivered championship wins to earn four Emperor’s Cups, more than many other more popular yokozuna. Of all the Mongolian-born sumo wrestlers, Kakuryu has also apparently mastered Japanese language the […]
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Tochinoshin on top
January 29, 2018It’s hard not to like Tochinoshin. The Maegashira #3 sumo wrestler from Georgia often played the role of spoiler to aspiring champions in past tournaments. Moreover, in contrast with some other foreign wrestlers, Tochinoshin has worked doggedly to integrate into Japanese culture, gaining him strong domestic support and respect. What a delight to see rank-and-filer […]
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Harumafuji, you will be missed
November 29, 2017It’s a sad moment for sumo that one of the greatest yokozuna was forced into early retirement today. Perhaps this represents the only honourable conclusion to an unfortunate incident. Nonetheless, your agile style of sumo will be sorely missed, Harumafuji. Peace be with you.
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Hooray for Harumafuji
September 25, 2017This month’s aki basho sumo tournament in Tokyo looked as though it would be an underwhelming yawner in the early days. Three of the four grand champion yokozuna pulled themselves out due to injury, followed shortly thereafter by two of the three ozeki (Takayasu and Terunofuji). With yokozuna Harumafuji and ozeki has-been Goeido as the […]
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Respect to Hakuho
July 26, 2017Some readers noticed how I omitted writing about sumo over the last two tournaments and wondered if I had something against (consecutive victor) Hakuho. Not at all ! On the contrary, I admire Hakuho, the yokozuna who won the sumo championship in May and then again this week. I admit, Harumafuji is my preferred sumo […]
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Sumo in Osaka: Time for Spring Renewal
March 26, 2017Since I’ve started the habit of posting on sumo championship days, I figure why not keep the momentum. This Osaka basho was especially significant for a few reaons: First, it was Kisenato’s first tournament as a newly-minted grand champion Yokozuna. The first Japanese native Yokozuna in 19 years, “Kise” set out to prove to the […]
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Hatsu basho: Kisenosato finally breaks through
February 7, 2017It feels appropriate to bring the relief of closure to a topic that I’ve referenced in recent pieces: the fate of Japanese sumo rikishi Kisenosato. In Goeido’s perfect sumo tournament: when talent and consistency converge and Sumo in Kyushu: the lesson of killer instinct, I drew some broader lessons about the qualities of diligent work […]
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A few more predictions for 2017
January 7, 2017I sincerely appreciated all the positive feedback on publishing my past predictions scorecard as well as on this collection of 2017 predictions from an exclusive all-women cast of investors. Thank you. Some readers also prodded me to stake out my own set of tech forecasts for the year ahead. While I contend that the best […]
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Sumo in Kyushu: the lesson of killer instinct
November 26, 2016Yokozuna Kakuryu clinched the sumo year’s final Emperor Cup tournament in Fukuoka today. Despite high hopes that previous winner ozeki Goeido could pull off a repeat and thus secure his promotion to yokozuna (grand champion), this November championship sizzled in other, unexpected ways. Just as Goeido’s championship last time highlighted the importance of consistency for […]