'Kakuryu' Tag

• Sumo’s greatest on display

  May 28, 2018

  Sumo’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 […]

  posted in sumo by mark bivens

• Kakuryu

  March 25, 2018

  Kakuryu 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 […]

  posted in sumo by mark bivens