Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
With five straight losses from day 11, the answer to that question was conclusively in the negative, but sumo did get a first-time winner in the form of Kotoshoho — a veteran whose triumph was perhaps even more surprising than Ichiyamamoto's would have been.
The 25-year-old had come into the Nagoya meet on the back of four losing records in five tournaments, with his sole kachikoshi an 8-7 finish eked out on the final day of the March basho.
A similar outcome looked to be on the cards once again one-third of the way through the just-completed tournament, as Kotoshoho won just three of five fights against some of the lowest-ranked men in the top division.
At that stage, no one could have predicted that the Sadogatake stable veteran would go on a 10-bout winning streak for the first time in his career, taking down both the tournament's hottest wrestler (Aonishiki) and sumo's biggest star (yokozuna Onosato) on his way to claiming the Emperor's Cup.
Perhaps not since Clark Kent last took off his glasses has someone looked so strikingly similar while performing at a completely different level.
In addition to his wins over Onosato and Aonishiki, Kotoshoho also defeated Kusano — the only other man with a shot at the Emperor's Cup — as the tournament headed into its final day.
Those victories, as well as wins over former ōzeki pair Kirishima and Takayasu, ought to nullify any complaints about Kotoshoho's title run being devalued due to a much easier schedule over the first 11 days.
Of course, given pre-tournament hopes for a first championship-deciding showdown between yokozuna in five years, the Emperor's Cup going to a low-ranked maegashira once again will be a letdown for some, but there is a possibility that this victory will reinvigorate Kotoshoho's career and lead to him reaching greater heights.
It shouldn't be forgotten that four years ago, Kotoshoho was ranked higher than stablemate Kotonowaka (current ōzeki Kotozakura) and seemed to have just as much, if not more, potential.
In January of 2021, Kotoshoho was at a career-high rank of maegashira 3, having followed up a jūryō division title win with three straight winning records from his top-tier debut.
At the time I said the then-21-year-old had been 'nothing but impressive since making his top-division debut' and added that while 'he isn't yet a finished product and inexperience still shows in some of his bouts, all the ingredients are there for a long and successful career.'
That obviously hasn't been the case since, as the intervening years have been a rollercoaster of demotions to jūryō, occasional double-digit winning records and a lot of tournaments with a 7-7 record heading into the final day.
Various reasons for Kotoshoho treading water have been posited over the past four years but none fully explain why it's taken him so long to capitalize on his obvious potential.
The hope for Sadogatake stable supporters now will be that this month's victory kickstarts a return to form for Kotoshoho, and possibly even reignites the yokozuna promotion hopes of stablemate Kotozakura.
An improved Kotoshoho could indeed help both men get back on track, as having to face a tough, high-level opponent every single morning in practice can only be good for the ozeki.
As the American football cliche goes, 'iron sharpens iron.'
Kotoshoho (right) seals his Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament championship by defeating Aonishiki by tsukiotoshi on Sunday. |
JIJI
Kotoshoho's victory in Nagoya came at the expense of fairytale endings for new rising talents Aonishiki and Kusano.
The former man's journey to the higher reaches of professional sumo, which includes fleeing his native Ukraine following the Russian invasion, is unlike any other.
Given all Aonishiki has been through in his young life to date, and the way in which he has acclimatized to Japanese culture and the language, it's fair to say the 21-year-old would have been most neutral fans' preferred winner last Sunday.
Nerves seemed to play a part in the final day showdown against Kotoshoho, though, with Aonishiki not quite as sharp at the initial charge as he had been for most of the previous two weeks.
That is more than understandable given his youth, but Aonishiki fans probably needn't worry as the Ajigawa stable man appears to be on an inevitable path to greater heights.
All five tournaments after reaching the salaried ranks have ended with double-digit wins for the Vinnytsia Oblast native, and it's been three straight 11-4 finishes since debuting in the top tier in March.
Aonishiki is certain to be promoted to the sanyaku slot that he arguably should have been given for this meet, and it may not be long before Kusano joins him there.
Kotoshoho's defeat of Aonishiki as Kusano sat ringside dashed the latter's hopes of a playoff for the title.
That almost certainly upset his concentration and contributed to the subsequent loss to Takayasu, but double-digit wins and coming so close to glory in his top division debut marked an outstanding effort by the former collegian.
Kusano has been on an incredible run of his own since reaching the paid ranks in March and, like Aonishiki, continues to make predictions of him hitting a career wall look foolish with each passing tournament.
Kotoshoho may have grabbed glory in Nagoya, but the two men who missed out should be back in contention the next time out.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
35 minutes ago
- Japan Times
12-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi becomes youngest to win medal at worlds
Twelve-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi said she felt "quite emotional" after she became the youngest swimmer in history to win a world championships medal. Yu swam in the heats of the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay but missed Thursday's final as China claimed bronze behind Australia and the United States in Singapore. Yu, who was competing in the women's 200 butterfly final on Thursday — finishing fourth — received a medal as a member of the Chinese relay team. "It feels quite emotional, it's a nice feeling," she said. Yu has turned heads with her performances in Singapore. She qualified for Monday's 200 individual medley final and finished fourth, missing out on a medal by just 0.06 seconds in what is not considered her strongest event. She followed that up with another fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly final and will also compete in the 400 individual medley. Yu, who turns 13 in October, discovered swimming at age six as a way to cool off during China's roasting summers. She has drawn historical comparisons to Denmark's Inge Sorensen, who at 12 was the youngest-ever winner of an Olympic swimming medal with bronze at the Berlin Games in 1936. But not everyone thinks Yu should be competing in Singapore. Some in the sport have raised questions about the mental and physical impact of high-level training and competing at an age when she is still developing as a person. Under current World Aquatics rules, the minimum age is 14 but younger swimmers can compete at the championships if — like Yu — they are fast enough.
NHK
12 hours ago
- NHK
Special exhibition showcases history of Japan-US baseball exchanges
A museum in the United States is hosting a special exhibition that traces more than 150 years of baseball exchanges between Japan and the US. Titled "Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game," the exhibition is being held at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. It highlights key figures and symbolic events in the history of baseball exchanges between the two countries. About 50 items are on display. At the entrance is a suit of samurai armor, a gift presented in 1988 as a symbol of friendship between the two nations. It was given by Shoriki Toru, then-owner of the Japanese professional baseball team Yomiuri Giants, to Peter O'Malley, former owner of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Other featured items include the batting gloves worn by Japanese legend Suzuki Ichiro in 2004, when he broke the MLB single-season record for hits, with 262. He was inducted into the US National Baseball Hall of Fame this year, becoming the first Japanese player to receive the honor. Also on display is the cap worn by two-way Japanese star Ohtani Shohei during his pitching debut in the Major Leagues in 2018. It is said that baseball was first introduced to Japan in 1872, when an English teacher from the US taught the sport to his students.
Japan Times
20 hours ago
- Japan Times
Former Seibu player David MacKinnon hopes to connect baseball world with new podcast
David MacKinnon had a colorful career for a player who was not taken until the 32nd round of the MLB draft — which no longer exists since the event was shortened — in 2017. He brushed shoulders with Shohei Ohtani as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He hit a home run against Yoshinobu Yamamoto while playing with the Seibu Lions in NPB. He also played with the Samsung Lions in the Korean Baseball Organization. MacKinnon retired earlier this year, in part to spend more time with his kids, ages 3 and 1. He is also staying busy with a baseball organization he is helping to start in Houston and is even considering writing a book. He is also keeping busy with "Pacific Swings," the podcast he recently started that he hopes can connect the baseball cultures of North America, Japan and South Korea. MacKinnon plans to paint this cross-cultural picture by connecting with current and former players to help pull back the curtain on Asian baseball. He wants Pacific Swings to be fun and unfiltered, and is hopeful the project can attract even more fans and, eventually, sponsors that will help spur growth. 'Just kind of trying to show you what baseball players are like, what the baseball locker rooms are like, and give you stories that you will never hear unless it's two baseball players talking about what we went through and stuff like that,' MacKinnon told The Japan Times. 'Just bring fun to the game. Because a lot of times, it's so serious all the time. Then a lot of times, baseball players give the politically correct (answer). Like, 'You got to trust the process, you got to do this.' People want to see the other side of it, where you're a little more emotional. It's like, 'Yeah, dude, I've been trusting the process, but I'm just bad, you know? I'm not good, I'm just not good right now. Like, I'm doing everything right, but I just can't buy a hit.' So, the honesty side of it, too.' MacKinnon drew upon his own experience for an episode that compared the 1992 film 'Mr. Baseball' (which revolved around a U.S. star player embarking on a career in Japan) with reality and also included tips on how to prepare for playing in Japan. He has already released episodes featuring former Yomiuri Giants pitcher Tyler Beede, 2024 KBO Home Run King Matt Davidson and former Seibu teammate Dietrich Enns, now with the Detroit Tigers. Mackinnon said there is much more in the pipeline. The former Seibu player is also hopeful of attracting some of his former Japanese teammates, mentioning Kaima Taira as a target. For MacKinnon, pulling back the curtain on baseball in Japan and South Korea also means giving fans a fresh perspective on Japanese and Korean players. 'Just kind of introduce them not as gods of baseball, but normal people who are just really good at baseball, that can joke around,' he said. 'A lot of the time, it's very serious, structured. It's great, they take care of their business, but also there's a different side of guys that you might not see on a daily basis. 'Like Taira, one of the coolest guys. Kona (Takahashi, another Lions pitcher), awesome. They're just awesome guys. Ideally, we want to be able to move the podcast into having Japanese players on and having foreign players on to connect both worlds. 'So the goal is to eventually have a bunch of really good Japanese and Korean players on at some point. I don't want our American fans to be like, 'Where did this guy come from?' It's like, this dude has been raking for seven or eight years in Japan or Korea. This dude's been punching out tickets for seven or eight years. He's been there, people just don't know about them unless it's covered on MLB network.' MacKinnon cohosts Pacific Swings with Dutch journalist and baseball fan Jasper Spanjaart, who he says does most of the heavy lifting. 'He's unreal at the whole editing process and stuff,' MacKinnon said. 'That's not me editing that. Obviously, I'm there for the vibes. I'm there to tell good stories. I am not doing the editing. I'm just kind of posting stuff and interacting with fans on the posts. He does a great job with that stuff.' MacKinnon was teammates with Shohei Ohtani while with the Angels. | USA TODAY / VIA REUTERS MacKinnon played college baseball for the University of Hartford before being drafted in 2017, batting .359 in 198 games across four seasons. He played 22 games for the Angels, where he was briefly teammates with Ohtani, and the Oakland Athletics in 2022. He hit .318 with 15 home runs for those organizations in Triple-A that season. MacKinnon moved to Japan in 2023, hitting one of the only two homers Yamamoto allowed that season. He batted .259 with 15 home runs. He hit .294 in KBO the next season. 'I was a 32nd-rounder,' he said. 'Obviously, I was not supposed to get to the big leagues. It's kind of like, 'We'll see if you can play, (or) he had a good college career.' I did rake in college. I just always had the issue of hitting the ball in the air consistently. I would hit the ball pretty hard on a line. But that's been my problem my entire life. So that's never really changed. I got a little bit better at it when I got to Double-A, Triple-A, over to Japan.' MacKinnon could have continued playing, but he wanted a chance to get back to the big leagues or play in the top leagues in Asia. Anything else, he said, would be giving up too much time that he could spend with his family. Through the podcast, he is maintaining a connection with the game and the fans he met along the way, and trying to give fans a new perspective on the sport in Japan and South Korea. 'I loved every second of playing, but it's hard,' he said. 'It's just hard to play. Priorities definitely change. So for me to get to the big leagues and play where I was playing, I had to give 110%.'
