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Japan Forward
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Hoshoryu Returns to Sumo Spotlight at the Summer Basho
Beginning his second tournament as a yokozuna, sumo wrestler Hoshoryu aims to remain healthy throughout the 15-day event at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. Yokozuna Hoshoryu (right) grapples with ozeki Kotozakura on May 2, 2025, during a practice session in front of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. (©SANKEI) Hoshoryu begins his quest to win his first Emperor's Cup as a yokozuna against komusubi Wakatakakage on the opening day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, May 11. Promoted to sumo's highest rank in January 2025, Hoshoryu pulled out of the Spring Basho in Osaka on Day 10. He had compiled a 5-4 record over the previous nine days. Hoshoryu withdrew from the March tournament due to elbow pain and a neck injury. In addition to his physical preparations for the 15-day Summer Basho at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, the Mongolian-born wrestler visited Nominosukune Shrine in the Japanese capital's Sumida Ward. The Shinto shrine was established in honor of Nomi no Sukune, sumo's founder. After making his first visit to the shrine on Friday, May 9, Hoshoryu revealed he prayed for his physical well-being. "I prayed that I would not be injured in this tournament," Hoshoryu was quoted as saying by Sports Nippon . "I'm sure I'll be fine." Hoshoryu, who won his second title at the 2025 New Year meet, is the lone yokozuna for the Summer Basho. With his aforementioned earlier promotion to sumo's highest rank, the number of ozeki was reduced from three to two. And for the second consecutive tournament, there will be a pair of grapplers at the sport's second-highest rank, Onosato and Kotozakura. Ozeki Onosato receives the Emperor's Cup from Japan Sumo Association chairman Hakkaku after winning the Spring Basho on March 23 at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. (©SANKEI) Onosato captured his third Emperor's Cup at the Spring Basho, beating Takayasu in a playoff. Both men had 12-3 records in the tourney, necessitating a playoff. After winning in dramatic fashion at the most recent tourney, Onosato appears on fast track to become the next yokozuna. But first things first. Onosato, who turns 25 on June 7, has a plan for May's sumo competition. "I want to do my best without thinking too much," he said, according to Jiji Press. Ozeki Onosato (right) faces Hoshoryu in a training session on May 2. (KYODO) Onosato will square off against maegashira No 1 Wakamotoharu on that first Sunday. Kotozakura, who was promoted from No 4 maegashira to komusubi after the Spring Basho, will clash with Oho, the other top maegashira. Oho had a disappointing 6-9 record at the March tourney. And then he was demoted from sekiwake, the sport's third-highest rank, to the lowest rung of the top division. Kotozakura, winner of the November 2024 tournament, said he's focusing on one opponent at a time. "There is no time to neglect the early rounds," said Kotozakura, who will face Abi on Day 2, according to Sports Hochi . "I just have to concentrate on the first match in front of me and do what I have to do." Ozeki Kotozakura (right) participates in a sumo training session on May 1 in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. (KYODO) Sekiwake Daieisho begins the sumo meet with a Sunday showdown against second-ranked maegashira Abi. Meanwhile, sekiwake Kirishima will encounter maegashira No 2 Gonoyama on the opening day. Also, it should be interesting to follow Takayasu coming off his runner-up finish in March. Has he turned the page and put the disappointment of defeat behind him? Takayasu's first test of May is against No 3 maegashira Tamawashi. women's MVP Kotona Hayashi (© Outside hitter Kotona Hayashi of the women's champion Osaka Marvelous and opposite hitter Nimir Abdel-Aziz of men's club Wolfdogs Nagoya were named Most Valuable Players for the 2024-25 season. The held an awards ceremony on Friday, May 9, in Tokyo. Hayashi also took home the women's Receiver of the Year award. After it was announced that Hayashi was chosen MVP, she admitted that she "didn't expect to be chosen, so I'm truly grateful to have received this award." Hayashi then said, "While I'm of course happy to be named MVP, what brings me the most joy is winning the championship with Osaka Marvelous — with [my] teammates." men's MVP Nimir Abdel-Aziz of Wolfdogs Nagoya (right) poses with league chairman Masaaki Ogawa at an awards ceremony on May 9 in Tokyo. (© Abdel-Aziz's name was called frequently during the banquet, as the Dutch-born player was named the winner of several additional awards: Top Scorer, Top Spiker, Top Server, Most Impressive Player and Best Opposite Hitter. "Although it (the MVP accolade) is an individual award, I want to thank my teammates again and all the club members of Wolfdogs Nagoya," Abdel-Aziz said. "[It's] really a pleasure to play in Japan and I had an amazing time. Thank you so much. "My impression [of the is very good," he continued. "The league has clearly made great efforts to become one of the best in the world — and it shows." Yomiuri Giants first baseman Kazuma Okamoto injures his left elbow on this play in the first inning on May 6 against the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome. The Tigers' Takumu Nakano is out on the bang-bang play. (©SANKEI) Yomiuri Giants infielder Kazuma Okamoto, one of NPB's top offensive players, was hurt during a collision with Takumu Nakano of the Hanshin Tigers on Tuesday, May 6. In the first inning of a game between the Central League rivals at Tokyo Dome, Okamoto, who was playing first base, sustained an elbow injury while making a catch. On the play, Giants third baseman Shunsuke Urata fielded a sacrifice bunt and fired the ball to Okamoto. The throw was off the mark, forcing Okamoto into an outstretched position, and the impact of the collision caused a left elbow ligament injury. Okamoto will likely be sidelined for up to three months, according to published reports. "I'll do my best to get back as soon as possible," Okamoto was quoted as saying by Jiji Press. The 28-year-old right-handed slugger has played in 32 games in the 2025 NPB season, appearing in 24 as a first baseman and 15 as a third baseman. Okamoto is batting .308 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK | NPB Hitting Standouts: Top Batters in 2025 IOC President Thomas Bach speaks at the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on May 9. (KYODO) Thomas Bach, who's wrapping up his 12-year tenure as president of the International Olympic Committee, visited the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday, May 9. Attending a ceremony there, the German was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his efforts to stage the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 during the global pandemic. The award also honored Bach's active role in promoting sports and their development for decades. On the same day, Bach visited the Japanese Olympic Committee office, where he thanked the host nation for its cooperation and support in staging the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games. "The Olympics were held under unprecedented circumstances that no one could have predicted," Bach said, according to Sports Hochi . "It was the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were able to accomplish something that no one had ever done before, something that no one would have been able to do. We were very fortunate to have Japan as our partner and host in the midst of such a crisis. Without Japan's support, the Tokyo 2020 Games would not have been possible." Newly elected IOC chief Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe, will officially take over for Bach on June 24. Coventry is the first woman elected to serve as IOC president. Bach said he believes Coventry is well-suited to be a successful leader for the global organization. "I know that she has this very clear compass of the Olympic values," Bach said, according to Kyodo News. "She has been elected because she has the professional and the human qualities to be a very good president of the IOC and lead the Olympic movement into an even better future." Naoya Inoue (AP/via KYODO) Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 knockouts) remained No 2 in The Ring magazine's pound-for–pound rankings, which were released on Wednesday, May 7. Inoue picked up his latest victory with an eight-round technical knockout of American challenger Ramon Cardenas on Sunday, May 4 in Las Vegas. Ukrainian Oleksander Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), holder of the WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight championship straps, tops the Bible of Boxing's chart. American WBA super welterweight title holder Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is No 3. Also for Japan, WBC bantamweight champ Junto Nakatani (30-0, 23 KOs) is seventh on the prestigious pound-for-pound list. And WBA and WBC flyweight champ Kenshiro Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) is ninth. Naoya Inoue Extends Title Reign with an 8th-Round TKO of Ramon Cardenas ―Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, commenting after his latest start, according to The Baltimore Banner . Sugano tossed 7⅓ innings of one-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels on May 9. He allowed three hits while striking out five batters in a 4-1 win over the Angels. The O's snapped a five-game losing streak. Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
Japan Forward
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Why Are Foreign-Born Sumo Wrestlers So Fluent in Japanese?
このページを 日本語 で読む Did you know that nine of the 42 top division wrestlers in professional sumo are from overseas? That's roughly 21%. More than one in five of the sport's top-ranked rikishi hail from outside Japan. A glance at the Spring Basho rankings shows that Mongolian wrestlers lead the foreign contingent, with six in the top division. Among them are yokozuna Hoshoryu and komusubi Kirishima. Chiyoshoma and Tamawashi, also born outside Japan, have acquired Japanese citizenship. They're joined by two wrestlers from Ukraine and one from Kazakhstan. Although ozeki Onosato, from Ishikawa Prefecture, won the Emperor's Cup in March, it's become increasingly rare for a tournament to conclude without at least one foreign-born wrestler in the title race. Naturally, these wrestlers are often interviewed by the press, but language is never an issue. They handle media questions in Japanese, both in the dressing room and during training, without the help of interpreters. Take Ukrainian-born Shishi, for instance. When asked about local delicacies in Osaka, he said in Japanese: "The fish is delicious. Sashimi is delicious. I've received yellowtail, sea bream, and olive flounder as gifts. I love fish. I don't use much soy sauce — just a little. Wasabi's OK in small amounts. I don't really like spicy food." He then explained how fish is eaten in his home country: "It's a bit different. There's raw fish, but it's not very popular. We eat things like smoked mackerel." His Japanese may be a little rough, but his meaning comes through, and his words offer a window into a different culture. Some wrestlers and stablemasters even speak Japanese with near-native fluency. For example, stablemaster Oshima — formerly sekiwake Kyokutenho, born in Mongolia — was once mistaken for a Kansai native by his future wife. Stablemaster Otowayama (©SANKEI) Among foreign-born wrestlers, stablemaster Otowayama (former yokozuna Kakuryu, also from Mongolia) is especially known for his Japanese skills. Soon after he joined the stable, his master, Izutsu (former sekiwake Sakahoko), told him: "You're not to leave the stable for six months." Concerned that spending too much time with fellow Mongolians might slow his progress, the stablemaster created a Japanese-only environment. Looking back, Otowayama reflects: "Being surrounded by Japanese 24/7 really helped me learn the language." Foreign-born sumo wrestlers are often grouped together. However, in reality, their backgrounds vary widely. Some studied in Japan from high school, like Hoshoryu, Onokatsu and stablemaster Terunofuji. Others, like stablemaster Miyagino (former yokozuna Hakuho), have Japanese wives. Some simply have a natural gift for languages. Mongolian wrestlers are often thought to speak better Japanese than their European counterparts. But there are European-born wrestlers with equally strong command of the language. Ukrainian-born Aonishiki (left) also learned Japanese without any formal study. (©SANKEI) One such wrestler is Aonishiki, who made his top-division debut in the Spring Basho. About three years ago, after Russia invaded his home country of Ukraine, he came to Japan. He reached out to members of Kansai University's sumo club, whom he had met at an international sumo tournament. Since then, he says, he's picked up Japanese without any formal study. "I picked it up just by living with everyone," Aonishiki said. "Things got really tough after I joined the stable. When I was staying at the University, people were more accommodating — they used English and brought in interpreters. But here, it's all Japanese. If you want to talk, you have to learn." His stablemaster, Ajigawa (former sekiwake Aminishiki), notes: "If he doesn't understand something, he asks. He never leaves things unclear. Even when he struggles to express himself, he keeps trying until he's understood. We've never had any trouble communicating." In sumo, once foreign-born wrestlers begin to understand Japanese, they can follow their stablemaster's instructions and take guidance from senior wrestlers. This helps them adjust to life in the stable and accelerates their development. The secret to language learning here is simple: "Get used to it rather than study it." Behind those words lies the determination to survive in a distant land and the will to overcome loneliness and grow stronger. At Ajigawa Stable, several members — including the stablemaster — are from Aomori Prefecture, where the Tsugaru dialect is often spoken. Even Aonishiki, for all his language skills, laughs and says the dialect is "really hard." Still, his stablemates say he sometimes mimics it in conversation. (Read the article in Japanese .) Author: Shoji Takarada このページを 日本語 で読む
