Latest news with #Takayasu
Japan Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Puzzling decisions and opaque rankings are all part of sumo's charm
Sumo's banzuke, which lists the rankings of all wrestlers on a large sheet in intricate referee-penned calligraphy, may not be a scroll, but it is put together by elders. Exactly how those oyakata arrive at their various decisions isn't fully understood by anyone who hasn't been a member of the ranking committee that meets following the conclusion of each tournament. While the general outline of the banzuke can be guessed with a certain degree of accuracy, there are always a handful of head-scratching promotions and demotions. May 2025 is no different, with the placement of several rikishi confounding fans and commentators alike. Perhaps the most baffling is Chiyoshoma with a 6-9 record at maegashira No. 2 in March dropping below Ura who had one win more in the same tournament but from five positions lower down the rankings. In the modern world, where analytics and technology have massively curtailed the human error rate and quirks of fate, sumo's banzuke is one of a dwindling number of ways that elite professional sport is decided in part by subjectivity. Of course that inevitably means certain rikishi will be hard done by, and there are without doubt other demotions on the latest banzuke besides that of Chiyoshoma which feel overly harsh. Essentially it's just a fact of sumo life that certain banzuke decisions simply don't conform to precedent or make mathematical sense. Ergo, some of them can be understood, and some of them cannot. Over time though it's hard to argue that the decisions made for any one banzuke have career-defining impacts. Wrestlers who are good enough to reach yokozuna, ōzeki, or any other rank will eventually get there — even if it takes a little longer. So while it's always interesting to try and discern exactly what the thought processes were behind rikishi X falling below rikishi Y, ultimately it's unknowable and of little consequence in the grander scheme of things. Which, of course, isn't to say that all banzuke positions lack meaning. In a sport where a one rank jump (from the top of the makushita division to the bottom of juryō) is routinely described as the difference between hell and heaven, there is often a lot at stake. Takayasu, for example, being promoted to komusubi ahead of the upcoming meet could have implications a few months hence. If the former ōzeki can put together good back-to-back tournaments in May and July, it's conceivable that he could find himself once again at his old rank. The oft-stated criterion for ōzeki promotion is 33 wins over three tournaments at either komusubi or sekiwake but that's not an official standard and there is often a lot of variance. Takayasu's outstanding (if ultimately frustrating) 12-win outing in Osaka that brought him within a playoff of a first Emperor's Cup was at the rank of maegashira No. 4. That's arguably too low a rank to be included for ōzeki promotion consideration, but if it's followed by consecutive strong outings in the sanyaku ranks, then who knows. Had he been promoted to just maegashira No. 1 for May but did the same in May and July, then the case would be much tougher to argue. While there wouldn't be much of a difference in difficulty or level of opponent, there is an emotional side to human decision-making and the komusubi rank beside a name carries a greater impact. The rankings are released online concurrently with the physical banzuke sheets being made available, and, even in the digital age, it's the latter form which many people first peruse. The nature of those sheets — with east and west sections taking up one half each — means information is presented in a way which can hit differently from seeing it in digital form. Hoshoryu and Kotozakura head up the east and west halves of the newly released rankings with Onosato — the winner of the March tournament's tucked in behind the yokozuna. At first glance that's incongruous. The powerful young ōzeki is arguably the best wrestler in the sport right now, and while being below a yokozuna is understandable it feels strange that he doesn't head up the west side of the banzuke. The explanation is actually a simple one. In sumo, east is considered more prestigious than west, and, as the top ranked ōzeki, Onosato is placed on that side of the banzuke. Should he emerge victorious again at Tokyo's Kokugikan in May, Onosato is certain to be promoted to yokozuna and will always be the first name on one side of the rankings or the other until he retires – unless someone becomes a third person at sumo's highest rank. One slightly disappointing decision this time out is Kusano's juryō division title in March not being enough to secure promotion to the top tier. Fans will have to wait to see the latest Nihon University prospect display his talents in makuuchi. For context, Kusano is just the second juryō No. 14 wrestler since 1959 to score 14 wins and not be moved up a division. The other man was Asanoyama – when the former ōzeki was in the midst of a redemption-style comeback after a yearlong ban for breaking the Japan Sumo Association's COVID-19 protocols. Every two months, whether in print or displayed on a screen, sumo's new rankings never fail to stir up debate. While some decisions can frustrate fans, the uniqueness of how the JSA categorizes its wrestlers on a living document, which has an unbroken history dating back centuries is something that should be appreciated.
Japan Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Takayasu's latest heartbreak creates sumo history
When Takayasu fell to Onosato in a title-deciding playoff bout on the final day of the March Grand Sumo Tournament, the former ozeki not only extended a long series of collapses in his biggest moments but also made sumo history. With a ninth career jun-yusho, or runner-up finish, Takayasu took sole possession of first place on the leaderboard of wrestlers who have come in second but never been a champion. The 35-year-old maegashira's name stands out even more on the overall jun-yusho list. Among the 28 men with the most second-place finishes since the individual title came into existence near the start of the 20th century, only Takayasu has failed to win a championship. Perhaps the most eye-opening stat is the fact that yokozuna Asashoryu — who lifted the Emperor's Cup 25 times — now has fewer second-place finishes than Takayasu. It's a history of heartbreak that rivals some of the greatest in sport. If Takayasu doesn't eventually change his fortunes and win a title — something that few wrestlers manage after age 35 — then he'll join a championship futility pantheon that includes athletes such as Tim Henman (tennis) and Charles Barkley (NBA) as well as the 1990s Buffalo Bills in the NFL and the French rugby and Dutch soccer teams. But even if he fails in his quest for a top-division title, Takayasu can be proud of his achievements. By any objective measurement, the former ozeki has had an outstanding, two-decade career that has garnered 13 special prizes and six gold stars in addition to those nine jun-yusho, not to mention reaching the sport's second-highest rank. Perhaps further consolation can be found in the fact that the man now in second place on the aforementioned list — ozeki Yutakayama — eventually went on to become Chairman of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Tokitsukaze. Of course the light hasn't completely faded for Takayasu yet and there is still a possibility that he could get that elusive first title before he retires. Should he do so, it will put his career in a very different light. Take the example of John Elway, whose remarkable achievements on NFL fields were, for most of his career, overshadowed by collapses in the Super Bowl. Two late career titles completely changed the narrative and Elway's place among the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game is no longer disputed. It must also be remembered that while Takayasu's place atop the list of sumo's nearly men seems increasingly set in stone, he is far from the only rikishi to have come close to glory but never gotten over the line. Akinoshima's two career jun-yusho may not be anywhere close to Takayasu's nine, but the former sekiwake wreaked such havoc among the top rankers for so long that it's surprising he never lifted the Emperor's Cup himself on any occasion. Akinoshima, now a stablemaster and JSA board member known as Takadagawa, still tops the career lists for special prizes and gold stars 22 years after his retirement. His achievement of 16 gold stars, earned for defeating a yokozuna while ranked at maegashira between 1988 and 1999, is a mark that may not be approached — never mind broken — for decades. Similarly, his total of 19 special prizes is six more than Takayasu has managed in two decades — minus two years when ranked at ozeki and therefore ineligible — and is a record likely to stand for a long time. Another close-but-not-quite wrestler was current Nishiiwa stablemaster (former sekiwake Wakanosato) who spent 19 straight tournaments ranked at either sekiwake or komusubi between 2002 and 2005 but never won a title or made it to ozeki. Wakanosato and Akinoshima each had stretches where they looked unbeatable, often delivering several days of excellent sumo. But they struggled to maintain that level over a full tournament — or when they did, someone else was performing even better. The title of nearly man can also be applied to those who didn't have consistent high-level success like Akinoshima and Wakanosato but who came extremely close to winning an Emperor's Cup at some point. Hokutoriki in May 2004 was just such a case. A single defeat to Wakanosato was the maegashira-ranked wrestler's only defeat heading into the final day. Hokutoriki was nigh untouchable that tournament, defeating three ozeki and completely overwhelming yokozuna Asashoryu,who was on a 35-bout winning streak. Championship glory seemed assured when all that stood between Hokutoriki and the Emperor's Cup was a 19-year-old top division debutant by the name of Hakuho. A side step and pull-down win by the youngster forced Hokutoriki into a playoff with Asashoryu and the veteran yokozuna gained revenge for his earlier defeat. Hokutoriki left empty-handed in his only real shot at glory, while Asashoryu and Hakuho would go on to claim a further 63 Emperor's Cups combined. The failures of Hokutoriki, Akinoshima and Wakanosato to claim sumo's ultimate prize can partly be attributed to the high level of competition among the upper ranks as well as the depth of talent. These days, with a dozen active wrestlers who have championship experience and several more recent retirees with just a single Emperor's Cup to their name, it's increasingly incongruous that Takayasu has failed to take the title even once. With a newly minted yokozuna looking to bounce back and create a legacy, and a fast rising Onosato seemingly set to dominate, further chances to rectify that stat may be hard to come by for Takayasu. As things stand right now, it appears likely his place will be sealed in sumo history as the sport's ultimate nearly man.
