Onosato and Hoshoryu are off to fast starts at the Autumn Basho, raising fans hopes of seeing a title-deciding yokozuna showdown on Day 15 for the first time in five years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/09/17/sumo/yokozuna-autumn-basho-good-start/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #onosato #hoshoryu #autumngrandsumotournament
Professional sumo is one of the harshest environments in sports. So what would drive a wrestler to bounce around in its bottom-tier nonsalaried divisions for years? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/09/10/sumo/sumo-lower-rank-journeymen/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #autumngrandsumotournament #makushita #sandanme #shoketsu #hakuyo
Ahead of professional sumo's highly anticipated return to Europe, the release of the September rankings confirms who will be on the plane to London. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/09/03/sumo/london-sumo-banzuke/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #london #uk #japansumoassociation #autumngrandsumotournament
While sumo in 2025 is more accessible than at any time in the past, fans and tourists alike are all too often getting an experience that pales in comparison to what was previously possible. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/08/20/sumo/sumo-victim-of-popularity/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #tourism #overtourism #japansumoassociation
Wakatakakage’s second-week turnaround in Nagoya has set the Toyo University graduate up with a very good shot at making ōzeki — a position sumo needs to fill. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/08/13/sumo/gunning-wakatakakage-ozeki/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo#wakatakakage
In a historically significant move, the Otake sumo stable will be taken over by someone without a direct connection to its founder. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/08/06/sumo/gunning-otake-stable-fresh-start/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #otakebeya #dairyu #taiho #takatoriki
Kotoshoho's first Grand Sumo Tournament win in Nagoya on Sunday was perhaps even more surprising than early leader Ichiyamamoto’s would have been. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/07/30/sumo/gunning-nagoya-basho-recap/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #kotoshoho #aonishiki #kusano #nagoyagrandsumotournament
Ten days into the ongoing Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament and Ichiyamamoto — a 31-year-old journeyman who hasn’t posted more than 8 wins in a basho since 2023 — stunningly leads the race for the Emperor’s Cup. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/07/23/sumo/gunning-nagoya-basho-ichiyamamoto/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #nagoyagrandsumotournament #aonishiki #ichiyamamoto #kusano #kirishima
To celebrate its centennial, the Japan Sumo Association is putting on an event featuring ultrarare performances that sumo fans won't want to miss. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/07/16/sumo/japan-sumo-association-100-years/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #japansumoassociation #tokyo
With a new "yokozuna," a new arena, and no shortage of potential stars, the 2025 Nagoya Basho promises to be one of the hottest (figuratively, not literally) of recent years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/07/11/sumo/nagoya-basho-red-hot/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #onosato #hoshoryu #kotozakura #nagoyagrandsumotournament #kusano
With Nagoya's IG Arena getting glowing reviews ahead of its first sumo tournament, it's unlikely that many fans will be ready to wax nostalgic about its hot and stuffy predecessor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/07/09/sumo/nagoya-new-sumo-arena/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #nagoyabasho #nagoya #igarena
Sumo’s updated rankings have been released, and for the first time since Hakuho retired in 2021 there are yokozuna on both the east and west sides of the banzuke — with a slight caveat. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/07/02/sumo/gunning-july-2025-banzuke/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #banzuke #onosato#takayasu #aonishiki #nagoyagrandsumotournament
While Onosato was claiming Emperor’s Cups in recent months, Kusano was doing something similar, albeit one level down. Now the former Nihon University star is preparing to take on the sport's best. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2025/06/25/sumo/kusano-rise-sumo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #sumo #naoyakusano #onosato #nagoyagrandsumotournament