May 05, 2012
Having six ozeki in the professional sumo rankings for the first time in modern history may look exciting, but it's no guarantee for good business.
May 04, 2012
When the May Grand Sumo Tournament gets under way May 6 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, Hakuho, the grand yokozuna of the Heisei Era, will be aiming for his 23rd tournament victory. That feat would give him the fifth highest number of tournament wins, surpassing former yokozuna Takanohana.
May 03, 2012
The summer sumo tournament, which gets under way May 6, will be the first basho in modern sumo history with six wrestlers fighting at the rank of ozeki, and the sextet will likely face a long, hard battle on the road to promotion to yokozuna.
April 24, 2012
The new sumo rankings show six ozeki for the first time in the history of the sport, as well as some familiar names listed under new titles or new stable affiliations.
April 09, 2012
The May summer grand sumo tournament will be the first in the history of grand sumo to feature six ozeki-ranked wrestlers.
April 03, 2012
In sumo circles, newly promoted ozeki Kakuryu has been labeled “intelligent” and is said to be “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” Those are hardly common terms used when referring to sumo wrestlers, but Kakuryu is hardly a common sumo wrestler.
March 26, 2012
Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho came from behind to win the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament and his 22nd career championship on March 25 in a hard-fought tie-breaker over sekiwake Kakuryu.
March 26, 2012
The latest sumo sensation off Mongolia’s seemingly inexhaustible production line of talent said his inexperience had been the deciding factor in his playoff loss to yokozuna Hakuho on the final day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament.
March 24, 2012
Sekiwake Kakuryu won a crucial bout that should seal up his promotion to ozeki, but yokozuna Hakuho denied him the title for one more day, winning his match and taking the race at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament right down to the wire.
March 23, 2012
Mongolian sekiwake Kakuryu moved into the sole lead of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka on March 23 as yokozuna Hakuho fell apart against Kisenosato and lost his second bout.
March 22, 2012
Yokozuna Hakuho and surging sekiwake Kakuryu were again unbeatable at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday, holding the lead at 11-1, while defending champion Baruto watched his chances of promotion fade as he was thrown to his third defeat.
March 21, 2012
Defending champion Baruto fell to a huge upset at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on March 21, while yokozuna Hakuho and sekiwake Kakuryu both won to move into double digits and stay tied for the lead at 10-1.
March 20, 2012
The battle for the lead at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament stayed neck-and-neck on March 20, with all of the leading wrestlers winning their bouts.
March 19, 2012
Sekiwake Kakuryu pulled off a big upset over hitherto unbeaten yokozuna Hakuho on March 19 at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament to open up a three-way lead-- ozeki Baruto, the defending champion, is also 8-1--and set the stage for what promises to be a hard-fought title race.
March 19, 2012
It’s been a year since 25 active and former sumo wrestlers were banned from the sport indefinitely for their suspected involvement in bout-rigging. Those former wrestlers have spent the past 12 months in very different ways. Some have turned to professional martial arts while others have become white-collar workers. A few work at their parents’ eateries, while some foreign wrestlers have returned to their home countries. We talked to two wrestlers dealing with their bans in different ways.
March 17, 2012
Mongolians Hakuho and Kakuryu pulled off their seventh wins in as many days at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on March 17 to remain in the lead with a one-bout cushion over ozeki Baruto, the champion last time around.
March 16, 2012
Undefeated sekiwake Kakuryu and Mongolian compatriot Hakuho dominated the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament for another day on March 16, while Baruto and three other ozeki held firm just one loss back.
March 16, 2012
Ozeki Baruto’s shot at becoming yokozuna is the biggest focus of the ongoing Spring Tournament, and the beefy Estonian’s hands may play a key role in his potential promotion--or non-promotion, as the case may be.
March 15, 2012
Mongolian sekiwake Kakuryu scored a solid win March 15 to keep his share of the lead with yokozuna Hakuho and maegashira No. 7 Takayasu at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament.
March 14, 2012
Unbeaten sekiwake Kakuryu won a crucial victory over defending champion Baruto at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on March 14, while yokozuna Hakuho flipped his fourth opponent to the dirt for an easy win.