47th National Middle School Championships (2017-8-20)

[mikawa 1,794]

第47回全国中学校相撲選手権大会

This tournament decides who becomes the Middle School Yokozuna, and has 2 categories - individual and team.

Individual Competition

Winner - Narumi Shoma (鳴海 匠馬, Aomori)

Runner-Up - Urayama Shusei (浦山 秀誠, Toyama)

Semi-Finals - Yada Shota (矢田 翔大, Oita)
Semi-Finals - Mukainagano Shingo (向中野 真豪, Tottori)

Quarter-Finals - Yamamoto Takeru (山本 剛瑠, Mie)
Quarter-Finals - Sakamoto Hirokazu (坂本 博一, Chiba)
Quarter-Finals - Ito Yasuki (伊藤 寧, Chiba)
Quarter-Finals - Takei Sakutaro (武井 朔太郎, Shizuoka)

 

Team Competition

Winner - Kashiwadaini Junior High School (Chiba)

Runner-Up - Sukumo Katashima Junior High School (Kochi)

Semi-Finals - Saisei Junior High School (Ishikawa)
Semi-Finals - Kurikoma Junior High School (Miyagi)

Quarter-Finals - Wakakusa Junior High School (Tochigi)
Quarter-Finals - Uto Tsurugi Junior High School (Kumamoto)
Quarter-Finals - Fuji Gakuyo Junior High School (Shizuoka)
Quarter-Finals - Odate Higashi Junior High School (Akita)

 

Videos

Individual Quarter-Final #1 - Narumi Shoma (鳴海 匠馬, Aomori) vs Yamamoto Takeru (山本 剛瑠, Mie)
Individual Quarter-Final #2 - Yada Shota (矢田 翔大, Oita) vs Sakamoto Hirokazu (坂本 博一, Chiba)
Individual Quarter-Final #3 - Urayama Shusei (浦山 秀誠, Toyama) vs Ito Yasuki (伊藤 寧, Chiba)
Individual Quarter-Final #4 - Takei Sakutaro (武井 朔太郎, Shizuoka) vs Mukainagano Shingo (向中野 真豪, Tottori)

 

Individual Semi-Final #1 - Narumi Shoma (鳴海 匠馬, Aomori) vs Yada Shota (矢田 翔大, Oita)
Individual Semi-Final #2 - Urayama Shusei (浦山 秀誠, Toyama) vs Mukainagano Shingo (向中野 真豪, Tottori)

 

Individual Final - Narumi Shoma (鳴海 匠馬, Aomori) vs Urayama Shusei (浦山 秀誠, Toyama)

 

Team Semi-Final #1 - Saisei Junior High School (Ishikawa) vs Kashiwadaini Junior High School (Chiba)
Team Semi-Final #2 - Sukumo Katashima Junior High School (Kochi) vs Kurikoma Junior High School (Miyagi)

 

Team Final - Kashiwadaini Junior High School (Chiba) vs Sukumo Katashima Junior High School (Kochi)

 

Comments

And so, our Middle School Yokozuna of 2017 is Narumi Shoma from Aomori. He's a very strong rikishi (albeit on the thin side), and is definitely a top 10 rikishi in his year group. If you remember that final between Udo Junior School Club and Tsugaru Sumo Club, you'll recall that one of the main reasons why the all-conquering Udo team that year weren't quite able to become national champions was because the then Wanpaku Yokozuna Hanaoka Masaki lost his bout in the final, and it was to Narumi Shoma.

His is my favourite year group, because there are so many memorable and unique characters in that year, with no one truly standing out (apart from maybe 2-time Primary School Yokozuna Mukainakano Shingo). From giant-killer Matsunaga Hayato to the skilful-but-slightly-unlucky Yoshioka Yudai; from the small but strategically-sound Kojima Shu, to the all-round Sakamoto Hirokazu. Narumi Shoma is one of those memorable rikishi from that year group, having been consistently impressive in tournaments, but never quite good enough to get a yusho. Not this time though, as he goes all the way to the title of Yokozuna (with a little luck of course, considering the way he won his semi-final and final).

The favourite for the tournament, Mukainakano Shingo, fell victim to a henka in the semi-finals, and couldn't add this title to his yusho from earlier this month.

In the team event, Team Kumamoto couldn't repeat their success from 3 weeks ago as they crashed out in the quarter-finals, as again, 2-time Wanpaku Yokozuna Hanaoka Masaki couldn't deliver the goods when it really matters. Instead, the arguably stronger team of Fujita Itto (藤田 一翔), Ito Yasuki (伊藤 寧) and Sakamoto Hirokazu (坂本 博一) from Chiba rose to the top, all 3 of whom are Hakuho Cup finalists (Sakamoto Hirokazu won the Hakuho Cup back in Grade 4, at the same time as his younger brother Sakamoto Shoma). It was a comfortable win for them in the team final, as they swept past Kochi 3-0.

Speaking of Sakamoto Hirokazu, he's actually the older son of Tokitsukaze-oyakata (former Tokitsuumi). With Sadogatake-oyakata (former Kotonowaka )'s son Kamatani Masakatsu having already joined Ozumo and Yokozuna Taiho's grandson Naya Konosuke becoming a shin-deshi for Kyushu, will we see Sakamoto Hirokazu (and later on his brother Sakamoto Shoma) follow in their footsteps in a few years' time? Guess we'll find out.

Edited August 24, 2017 by mikawa

[RRRrtz 4]

It was kinda weird that all the top ranking teams from group stage(whatever it is called) were on the top half of elimination matchups. So it was a bit unbalanced.

I'm a fan of the Kumamoto team, and I was a little disappointed with their performance. You could argue who fell out first in the 3rd bout between their match against the Chiba team. I think Hanaoka's problem is his strength. Maybe he should gain weight. He is clearly worsen than last year.

[Raishu 208]

14 hours ago, mikawa said:

第47回全国中学校相撲選手権大会

This tournament decides who becomes the Middle School Yokozuna, and has 2 categories - individual and team.

Individual Competition

Winner - Narumi Shoma (鳴海 匠馬, Aomori)

14 hours ago, mikawa said:

[...]

Comments

And so, our Middle School Yokozuna of 2017 is Narumi Shoma from Aomori. He's a very strong rikishi (albeit on the thin side), and is definitely a top 10 rikishi in his year group. [...]

 

It's just pure guessing, but I assume Middle School Yokozuna Narumi Shoma is related to this gentleman?

http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=12123

[mikawa 1,794]

17 hours ago, RRRrtz said:

It was kinda weird that all the top ranking teams from group stage(whatever it is called) were on the top half of elimination matchups. So it was a bit unbalanced.

I'm a fan of the Kumamoto team, and I was a little disappointed with their performance. You could argue who fell out first in the 3rd bout between their match against the Chiba team. I think Hanaoka's problem is his strength. Maybe he should gain weight. He is clearly worsen than last year.

Certainly looks like it. I think they do ensure that the top teams from the preliminary rounds are paired against the lowest-scoring teams in the last 32, but after that, it's luck of the draw.

You're probably right about Hanaoka. His skill set is very good, but he doesn't have enough strength to back it up.

[mikawa 1,794]

4 hours ago, Raishu said:

 

It's just pure guessing, but I assume Middle School Yokozuna Narumi Shoma is related to this gentleman?

http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=12123

Quite possibly, as Narumi Satoshi is listed as having a connection to Narumi Shoma on this page, his older brother maybe?

[Akinomaki 40,673]

Narumi reported his yusho to the mayor of his home-town Tsugaru-city (not Hirosaki like the other Narumi) - he's a middle school yokozuna from Aomori again after 26 years ago now apple ambassador Furiwake. His next goal: yusho at the Hakuho-cup in February. http://www.toonippo.co.jp/news_too/nto2017/20170824028090.asp

http://www.mutusinpou.co.jp/news/2017/08/47850.html

Edited August 26, 2017 by Akinomaki

[Asashosakari 19,542]

 

11 hours ago, mikawa said:

On 24.8.2017 at 20:39, RRRrtz said:

It was kinda weird that all the top ranking teams from group stage(whatever it is called) were on the top half of elimination matchups. So it was a bit unbalanced.

Certainly looks like it. I think they do ensure that the top teams from the preliminary rounds are paired against the lowest-scoring teams in the last 32, but after that, it's luck of the draw.

I'm not sure I'm willing to believe it was even random to begin with...

(1) Kagoshima vs Yamaguchi (29)
(4) Ishikawa vs Hyogo (25)
(4) Tochigi vs Ehime (29)
(4) Aomori vs Kagawa (29)
(1) Tottori vs Tokyo (25)
(1) Kumamoto vs Aichi (25)
(4) Chiba vs Nagano (17)
(8) Toyama vs Oita II (17)
(8) Kyoto vs Saitama (17)
(8) Shizuoka vs Oita III (24)
(12) Kochi vs Okinawa (25)
(11) Iwate vs Fukushima (29)
(12) Saga vs Mie (17)
(12) Wakayama vs Miyagi (17)
(12) Oita I vs Akita (17)
(12) Yamanashi vs Hiroshima (17)

That's certainly by far the strangest "draw" bracket I've ever seen in amateur sumo after group prelims. 

[RRRrtz 4]

11 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

 

I'm not sure I'm willing to believe it was even random to begin with...

(1) Kagoshima vs Yamaguchi (29)
(4) Ishikawa vs Hyogo (25)
(4) Tochigi vs Ehime (29)
(4) Aomori vs Kagawa (29)
(1) Tottori vs Tokyo (25)
(1) Kumamoto vs Aichi (25)
(4) Chiba vs Nagano (17)
(8) Toyama vs Oita II (17)
(8) Kyoto vs Saitama (17)
(8) Shizuoka vs Oita III (24)
(12) Kochi vs Okinawa (25)
(11) Iwate vs Fukushima (29)
(12) Saga vs Mie (17)
(12) Wakayama vs Miyagi (17)
(12) Oita I vs Akita (17)
(12) Yamanashi vs Hiroshima (17)

That's certainly by far the strangest "draw" bracket I've ever seen in amateur sumo after group prelims. 

Yeah,  it's just ridiculous. It's just like Roger meets Rafa in 2nd round in U.S Open

[Akinomaki 40,673]

20 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Narumi reported his yusho to the mayor of his home-town Tsugaru-city

http://www.mutusinpou.co.jp/news/2017/08/47850.html

I forgot to add the earlier pic of runner-up Urayama, first son of Asanoyama's late mentor Urayama

o

Edited August 26, 2017 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,673]

The NHK broadcast from the tournament appeared on YT

1st part team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-n0BXRj4cc

2nd part individuals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMNlORV5jMw