High School Banzuke 2017

[mikawa 1,794]

Following on from the Middle School banzuke, here is the banzuke for High School rikishi, which is created by adding up their results in national competitions during the past 12 months. Most of them are third (final) year students in High School, but there are some who are still in their second year. Every banzuke will list the top 42 rikishi in each category.

This banzuke takes into account the following tournaments:

• 101st High School Sumo Kanazawa Tournament
• 95th Inter-High
• 66th High School Sumo Towada Tournament
• 59th High School Sumo Usa Tournament
• 72nd Kokutai (Junior Division)

 

But before that, here are the top 10 High Schools of the past year, based on their results in the team competitions:

1 - Saitama Sakae High School (埼玉栄高校), Saitama
2 - Adachi Shinden High School (足立新田高校), Tokyo
3 - Tottori Johoku High School (鳥取城北高校), Tottori
4 - Kanazawa Gakuin High School (金沢学院高校), Ishikawa
5 - Sanbongi Agriculture High School (三本木農業高校), Aomori
6 - Buntoku High School (文徳高校), Kumamoto
7 - Kaiyo High School (海洋高校), Niigata
8 - Mukainooka Technical High School (向の岡工業高校), Kanagawa
9 - Kanazawa Technical High School (金沢市立工業高校), Ishikawa
10 - Takushoku University Koryo High School (拓殖大学紅陵高校), Chiba

 

East Yokozuna - Amarsanaa (アマルサナー), Tottori Johoku High School, Tottori
West Yokozuna - Byambasuren (ビャンバスレン), Nittaidai Kashiwa High School, Chiba

East Ozeki - Naya Konosuke (納谷 幸之介), Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama
West Ozeki - Hoshiba Shinsuke (干場 伸介), Kanazawa Technical High School, Ishikawa

East Sekiwake - Saito Daisuke (齋藤 大輔), Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama
West Sekiwake - Ishioka Mikiya (石岡 弥輝也), Tottori Johoku High School, Tottori

East Komusubi - Takahashi Yuta (高橋 優太), Kaiyo High School, Niigata
West Komusubi - Ida Shota (井田 翔太), Minoshima High School, Wakayama

East Maegashira 1 - Imazeki Shunsuke (今関 俊介), Adachi Shinden High School, Tokyo
West Maegashira 1 - Toma Tsuguto (當眞 嗣斗), Tottori Johoku High School, Tottori

East Maegashira 2 - Kanzaki Taiga  (神﨑 大河), Kindai High School, Osaka
West Maegashira 2 - Hatsuyama Sho (羽出山 将), Adachi Shinden High School, Tokyo

East Maegashira 3 - Sumigi Genta (住木 厳太), Nomura High School, Ehime
West Maegashira 3 - Umeki Ryujiro (梅木 竜治郎), Hita Rinko High School, Oita

East Maegashira 4 - Nakanishi Yusei (中西 勇成), Buntoku High School, Kumamoto
West Maegashira 4 - Kawazoe Keita (川副 圭太), Buntoku High School, Kumamoto

East Maegashira 5 - Hanada Hidetora (花田 秀虎), Wakayama Commercial High School, Wakayama
West Maegashira 5 - Daito Koki (大塔 昂貴), Meitoku Gijuku High School, Kochi

East Maegashira 6 - Yamauchi Ko (山内 康), Sanbongi Agriculture High School, Aomori
West Maegashira 6 - Tebakari Toshiki (手計 富士紀), Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama

East Maegashira 7 - Shiroma Ryusei (城間 瑠正), Central Norin High School, Okinawa
West Maegashira 7 - Kudo Koya (工藤 光矢), Hirosaki Jitsugyo High School, Aomori

East Maegashira 8 - Odkhuu (オドフー), Meitoku Gijuku High School, Kochi
West Maegashira 8 - Nakamura Taiki (中村 泰輝), Kaiyo High School, Niigata

East Maegashira 9 - Matsumura Shogo (松村 将伍), Mukainooka Technical High School, Kanagawa
West Maegashira 9 - Tanahashi Ryota (棚橋 亮太), Gifu Norin High School, Gifu

East Maegashira 10 - Tsushida Amu (津志田 亜睦), Tairadate High School, Iwate
West Maegashira 10 - Iso Koki (磯 晃城), Shonan High School, Kagoshima

East Maegashira 11 - Kamiyama Ryuichi (神山 龍一), Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama
West Maegashira 11 - Akiba Taku (秋葉 拓), Sakata Koryo High School, Yamagata

East Maegashira 12 - Satoyama Yuki (里山 雄樹), Kanazawa Gakuin High School, Ishikawa
West Maegashira 12 - Suzuki Yuto (鈴木 優斗), Hiryu High School, Shizuoka

East Maegashira 13 - Kayo Yoshimune (嘉陽 快宗), Kaiyo High School, Niigata
West Maegashira 13 - Kominato Kaio (小湊 海王), Mukainooka Technical High School, Kanagawa

East Maegashira 14 - Saito Yoshihide (斉藤 善英), Nakatsuhigashi High School, Oita
West Maegashira 14 - Saito Makoto (斉藤 誠), Sanbongi Agriculture High School, Aomori

East Maegashira 15 - Arikawa Masaki (有川 真生), Tsurukojokan High School, Yamanashi
West Maegashira 15 - Kasai Towa (葛西 永遠), Goshogawara Norin High School, Aomori

East Maegashira 16 - Tanioka Iori (谷岡 伊織), Kindai High School, Osaka
West Maegashira 16 - Akashiba Tatsuhiro (赤芝 龍洋), Kanazawa Technical High School, Ishikawa

East Maegashira 17 - Maeda Yuto (前田 悠翔), Kanazawa Gakuin High School, Ishikawa
West Maegashira 17 - Yoshida Rion (吉田 利恩), Takaoka Koryo High School, Toyama

 

Sanyaku Photos

East Yokozuna - Amarsanaa (アマルサナー), Tottori Johoku High School, Tottori

 

West Yokozuna - Byambasuren (ビャンバスレン), Nittaidai Kashiwa High School, Chiba

 

East Ozeki - Naya Konosuke (納谷 幸之介), Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama

 

West Ozeki - Hoshiba Shinsuke (干場 伸介), Kanazawa Technical High School, Ishikawa

 

East Sekiwake - Saito Daisuke (齋藤 大輔), Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama

 

West Sekiwake - Ishioka Mikiya (石岡 弥輝也), Tottori Johoku High School, Tottori

 

East Komusubi - Takahashi Yuta (高橋 優太), Kaiyo High School, Niigata

West Komusubi - Ida Shota (井田 翔太), Minoshima High School, Wakayama

 

Comments

Last year saw the first ever Mongolian High School Yokozuna in history. During the same period, the 2 most successful High School rikishi are both Mongolian. Seems fitting doesn't it? The Inter-High was actually Amarsanaa's only tournament victory last year, but he did enough in the other tournaments to win the race with Byambasuren by only 1 point. With Tottori Johoku claiming 2 of the sanyaku spots (Amarsanaa and Ishioka), new team captain Toma and his team-mates certainly have some big shoes to fill.

West Yokozuna Byambasuren has shown all the skills and quickness of a Mongolian wrestler, and like his uncle Asashoryu, a talent for sumo. His best result last year was coming second in the Inter-High, which would have equalled the best finishing for a Mongolian rikishi, if not for the winner being his compatriot. Byambasuren is now a pro sumotori, wrestling under the shikona Hoshoryu, and has started off his sumo career with a 6-1, with his only loss being to Naya Konosuke, who won the Jonokuchi Yusho last month.

Speaking of, Kokutai winner Naya only missed out on a Yokozuna spot by 1 point (it was an extremely tight race for the top 3). He is the grandson of the late Yokozuna Taiho, and has been steadily improving over the past few years, partly thanks to a change in diet. A lot of spotlight is on him now that Naya has joined Ozumo (even more than back when Kotokamatani, son of Sadogatake-oyakata, turned pro), especially now after he has started off his career with a Yusho.

@Katooshu has said that he's been very impressed with what he's seen of Saitama Sakae's Saito Daisuke, and results-wise, this has certainly been justified. Saito is the only rikishi in the sanyaku spots to not be in his final year at high school, which effectively means that he starts off 2018 as the best rikishi in high school, at least on paper. Even more impressive is that he's already won a tournament at high school level (last year's Usa Tournament).

Amongst the other rikishi on this list are the thin but extremely strong Imazeki Shunsuke, the now-turned-pro Tebakari Toshiki, former Middle School Yokozuna Kamiyama Ryuichi, and the Future Monster duo, Toma Tsuguto and Satoyama Yuki.

Team tournament-wise, Saitama Sakae obliterated the competition by winning 2 team competitions out of a possible 4, and when they didn't win, they would still reach the semi-finals. Their strength and depth have been head and shoulders above all other high schools in Japan, and with Saito Daisuke remaining in their team this year, will be difficult to overthrow.

[Katooshu 3,179]

Great post. I'm looking forward to see how the high school action unfolds this year, and am also keeping an eye on the college scene to see which of the recent grads continue in the amateurs. 

You note that the Tottori Johoku team has some big shoes to fill, and just from what I've seen I get the impression that their team will be much weaker this year.

Edited April 22, 2018 by Katooshu

[Katooshu 3,179]

As a follow-up, a tournament for first year university students was held a few days ago. For many first-years, especially those on teams loaded with talent in higher years, this is the first time to get a good look at them in university action. Some of them will probably be big names on the university scene a few years from now.

Unsurprisingly, the top finishers at the tournament were also among the top high school students last year, with the 4 semi-finalists all being M4 or higher on Mikawa's high school banzuke.

Winner: Keita Kawazoe (Nihon University; M4w on the high school banzuke, and 2016 junior Kokutai champion)

Runner-up: Shinsuke Hoshiba (Toyo University; west ozeki on the high school banzuke, and 2017 high school sumo Hirosaki champion)

Semi-finals: Yuta Takahashi (Nippon Sports Science University; east komusubi on the high school banzuke, and 2017 high school sumo Towada champion)

Semi-finals: Shunsuke Imazeki (Nippon Sports Science University; M1e on the high school banzuke, and 2017 high school sumo Kanazawa runner-up)

Mikawa has described Kawazoe as an Ura-like rikishi who uses skill and agility to overcome bigger opponents, and I'd say that was very evident in this tournament. In particular, he showed great flexibility and resistance to overcome some torrid moments in his semi-final bout with the powerful Yuta Takahashi, before winning the bout with an impressive technique.  He also picked his spot very well in the final against Shinsuke Hoshiba, who can be quite the bulldozer with his charging attacks.

Other notable names on the high school banzuke who didn't make the top 4 include the 192cm M2w Sho Hatsuyama for Toyo (his bad habit of standing too upright was exploited in the earlier rounds by Kawazoe), and west komusubi Shota Ida for Takushoku. I also noticed west sekiwake Mikiya Ishioka adorned in Nihon garb and standing with the Nihon contingent, so safe to say he's joined their club along with Kawazoe, which is unsurprising given how many Tottori Johoku grads continue their amateur careers at Nihon.

Final:

 

Quarter and Semi-finals:

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Katooshu