35th Wanpaku National Championships (2019-08-04)

[mikawa 1,794]

Due to renovation works at the Kokugikan Stadium, this year's Wanpaku Tournament will take place inside the Sumida City Gymnasium this coming Sunday. There will likely be live coverage (from 8:00 JST) of the event on YouTube, via Wanpaku Sumo's official channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz2at4QxHfxvT6IVFhSpemg

This year, 330 competitors will fight it out for a chance to become national champion in either Grade 4, Grade 5 or Grade 6. Here's a video with highlights from last year's tournament:

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi - Grade 4

#31 - Toda Hayato (戸田 勇翔)

3 years ago, when Kinboshi Sumo Club visited Kumamoto in support of those affected by the then earthquake, the club's youngest member and mascot, Kanazawa Towa , found himself a rival and a friend at JKA Treasure Club. His name was Toda Hayato, who was already a prefectural champion at only 6. Three years on, Toda Hayato is now ready to take on the Wanpaku Tournament. Wouldn't it be great if he were to face Kanazawa Towa in the final on Sunday?

 

#102 - Kozawa Kaito (小澤 海翔)

It was unfortunate that none of the kids from Tachikawa Renseikan Sumo Dojo were able to get through the tough Tokyo qualifiers this year, but one of their clubmates was able to make it through the Saitama qualifiers. Kozawa Kaito only joined the club less than a year ago, and doesn't have a big body, but he works harder than anyone at the club, and is rewarded with a place at the Wanpaku Tournament. I will be supporting him all the way, but he has a very tough first round opponent, whom I would also like to see do well. Tournament draws can be so cruel sometimes......

 

#103 - Kanazawa Towa

Yes, Kozawa Kaito's first round opponent just happens to be Kanazawa Towa, the youngest of the Kanazawa siblings from Kinboshi Sumo Club. Towa and his brothers have since joined Kashiwa Junior Sumo Club, and their sumo skills have improved dramatically. Coupled with his already incredible wrestling talents, Towa has to be one of the favourites to win the whole thing. Could we see a Toda vs Kanazawa final? Now that really would be something.

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi - Grade 5

#10 - Matsui Harua (松井 遥海)

I would have had no idea who this kid was if not for a TV program from a couple of months ago featuring a pair of brother rikishi from Hyogo Prefecture who were both able to qualify for this year's Wanpaku Tournament. Matsui Harua is the younger of the 2 siblings, and has a much smaller build compared to his older brother.

 

#17 - Toyoda Rinnosuke (豊田 倫之亮)

Although not present at last year's Wanpaku Tournament, he is the defending Primary School Yokozuna, and was runner-up at the Hakuho Cup earlier this year. He qualified for Sunday's tournament at the expense of his Kagoshima compatriot and last year's Wanpaku Yokozuna Shigemura Konosuke, which makes Toyoda the favourite in this year group.

 

#21 - Nishizaki Soma (西崎 想馬)

Nishizaki Soma qualified as the champion of Tokyo, but his most notable achievement so far is finishing second at last year's Primary School Championships, only losing to Kagoshima's Toyodo Rinnosuke. Those two could meet each other in the round of 16 for a rematch.

 

#56 - Tamiya Aiki (田宮 愛喜)

Under the tutelage of his father, former Kotomitsuki, Tamiya Aiki has been threatening to win a national tournament for a year now. He has the body, he has the strength, and he has the skills, but sometimes Aiki tries to do a bit too much in a bout, and ends up in a bad position because of it. It's certainly possible for him to become yokozuna on Sunday, but in order to do so, he would need to overcome his conqueror from the Hakuho Cup.

 

#66 - Aoki Kanta (青木 貫太)

Speaking of, Shizuoka's Aoki Kanta has been there and done that. All that's missing on his resume is winning a national tournament, which he certainly has the potential to do. Kanta's short stature gives him a naturally low centre of gravity, and combined with his strength, that's one difficult opponent to deal with.

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi - Grade 6

#7 - Kodama Hayato (児玉 颯飛)

Since quitting Mitaka Sumo Club last year, I wasn't sure how this would affect Kodama Hayato's progress. After all, he potentially had a very bright future ahead of him. Since then, Hayato has reached the semi-finals of the Hakuho Cup (where he lost against his nemesis from Kumamoto), and will now aim to win this tournament for a second time via a strong performance at the Tokyo qualifiers. This is an important year for him, as Hayato aims to prove that he still has what it takes to return to the top. Once again, his incredible arm strength will be his biggest weapon.



 

#11 - Ito Hirohide (伊藤 博英)

Although not as glamorous as his national champion of a clubmate, Ito Hirohide should not be underestimated. He achieved second place at this year's Hakuho Cup, and was pivotal in his club's (Kawakami Dojo) road to victory in the team competition. He will be Kodama Hayato's third biggest threat on Sunday.

 

#27 - Yoshioka Ryudai (吉岡 竜大)

This silent assassin from Komatsuryu Dojo is a very very clever sumo wrestler. He is the physical embodiment of "action speaks louder than words", as although he doesn't talk much (giving one word answers whenever possible), he is easily able to mix it with the big boys. Ryudai's biggest asset is his ability to recognise his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and adapt his sumo accordingly. The way he clamped Kodama Hayato's hands together last summer in order to neutralise Hayato's most dangerous weapon was pure genius. Definitely one to watch out for on Sunday.

 

35 - Yamashita Masakiyo (山下 正清)

When defending champion Kodama Hayato suffered a shock defeat in the quarter-finals last year, Yamashita Masakiyo took this opportunity to win the whole thing, and in doing so, achieved the first ever sibling yokozuna in Wanpaku history (as his older brother Yamashita Shosuke also won this tournament back in his day). Although Masakiyo isn't the favourite in this year group, he is the defending Wanpaku Yokozuna, and that has to count for something.

 

#94 - Matsui Yuato (松井 碧星)

A couple of months ago, a TV show featured a pair of sibling rikishi from Hyogo Prefecture who were both able to qualify for this year's Wanpaku Tournament. Matsui Harua was the younger brother, and Matsui Yuato is the (much larger) older brother. It will be very interesting to see which of the Matsui siblings can make it furthest into the tournament.

 

#103 - Kuraoka Yuta (倉岡 優太)

The large and powerful Kuraoka Yuta has won all there is to win, the Primary School Championships, the Hakuho Cup, you name it, but he has yet to win the Wanpaku Tournament, the most illustrious of them all. If he were to add the Wanpaku Tournament to his trophy cabinet on Sunday, then he will be holding all 3 national titles at the same time (the primary school grand slam). It's hard enough to win all three tournaments during your primary school days, it's harder still to hold all three simultaneously. That really would be an incredible feat.

[mikawa 1,794]

In case you were wondering, Motomura Kosei, the star of the Hakuho Cup, has NOT been able to qualify from his home prefecture of Fukuoka. This was the bout that made him famous:

 

[Akinomaki 38,534]

A repost from Sumo for kids

The NSK opened sumo-beya for summer to primary and middle school kids, from July 29th till Aug. 4th, to prepare for the national tournaments for these age groups: the NSK sponsored wamapaku championships (this topic - the sumo federation sponsors the primary school championships of the same age groups ) and the middle school championships on Aug. 17th/18th

at Nakagawa-beya

o o

at Oguruma-beya, ex-Takekaze coaches

o

Takasago, Tokitsukaze, Kasugano

o oo

Izutsu - Isenoumi's Kabutoyama coaches

o o

Shikihide

o o

Musashigawa

o

Edited August 4, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 38,534]

 

 

On 02/08/2019 at 18:24, mikawa said:

There will likely be live coverage (from 8:00 JST) of the event on YouTube, via Wanpaku Sumo's official channel:

The live stream is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m.

That were only the speeches, Takasago in for Hakkaku. The proper tournament:

It takes a while after the end of streaming till the full video gets available. First the yokozuna dohyo-iri of last year's 4th and 5th grade winners.

They have still last year's streamed video of 8h39m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ8JGA8IpR4

so the new stream will likely remain as well also after the edited videos appear

Edited August 4, 2019 by Akinomaki

[mikawa 1,794]

Coming up on tournament report time (early next week):

There Was Once A Mighty Samurai Named Tsubaki

Coming Out Party For The Next Naya Konosuke

Action Really Does Speak Louder Than Words

[Akinomaki 38,534]

On 02/08/2019 at 19:41, mikawa said:

#56 - Tamiya Aiki (田宮 愛喜)

Under the tutelage of his father, former Kotomitsuki, Tamiya Aiki has been threatening to win a national tournament for a year now. He has the body, he has the strength, and he has the skills, but sometimes Aiki tries to do a bit too much in a bout, and ends up in a bad position because of it. It's certainly possible for him to become yokozuna on Sunday, but in order to do so, he would need to overcome his conqueror from the Hakuho Cup.

Kyodo is happy to report that Kotomitsuki II (151cm, 77kg) made it to "ozeki" = 2nd place - in 5th grade. http://this.kiji.is/530698671929099361

2016 with dad

o

Edited August 5, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Yamanashi 3,518]

A definite family resemblance in the face.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Tournament Report - Grade 4

There Was Once A Mighty Samurai Named Tsubaki

As the title character from Hikaru no Go found out the hard way during the preliminaries of his Pro Exam, people named Tsubaki are not to be messed with. As 109 sumo kids found out on Sunday, the same can be said about Niigata's Tsubaki Rui (椿 留一), who powered his way to the Grade 4 title. From the tachi-ai, Rui likes to first attack his opponent's shoulders, and then quickly get a hand on their mawashi. This was usually enough to get him an easy yorikiri win, though there were a couple of times when his opponent was very nearly able to throw him to the ground before getting pushed out. A deserved winner, but luck was definitely on his side, especially in that final bout.

 

Size Isn't Everything

Suekawa Atsuki (末川 敦喜) might not have won the tournament, but he is definitely the stand-out competitor amongst the Grade 4s. Although not as big as most of his opponents, Atsuki is strong as heck, and is able to defend very very well. Just look at the way he stayed in this bout against his strong Mongolian foe. Slippiotoshi was eventually to be his downfall, as has happened to so many wrestlers in the past. Oh, and I just found out that he belongs to Komatsuryu Dojo, John Gunning's club.

 

When God Opens A Door, He Closes A Window

Yes, you read that right. Kumamoto is a hotbed of sumo wrestlers, and so it takes a great deal to qualify from that area. In reaching the Wanpaku finals, Toda Hayato (戸田 勇翔) has already proven himself to be strong with a great sumo sense. However, despite these gifts for sumo, his lack of height really limits what he is able to do in a bout, like in this second round match. He would go on to lose in the round of 32, as a lack of height also means a lack of reach.

 

A Good Start, But It Was Kinda Inevitable

I was happy to see that Kozawa Kaito (小澤 海翔) from Tachikawa Renseikan Sumo Dojo was able to make it to the Wanpaku finals, but his first bout was always going to be a very tough one, as his opponent was Kanazawa Towa. Towa is a strong kid, no doubt about that, but what really makes him such a difficult opponent to face is his immense wrestling talents. Kaito had a good tachi-ai in the match, but once the bout turned into a belt battle, there was really ever going to be one winner. Good luck in the next tournament!

 

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, AHHHHHHHH......

Prior to the tournament, former Kinboshi mascot Kanazawa Towa (金澤 永和) was one of the favourites to win his year group, and as the bouts went on, he was living up to that billing. Not only is Towa one of the strongest wrestlers in Grade 4, his background in wrestling and the moves he's learned from it combine to make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. Just when it was looking so comfortable for him as he inched ever closer to the Quarter-Finals, this happened. Kanazawa Towa vs Suekawa Atsuki was definitely one of the bouts of the entire tournament.

 

Glimpses of Brilliance

Because the Wanpaku Tournament is entirely knock-out, and they have to go through so many matches on the day, for the vast majority of competitors, we are only able to get glimpses into what they are capable of. Many bow out not because they're not good enough, but because of other factors, such as opponent, body condition, injuries, tachi-ai etc etc. One kid whose sumo caught my eye is someone called Nomura Yusuke (野村 祐介), from Shizuoka. He may not have gone far into the tournament, but the way he handled his opening bout, and how low he kept during that entire bout, definitely warrants a mention. That's someone whom you can see has always worked incredibly hard during training, and has really taken heed of his coaches' advice.

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Results - Grade 4

Winner - Tsubaki Rui (椿 留一), Niigata

 

Runner-Up - Nakamura Hayato (中村 颯斗), Shizuoka

 

Semi-Finals - Uno Kosei (宇野 恭晟), Ishikawa

Semi-Finals - Suekawa Atsuki (末川 敦喜), Tokyo

 

Quarter-Finals - Odaira Masaki (大平 真輝), Niigata

Quarter-Finals - Kai Yota (甲斐 陽太), Miyazaki

Quarter-Finals - Nagai Haruto (永井 陽翔), Yamagata

Quarter-Finals - Sato Iroha (佐藤 珀呂汎), Kumamoto

Edited August 5, 2019 by mikawa

[Akinomaki 38,534]

On 02/08/2019 at 19:41, mikawa said:

#17 - Toyoda Rinnosuke (豊田 倫之亮)

Although not present at last year's Wanpaku Tournament, he is the defending Primary School Yokozuna, and was runner-up at the Hakuho Cup earlier this year. He qualified for Sunday's tournament at the expense of his Kagoshima compatriot and last year's Wanpaku Yokozuna Shigemura Konosuke, which makes Toyoda the favourite in this year group.

Toyoda is the 5th grade wampaku yokozuna, and 3rd with the Amami Oshima team (one from each grade is in a team):

4th grade Hayase (made it to the best 16), Toyoda, 6th grade Tawara

Toyoda was also tachi-mochi for same year rival and last year 4th grade wampaku yokozuna Shigemura

Tawara was tsuyu-harai, Hayase was the gyoji for both dohyo-iri - the other yokozuna was also from Kagoshima

The wampaku championships are sponsored by the NSK and the JCI Tokyo, supported also by the Sports Agency, Yomiuri shimbun and others.

http://amamishimbun.co.jp/2019/08/05/19753/

Edit: checked the video and corrected the names

Edited August 6, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

6 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Toyoda is the 5th grade wampaku yokozuna, and 3rd with the Amami Oshima team (one from each grade is in a team):

6th grade Omote, Toyoda, 4th grade Hayase (made it to the best 16)

 

Oh man, after all these years still don't get the "traditional" insistence on wearing suits & ties in summer. Temps in the mid-30s with humidity 65% at least. Yuck.

[mikawa 1,794]

Tournament Report - Grade 5

If You Conquer Amami Oshima, You Control Wanpaku

I adapted this quote from National Geographic's in relation to Yuki the Genius, because it perfectly describes the relationship between Shigemura Shonosuke and Toyoda Rinnosuke. These 2 huge rivals are both from Amami Oshima down south in Kagoshima Prefecture, and as such, only one of them can qualify for the Wanpaku Tournament each year. As it so happens, Shigemura qualified last year, and he went on to win the whole thing; Toyoda qualified this year, and he also went on to become Yokozuna.

Toyoda Rinnosuke (豊田 倫之亮) is very strong (as you'd expect), but his biggest strength is his ability to improvise. This was most apparent in the grand final, when he got himself into a bad position, but quickly thought of an ingenious way to turn the tables on his opponent. Toyoda is on the left.

 

Coming Out Party For The Next Naya Konosuke

Back in the summer of 2009, Naya Konosuke, the son of former Takatoriki and grandson of former Taiho, powered his way through the field to finish second at the Wanpaku Tournament. Exactly 10 years on, Tamiya Aiki (田宮 愛喜), the son of former Kotomitsuki, matched Naya's performance to also finish runner-up. Compared to the Hakuho Cup half a year ago, Aiki's sumo has matured tremendously. He keeps things simple as much as possible (winning by yorikiri or oshidashi most of the time), and mixing in other strategies from time to time.

Shizuoka's Aoki Kanta has been Aiki's bane for a year now, but this time, when Aiki faced Kanta in the round of 32, Aiki knew to use his height and superior reach to his advantage and kept Kanta away from his belt the entire bout. This is his best ever result in a national tournament. Oh, he (on the right) even pulled this move out of the bag:

 

Attack Points Aren't Everything

There are those who can push their opponents out of the ring like it's nothing. Then there are those who have to resort to other talents to impress on the dohyo. This year, in Grade 5, the stand-out rikishi is most definitely quarter-finalist Takezawa Hikaru (竹澤 光) from Saitama. His has very good instincts whilst in the ring, and adapts his sumo depending on the opponent. Sometimes he might go for a Kotoshogiku-esque gappuri-attack, other times he might use slap downs, with some throws sprinkled in. This is him (on the right) in action.

 

Gambarize / Try Your Best!

There's a Filipino YouTuber called Marlinda Saikusa who shares her life in Shodoshima, Kagawa, Japan. She occasionally posts videos about her son's sumo adventures. Her son, who is called Saikusa Masayasu (三枝 正恭) did very well in the tournament, reaching the round of 32. Masayasu's second match was one of the most exciting bouts in Grade 5. Both he (on the left) and his opponent gave it everything they've got, neither of them wanting to leave with any regrets.

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Results - Grade 5

Winner - Toyoda Rinnosuke (豊田 倫之亮), Kagoshima

 

Runner-Up - Tamiya Aiki (田宮 愛喜), Aichi

 

Semi-Finals - Takeuchi Hinata (竹内 日向), Nagasaki

Semi-Finals - Okamoto Sentaro (岡本 千太朗), Aichi

 

Quarter-Finals - Otawa Yu (大和田 優), Ibaraki

Quarter-Finals - Sonoda Hiroto (園田 大登), Osaka

Quarter-Finals - Takezawa Hikaru (竹澤 光), Saitama

Quarter-Finals - Hoshi Yuito (星 結仁), Niigata

[Yamanashi 3,518]

For all who post videos and pictures here: mere thanks are inadequate for all your hard work bringing this info and action to us.

 

[Akinomaki 38,534]

NNN news video vid

NSK - Michinoku was there to hand over trophies

o o o

[mikawa 1,794]

Tournament Report - Grade 6

Utterly Unstoppable

There are a total of three national tournaments each year for primary schoolers - the Wanpaku Tournament in July/August, the Primary School Championships in December, and then the Hakuho Cup during February the next year. Coming into this year's Wanpaku Tournament, Kumamoto's Kuraoka Yuta (倉岡 優太) was the 2-time defending Primary School Yokozuna as well as the current holder of the Hakuho Cup.

It was always going to be a tough task for anyone to stop him on the day, but as it turned out, Yuta just shoved his way through all seven rounds. I've embedded his semi-final bout, which was the ONLY time where his forward progress had been halted. His power sumo is now far ahead of the pack, and thus deservedly holds all three national titles at the same time. Whether this is good or bad for his development is debatable, but the calendar grand slam is definitely on the cards now.

 

If You Can't Beat Them, Avoid Them

If must have been difficult for young Yamashita Masakiyo (山下 正清), what with an older brother winning trophies left, right and centre, and having a certain Kodama Hayato constantly being in his way. It was akin to the situation which the warlord Imagawa Yoshimoto found himself him. "I would have become Shogun if it wasn't for Oda Nobunaga and that wretched rain at Okehazama!"

All Masakiyo needed was to avoid facing Kodama Hayato during tournaments, somehow. At last year's Wanpaku Tournament, Masakiyo was due to face Hayato in the final, but Hayato lost in his quarter-final bout, so Masakiyo went on to become Wanpaku Yokozuna. This year, Masakiyo was due to face Hayato in the semi-final, but once again Hayato lost in his quarter-final bout, so Masakiyo went on to defend his title, at least he would have done if Kuraoka Yuta hadn't been there.

To think, Masakiyo was so so close to losing in his second bout, but that's just how knock-out tournaments are.

 

Action Does Indeed Speak Louder Than Words

Sumo kids come in many different kind of personalities. There's the cheeky ones, the happy-go-lucky ones, the serious with their goals ones, and the "I'm doing sumo only because I'm big" ones. And then there are the quiet ones. Not shy, no sir, just quiet. They don't talk much, but take in every little detail of things they see, and think through them in their heads. Tachikawa Renseikan's Tsurumi Yusei is one such kid, and Komatsuryu Dojo's Yoshioka Ryudai (吉岡 竜大) is another.

I've spoken with Ryudai a few times, and believe me, you'll be lucky to get more than a few words from him. However, Ryudai is without a doubt one of the stand-out talents from his star-studded club. What makes Ryudai so special is that he has a very very good sumo mind. He can watch other people's bouts, figure out their strengths and weaknesses, and work out exactly how he should approach each opponent.

Ryudai adapting to his opponents has worked out remarkably well over the past few years, but there is one person he just cannot beat - Kodama Hayato. But then again, how many people can say they've beaten Hayato? Three? Not even? Ryudai knows that Hayato's biggest weapon is his incredible arm strength, and so, his strategy in the friendly examination tournament last summer was to clamp Hayato's arms together and then push. It was very clever, but a lack of patience proved to be his downfall.

This time around, when Ryudai faced Hayato in the Wanpaku quarter-finals, he had a slightly different strategy in mind. It was to be one of the bouts of the tournament.

 

We Could Be Seeing A Star Being Born With This Kid

Three and a half years ago, in my first ever post in the forum, I predicted that Kodama Hayato (児玉 颯飛), in Grade 2 back then, has the potential to become a star in the future. He had a champion's hunger and determination, and was already able to beat kids who were two years above him. Since then, Hayato has won the Wanpaku Tournament, and has achieved a three-peat in the Hakuho Cup. But then, things started to go astray.

Even now, Hayato is easily a top three wrestler in his year group, I'd even go as far as to say that he is the second best in the country. However, his opponents have gradually been able to work out ways to neutralise his arm strength, and Hayato has yet to show a Plan B. I think a major reason for this is the lack of training partners at his former sumo club, Mitaka. Without a suitable opponent to practise with, there's only so high you can go. In fact, it was supposedly because of this that Hayato and his younger brother Sosuke both left the club last year. Hayato shows that he still has what it takes, like the way he dealt with a very tough opponent in Ito Hirohide, but where will his path lead?

 

When You Put Your Mind To It

A Pokémon YouTuber once explained that Fighting-type is weak to Psychic-type because brains over brawn. Size doesn't always matter in sumo, because there are many rikishi who can outsmart their larger foes. Enter Akita, a prefecture whose exam results consistently top Japan's league tables, and a place that produces smart wrestlers. Ishikawa Kanu (石川 神羽) is an example of this, and the way he wrestled at the Wanpaku Tournament means that I just had to give him a mention.

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Results - Grade 6

Winner - Kuraoka Yuta (倉岡 優太), Kumamoto

 

Runner-Up - Yamashita Masakiyo (山下 正清), Kagoshima

 

Semi-Finals - Yoshioka Ryudai (吉岡 竜大), Chiba

Semi-Finals - Kikuta Ryuga (菊田 流雅), Ibaraki

 

Quarter-Finals - Maro Kosho (マロー 高尚), Aomori

Quarter-Finals - Kodama Hayato (児玉 颯飛), Tokyo

Quarter-Finals - Otani Natsuki (大谷 夏希), Okayama

Quarter-Finals - Okuda Soma (奥田 蒼真), Osaka

Edited August 20, 2019 by mikawa

[Akinomaki 38,534]

The winning Kumamoto pref. team on the 26th reported their result(s) to the governor o

Yuta Kuraoka (6th grade, Uto city, + ind. yusho), Yohei Yoshimoto (5th, Minamata), Iroha Sato (4th, Uto, + ind. qf)

 

On the same day, the runner-up Kanazawa&Kahoku cities joint team reported their result(s) to the mayor of Kanazawa. 4th grade Uno also a sf in the individuals = sekiwake

o