36th Wanpaku National Championships (2021-10-31)

[mikawa 1,794]

Following last year's cancellation due to Covid, the Wanpaku National Tournament is back this coming Sunday, to be held at the Kokugikan Stadium in Tokyo. The entire event should be live-streamed on the following YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/わんぱく相撲全国大会/featured

As a result of the pandemic, only 29 of the 47 prefectures in Japan will be sending teams to the tournament, resulting in only 69 competitors in each division (Grades 4 to 6) instead of the usual 110, and naturally, there won't be a Team Mongolia this year.

As usual, the various Ozumo heya around Ryogoku will be inviting teams to stay with them for the night before the event, and there will be oyakata and rikishi at the tournament to scout for future talents. I will be highlighting some participants to watch out for in each year group over the next three posts.

This year's tournament slogan is "Courage, Courtesy and Gratitude".

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi - Grade 4

#6 - Taniyama Raizo (谷山 雷蔵)

Due to the pandemic and the cancellation of most national sumo tournaments last year, the Nihon Sumo Renmei (who are in charge of amateur sumo events) decided to have a first ever "Kata" event (link to video) instead. Participants would send videos of themselves doing either shiko or one-person sumo to the tournament organisers, who judge their videos and decide on the top 3 in each category in each year group.

Osaka's Taniyama Raizo ended up winning in the Grade 3 and under category with his well choreographed one-person sumo routine. The hyper competitive Raizo was almost in tears when his name wasn't read out for the announcements for third and second place, and when he found out that he had actually won, Raizo couldn't contain his excitement and yelled out loud.

His actual sumo is also solid, though nerves are a huge problem (I can relate), so much so that he is taking medication to try and stay calmer before his bouts. Raizo is currently the second best rikishi in the Kansai region in his year group, with #24 Kishida Konosuke (岸田 幸之輔) the only person in the area who can beat him.

 

#10 - Hirano Juito (平野 純勇斗)

I've written a fair bit about Hirano Shurato here in the forum, whom I have faced during training and with whose family I still maintain correspondence. This weekend marks the Wanpaku debut for Hirano Juito, their third son of five (yes, you read that right), and easily the most talented rikishi in the family.

Despite his lack of size and thin stature, Juito has won multiple Friendly Examination Tournaments, which basically makes him the best in his year group in the Kanto region. He has a plethora of skills and strategies which he has used to beat one bigger opponent after another. Here's Juito during the Kanagawa Prefecture qualifiers (link to video), where he qualified for the national tournament as the winner in his division.

Basically what I'm saying is that he is the Enho of this tournament, and definitely a rikishi to look forward to. He is scheduled to possibly face Taniyama Raizo in the quarter-finals.

 

#64 - Kinoshita Ren (木ノ下 連)

Although not really a contender this weekend, I are mentioning Kinoshita Ren because he's a member of my dojo, Tachikawa Renseikan. He's even smaller than Juito and less talented at sumo, but that didn't stop him from coming through the always tough Tokyo qualifiers. Ren was full of confidence as he proclaimed in yesterday's training session that he will win ten bouts on Sunday, even though as Coach Sagawa pointed out, it only takes six wins to win the whole thing. He's certainly capable of upsetting some larger opponents.

Edited October 27, 2021 by mikawa

[Katooshu 3,132]

Dang COVID cancelling so many tournaments - glad to have a big one back!

[Asashosakari 18,786]

And from today's big news (ahem):

Just now, Asashosakari said:

According to the press release, Pikachu and Maku(nos)hita will also be appearing in mascot form at the Wampaku National Championships for elementary school 4th-6th graders in the next few weeks. Pikachu alone for the boys on October 31, both of them for the girls on November 14.

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi - Grade 5

#10 - Taira Ikko (平 一恋)

Sharing the same surname as the Taira Clan from the Genpei Wars, Ikko is the first second-generation rikishi we will be introducting in this year's tournament. His father is none other than Coach Taira of Komatsuryu Dojo (former Dewataira), whom John Gunning is probably good friends with.

The first time I saw him was when he trained with current Juryo rikishi Oho (Taiho's grandson) at Saitama Sakae High School. Two and a half years later, Ikko showed everyone what he was capable of when he made a run to the Hakuho Cup final (link to video) in February 2020. Like father, like son.

 

#31 - Kumagai Kyuta (熊谷 毬太 )

Meet "Japan's 10-year-old sumo champion" (link to video), whose story made the headlines on a lot of media platforms earlier this year. In fact, based on the video that @Gaijingai shared on Tuesday this week, organisations such are Reuters are still keeping an eye on this kid. Is he a very good sumo wrestler for his age? Absolutely, otherwise he wouldn't have won the Hakuho Cup. Is he as unbeatable as the news reports made him out to be? Not really, I mean he lost to Hirano Juito in a regional tournament a while back, an opponent who's one year younger and easily less than half his size.

 

#41 - Ote Sera (大手 星来)

From sons of notable sumo wrestlers, we now have younger brothers of notable sumo wrestlers. Ote Sera is the younger brother of Ote Kira, former Wanpaku quarter-finalist and Hakuho Cup runner-up. Despite being six years younger, Sera is already looking like a brighter prospect than his big bro, winning the Hakuho Cup (link to video) earlier this year, and pretty convincingly as well. He's the latest sumo talent to hail from Uto Junior Sumo Club in Kumamoto, a long line of strong rikishi that stretches all the way back to current Ozeki Shodai.

A little game: do you recognise the boy in the striped shirt in the photo below?

 

#46 - Tamiya Junki (田宮 純喜)

When it comes to famous fathers, very few in this tournament can compare to Tamiya Junki, because he just so happens to be the younger son of former Ozeki Kotomitsuki. His big brother Tamiya Aiki has already made a name for himself in amateur sumo, and now it's Junki's turn to show everyone what he's capable of. Sorry for the awkward cut-off in the photo, it's the only one I can find of him.

 

#46 - Paru Muti (パル ムティ)

There are as many as five rikishi in this tournament whose names contain katakana, that's more than any previous Wanpaku Tournament. One of them is Paru Muti from Tachikawa Renseikan, pictured here with his father. Maybe sumo has now become more popular with different communities in Japan? I mean nearby Mitaka Sumo Club has in recent years recruited the half-British kid Maro Kosho, and last year welcomed an American-like kid called Finn Aiban to their club.

 

#66 - Kodama Sosuke (児玉 想介)

Another person I've talked a lot about in this forum is multiple time national champion Kodama Hayato. His younger brother Kodama Sosuke will be making his Wanpaku debut on Sunday. Sosuke is a talented rikishi in his own right, having previously reached the final of the Hakuho Cup. However, there seems to be a trend for younger brothers to be smaller in stature compared to their older siblings (take Sosuke and Junki for example). Is this usually the case or is the sample size too small to come to any conclusions?

 

[Akinomaki 39,768]

Grade 6 Nakamura Hayato from Oshima dojo, Shizuoka, was grade 4 runner-up at the last championships 2 years ago, couldn't fight back last time because of cancellation and now is eager to get the title of wampaku yokozuna. He started sumo in the last year(s) of nursery school. http://hochi.news/articles/20211026-OHT1T51047.html

training

His dream is to become a yokozuna like Hakuho and surpass his records. As 1st grade he won at the Hakuho cup and met him at the award ceremony

o

Edited October 28, 2021 by Akinomaki

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi - Grade 6

#6 - Kinoshita Shun (木ノ下 瞬)

When given the choice, I would rather face a heavier opponent than a lighter opponent, because lighter opponents are usually much more tricky to deal with. This is especially so when that lighter opponent has years of experience in sumo, and is stronger than they look. That's the kind of rikishi Kinoshita Shun, older brother of Kinoshita Ren, is, and having done pushing practise with him two years ago, he's certainly not one to be underestimated.

 

#12 - Kanazawa Towa (金澤 永和)

Six years ago, a TV program called Guru Nai started up a sumo club called Kinboshi Sumo Club, bringing together kids from other sports in Aomori Prefecture to see how far they can go in sumo. Their youngest club member (and also the mascot) was Kanazawa Towa, who will be making his final appearance at the Wanpaku Tournament this weekend. It's like the final chapter in Kinboshi Sumo Club's story.

 

#24 - Nakamura Hayato (中村 颯斗)

Another rikishi whom news agencies have their eyes on (see @Akinomaki's post above), Nakamura Hayato is not just a contender for the championship, I'd say he's a strong favourite for the championship. Hayato has virtually no weaknesses. He's strong at pushing sumo, he's very good at timing pulls, he's got tons of techniques to choose from, and he's very good at countering his opponent's moves. And on top of all that, he studies videos (link to video) of middle school sumo, high school sumo, college sumo and Ozumo to learn from older wrestlers and try and incorporate their moves into his own arsenal.

Two years ago, Hayato was the Primary School Yokozuna and came second at the Wanpaku Tournament. This year, he's aiming for both titles.

 

#34 - Sato Iroha (佐藤 珀呂汎)

One of Hayato's main rivals is Sato Iroha from Kumamoto, the boy with the strange name (all three kanji in his first name are uncommon in names). Another member of the dominant Uto Junior Sumo Club, Iroha has reached the quarter-finals or better in every major tournament since Grade 4, but has, as yet, not been able to win one. He'll be hoping to put that right on Sunday.



 

#50 - Odaira Maki (大平 真輝)

Size isn't everything, but in sumo, size certainly does help, and especially at this level. Odaira Maki is certainly large, and strong, and is the defending Hakuho Cup champion in this year group. He'll be a tough opponent for anyone, even the likes of Hayato and Iroha.

 

#58 - Tsubaki Rui (椿 留一)

From the defending Hakuho Cup champion, we now have the defending Wanpaku Yokozuna. Two years ago, Tsubaki Rui and Nakamura Hayato contested two of the three national finals, with one win apiece. They could face each other in the final again on Sunday, which would be a great match to watch.



 

#59 - Suekawa Atsuki (末川 敦喜)

A former member of Komatsuryu Dojo (John Gunning's club), Suekawa Atsuki was an important member of their team when Komatsuryu won the National Club Championships two years ago. Atsuki did reach the Wanpaku semi-finals in 2019, but this year, he's scheduled to face Tsubaki Rui, the defending champion, in his second bout. A tough challenge for sure, but one that I'm sure he'll face head-on.

[mikawa 1,794]

Quick Comments

Grade 4 - I really wanted to see Taniyama Raizo and Hirano Juito face each other in the quarter-finals. As it turns out, they were both one bout away from making that happen. Raizo lost to a fantastic leg trip, while Enho Juito was ousted by the eventual winner, Kumamoto's Hayashi Yushin. Okinawa's Yamashiro Mahiro was the runner-up, bettering his older brother's results from previous years.

Grade 5 - It's funny that I said that Kumagai Kyuta was not unbeatable in the tournament preview, because today, he certainly was. A strong performance from start to finish means that he is now Wanpaku Yokozuna. Kumamoto's Ote Sera came second, beating his older brother's best score at this tournament.

Grade 6 - It was almost the perfect ending to the Kinboshi Sumo Club story, as Kanazawa Towa was just one win away from delivering what the club was aiming for all those years ago - Wanpaku Yokozuna. In the final, he just couldn't find a way to overcome Ishikawa's Katagiri Kyosei. Defending champion Tsubaki Rui and Kumamoto's Sato Iroha were the semi-finalists.

 

P.S. - It was amazing to see Tachikawa Renseikan do so well at this tournament. Both Paru Muti and Kinoshita Shun got as far as the quarter-finals, which were fantastic achievements.

Another P.S. - Interesting to see that due to Covid precautions, they decided to completely separate all three year groups. Normally the three year groups would be together from the quarter-final onwards, but this time around they completed all of one year group's bouts before starting another's.

Yet Another P.S. - It was also great to see them bringing back Toyoda "future monster" Rinnosuke to perform the Yokozuna dohyo-iri, the first time ever that this was done by a middle-schooler. After all, he did win this tournament when it was last held two years ago.

[Akinomaki 39,768]

2 hours ago, mikawa said:

It was also great to see them bringing back Toyoda "future monster" Rinnosuke to perform the Yokozuna dohyo-iri, the first time ever that this was done by a middle-schooler. After all, he did win this tournament when it was last held two years ago.

With Pikachu entering just before, at 20m:55s in the 6h50m stream (the jump works here:)

 

Edited October 31, 2021 by Akinomaki

[mikawa 1,794]

Full Results

Grade 4

Winner - Hayashi Yushin (林 優芯), Kumamoto

Runner-Up - Yamashiro Mahiro (山城 真優), Okinawa

Semi-Finals - Nyamuchiru Tobushinborudo (ニャムオチル トゥブシンボルド), Niigata
Semi-Finals - Hamada Akira (浜田 晃), Ishikawa

Quarter-Finals - Nakamura Genki (中村 舷喜), Ishikawa
Quarter-Finals - Kato Rinta (加藤 倫太), Ishikawa
Quarter-Finals - Takeshima Shotaro (竹嶋 章太朗), Osaka
Quarter-Finals - Maeda Ryuto (前田 琉翔), Kagoshima

 

Grade 5

Winner - Kumagai Kyuta (熊谷 毬太), Tokyo

Runner-Up - Ote Sera (大手 星来), Kumamoto

Semi-Finals - Kawarai Hayate (河原井 颯), Ibaraki
Semi-Finals - Sugama Soshin (菅間 奏心), Kagoshima

Quarter-Finals - Wakatani Natsuki (若谷 夏樹), Ehime
Quarter-Finals - Takahara Yuri (高原 悠凜), Hiroshima
Quarter-Finals - Paru Muti (パル ムティ), Tokyo
Quarter-Finals - Saito Koki (斎藤 煌生), Iwate

 

Grade 6

Winner - Katagiri Kyosei (片桐 恭晟), Ishikawa

Runner-Up - Kanazawa Towa (金澤 永和), Chiba

Semi-Finals - Sato Iroha (佐藤 珀呂汎), Kumamoto
Semi-Finals - Tsubaki Rui (椿 留一), Niigata

Quarter-Finals - Kinoshita Shun (木ノ下 瞬), Tokyo
Quarter-Finals - Kawamoto Masaya (河本 優也), Tottori
Quarter-Finals - Odaira Maki (大平 真輝), Niigata
Quarter-Finals - Yukawa Akiya (湯川 晄也), Osaka

[Inside Sport Japan 760]

On 28/10/2021 at 22:37, mikawa said:

#10 - Taira Ikko (平 一恋)

Like father, like son.

Like mother like son might be a better comparrison. 

His mom is Japan's only three-time Women's Sumo World Champion (Satomi Ishigaya) 

Her three golds are as many as all other Japanese women have combined in the individual competition.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Inside Sport Japan