mikawa

Our Middle School Yokozuna for 2021 is - Nishide Daiki (西出 大毅)! Individual Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBzNCTmElhA&t=18566s Team Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBzNCTmElhA&t=8978s

From what I've seen, the coaches definitely know the strengths of the wrestlers in their clubs, especially when there are a lot more training sessions at high school level and above. The team order that they decide on most likely has quite a bit of thought put into it, with each school having their own strategies.

Individual Competition Winner - Ochiai Tetsuya (落合 哲也), Tottori Johoku High School Runner-Up - Omori Yasuhiro (大森 康弘), Kanazawa Gakuin High School Semi-Finals - Sosorkhuu, Tottori Johoku High School Semi-Finals - Fujita Kazuto (藤田 一翔), Sanbongi Agriculture High School Quarter-Finals - Tamura Riku (田村 吏玖), Minoshima High School Quarter-Finals - Kawazoe Fuma (川副 楓馬), Buntoku High School Quarter-Finals - Takahashi Toma (高橋 透真), Kiso Seiho High School Quarter-Finals - Shino Yuma (篠 侑磨), Kanazawa Gakuin High School Team Competition Winner - Tottori Johoku High School, Ehime Runner-Up - Kanazawa Gakuin High School, Ishikawa Semi-Finals - Minoshima High School, Wakayama Semi-Finals - Hiryu High School, Shizuoka Quarter-Finals - Buntoku High School, Kumamoto Quarter-Finals - Kagoshima Commercial High School, Kagoshima Quarter-Finals - Saitama Sakae High School, Saitama Quarter-Finals - Takaoka Koryo High School, Toyama

And here's a video showing the team final between Kanazawa Gakuin High School and Tottori Johoku High School. Interesting that Tottori chose to field their best wrestler Ochiai in the third position. It's like they're saying: if we go 2-0 up, he can get us across the line; if we're at 1-1, he can put us into a winning position; if we are 2-0 down, he can start off our comeback. In any case, their strategy worked, as Tottori won their first Inter-High team competition in five years, and their fourth overall. Since the graduation of their national champions Kusano Naoya and Hanaoka Masaki, Kumamoto Buntoku are no longer as strong a contender as they used to be in recent years, and had a Top 8 finish in this tournament. On the other hand, it will take traditional powerhouse Saitama Sakae about 3 more years to return to the top, once they enlist the likes of Kodama Hayato and Toyoda Rinnosuke.

Below is a video showing the semi-final bouts of Sosorkhuu vs Omori and of Fujita vs Ochiai, followed by the final between Omori and Ochiai. "Unstoppable" is definitely the right word to describe Ochiai. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that he is one of the strongest High School sumo wrestlers of all time. If Hokuseiho's 21-0 start to his Ozumo career made everyone excited about future talents, just think what Ochiai might accomplish if he decides to turn pro. After all, Ochiai, who is a Tottori kohai of Hokuseiho, is much stronger and far more talented.

Comments Congratulations to Shino Soma from Ishikawa for taking the championship. His strategy of staying low and pushing off-belt worked like a treat, and when that didn't seem like such a good idea, like in the semi-final against the much taller Samejima "the Shark" Hikaru from Saitama, he just went inside and pulled off a throw. All in all, a good day's work from him. Speaking of, Samejima Hikaru was part of the Iruma Junior Sumo Club team who won back-to-back national club championships a few years ago. His senpai Kamiyama Ryuichi (Tochikamiyama), a former Middle School Yokozuna, is currently battling in upper Makushita. Nice to see that the big names from Wanpaku, such as Nishide Daiki, Yamamoto Juzo and Fukuhara Joichiro are still in contention three years on. Juzo looks even slimmer than he used to be. Over in the team competition, Team Wakayama (who are basically Team Wakayama Junior Sumo Club) came out on top in the final against Team Tokyo (who are basically Team Komatsuryu Dojo). The two club rivals in the photo above, Nakanishi Kaishin and Nishide Daiki, already made a formidable team. With another big name in Usuda Tetsuro as well, they will be a very difficult team to beat. Team Tokyo certainly had a good shot at them, but Saito Chugo and Suekawa Atsuki, former club-mates at Komatsuryu Dojo, couldn't quite get the job done in the final. Wonder if Saito Chugo, who is the son of Kabutoyama-oyakata, will join Ozumo sometime in the future?

Individual Competition Winner - Shino Soma (篠 宗磨), Ishikawa Runner-Up - Fujimura Takasaburo (藤村 隆三郎), Fukuoka Semi-Finals - Nishide Daiki (西出 大毅), Wakayama Semi-Finals - Samejima Hikaru (鮫島 輝), Saitama Quarter-Finals - Nishimura Kazuma (西村 和真), Tottori Quarter-Finals - Yamamoto Juzo (山本 十蔵), Mie Quarter-Finals - Saito Chugo (齋藤 忠剛), Tokyo Quarter-Finals - Fukuhara Joichiro (福原 丈一朗), Ehime Team Competition Winner - Team Wakayama Runner-Up - Team Tokyo Semi-Finals - Team Tottori Semi-Finals - Team Ishikawa Quarter-Finals - Team Kagoshima Quarter-Finals - Team Osaka Quarter-Finals - Team Niigata Quarter-Finals - Team Gifu

Due to the Kokugikan Stadium currently being occupied by Olympic Boxing, this tournament took place today in Sakai City in Osaka. Ohama Park Sumo Arena in Sakai City is basically the Kokugikan of Kansai, at least for amasumo tournaments. Although the Middle School Yokozuna title is NOT up for grabs in this tournament, it does give a good indication of what might happen in a month's time, when the wrestlers will be going for Yokozuna. Here's the full video of the event today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTMHybWSqqw

Congrats to Terunofuji for making it to Yokozuna, and for Hakuho, at least one Yusho in 16 CONSECUTIVE years? That's simply remarkable

Class of 2018: 23 - Ito Yasuki (伊藤 寧), Saitama He's always been bulky, and did get a victory over Hanaoka Masaki (the best in their year group) in a Hakuho Cup once via yorikiri, but not much else to say about him.

https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202105230001508.html?mode=all According to this article, Terunofuji's comeback can be partly attributed to the story of Yoshiki Fuse, whose sumo achievements in spite of his disability helped give Terunofuji the courage to overcome his injuries and battle his way back to Makuuchi. Here's a video that Akinomaki shared in the Amasumo section that tells the story of Yoshiki Fuse:

Thanks for sharing the video. It seems that not only have Kashiwa recruited Kodama, but also his long-time rival Mashiko Takuya as well. And now with the addition of Toyoda Rinnosuke, their middle school cohort for the next couple of years is looking very strong, certainly strong enough to win some national titles.

After that hairpull and that loss against Endo, it would have been mentally difficult for Terunofuji to get over this basho if he didn't get the Yusho, so I'm glad that he won the play-off today.

A double inside grip against Terunofuji is just asking for a loss by kimedashi

There's a lot of promise with this roster, looking forward to see how they do in the future

This video should answer your question:

Shocked to hear of his passing, rest in peace Hibikiryu.

Sibling Yokozuna Location - Ashikita Regional Community Center (芦北町地域交流センター), Ashikita, Kumamoto Keiko - Tuesdays to Sundays (from 6pm) A new club by amateur sumo standards (founded in 2001), JKA Treasure Club are located in a sporting complex within the town of Ashikita, where other sports like swimming, kendo, golf, tennis and bowling are also practised. They are coached by Honda Takanori (本田 貴紀), who was a club-mate of Endo back at Nihon University. They are probably the second best sumo club in Kumamoto (behind multiple-time Hakuho Cup champions Uto Junior Sumo Club). Known for their strictness and hard work (very few sumo clubs below high school level have keiko six days a week), JKA Treasure Club came to everyone's attention when their were featured on Guru Nai (ぐるナイ) 's "Kinboshi Sumo Club" series, with whom a joint keiko session was held. JKA Treasure Club's most distinguishing feature is that they have a 120-step staircase just outside their building, which they use for their unique workout - the "120-step dash". During this workout, club members have to run all the way from the bottom of this staircase to the top, and they have to do this non-stop. "It is painful" they have commented, "I don't really like it". However, tough training leads to strong bodies, and no one in the club is stronger than the Yamashita brothers, Shosuke and Masakiyo, both of whom are national champions. They are the first, and so far only, sibling Yokozuna in Wanpaku Tournament history. We'll talk about each of them in depth during the "Class of 2021" and Class of 2023" posts, but for now, here's a video of the time when the Yamashita siblings were interviewed by Kagoshima's Izumi TV: With not one but TWO national champions in their ranks, JKA Treasure Club went into the team competition at last year's 10th Hakuho Cup with high hopes of bringing home the team title. Below is the video of their semi-final match against Shizuoka's Yaizu Junior Sumo Club, with JKA Treasure Club on the left: The final beckons, where they face Terada Dojo from Iwate Prefecture. JKA Treasure Club are on the right: Despite this result, it was a great tournament for JKA Treasure Club, and they will surely produce more and more talented and strong wrestlers in the future.

Yamashita Shosuke may or may not be academically able, but that's what sumo is there for right? To provide an alternative path to high school and university. Besides, you don't have to look far to find examples of sumo wrestlers who have very good grades. Take Kawazoe Fuma for instance, who has the same physique as Shosuke and is also from Kumamoto. He's fourth in his entire year. Time to write the next post in the "Featured Club / Dojo" series (JKA Treasure Club), which Shosuke (and his brother) are part of. And Andy from Tachiai, if you ever see this, Shosuke's 15 by the way.

正真 Shoma

Otsukare-sama deshita!

Yes he is

A short video introducing Kumagai Kyuta (熊谷 毬太), Komatsuryu Dojo's latest Hakuho Cup champion. He was part of the Komatsuryu team which won the National Club Championships back in October 2019.

He's the current chairman of the Kanazawa City Sumo Federation, explains why he's holding a fan in one of the photos that has "Kanazawa City" written on it.

Yoshiki Fuse is now one of the coaches at Mitaka Sumo Club