34th Wanpaku National Championships (2018-07-29)

[mikawa 1,794]

第34回わんぱく相撲全国大会

Introduction

The Wanpaku Tournament is possibly the largest tournament in amateur sumo in terms of number of participants, with over 40,000 primary school kids from all over Japan (and parts of Mongolia) vying for a place in the Wanpaku National Championships, which is held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan end of July / start of August. Only about 400 make it to the finals, where entry is free.

The Wanpaku National Championships is the first real chance to see who has what it takes to make it in Ozumo, and who has the potential to become Makuuchi regulars, or even sanyaku regulars in the future. Size is a bigger factor at Wanpaku level compared to middle school and beyond, and as such, other aspects of their sumo provide a better indication of their future potential in Ozumo, such as skill, fighting style, power and fighting spirit.

Normally there would be about 131-135 teams from all over Japan, including a team from Mongolia, competing at this tournament. This year however, there are only 113 teams involved. One major reason for this is that 21 out of the 47 prefectures in Japan have reduced the number of teams that they send to the national championships compared to previous years, for example Kumamoto from 3 to 2, Aomori from 4 to 3 and Okinawa from 2 to 1. Maybe travel costs were a consideration? Or perhaps this was due to the flooding in Japan earlier this month?

 

The revised schedule for the day are as follows (all times are JST). There will be live streaming of the tournament on YouTube.

8:00 - Opening Ceremony (Speech from the head of the Wanpaku Organizing Committee and from the Rijicho of the Japan Sumo Association, Hakkaku-oyakata. After that, Team Osaka will be returning the Team Trophy, followed by a competitors' oath)

8:45 - Wanpaku Yokozuna dohyo-iri, featuring last year's Grade 5 Yokozuna, Fukuhara Joichiro (福原 丈一朗), and last year's Grade 4 Yokozuna, Kodama Hayato (児玉 颯飛)

9:05 - Grade 4, Rounds 1 & 2 ( 113 -> 64 -> 32 )

10:40 - Grade 5, Rounds 1 & 2 ( 113 -> 64 -> 32 )

12:15 - Grade 6, Rounds 1 & 2 ( 113 -> 64 -> 32 )

13:55 - Grade 4, Rounds 3 & 4 ( 32 -> 16 -> 8 )

14:25 - Grade 5, Rounds 3 & 4 ( 32 -> 16 -> 8 )

14:55 - Grade 6, Rounds 3 & 4 ( 32 -> 16 -> 8 )

15:45 - Grade 4, 5 & 6 Quarter-finals

16:05 - Grade 4, 5 & 6 Semi-finals

16:15 - Grade 4, 5 & 6 Final

16:20 - Wanpaku Yumitori-shiki

16:30 - Awards Ceremony for Wanpaku Yokozuna / Ozeki (runner-up) / Sekiwake (last 4) / Komusubi (last 8), and for the top 6 teams

 

Which of those kids will make it in Ozumo after they grow up is anyone's guess, but it will certainly be an exciting tournament, with bouts quickly flowing from one to the next. Expect tears, fist-pumps, a lot of nerves, and even more words of encouragement shouted from the stands. I will be listing the ones to watch out for later this week, on Wednesday or Thursday.

Edited July 26, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

As part of the build-up for this year's tournament on Sunday, here are photos of 10 rikishi who were in Makuuchi this past basho, back when they competed at the Wanpaku National Championships many years ago. How many can you recognise?

Rikishi #1

 

Rikishi #2

 

Rikishi #3

 

Rikishi #4

 

Rikishi #5

 

Rikishi #6

 

Rikishi #7

 

Rikishi #8

 

Rikishi #9

 

Rikishi #10

 

Answers:

Spoiler

1. Daishomaru
2. Goeido
3. Ikioi
4. Kagayaki
5. Meisei
6. Mitakeumi
7. Onosho
8. Takakeisho
9. Tochiozan
10. Yutakayama

 

Edited July 24, 2018 by mikawa

[Akinomaki 40,486]

Not at that tournament, but since it was today in the papers ...

as he started sumo in 4th grade

o

Spoiler

Asanoyama

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi (Grade 4)

For the kids in Grade 4, this is their first time competing at the Wanpaku National Championships, so not much is known about them at this point. However, taking into account their results in other competitions (the Hakuho Cup being the main source for information), here are some names to watch out for in the Grade 4 competition (the numbers represent their order of appearance):

 

#1 Kasugai Masahiro (春日井 雅大), Gifu

The only thing known about him is that Kasugai Masahiro reached the semi-finals at this year's Hakuho Cup, and hails from Gifu. Kids from Gifu are usually technically sound, remember Yuki the Genius?

 

#20 Ogasawara Kosuke (小笠原 広祐), Aomori

Ogasawara Kosuke was also a semi-finalist at this year's Hakuho Cup, where he was part of Team Aminishiki. He qualified by winning the Aomori qualifiers, which is in itself a good indication of his level of sumo.

 

#24 Abe Shotaro (阿部 将太郎), Tokyo

He was part of Team Setagaya who finished in third place at the Tokyo qualifiers, earning him a place at the national championships. Abe Shotaro is a member of Komatsuryu Dojo, John Gunning's club.

 

#61 Aoki Kanta (青木 貫太), Shizuoka

A member of Yaizu Junior Sumo Club in Shizuoka, Aoki Kanta was runner-up at this year's Hakuho Cup.

 

#79 Tsurumi Yusei (鶴見 優聖), Tokyo

Tsurumi is a member of Tachikawa Renseikan Sumo Dojo, and qualified by coming second in the Tokyo qualifiers. I've seen him twice at keiko over the past couple of years, where he has been very impressive for someone his size.

 

#112 Tamiya Aiki (田宮 愛喜), Niigata

Definitely keep an eye on this kid, as he is none other than the son of former Ozeki Kotomitsuki. As far as former rikishi's descendents go, their best result at wanpaku is second place, achieved by Taiho's grandson Naya and by Tokitsukaze-oyakata's sons, Hirokazu and Shoma. We'll see if Aiki can go one step further.

Edited July 26, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi (Grade 5)

More information is available for those in Grade 5, who are aiming to better their results from last year's Wanpaku Tournament (or in the case of Kodama Hayato, to repeat their result from last year). Here are some names to watch out for in the Grade 5 competition (as before, the numbers represent their order of appearance):

 

#32 Ogawa Yuto (小川 悠人), Kanagawa

If Tachikawa have Tsurumi Yusei, then Mitaka have Ogawa Yuto. He is very good for someone his size, though luck did play its part in Yuto qualifying this year, as the kid who beat him in the final of the Kawasaki qualifiers dropped out for some reason.

 

#47 Kobayashi Umeta (小林 梅太), Kumamoto

He was only one win away from becoming Wanpaku Yokozuna last year, and qualified for the finals this year in place of Kuraoka Yuta, last year's Primary School Yokozuna. Umeta is part of a long line of very good rikishi from Kumamoto, but the draw this year has not been kind for him, as his second bout may well be against the defending champion.

 

#49 Kodama Hayato (児玉 颯飛), Tokyo

And here is the defending champion himself, Kodama Hayato. He was one win away from completing the treble last year, and the only opponents to have gotten the better of him in 2017, Kuraoka Yuta and Mashiko Takuya, have both failed to qualify for the national championships. He is undoubtedly the favourite going into Sunday's tournament, though Kobayashi Umeta won't easy to beat, and neither will Yamashita Masakiyo, whom we will be introducing soon.

 

#73 Nakazawa Musashi (中澤 睦士), Tokyo

This is Musashi's first appearance at the Wanpaku National Championships, though he did get to the quarter-finals of last year's Primary School Championships. "Mu-chan", as the others at Komatsuryu Dojo call him, has been getting better these past couple of years, and could potentially set up an all-Komatsuryu clash in the last 16, though this would be difficult.

 

#73 Yoshioka Ryudai (吉岡 竜大), Chiba

You've seen "Mu-chan" above, now meet "Ryu-chan". He doesn't usually say anything more than what's necessary (in my interviews last year, his answers were always the shortest), Ryudai just lets his sumo do the talking.

 

#100 Yamashita Masakiyo (山下 正清), Kagoshima

Masakiyo is definitely Kodama Hayato's biggest threat on Sunday. Although he has not yet won a national tournament, Masakiyo has been gradually getting better and better and better, and very nearly beat Kodama at this year's Hakuho Cup (the bout was so close that it had to go to a mono-ii). Kodama has beaten him in each of the last 3 major tournaments, all at the semi-final stage, so Masakiyo will be hoping that he has better luck this time. Oh, and did I mention that his older brother Yamashita Shosuke is a 2-time Wanpaku Yokozuna?

Edited July 26, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Notable Rikishi (Grade 6)

For those in Grade 6, this is their last chance to win the Wanpaku Tournament. Here are some names to watch out for in the Grade 6 competition (as before, the numbers represent their order of appearance):

 

#13 Fukuzaki Maaru (福崎 真逢輝), Kagoshima

Amami Oshima has produced many talented rikishi over the years, and Fukuzaki is no exception. His sumo is very solid, and this year has a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

 

#22 Nishijima Yura (西島 悠来), Chiba

Of all the contenders in this year group, Nishijima Yura has the biggest build. Yura is the defending Primary School Yokozuna and 4-time Hakuho Cup winner, but his exploits in the Wanpaku Tournament is somewhat less impressive, and most likely won't be able to get too far this year, as he is scheduled to face Fukuhara Joichiro in the last 16, who is not only the 2-time defending Wanpaku Yokozuna, but is also someone whom Yura has faced at each of the last 2 Wanpaku Tournaments, and lost.

 

#26 Fukuhara Joichiro (福原 丈一朗), Ehime

Our 2-time Wanpaku Yokozuna and the favourite to win it this year. Fukuhara Joichiro is shorter than his rivals, but he is very very skilled, and knows exactly how to get an advantage in his bouts. The 3-peat is certainly possible, but it won't be easy by any means.

 

#31 Yamamoto Juzo (山本 十蔵), Kyoto

Yamamoto Juzo has been a name that has come up pretty regularly over the past couple of years, and his results has been very good most of the time. His record at Wanpaku has not been as good as in other tournaments, but that's mainly due to the fact that he has come up against very strong opposition, as early as his first bout. Probably a last 16 finish for him on Sunday, as someone very good is standing in his way.

 

#41 Jo Koki (城 皓貴), Osaka

There is usually one bout in the first round of Wanpaku that catches the eye, and this year it's Jo Koki vs Sugimoto Chitose. Koki was a Wanpaku quarter-finalist last year, but it's a very big ask against someone as good as Chitose, Koki just doesn't have the skills necessary to win a bout like this.

 

#42 Sugimoto Chitose (杉本 智斗勢), Wakayama

Chitose qualified for this year's Wanpaku Tournament as the second best rikishi in Wakayama. This may not sound too impressive, but considering that Nishide Daiki (former Primary School Yokozuna) and Nakanishi Kaishin (3-time Hakuho Cup runner-up) are both from Wakayama, and are both in this year group, that's some feat. Wakayama only has 2 qualifying spots, and this year the unlucky one is Nakanishi. Chitose's record in Wanpaku appears to be very inconsistent, as he was runner-up in grade 4 and went out in his first bout in grade 5, but that's because last year he had to face the defending champion, Fukuhara Joichiro, very very early on. Chitose is definitely a contender this year.

 

#45 Takei Ginji (武井 銀士), Shizuoka

He has a bit of a rivalry going on with the aforementioned Yamamoto Juzo, beating him at last year's Wanpaku Tournament, but ultimately finishing just behind Juzo in last year's grade 5 banzuke. A repeat quarter-final performance is certainly possible, but like Juzo, he would then have to most likely face Chitose, and that's going to be tough.

 

#47 Mizusawa Tomonori (水澤 知紀), Niigata

If there was a Fighting Spirit Prize at last year's Wanpaku Tournament, then it most certainly would have gone to Mizusawa Tomonori. He suffered an injury in his opening bout (against Hirano Shurato of all people) and had to be carried away on a stretcher, but he came back, battled through the injury, and put in a very strong performance to reach the quarter-finals. Is he good enough to beat Takei Ginji will be the question on Sunday.

 

#83 Nakano Kanato (仲野 奏人), Fukui

There's not actually much to say about Kanato, except that he reached the quarter-finals at both of his previous wanpaku outings. The draw has been kind to him, but maybe that would not be giving him enough credit, as Kanato did beat Nakanishi Kaishin last year. Looking at how this year's draw has worked out, Kanato has a good chance of reaching the semi-finals.

 

#86 Ueno Kyosuke (上野 響哉), Tokyo

Kyosuke didn't qualify for the Wanpaku Tournament in grade 4, but shocked everyone with a second-place finish last year. He's big, but that's about it.

 

#86 Hirano Shurato (平野 修良斗), Kanagawa

Twice I've cheered him on at the Wanpaku Tournament, twice he's lost in his first bout. Shurato's sumo is very intelligent, but his lack of height has sometimes been a hindrance, and one of his coaches has commented that Shurato needs more fighting spirit. His first round losses have been at the hands of Tanji Jun, a Hakuho Cup semi-finalist, and Mizusawa Tomonori, so not exactly the easiest of opponents. I'm hoping to see him win his first bout this year, fingers crossed.

 

#97 Nishide Daiki (西出 大毅), Wakayama

Former Primary School Yokozuna Nishide Daiki has to be a joint favourite this year, he's just that good, and winning this year's Wakayama qualifiers is a statement in itself. Daiki is very strong, and is probably the second most skilled rikishi in his year group (just behind Fukuhara Joichiro), so watch this space.

 

#98 Nyamochir Turbold, Chiba

He's not appeared at any other tournament previously, but I have included him because of one thing - his surname is Turbold. Yep, that's exactly the same as Baasansuren Turbold, aka Mitoryu, the first ever non-Japanese rikishi to become Amateur Yokozuna. Are they related to each other? Maybe.

 

#100 Samejima Hikaru (鮫島 輝), Saitama

Hikaru is a member of Iruma Junior Sumo Club, where there's a tradition of bowing to the judges before they step onto the dohyo, and after their bout ends, so that's something to watch out for. Also, he plays go (probably).

 

#103 Usuda Tetsuro (臼田 哲朗), Aichi

Fukuhara Joichiro won 2 of the past 3 national tournaments. The only tournament he didn't win was last year's Primary School Championships, and that was thanks to Usuda Tetsuro. His sumo is very solid, and will be a contender on Sunday.

Edited July 26, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

BREAKING NEWS

The Wanpaku Organizing Committee have posted the following statement today on their website:

"We would like to thank everyone for your continued support and co-operation.

Regarding the 34th Wanpaku National Championships on Sunday, we have received warning of Typhoon Jongdari approaching Japan this weekend. The safety of the competitors, their families and their team leaders are of the utmost importance, and so we are studying whether or not to let the tournament go ahead.

For the safety of everyone involved, we may have to make changes to the tournament schedule, and in the worst case scenario, may even have to postpone the tournament if necessary.

Please check back tomorrow (Friday) for any updates on the situation."

Edited July 26, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

UPDATE

The Wanpaku Organising Committee have assessed the situation, and have decided that Sunday’s tournament WILL GO AHEAD.

However, they have also stated that the schedule may change depending on the situation on the day.

Edited July 27, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

The full tournament report is on its way, but first, here are the videos of today's bouts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PZpbn58zIQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljLDqksB24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUZKrcMsS4

[mikawa 1,794]

World Cup Fever in the Kokugikan

Reading the title, you may be wondering what does the world cup that ended some time ago have to do with sumo? Well, there were quite a few football (or if you prefer, soccer) jerseys that were visible in the Kokugikan today (Japan and Spain for example), but that's not exactly why I chose to begin the report with this title.

Rather, like this year's world cup, today's Wanpaku Tournament was full of surprises, full of firsts, and had the same passionate atmosphere. Compared to the 16 other Wanpakus that I've seen, today's tournament had:

• The most number of mono-iis
• The most number of isami-ashis
• The most number of shock results
• The most cool way of winning a bout

Seriously, have you ever seen a rikishi executing a throw so well that his opponent literally flew up and over their shoulder and out of the dohyo?

However, today's tournament also had:

• The most number of fusenshos (winning by default)
• The most number of injuries
• The most number of injuries that required the injured to be carried away on a stretcher (twice by my count)

Also, the announcer sure had some fun today trying to pronounce the names of the Mongolians

So, let's start with the Grade 4s.

Edited July 29, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Making a Name for Themselves

Like what usually happens with the grade 4s, the Wanpaku Tournament is the first chance we have to see who's who in a particular year group, (the Hakuho Cup only gives us a glimpse). Of the notable rikishis mentioned, two of them reached the quarter-finals and beyond, one of whom (Ogasawara Kosuke) even made it to the final. At the start of the final, Kosuke threw the salt so far that it ended up all over his opponent, Shigemura Konosuke. Instead of retaliating and throwing his salt onto Kosuke, Shigemura Konosuke instead threw it to the center of the dohyo, and then proceeded to get his own back by winning the bout, though he did get reprimanded for a fist pump.

For Aoki Kanta however, the quarter-final was as far as he could get, as he too lost to Shigemura Konosuke. One may say that Kanta was lucky to get that far, as he won his last 16 bout by a whisker. That bout could easily have gone to his opponent, Nakamura Hiromi, who in my opinion had the stand-out performance in Grade 4 today. And Kasugai Masahiro? Thanks for coming, see you next year.

 

What's in a Name?

Remember Tamiya Aiki, the son of former Kotomitsuki? He started well enough, and has shown good strength in his bouts, but his sumo, at least at the moment, can be described as being a bit naive, not being quick enough to react to his opponent's counters. Secound round is the result for his Wanpaku debut, we'll see how he does in December at the Primary School Championships.

 

There's only So Much you Can Do

Aiki's performance was a stark (your game of thrones reference for the day) contrast to that of the much smaller Tsurumi Yusei, who outwitted 2 opponents today to reach the last 32. However, against a strong oshi-attack, there's really not much a small rikishi like him could do, and so Yusei was quickly pushed out. This was exactly what happened with Ogawa Yuto in Grade 5 also.

 

Grade 4 Results

Winner - Shigemura Konosuke (重村 鴻之介), Kagoshima

Runner-Up - Ogasawara Kosuke (小笠原 広祐), Aomori

Semi-Finals - Hiraga Eita (平賀 瑛大), Mie
Semi-Finals - Takezawa Hikaru (竹澤 光), Saitama

Quarter-Finals - Jige Ruiki (寺家 琉唯輝), Oita
Quarter-Finals - Kato Dogo (加藤 道悟), Hyogo
Quarter-Finals - Aoki Kanta (青木 貫太), Shizuoka
Quarter-Finals - Otawa Yu (大田和 優), Ibaraki

Edited August 5, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Go is a Two-Player Game

In the anime Hikaru no Go, Kuwabara-sensei made this comment when referring to the rivalry between Hikaru Shindo and Akira Toya, saying that each spurs (your NBA reference for the day) the other on, getting ever closer to the Divine Move.

For Kodama Hayato, our defending champion in Grade 5, this was exactly what happened when he had the 1-year older Yamashita Toma as a sparring partner, each pushing the other to improve. However, Toma has not attended keiko for over a year now, at least not on a remotely regular basis, and we could see the effects of this today. Whilst Hayato still had the strongest arm in his year group, his sumo has not improved as much as his rivals.

This was first evident when he was being out-sumo'd in his second bout by Kobayashi Umeta, last year's finalist. Hayato was able to rescue himself in that bout with a left-handed sukuinage, a throw so strong that Umeta lost his balance and fell down, but the cracks had begun to show.

This was taken full advantage of in his quarter-final against Sakamoto Ryo, who threw Hayato to the ground before he had a chance to active his Poké Power, I mean use his arm strength. Hayato was visibly distraught with this loss, as would be the case with anyone who wants to win as much as he does.

 

It's Yours to Lose

My immediately thought after Hayato's loss was that it's Yamashita Masakiyo's to lose now, especially when Kuraoka Yuta failed to qualify. Masakiyo didn't disappoint, as he went on to win the tournament comfortably. This is the first time in the Wanpaku Tournament's history that 2 siblings both become Yokozuna during their time, guess Yamashita Shosuke no longer has the bragging rights at home now right?

Speaking of, Shosuke was wearing his club jersey today, on which was the quote "稽古で泣いて試合で笑うばい", which roughly translates to "practise so hard that it makes you cry, it will be worth it when you smile after a match (as the winner)", which I think sums up sumo training pretty well.

 

The Derby that Didn't Happen

Well, it nearly did. Yoshioka Ryudai (i.e. "Ryu-chan") held up his end of the bargain by reaching the last 16, causing a major upset along the way to oust last year's semi-finalist Otani Natsuki. Like I say, Yudai lets his sumo do the talking. Nakazawa Musashi (i.e. "Mu-chan") nearly made it happen, but Nishimura Kazuma proved too much for him in the last 32. Kazuma would go on to beat Ryudai in his next bout to reach the quarter-finals at his first attempt. When asked about what he thought about his sumo today, Ryudai's reply was "悔しい" (disappointed), answered in true Ryudai fashion.

This was Komatsuryu Dojo's only results of note today, as Abe Shotaro lost in his first bout. Incidentally, Nishimura Kazuma would go on to lose his quarter-final bout to Okuda Soma, who had one of the performances of the tournament.

 

Grade 5 Results

Winner - Yamashita Masakiyo (山下 正清), Kagoshima

Runner-Up - Sakamoto Ryo (坂本 遼), Kochi

Semi-Finals - Furukawa Yuto (古川 勇斗), Fukuoka
Semi-Finals - Okuda Soma (奥田 蒼真), Osaka

Quarter-Finals - Otogonbato Baasandoruji (オトゴンバト バーサンドルジ), Mongolia
Quarter-Finals - Kodama Hayato (児玉 颯飛), Tokyo
Quarter-Finals - Nishimura Kazuma (西村 和真), Kyoto
Quarter-Finals - Inoue Taiga (井上 泰我), Kumamoto

Edited August 5, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

Anyone can be Killed

In the words of a young Arya Stark, or in this case, be defeated. However, this was something which has never happened to Fukuhara Joichiro at the Wanpaku Tournament, until now that is. Our 2-time defending champion looked to be well on track for a third successive title when he got utchari'd. As I may (or may not) have mentioned before, Joichiro has very strong arms and is very good at knowing what to do in his bouts, but it seems that his biggest weakness is his leg strength, as he has now lost to an utchari twice within a year.

However, Joichiro did perform a simply marvellous yokozuna dohyo-iri today, it was really elegant.

 

What Could Have Been

With Joichiro losing so early and with Sugimoto Chitose AND Yamamoto Juzo going out at the same stage, the Grade 6 competition seemed destined for a Nishijima Yura - Nishide Daiki final, as both were on very good form today. Daiki especially with the way he dealt with the big Ueno Kyosuke and the strong Usuda Tetsuro in succussive bouts, both fiercely fought. But instead of a Yura-Nishide final, we instead ended up with a Takei Ginji - Hayashi Rei final, with both semi-finals yielding shock results. Ginji, who came through a mono-ii earlier in the day against Mizusawa Tomonori, won the musubi-no-ichiban to cap off a wild wild day, almost as wild as the storm that battered Tokyo yesterday afternoon and in the early hours of this morning.

 

Always the Same

Remember when I mentioned that Nakano Kanato "reached the quarter-finals at both of his previous wanpaku outings"? Well guess what? He finished in the quarter-finals again this year as well. It seems that Kanato is, by hook or by crook, always able to find a way to get to the last 8, even having to rely on an isami-ashi today to get past his Mongolian opponent. But once he gets there, the occasion appears to suddenly dawn on him, and his sumo becomes utterly clueless. Okay, maybe that was a bit strong, but both last year and this year I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do. In both cases, he didn't do anything of note in the bout.

 

Third Time's a Charm

Two years ago I hoped to see Hirano Shurato win a bout at the Wanpaku Tournament, that didn't happen. One year ago I hoped to see Hirano Shurato win a bout at the Wanpaku Tournament, that too didn't happen. Even his friends and family's good luck messages (every Wanpaku Tournament has this segment) say pretty much the same thing: "全国で一勝" (win a bout at the National Championships). So you can imagine how excited I was (I was like Yes! Yes! Yes! with added fist pumps) to see Shurato finally breaking his Wanpaku curse and won, not only one, but two bouts today. His strategy later on against the much bigger Ueno Kyosuke was spot on (keeping his distance, moving around the dohyo and trying to get a hatakikomi), but he just didn't have enough strength to pull if off before he stepped out.

On a side note, who do you think he supported when his Zama-city team-mate faced his Tachikawa Renseikan club-mate today?

 

Grade 6 Results

Winner - Takei Ginji (武井 銀士), Shizuoka

Runner-Up - Hayashi Rei (林 玲), Nagano

Semi-Finals - Nishijima Yura (西島 悠来), Chiba
Semi-Finals - Nishide Daiki (西出 大毅), Wakayama

Quarter-Finals - Kuroda Soma (黒田 颯真), Tokyo
Quarter-Finals - Sumida Taichi (住田 太智), Kochi
Quarter-Finals - Nakano Kanato (仲野 奏人), Fukui
Quarter-Finals - Usuda Tetsuro (臼田 哲朗), Aichi

Edited August 5, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

And One More Thing

Here are the team standings from today's tournament:

1st - Kochi Team, Kochi
2nd - Amami Oshima Team, Kagoshima
3rd - Kyoto Team, Kyoto
4th - Shizuoka Green Tea Team, Shizuoka
5th - Nagano A Team, Nagano
6th - Tsugaru Team, Aomori

Edited July 29, 2018 by mikawa

[Akinomaki 40,486]

On 7/29/2018 at 15:38, mikawa said:

Grade 6 Results

Winner - Takei Ginji (武井 銀士), Shizuoka

Runner-Up - Hayashi Rei (林 玲), Nagano

The Hayashi twins Rei and Ryu yesterday made a courtesy call to the mayor of their hometown Okaya-city. Rei (right) could report his national runner-up result, Ryu had lost in the first round. The trophies are from the regional Hokuriku-Shinetsu 北信越 tournament on July. 22nd, Rei had won the 6th grade, Ryu was 3rd - http://www.sumo-ishikawa.or.jp/com/pdf/20180722.pdf (at the bottom)

Ryu pledged: "To get rid of the frustration from wampaku sumo, I want us brothers to contest the yusho both at the HokuShinetsu and the national tournaments." http://www.nagano-np.co.jp/articles/36949

Edit:

The national tournament is now in one complete video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ8JGA8IpR4

Edited August 9, 2018 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,486]

5 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Edit:

The national tournament is now in one complete video

it's just the other 3 videos put together into 1 slightly less quality video, same jumps, same missing audio - before I delete it, I want to point out the part with the kensho parade of this year's tournament sponsors (I had kept only that part and the 2 doyho-iri from the original video - wrongly titled to next year's tournament - and forgot the positions) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ8JGA8IpR4&t=57m17s

Another comment I didn't make then: no.2 Oguruma was there for the NSK instead of wampaku tournament honorary president Hakkaku, and made one opening address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ8JGA8IpR4&t=46m

[Akinomaki 40,486]

Now separate (and complete) videos for each age group have begun to appear on the wampaku sumo tournament channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz2at4QxHfxvT6IVFhSpemg/videos - with on screen wampaku rikishi data

1st&2nd rounds for 4th - 5th - 6th year  -  3rd&4th rounds for 4th - 5th - 6th year

Qf - finals

TBS Sunday Morning today had a 2 min spot about the tournament https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIgYLz-_aSc&t=65m2s

with focus on 5th year Yamashita - as the 2nd wampaku yokozuna in the family

Edited August 13, 2018 by Akinomaki