48th National middle school championships 2018

[Akinomaki 40,486]

For the 2018 48th National middle school sumo championships on Aug. 18 and 19th in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, the (dohyo matsuri) Shinto ritual to pray for the safety on the dohyo took place on the 16th, performed by a real chief priest. http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/local/news/article.php?comment_id=457736&comment_sub_id=0&category_id=110

I wonder if they had some ritual at the world championships in Taiwan

 

The pairings for the 3preliminary rounds of the individuals http://www.yamaguchi-sumo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/97201e09b5045c6a65a21802597e2eae.pdf

Results will appear here (with estimated time): http://www.yamaguchi-sumo.com/sokuhou/

Edited August 17, 2018 by Akinomaki

[mikawa 1,794]

And our Middle School Yokozuna for 2018 is......

Individual Competition

Winner - Yoshii Ko (吉井 虹), Shizuoka

Runner-Up - Otsuji Riki (大辻 理紀), Hyogo

Semi-Finals - Ochiai Tetsuya (落合 哲也), Tottori
Semi-Finals - Takeda Shoichiro (竹田 章一郎), Tochigi

Quarter-Finals - Tebakari Taiki (手計 太希), Saitama
Quarter-Finals - Nagamura Akihiro (長村 晃宏), Miyazaki
Quarter-Finals - Komiyama Toa (小宮山 翔海), Tokyo
Quarter-Finals - Wakita Kotaro (脇田 晃太郎), Kagoshima

 

Team Competition

Winner - Yaizu Minato Middle School, Shizuoka

Runner-Up - Asahi Middle School, Kagoshima

Semi-Finals - Aikawa Middle School, Akita
Semi-Finals - Wakakusa Middle School, Tochigi

Quarter-Finals - Kitagata Middle School, Saga
Quarter-Finals - Kurikoma Middle School, Miyagi
Quarter-Finals - Naruwa Middle School, Ishikawa
Quarter-Finals - Minoshima Middle School, Wakayama

 

The Rise of Shizuoka

It's been a superb year for Shizuoka so far, with Takei Ginji defying all odds to win the Wanpaku 3 weeks ago, and now Yoshii Ko claiming the Middle School Yokozuna title. Yoshii was one win away from becoming Primary School Yokozuna 3 years ago, but this win more than makes up for it.

It has to be said though that the best rikishi in their year group, Kawazoe Fuma, seems to have been injured prior to this tournament, which made Yoshii's job that much easier, but take nothing away from this achievement, especially as he also helped to bring home the team title. For the spirited Ochiai Testuya however, it just wasn't to be.

So Close Yet So Far

Team favourites Kagoshima had a better showing compared to their quarter-final finish at the recent Middle School Student Championships, but it just wasn't to be. "The three musketeers of Sumiyo", as I now call them, started so well in the final, with former Wanpaku Yokozuna Hamaguchi Hayato giving them a 1-0 lead, but the aforementioned Yoshii Ko made it 1-1, and Nishika Haruto, the winner 3 weeks ago, suffered a shock defeat in the deciding bout, katasukashi was the kimarite. Shades of the 2007 Patriots about this result, as Haruto won every other bout in the team competition.

The team event this year was incredibly closely contested, every match from the quarter-finals onwards ended 2-1. Next year will most likely be a straight shootout between Team Tottori and Team Shizuoka, as Narita Rikido and Uchida Kyota renew their rivalry of old.

[Katooshu 3,221]

I hope the NHK broadcast pops up like it did for 2017. I'd like to get a better look at the middle school scene, but the amateur video coverage is heavily weighted towards collegiate and high school sumo.

Edited August 22, 2018 by Katooshu

[mikawa 1,794]

Individual Semi-Finals and Final:

Ochiai Tetsuya (落合 哲也), Tottori vs Otsuji Riki (大辻 理紀), Hyogo
Takeda Shoichiro (竹田 章一郎), Tochigi vs Yoshii Ko (吉井 虹), Shizuoka

 

Team Final - Shizuoka vs Kagoshima

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by mikawa

[mikawa 1,794]

One thing I've noticed from the videos is that Shizuoka's first team member, Shimizu, is a first year student at middle school. Looking at the full results, Shimizu actually lost all of his bouts in the team competition, which makes Shizuoka's victory all the more impressive, as this meant that Yoshii and Kuwabara had to win all their bouts, which they did.