Zenchu Sumo ends 2026 - National middle school championships

[Akinomaki 40,790]

The National middle school championships (zenchu) won't have sumo any-more from 2027 on. The reason is the drop in the number of athletes. Same goes for 8 other sports. The zenchu started in 1979.

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To still have a middle school yokozuna, another event has to take over.

[Akinomaki 40,790]

A report from FNN about the decision to ruin sumo for the future - from the Kashiwa sumo juniors club Hakurikikai. The coach and rijicho of the Kashiwa sumo federation thinks that in 10-20 years there will no sumo at all any-more, because kids won't start with it without a stage to perform. Parents are annoyed that the officials destroy the dreams of their kids. http://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/711998

The decision is based on the percentage of club participation at schools: those with 10% or more are kept, those below scrapped: sumo has only 1% - among boys. A young professor from Nagoya university is delighted about this: teachers don't want to do the necessary extra work for minor sports.

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the pro-guy interviewed

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Edited June 16, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,790]

Complaints go on - next from Itoigawa: Kayo at the visit to Kaiyo high commented about his aim of winning at the zenchu while at the local Nou middle school: "I don't want to have it disappear." The main coach of the Kaiyo high sumo club worries about an even greater drop in the number of athletes doing sumo, the head of the club: "I think it's the most important tournament in middle school"

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The minister of Education etc. wants to work for the continuation

o o o o o o o o

On 14/06/2024 at 14:06, Akinomaki said:

The multiparty Diet members caucus demanding development of ozumo held a meeting today in the National Diet - they react to scandals 

They discussed the penalty for Hakuho

The ozumo development  caucus apparently sees this as a scandal as well - they agreed that it's ridiculous to remove sumo, the kokugi.

Edited June 16, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Gurowake 4,107]

There's still the Hakuho Cup for middle school, right?

[Akinomaki 40,790]

13 minutes ago, Gurowake said:

There's still the Hakuho Cup for middle school, right?

Right, but it never will get the status of awarding the title middle school yokozuna - and it is totally out of usual schedule, in February. There are also the national prefectures middle school student sumo championships - that may be the one to take over.

[Akinomaki 40,790]

On 16/06/2024 at 20:58, Akinomaki said:

There are also the national prefectures middle school student sumo championships - that may be the one to take over.

The latest article give this, the 2nd biggest national middle school tournament as the one to merge the zenchu sumo event into. Other sports may get a substitute tournament.

o

The zenchu corresponds to the Interhigh, the national prefectures tournament to the kokutai juniors for high school students. This event would need a 2nd team competition for schools then.

Edit: Recently there is talk to abolish the kokutai, prefectures may think it to be too costly

Edited June 18, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,790]

21 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

On 16/06/2024 at 20:58, Akinomaki said:

There are also the national prefectures middle school student sumo championships - that may be the one to take over.

The latest article give this, the 2nd biggest national middle school tournament as the one to merge the zenchu sumo event into.

The sumo federation has given up on the zenchu: "Shikata nai" if the teachers don't want to do it any-more o - there is no reason though then to do it for any sport, the whole zenchu should be abolished

Like generally for the national tournaments, there are preliminary local and block tournaments, which with preparations cover the whole season till the zenchu.

They don't want to create a new tournament, instead make the existing so far minor ones more attractive. There is this obscure national juniors Tachikawa tournament, upgraded last year

On 11/10/2023 at 00:06, Akinomaki said:

The top 2 are the wampaku sumo tournament with NSK certified wampaku yokozuna - already here: 42953-38th-national-wampaku-tournament-2023/ - and the primary school championships with sumo federation certified primary school yokozuna - held together with the All Japan. Then we heard there are 3 national tournaments now, with the Hakuho cup at the end of the season having risen to that status, but there is another one, from before the Hakuho cup, the All Japan Youth/Junior Sumo championships, held by the Tokyo sumo federation (so far) in the kokugikan, which had only a team competition so far. And there was from 1984-2001 the National youth sumo Tachikawa tournament.

Takekuma-oyakata last year was at the Tachikawa jungyo and thought about reviving the tournament, at which he took part from first grade primary till 3rd year middle school. He spoke with the head of jungyo promoter Tachihi holdings and found ready consent. Like the Tachikawa tournament, the Youth Sumo championships now got individuals as well, and new this time are competitions for girls. The tournament so far didn't make the sumo news - the announcement for this year was posted in an unknown bluezone corner on NikkanSports, http://www.nikkansports.com/bluezone/news/202309140000063.html

This year the 20th championships (actually the 19th, one was cancelled and the sumo federation counts 19, the promoters 20) were just after the world championships, the next day in the Tachikawa Tachihi arena - and with the same world championships start screen at the beginning of the live stream.

a report with some pics https://ameblo.jp/renseikan1952/entry-12823813758.html

I still haven't found much about the tournament and its significance, but it is about the same format as the Hakuho cup now, in respect of being a national tournament - except that the Hakuho cup has below primary school (and is international) and this one has girls competitions

Last year it had a middle school individuals part added, so in the view of the officials there are enough national stages for the kids to show their skills.

Edited June 19, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,790]

The prefectures with strong sumo tradition are especially frustrated - the preliminaries for the zenchu there will likely take place as usual, which means that the reason for abolishing begins to fade - the main part of extra work for the teachers are the preliminary preparations.

The governor of Kochi pref. wants the Shikoku region events to continue http://www.kochinews.co.jp/article/detail/754299

vid

[Akinomaki 40,790]

The NSK in collaboration with the sumo federation plans a new tournament for middle school age groups and also other young amateur rikishi, to cover up for the loss of the main tournament and secure that there will be enough new recruits in the future. The number of rikishi has dropped to 587 for the Hatsu basho. http://www.sankei.com/article/20250101-E7RK2IPAX5NJFDZP6CSIBUDJFE/