2018 in sumo

The following are the events in professional sumo during 2018.

Tournaments

January

Tochinoshin was the surprise winner of the January tournament
  • 6: The highest ranked referee, Shikimori Inosuke, is reported in the Japanese media to have apologized for sexually harassing a junior referee in a hotel in Okinawa Prefecture on December 16 last year, while drunk.[2]
  • 9: The three current yokozuna, Hakuhō, Kakuryū and Kisenosato, perform the traditional New Year dohyo-iri ceremony at the Meiji Shrine.[3]
  • 14: The Sumo Association suspend Shikimori Inosuke for three tournaments. He has already submitted his resignation, but it will not take effect until after the suspension ends in May 2018.[4] With the other top referee title (Kimura Shonosuke) currently vacant, this will be the first time since the March 1994 tournament that neither of the head referees (tate-gyōji) will be available.[4]
  • 11: Kakuryū and Kisenosato, both of whom have missed some or all of the preceding four tournaments, each confirm that they will enter the forthcoming Hatsu basho.[5]
  • 22: Egyptian juryo division wrestler Ōsunaarashi withdraws from the tournament after reports emerge that he was involved in a rear-end motor collision at the Yamanouchi, Nagano ski resort town on January 3.[6] Osunaarashi apparently defied the Sumo Association's ban on wrestlers driving cars, and also did not have a valid licence. He initially told police that his pregnant wife was driving and he switched seats to protect her, but back-tracked when confronted with security video evidence.
  • 25: A lawsuit against Kasugano Oyakata and a former member of Kasugano stable who had been convicted of assault, is publicly revealed for the first time. The victim, another former wrestler from the stable, alleges that Kasugano failed to prevent the attack and delayed medical treatment.[7]
  • 27: The championship is won by maegashira Tochinoshin, who defeats Shōhōzan to move to an unassailable two-win lead of 13 wins against just one loss. It is the first championship by a maegashira since Kyokutenhō in 2012.[8]
  • 28: On the final day of the Hatsu Basho, Tochinoshin wins again to finish on 14–1, two wins ahead of ōzeki Takayasu on 12–3.[9] Kakuryū, the only yokozuna to complete the tournament, stops a run of four straight defeats by beating ōzeki Gōeidō to finish with a respectable 11–4 record on his comeback.[9] Tochinoshin receives special prizes for Outstanding Performance and Technique to go with his first Emperor's Cup, while the Fighting Spirit Award is shared between top division debutants Ryūden and Abi, who both score 10–5.[9] The jūryō division championship is won by Myōgiryū for the third time, after a playoff with Hidenoumi. Retiring this tournament are former maegashira Shōtenrō, Kitataiki and Sōtairyū.
  • 31: Seven promotions to the jūryō division for the March tournament in Osaka are announced. There are two newcomers, Enhō (who ties the record for fastest postwar promotion to jūryō at six tournaments)[10] and Takayoshitoshi (meaning he and Takagenji have become the first identical twins to both be ranked as sekitori)[11] while Yago, Terutsuyoshi, Shimanoumi, Tobizaru and Akiseyama return.
The 40th Shikimori Inosuke was suspended in January

February

  • 1: Nishiiwa Oyakata, the former sekiwake Wakanosato, branches out from Tagonoura stable and establishes his own Nishiiwa stable, taking two low-ranked wrestlers with him from the parent stable.
  • 2: Elections to the 10 man Board of Directors of the Japan Sumo Association are held. Isegahama Oyakata (ex-Asahifuji) and Nishonoseki Oyakata (ex-Wakashimazu) do not run for re-election. The eleven candidates running are Kasugano, Sakaigawa, Dewanoumi and Yamahibiki from Dewanoumi ichimon, Oguruma and Shibatayama from Nishonoseki ichimon, Kagamiyama from Tokitsukaze ichimon, Hakkaku from Takasago ichimon, Takashima from Isegahama ichimon, and Takanohana and Ōnomatsu from Takanohana ichimon. The man to miss out is Takanohana, who receives only two votes from the 101 elders who participated. He had been dismissed from the board at the end of December following his lack of co-operation with the Sumo Association's investigation into the Harumafuji assault on Takanoiwa last year.[12]
  • 3: Sōtairyū's danpatsu-shiki or official retirement ceremony is held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan with around 300 guests. Sōtairyū is leaving the sumo world.
  • 4: Former sekiwake Asasekiryū, who retired last May, has his danpatsu-shiki at the Kokugikan. He is now officially Nishikijima Oyakata.
  • 8: An outside committee led by a former prosecutor general, Keiichi Tadaki, is formed and will interview all 900 wrestlers in the Sumo Association in response to a series of incidents since Harumafuji's retirement. Tadaki says, "Our goal is the preservation of sumo. It is important to grasp the reality."[13]
  • 11: The 42nd Fuji TV Grand Sumo Tournament takes place at the Kokugikan.[14] A knock-out format exhibition with a 2,500,000 yen prize for the yusho, it is won by Tochinoshin who defeats Ikioi, Hakuhō (who he has never beaten in official competition in 25 attempts), Hokutofuji, Okinoumi and finally Tamawashi.

March

  • 9: Ōsunaarashi is asked to retire by the Sumo Association over his involvement in the vehicle collision and driving without a license. He had been fined 500,000 yen ($4700) by a court over the incident in Nagano Prefecture in January.[15] Ōsunaarashi agrees to the request.[16]
  • 18: New juryo Takayoshitoshi withdraws from the Osaka tournament after admitting he struck a junior wrestler who was acting as a personal attendant several times in the dressing room after his Day 8 bout.[17] Takayoshitoshi was reportedly angry that the attendant had not informed him when he was due to enter the arena, making him late for his match.[18]
  • 23: Takanohana indicates that he will drop his legal complaint against the Sumo Association and admits responsibility for Takayositoshi's behavior, as his stablemaster.[19]
  • 25: On the final day Takayasu defeats Kakuryu after a re-match to finish one win behind the yokozuna on 12–3.[20] Kakuryu had clinched his fourth championship the previous day,[21] and his only other defeat was to Tochinoshin, who wins the Outstanding Performance Award.[20] Brazilian Kaisei is a surprise joint runner-up with Takayasu on 12–3 and wins the Fighting Spirit Prize.[20] The Technique Award goes to Endō, who for the first time gets a winning record at the top maegashira rank. The jūryō championship is won by Sadanoumi after a playoff with Akiseyama while veteran Higonojō takes the makushita title. Retiring is Kotomisen, who spent two tournaments in jūryō in 2013.
  • 29: Takanohana is demoted two further ranks in the Sumo Association hierarchy, to the lowest rank of toshiyori. Takayoshitoshi is suspended from the next tournament in May.[22]

April

  • 28: At an extraordinary meeting of its board, the Sumo Association clarifies that women can enter the dohyo in an emergency situation and will consider outside opinions from experts and members of the public over whether its ban should be overturned.[27]
  • 30: The banzuke for the upcoming Natsu tournament in May is released. Kyokutaisei makes his makuuchi debut, while Sadanoumi, Takekaze and Aminishiki return. Endō makes his sanyaku debut at komusubi.[28] There are two new promotions to jūryō, Takadagawa stable's Hakuyozan and former Toyo University amateur Wakatakakage, who becomes the third sandanme tsukedashi entrant to reach sekitori status.[29] Asabenkei returns to jūryō for the first time since September 2016.

May

  • 11: Former maegashira Ōiwato announces his retirement.[30] Last year he became the oldest winner of the makushita division championship in the six tournaments a year era. He plans to work for an electronic recycling company in Kanagawa Prefecture.
  • 11: The Tagonoura stable duo of Kisenosato and Takayasu both announce they will miss the beginning of the May tournament.[31] For Kisenosato it will be the seventh straight basho he has failed to complete, equaling the unwanted record of most yokozuna absences post-1958 set by Takanohana who sat out seven full tournaments in 2001 and 2002. Takanohana did make a successful comeback with a 12-3 record in September 2002 and tells Kisenosato, "He should take his time to heal. As long as he's fighting he should be in top shape. The key is not to rush."[31] Kisenosato's stablemaster Tagonoura says doctors have told the yokozuna he should stay away from intense training for a month, and will "fight for his life" when he next competes in July.[31] Takayasu injured his left upper arm in training earlier in the week but still hopes to enter the tournament at some point.[31]
  • 14: Former maegashira Amūru of Russia, who has fallen to makushita, announces his retirement.[32]
  • 21: The only ōzeki competing in the May tournament, Gōeidō, pulls out with an ankle injury, making this the first time since 1949 that the only two ōzeki on the banzuke have withdrawn from a tournament.[33]
  • 27: The championship is decided in the final bout of the tournament, with Kakuryū defeating Hakuhō to clinch his second successive yūshō with a 14–1 record, avoiding the need for a playoff with Tochinoshin, who finishes on 13–2. Tochinoshin wins the Technique and Fighting Spirit Prizes, and with 37 wins over the last three tournaments is assured of ōzeki promotion. Also sharing the Fighting Spirit Prize are Kyokutaisei, who scores 10–5 in his makuuchi debut, and Chiyonokuni, who produces his best ever record of 12–3. The Outstanding Performance prize goes to Shōhōzan, who is the only man to defeat Kakuryū. In the jūryō division former komusubi Ōnoshō comes back strongly from injury to take the championship with a 12–3 record. Retiring along with the previously announced Ōiwato and Amūru is former jūryō Masakaze who is suffering from illness.
  • 30: Promotions to the jūryō division are announced. There are two newcomers: Chiyonoumi, who is the first sekitori produced by the current Kokonoe stablemaster, ex-ozeki Chiyotaikai and the first new sekitori from Kōchi Prefecture since Tosayutaka in 2008, and Churanoumi (formerly Kizaki), a Nihon University graduate from Okinawa Prefecture. Earning promotion to jūryō for a record ninth time is veteran Kizenryu.[34]
  • 30: Tochinoshin's promotion to ōzeki is confirmed. Unusually, he thanks his stablemaster, Kasugano Oyakata, in his acceptance speech.

June

  • 5: Tochinoshin returns to his homeland of Georgia for the first time since last May and meets President Giorgi Margvelashvili. Tochinoshin says he wants to help build the first dohyō in the country.[35]
  • 7: Police say that Takayoshitoshi has been reported to prosecutors in the case over striking his attendant. He has already reached an out of court settlement with the victim.[36]
  • 25: The rankings for the Nagoya tournament in July are released, with Tochinoshin listed as ōzeki for the first time. Both of his fellow ōzeki, Gōeidō and Takayasu, are kadoban (in danger of demotion). There are two newcomers to the top division, Kotoekō and Meisei, with Ōnoshō returning.[37]

July

  • 2: Kisenosato faces fellow yokozuna Hakuhō in a training session (degeiko) at Kokonoe stable, the first time the two have sparred in over a year.[38]
  • 5: Kisenosato announces that he will miss the forthcoming Nagoya basho, making it the eighth straight tournament he has failed to complete. This is a record for a yokozuna.[39]
  • 13: Kakuryū withdraws through injury on Day 6 of the Nagoya tournament, joining Hakuhō who pulled out on Day 4 and Kisenosato who was absent from the beginning. It is the first time since 1999 that all three yokozuna have failed to complete a tournament.[40]
  • 14: Tochinoshin is forced to withdraw from his debut tournament as an ōzeki due to a toe injury suffered in the previous day's bout. He had won his first five matches, but will now be kadoban in the September tournament.[41]
  • 21: Mitakeumi wins his first championship by defeating Tochiozan on Day 14 which gives him a 13–1 record and an unassailable two win lead going into the final day. He is the first wrestler from Dewanoumi stable to win a top division championship since 1980, and also the first Japanese wrestler born in the Heisei era to do so.[42]
  • 22: Mitakeumi is defeated on the final day by Yutakayama and finishes on 13–2, but also wins special prizes for Outstanding Performance and Technique. Yutakayama is the runner-up on 12–3 and shares the Fighting Spirit prize with Asanoyama, who finishes on 11–4.[43] The juryo championship is won by Takanoiwa, who is set to return to makuuchi for the first time since his assault by Harumafuji.[43] The makushita championship is won by Hakuyozan, and the sandanme title goes to former maegashira Kagamio.

The summer tour visits the following locations:[44]

August

Enho, the smallest sekitori, returned to the juryo division in September.
  • 27: The banzuke for the upcoming Aki basho is released. Tochinoshin is in danger of demotion in only his second ōzeki tournament. Mitakeumi is East Sekiwake, his 10th straight tournament in sanyaku. Kotoyuki returns to makuuchi for the first time since March, while Takanosho, a 23 year old from Chiganoura stable, makes his top division debut.[47]

September

  • 7: The matches for the first two days are announced, with all 70 sekitori expected to participate in the tournament. Kisenosato is paired against Ikioi on Day 1, who he has lost to only once in his career.[48]
  • 12: Day 4 sees three yokozuna all undefeated, the first time this has happened since the March 1989 tournament when Chiyonofuji, Hokutoumi and Onokuni were all 4–0.
  • 22: Hakuhō marks his return from injury by defeating Goeidō to claim both his 41st championship and his 1000th win in the top division.[49]
  • 23: Hakuhō defeats Kakuryū (handing him his fifth straight loss in the tournament) to ensure a zensho-yusho, the 14th of his career.[50] Kakuryū drops to 10-5, the same score as Kisenosato, who secures a majority of wins for the first time since his yokozuna debut in March 2017. Goeidō is the runner-up on 12–3, while his fellow ōzeki Takayasu and Tochinoshin finish on 11-4 and 9–6 respectively, the latter preserving his ōzeki status. There are no special prizes awarded for the first time since the sansho system was introduced in 1947. The jūryō championship is won by Tokushoryu who defeats Daiamami in a playoff after both wrestlers finish on 11–4. Ōrora, the heaviest sumo wrestler ever at 292 kg (644 lb), announces his retirement after 18 years in sumo.
  • 25: Takanohana announces his resignation from the Japan Sumo Association stating that he was unable to comply with the organisation's demand that he retract the allegations made earlier in the year regarding the Takanoiwa case. Members of his stable are scheduled to move to Chiganoura.[51]
  • 25: The promotions to the jūryō division for the next tournament in Kyushu are announced. There are two newcomers: Gokushindo of the Nishikido stable and Oguruma stable's Tomokaze. Returning after two years in makushita is former sekiwake Toyonoshima.
  • 30: Harumafuji's retirement ceremony (danpatsu-shiki) is held at the Kokugikan.
  • 30: Onosho wins the All Japan Rikishi tournament, defeating Kisenosato in the final. Daishōho wins the juryo competition.

October

  • 1: Takanohana stable is dissolved, and the Takanohana elder name disappears, upon Takanohana's official departure from the Sumo Association. The wrestler and personnel transfer to Chiganoura stable.[52]
  • 1: The All Japan Rikishi Tournament, a one-day single-elimination event at the Kokugikan, is won by Onosho, who defeats Kisenosato in the final.

The autumn tour visits the following locations:[53]

Deaths

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Grand Tournament Schedule". Japan Sumo Association. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "sumo referee apologises for sexual harassment: reports". Yahoo Sports. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sumo champs perform New Year ritual after scandal-hit 2017". Yahoo News/AFP. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. 1 2 "SUMO/ Top referee sent home due to sex harassment of teenage boy". Asahi Shinbun. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Kakuryu, Kisenosato set to make comebacks at New Year Basho". Japan Times. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Osunaarashi suspected of driving without license in crash". Asahi Shimbun. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "Suit revealed against former sumo stablemaster Kasugano, now JSA director, and wrestler over 2014 assault". Japan Times. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Tochinoshin clinches New Year Basho title for first career tournament triumph". Japan Times. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 "Champion Tochinoshin finishes New Year Basho in style". Japan Times. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "炎鵬が新十両「まさかこんなに早く上がれるとは」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "貴乃花部屋から初の双子関取誕生、貴公俊が新十両" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Takanohana stumbles badly in bid to shake up sumo world". Asahi Shimbun. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  13. ↑ Hurst, Daniel. "Big trouble: all of Japan's sumo wrestlers to be questioned as sport lurches into crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "42nd Grand Sumo Tournament Outline". Fuji TV. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  15. ↑ "Sumo: Egyptian Osunaarashi asked to quit over unlicensed driving". The Mainichi. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "Egyptian sumo wrestler retires after driving without license". New York Daily News. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  17. ↑ "Sumo association reveals two fresh cases of physical abuse among wrestlers". Japan Times. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  18. ↑ "Sumo wrestler beat attendant following loss in Osaka tourney". Ashi Shimbun. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  19. ↑ "Stablemaster Takanohana seeks fresh start with Japan Sumo Association". Japan Times. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 "Sumo: Takayasu finishes strong with win over champion Kakuryu". The Mainichi. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  21. ↑ "SUMO/ Yokozuna Kakuryu grabs his fourth Emperor's Cup". Asahi Shimbun. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  22. ↑ "Takanohana handed fifth demotion as sumo world faces string of scandals". Japan Times. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  23. ↑ "二子山部屋１４年ぶり再興　所沢初の相撲部屋に" (in Japanese). Sponichi. 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  24. ↑ "2018 Spring Tour Schedule". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  25. ↑ "A Japanese woman tried to save a man's life in the sumo ring, but was ordered away for being 'unclean'". Washington Post. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  26. ↑ "Female mayor visits JSA, seeks end to male-only sumo tradition". Kyodo News. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  27. ↑ "Japan Sumo Association to consider opinions on female ban". ABC News/AP. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "Sumo: Kakuryu faces stiff challenge for title". The Mainichi. 30 April 2018. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "2018 May Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018.
  30. ↑ "大岩戸「やり切った」すっきり14年の土俵生活に幕" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "Sumo: Grand champion Kisenosato to miss 7th straight meet". The Mainichi. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018.
  32. ↑ "引退阿夢露「幸せ」今後はスポーツトレーナー目指す (Amuru "happy" in retirement, aims to be sports trainer" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  33. ↑ "Tochinoshin remains sole leader after Day 9 of Summer tourney". The Mainichi. 21 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  34. ↑ "2018 July Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  35. ↑ "New Ozeki Tochinoshin meets Georgia's president". NHK World. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "Sumo wrestler Takayoshitoshi reported to prosecutors on suspicion of striking attendant". The Mainichi. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  37. ↑ "Sumo: Kakuryu in pole position as Tochionshin moves up". The Mainichi. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  38. ↑ "Kisenosato at a crossroads: Reclaimed glory or disgrace". Asahi Shimbun. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  39. ↑ "Sumo: Grand champion Kisenosato to miss record 8th straight meet". The Mainichi. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  40. ↑ "SUMO/ Nagoya basho loses last of three yokozuna as Kakuryu departs". Asahi Shimbun. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  41. ↑ "SUMO/ Tochinoshin withdraws from Nagoya tourney with toe injury". Asahi Shimbun. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  42. ↑ "Mitakeumi wins Nagoya Basho". Japan Times. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  43. 1 2 "New champion Mitakeumi all smiles on final day of basho". Japan Times. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  44. ↑ "2018 Summer Tour Schedule". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  45. ↑ "Sumo stablemaster Takanohana falls ill during training session". Japan Times. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  46. ↑ "Sumo stablemaster Takanohana discharged from Akita hospital after convulsions". Japan Times. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  47. ↑ "Sumo: Tochinoshin on spot in 2nd tourney as ozeki". The Mainichi. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018.
  48. ↑ "Sumo: Kisenosato, makuuchi wrestlers off to healthy start in autumn tourney". The Mainichi. 7 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018.
  49. ↑ "SUMO/ Hakuho clinches Autumn Grand Sumo tourney in 41st career title". Asahi Shimbun. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  50. ↑ "Hakuho wins battle of yokozuna to finish Autumn Basho with 15-0 record". Japan Times. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  51. ↑ "Sumo boss Takanohana resigns over assault row". Yahoo News Singapore/AFP. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  52. ↑ "【相撲協会理事会まとめ】貴親方退職は１日付け、一門加入の意義は？" (in Japanese). daily.co.jp. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  53. ↑ {{cite web|url=http://sumo.or.jp/EnJungyo/schedule/%7Ctitle=2018 Autumn Tour Schedule|publisher=Japan Sumo Association|accessdate=1 October 2018
  54. ↑ "大相撲元前頭和晃の杉浦敏朗氏死去". Jiji (in Japanese). 13 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  55. ↑ "「八百長に自ら関与」告発した板井圭介さん死去　元小結" (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
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