The key to the resurgence of sumo’s popularity? Now is the Time to See the Absolute Strength, Beauty and Heroism of Chiyonofuji, the Great Yokozuna

The first grand sumo tournament of the season ended on January 22. This was the first time since the first tournament in Tokyo in 2020 that the banner “Manjo-gorei,” meaning “full house,” was lowered on the first day of the tournament, and the first time since the spread of the new corona infection. The full house continued for the next 15 days, with 12 days of the 15-day tournament being overcrowded. The Japan Sumo Association was surprised at the turnout, saying that it exceeded their expectations. Although the deregulation of anti-infection measures may have had an impact, it is probably fair to say that there were signs of a revival in sumo’s popularity, considering its sluggish popularity over the past few years. Amidst all this, who was the most influential rikishi in this tournament?

The tournament was the first time in 125 years that there was only one yokozuna and one ozeki, but with yokozuna Terunofuji out of the tournament, ozeki Takaketsugu led the tournament by himself. Asanoyama, however, may have been the most popular of the ten-ryo wrestlers in terms of “popularity.

During the May 2021 tournament, Asanoyama was found to have violated the guidelines for dealing with the new coronavirus prepared by the Sumo Association and was suspended for six tournaments. This tournament, he returned to the juryo ranks and won the juryo championship with a 14-1 record.

What was most impressive was the way he won. Recently, the top-ranked rikishi are all push sumo wrestlers, and there are too many push-outs, push-outs, and pulls without being able to push through. Asanoyama, on the other hand, wins by throwing and leaning back from a four-way tie. The audience was full of discerning sumo fans, who were struck by Asanoyama’s beautiful sumo and overwhelming strength, even though he was a juryo. I think there are high expectations for Asanoyama in the future.

Asanoyama is a good-looking man. Asanoyama is a handsome looking man, and although his suspension has been a stain on his reputation, he must be a new star for sumo fans to look forward to. After all, in any sport, an overwhelmingly strong hero with a strong sense of justice may be indispensable for the popularity of the sport. Who in the world of sumo best fits the image of such a hero? It would be Chiyonofuji, the “little yokozuna.

On January 17, the news site “Netorabo” announced the results of a survey entitled “Who do you think is the strongest yokozuna since the Heisei era? The results of the survey were announced. Chiyonofuji won the top spot with 41.5% of the votes, ahead of Takanohana, who received 28.6% of the votes. Although Takanohana and Hakuho may have been superior in a simple comparison of strength alone, the comments included the following

I think he is the epitome of a powerful wrestler.

He was a strong and beautiful man who possessed a perfect combination of mind, technique, and body, as well as good looks.

He was a strong and beautiful man with a good body, mind, and spirit, as well as a good appearance. Indeed, Hakuho’s 31 makuuchi championships, 807 makuuchi victories, 1,045 total victories (since the Showa era), and 53 consecutive victories (since the Showa era) are all ranked third all-time, and Takanohana may have contributed more in terms of leading the sumo boom with the “Wakaki boom. However.

Chiyonofuji is not a sumo elite like Takanohana; he was born into a fisherman’s family in Hokkaido and entered the sport while still in junior high school. At 182 centimeters tall and weighing just over 120 kilograms, his physique was at the level of a small man for a rikishi. Moreover, no matter how much he ate, he could not gain weight. As a result, he dislocated his shoulder 11 times. So, he trained his muscles to build up his body like steel. Even so, he was constantly battling injuries and once fell to the makushita rank. However, with his indomitable spirit and steel body, he rose to the rank of yokozuna. He also became phenomenally strong from there. He was the first sumo wrestler to receive the National Medal of Honor, and his popularity continued to grow even after his retirement, until his sudden death at the young age of 61. All of the episodes may have been enough to make Chiyonofuji a legend,” said a sumo association official.

There may never be another yokozuna like Chiyonofuji, but fans are waiting for the emergence of a strong “hero” who can overwhelmingly win four-way matches with a complete “mind, technique, and body.