Suyama, the first sumo wrestler from the University of Tokyo, was “really bitter” when he was confronted with his graduation thesis by his professor.

Suyama said, “It was a long time. I enjoyed my college life enough, so from now on I will do my best to concentrate on sumo with a fresh mind.

Suyama, 25, the 20th rank in the Higashi Oshoku Nidan division, who started the tournament with a white star on March 13, told the press that he was relieved. Suyama, the first rikishi to graduate from the University of Tokyo, received an “acceptable” grade for his 40,000-word graduation thesis and will graduate this spring. He also told the press, “(My professor) told me that it was a little too much.

The professor gave me a bit of a hard time. I was told that my arguments were weak and that my references were small. …… I managed to get them to let me through.”

Suyama’s path to becoming a sumo wrestler was not an easy one. He failed to pass the University of Tokyo, which he had longed to attend, two years in a row. He continued his studies while attending Keio University and passed the entrance examination for the third time.

He says, “Until I entered the University of Tokyo, I had little experience in sports. In high school, he was a homecoming club member. At Keio, he belonged to a band club. In junior high school, he was a member of the baseball club, which was probably his only athletic career. He had always been interested in martial arts and started sumo wrestling after entering the University of Tokyo. However, I heard that in his third and fourth years of college, he was unable to practice to his satisfaction due to the new coronavirus.

At first, he vaguely thought, ‘I will go to a trading company or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ after graduation. However, the corona prevented him from fully combusting in sumo, and I wonder if he became more determined not to end up halfway. It seems that he decided to take the new apprentice test before he turned 25 years old last September, which is the age limit,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Oyakata’s birthday was the deciding factor in his initiation.

He started his career as a sumo wrestler with his heart full. However, the world was not so easy for a student of the University of Tokyo to suddenly achieve success.

In May of last year, he made his debut as an ogenokuchi and won two consecutive tournaments, but lost in the November tournament. In the January tournament this year, he won three in a row before losing three in a row. He said sadly, “I was really suffering. I just have to practice hard. It seems that he is being pushed down by the strong hits from professional rikishi, who are different from when he was a student. It is undeniable that he still lacks the ability to become a sekitori.

Fortunately for Suyama, who has hit a wall, he has a good match with the Kise stable to which he belongs.

Suyama, who has hit a wall, is fortunate to have a good match with the Kise stable to which he belongs. The biggest deciding factor in his decision to join the stable was that he and his stablemaster (former maegashira Higo no Kai) share the same birthday (September 23). He seems to have a good relationship with his master.

In the Kise stable, the stablemaster and his siblings do not force their practice and training methods on the students. The atmosphere is friendly, like a club training camp. The master is also a theoretician and gives reasonable guidance. Suyama will be able to wrestle freely. First of all, I think it is important to build a body that can aim for the top ranks without getting injured.

Although the impression that Suyama is a “University of Tokyo graduate” is prevalent, it has been less than a year since he entered the ranks of sumo. However, it has been less than a year since he first entered the ranks, and he has a long way to go to reach his goal of becoming a “Todaiseki,” a rank he has set for himself.