Sumo Scene / Sellouts in Kyushu Hark Back to Better Days, Bright Future

By Kuniyuki Kamimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

17:17 JST, December 12, 2024

The Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament concluded without incident last month, marking the end of the slate of tournaments for the calendar year. With the COVID-19 pandemic no longer a factor, it can be said that this was a year in which sumo took a significant step toward restoring its popularity.

Most significantly perhaps, the Kyushu tournament, which among the six has traditionally had the most difficulty drawing crowds, was completely sold out on all 15 days — the last time that happened was way back in 1996.

Looking at the rankings from 28 years ago, the yokozuna pair of Takanohana and Akebono were at the top, followed by the ozeki trio of Wakanohana, Musashimaru and Takanonami, with sekiwake Takatoriki, Kaio and Kotonishiki completing a star-studded lineup.

The so-called Waka-Taka Fever, focused on brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana, was in full swing as sumo enjoyed daily sellout crowds for an impressive 666 consecutive days spanning from the 1989 Kyushu tournament to the 1997 Summer tournament.

After that, sumo was plagued by a series of problems, brought on by a combination of the retirement of popular wrestlers and a series of scandals. Some tournaments struggled to draw crowds, with the Kyushu tournament in Fukuoka hit particularly hard.

In addition to being held in the smallest of the four cities that host tournaments, the challenge for the Kyushu tournament was compounded by the fact that it is the lone tournament without the support of the service companies that handle ticket sales for regular patrons. As a result, filling the seats remained a problem for many years.

One major factor behind this year’s sellouts was the appointment of stablemaster Asakayama — the same Kaio from those rankings 28 years ago who later became an ozeki — as the Japan Sumo Association official in charge of the Kyushu tournament.

A native of Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, he remains the same local hero who, during his days as an active wrestler, would elicit calls of “Kaio!” that would echo throughout the Kyushu tournament arena.

Asakayama attributed the strong ticket sales to the vitality of a new generation of wrestlers, mentioning by name rising stars such as Onosato.

But, there is no doubt that the efforts of the popular retired wrestler, who took the lead in driving sales and actively engaged in marketing, played a key role in the success. As such, vitality has returned to the year-end tournament.

— Kamimura is a sumo expert.