Sumo Wrestler Aonishiki ‘Gives Courage to Ukraine,’ Says Childhood Mentor

By Yumiko Kurashige / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

2:00 JST, December 1, 2025

ROME — After Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki clinched his first championship at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, his friends in his homeland, still ravaged by war, erupted with joy over his remarkable achievement.

With his win of the tournament, the 21-year-old wrestler, whose real name is Danylo Yavhusishyn, secured his promotion to ozeki, the second highest rank.

“He’s given courage to the Ukrainian people,” said Vazha Daiauri, Aonishiki’s mentor in Ukraine, who guided him toward the sumo path. “I want to express my gratitude to Japan for nurturing him.”

“Today, both the news and social media are completely dominated by sumo talk,” Daiauri, 64, told The Yomiuri Shimbun over the phone on Monday, the day after Aonishiki won.

Daiauri trained Yavhusishyn for 10 years starting at the age of 7 in Vinnytsia, central Ukraine. The teenager fled to Japan in the spring of 2022, shortly after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began.

“I never imagined he’d achieve results this quickly,” Daiauri said.

Yavhusishyn began wrestling around the age of 6 at a local sports club. Daiauri, a wrestling coach, encouraged him to try sumo.

“Sumo is simple yet spectacular to watch, and the matches are decided quickly,” he told the boy, who started sumo the following year.

Daiauri said the young Aonishiki was “just an ordinary kid” until the age of 15 and even skipped practice sometimes. But he became very serious about sumo when he was 16. He constantly asked Daiauri questions like “How can I get better?” and steadily improved his skills.

When the Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began, Yavhusishyn, then 17, temporarily evacuated to Germany with his mother. However, it did not have a good environment to train for sumo.

The young Aonishiki wanted to fight great wrestlers. He decided to go to Japan by asking help from Arata Yamanaka, a Japanese university student whom he met at an international sumo tournament. Yavhusishyn’s shikona ring name, Aonishiki Arata, partly comes from his friend’s name.

Daiauri said when Yavhusishyn told him about him going to Japan, he told his student, “Never neglect your training.”

Months later, a public facility in central Vinnytsia was bombed by Russian forces, shattering the windows of the dojo adjacent to it. Since then, the area has experienced frequent power outages and is repeatedly hit by air strikes.

Yet about 80 children continue to practice sumo, using flashlights to light their space, aspiring to become the next Aonishiki.

Daiauri said that Aonishiki, through his victories, “has drawn attention to Ukraine, which is at war, and to the fascinating sport of sumo.”

“His achievements also demonstrate a victory for Japan, which continues to support Ukraine through deep friendship,” Daiauri added.