John Gunning
The Japan Times
Japan
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Past articles by John:
Sumo's changed landscape reflected in 2023 depth chart
If all 600 or so active rikishi, and those projected to join in the near future, were available to be chosen by stables, which men would make the top eight? → Read More
Takakeisho enters New Year Basho with golden opportunity
The first professional sumo tournament of the year gets underway at the Kokugikan in Tokyo this weekend. For sumo fans it’s a last chance to see Miyagino s → Read More
Sumo's topsy-turvy 2022 showed hopeful signs for sport's recovery
For the first time in over 30 years, all six grand tournaments in a calendar year were won by different wrestlers, with rank-and-filers sweeping the final three tournaments. → Read More
High school hopefuls make leap into professional sumo
While university graduates have dominated headlines at recent tournaments, just one of eight new wrestlers entering the sport ahead of the New Year Basho boasts a college background. → Read More
Wrestlers with amateur backgrounds becoming new normal in sumo
These days elite top-tier wrestlers without an amateur background are an increasingly scarce sight. → Read More
Should the Japan Sumo Association reconsider the Kyushu Basho?
While better ticket sales and increased income could potentially be found elsewhere, the value of holding a tournament in Fukuoka isn’t just monetary. → Read More
Ascent to sumo's peak slowing for recent crop of foreign wrestlers
While Mongolia may currently be monopolizing sumo's foreign slots, the overall level of domination that the central Asian nation has exerted over the sport is unlikely to continue. → Read More
Balanced Summer Basho banzuke offers few reasons for complaint
With the current top-division hierarchy well established, fans in search of the unexpected may have to look down to the third-division makushita. → Read More
Sumo's doors open for college stars but closing for foreign hopefuls
University sumo clubs regularly churn out talent capable of reaching the paid ranks, but fewer foreigners are entering the sport outside of powerhouse Mongolia. → Read More
Return of Hakuho Cup a positive development for aspiring wrestlers
For more than a decade, the tournament for elementary school students has offered overseas teams a chance to compete against some of Japan's top programs and interact with the sport's stars. → Read More
Sumo's off-months aren't so quiet, if you know where to look
Retirement ceremonies, ozeki and yokozuna promotions, JSA elections, TV variety show appearances and more all take place between honbasho. → Read More
Much more to come from yokozuna Terunofuji after stunning 2021
Just years removed from the unpaid ranks, the 30-year-old is on the path to becoming one of the most successful foreign-born grand champions in the sport's history. → Read More
Early American sumo trailblazer earned rare honor at Miyagino stable
In the summer of 1976, high-school teacher John Jacques traveled to Japan in order to learn what he could and promote the sport's development in Hawaii. → Read More
Hakuho leaves unmatchable legacy after 20 years of dominance
In submitting his retirement papers on Monday, the Mongolian-born yokozuna has brought an era-defining career of new records and unparalleled success to a close. → Read More
Hakuho, sumo's record-setting yokozuna, to retire
The 36-year-old Mongolia-born wrestler had been considering retirement after failing to recover from a knee injury that has kept him out of tournaments in recent years. → Read More
Lack of international streaming options hampers sumo's growth
While the Japan Sumo Association has made some progress on its online offerings, fans' inability to watch the sport overseas is a wasted opportunity for the sport to expand its audience. → Read More
Sumo makes its way to Cambridge as former U.S. wrestler studies sport's ancient role
Colton Runyan, 31, has gone from taking on Tobizaru and Daiamami in the ring to tackling ancient and abstruse Japanese texts in Cambridge’s vast and sprawling library system. → Read More
'Air sumo' tournament offers hope for amateur sport's future
A unique online competition, established due to the inability to hold amateur meets in person due to the pandemic, is aiming to cast a rare spotlight on form and technique. → Read More
Chiganoura Beya had unique, eventful existence
Opened in 2004, by former sekiwake Masudayama, Chiganoura Beya grabbed the interest of many sumo observers right off the bat for a number of unique moves. → Read More
Sumo stables housed in older structures becoming rare sight
The demolition of the Izutsu Beya stable building, one of the more run-down in the sport, got underway Wednesday. → Read More