Amid sumo’s growing popularity at home and abroad, rising young wrestler Aonishiki Arata hopes his success can help thrust Japan’s ancient sport further into the global spotlight.
The 21-year-old Ukrainian broke records in November by becoming the first sumo wrestler from his country to be appointed ozeki, the second-highest rank in sumo, and the fastest of any nationality to achieve the feat since 1958, after only 14 tournaments since his debut.
The promotion followed his participation at a five-day exhibition at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall in October, the first time in two decades for Japan Sumo Association (JSA) wrestlers to compete overseas.
The experience was “very fun,” and the fans’ enthusiasm cultivated a “really exciting atmosphere” that he would like to experience again, he said after leading the morning training at Ajigawa Sumo Stable in central Tokyo this week.
Aonishiki may have the opportunity as the JSA is scheduled to bring an exhibition of top-division wrestlers to Paris in June, as part of an ongoing push to showcase the sport globally and respond to rising international interest in it. The JSA’s English-language YouTube channel, Sumo Prime Time, which was launched in 2022 to introduce sumo history and culture, has gained almost 90,000 subscribers in 170 countries.
In Japan, this global exposure, combined with record inbound tourism and a domestic resurgence of interest, is driving a sumo boom. In 2024, every seat for all six official annual professional tournaments, each lasting 15 days, was sold out for the first time since 1996. And last year saw an uptick in bookings among foreign visitors of sumo stable visits and experiences such as eating chankobane (also known as sumo stew) with wrestlers.
“This attention as a wrestler is very enjoyable and I’m excited about it. At the same time, we need to respond to expectations and the attention sumo is having at the moment,” he said, adding that there is still “room for sumo to grow.”
Aonishiki hopes the rising popularity of sumo can result in “more people around the world learning about sumo and becoming interested in it,” a sport he has loved since boyhood.
Born Danylo Yavhusushyn, he began sumo at age seven in his hometown Vinnytsia, Ukraine, becoming a national champion when he was 17. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022, he fled to Germany before moving to Japan in April of the same year to pursue a career in sumo. He stayed with his friend and fellow sumo wrestler Yamanaka Arata while training at Kansai University’s sumo club and undergoing Japanese language lessons.
Since Aonishiki’s debut in 2023, he has enjoyed a record-setting ascent up the banzuke sumo rankings, delighting fans with wins characterized by his low stance, unrelenting forward motion and grappling style drawn from his former training in judo and freestyle wrestling.
His latest achievement was victory at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in January, making him the first wrestler in 20 years to win a debut tournament after being promoted to ozeki.
Still, he remains humble while continuing to focus on his goal of reaching the rank of yokozuna, sumo’s highest honor.
“I was only 18 years old when I came to Japan; I’m 21 now so I’m a little bit older but I’m still learning. And I’m trying to keep in mind that, as long as I keep on doing what I love, I’ll be able to come up with the results,” he said.
“Wanting to become stronger and increase my rank within sumo has been — and continues to be — my motivation every day. There are wrestlers who are bigger than me, but I have no fear when I’m up against them; I just focus on my own sumo.”
© Japan Today
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