Bulgarian sumo wrestler may win Emperor’s Cup
Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kotooshu defeated yokozuna Hakuho yesterday, making it very likely that Kotooshu will become the first European in history to win the Emperor’s Cup:
The 25-year-old Bulgarian rising star grabbed the 23-year-old Mongolian and quickly threw him out of the ring, snatching his 12th straight win in the 15-day tournament at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan (sumo stadium).
A packed crowd roared, throwing seat cushions as a triumphant and smiling Kotooshu walked out of the ring after the match, the last bout of the day.
The victory came a day after Kotooshu stunned the audience on Wednesday by conquering grand champion and Mongolian Asashoryu.
Kotooshu began the 15-day tournament with the modest ambition of posting a winning record to avoid demotion. But now in the midst of his most impressive showing in years, the Bulgarian wrestler is on the brink of history.
Videos of Kotooshu’s amazing victories have reached the top-viewed rankings on YouTube Japan, so I’ve posted them below for you to enjoy.
Video of Kotooshu defeating Asashoryu:
Video of Kotooshu defeating Hakuho:
Update: Kotooshu lost a match today, but as long as he doesn’t lose two more, he’s still on track to win the cup.
Update 2: He won!
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Go Kotooshu! I bet he doesn’t even like soccer.
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Too bad he was too chicken to face Hakuho straight up and had to use a henka to beat him. He did great sumo against Asashoryu and I’m sure he could beat Hakuho straight up. The courage just wasn’t there.
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This looks a little like a henka, but it seems pretty clear to me that Kotooshu was going for an uwate (the announcer says as much). It’s good, strong sumo. But if anyone deserved a henka on his ass, it would be Hakuho. He’ll never live his first henka on Asashoryu down.
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Clearly his move was not even close to a henka. If it were a henka he wouldn’t have grabed Hakuho’s belt.
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Question for you sumo lovers:
How are foreign participants perceived by the general sumo fan base? Is there any difference in perception/reception between a foreign wrestler from an Asian country and a foreign wrestler from a western country?
I rarely follow sumo news so I was somewhat surprised by the crowd’s reaction to Kotooshu’s victory over Hakuho.
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Well, Hakuho is from Mongolia – if that doesn’t make things more confusing.
The reaction is quite common. Basically when the senior ranked wrestler (especially Yokozuna) loses the crowd goes wild and throws their cushions into the ring. It works in two ways – it’s kind of like booing the senior ranked wrestler and cheering for the wrestler that won.
When the yokuzuna is involved in some kind of controversy or if they have done something to offend fans, generally you’ll see more cushion throwing.
Foreign wrestlers are actually really popular. The Mongolians have been dominating the sport for the last few years, and currently the only two Yokozuna are Mongolians. They are subject to pretty strict standards as seen by Asashoryu’s trouble with the media previously, but I don’t think they are really looked down upon by fans. There seems to be a general consensus to want another Japanese yokozuna, but foreign wrestlers have brought a bit of popularity back to the sport.
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Ahh, thanks for clearing that up for me, Kevin. I was aware that Hakuho was Mongolian but wasn’t sure if Kotooshu’s obvious western lineage made any difference in the eyes of sumo fans.
Had never seen that cushion thing until now, either…
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Yeah, I think your description is accurate.
And I am a fan of Kotoousyuu too.
Ganbare, Kotoousyuu!!
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As far as I can see, every Japanese bloggers commenting on Koto congratulate him on the winning.
http://rylliskiss.sakura.ne.jp/post-4.html
It might disappoint Debito’s fans who believe the Japanese are more xenophobic than Western civilized people, but I am pretty happy that he won and people are happy that he won.
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Actually Kotooshu is well loved in Japan. He is often on variety shows and his thought to be very good looking. His humble demeanor has also endeared him to the Japanese public. The only people that really care about having a Japanese yokozuna as far as I can see are those who are somewhat nationalistic.
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Wow, i didn’t see that coming. Love Sumo and keen to watch tomorrow afternoon and Sunday.
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But kudos have to go too to Ama and Kisenosato for starting the dominoes falling.
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Saw these matches at home. It was really exciting, especially the Hakuho match. He had beaten Asashoryu the day before so we were all tense at home wondering if he’d beat two yokozunas in a row.
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I think his body type (huge, muscular, but not extremely fat) is actually much better suited for sumo than what the guys normally look like. Good luck to him, I’ll watch!
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I disagree. His height is in many ways a disadvantage as his center of gravity is higher to the ground. He has lately found a way to turn that into a strength of sorts.
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Agreed. Look at Baruto. His size seems to get in the way more than anything. Compare with Yoyonoshima, the smallest rikishi in the makuuchi has been tearing up the dohyo this tournament and has been keeping pace with Asashoryu.
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Sorry, Toyonoshima, not Yoyo.
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I was watching today’s action. I was disappointed to see Kotooshu lose to Amanishiki though not surprised as he has struggled against Amanishiki as of late. However, the real shockers came in Kotomitsuki’s triump over Hakuho and Asashoryu’s resounding defeat at the hands of Kaio. The latter was absolutely electric as the strength in Kaio’s throw seemed as though the subject of his aggression were a mere ragdoll.
So, with two days left it truly is Kotooshu’s to lose.
GANBARE KOTOOSHU!
(He is my favorite!)
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Could some explain to me what is going on before each match start? They face each other, then walk away, face each other, walk away…. Can they decide themselves when to start? The referee doesn’t decide?
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You know why it’s interesting?
Because we’re all racist.
But it’s a GOOD kind of racism.
Any chance of an African rikishi?
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He got it! Yes!
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He won?
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Yup. No one can catch him, even if he loses on Sunday.
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