NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Prefecture-A victory in the sumo ring may not be due to hours of disciplined practice in the ancient sport after all.
Just ask Masayuki Tanaka, a wrestler trained in Olympic-style wrestling, who recently claimed victory at the National University Student Individual Sumo Championships.
The 21-year-old senior at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, was recruited at the last minute to take part in the Oct. 2 tournament in Tokyo.
Unlike the university’s wrestling club he captains, the sumo club was a little light on players. In fact, it only had one member, captain Kazuya Tamada, 21.
With the 114-year-old sumo club on what looked to be its last legs, Tanaka agreed to temporarily trade in his wrestling spandex for a mawashi, the traditional sumo costume.
Without any preparation at all, he managed to toss two opponents out of the ring to win the 75-kilogram division.
“I was confident my tackle would work and I could use my long reach successfully in the tournament, “said Tanaka.
He says his winning technique is a basic move that spans most wrestling genres: “I got in under my opponents, held their upper back legs and took them down.”
For the sumo club, the victory is twofold. With news of the win attracting attention, membership is creeping up.
With a little help from Tanaka and two other wrestling club members, the club is even planning to enter a five-man team in the prestigious National University Sumo Championship to be held next month.
Hopes are high for a repeat performance from Tanaka.
“I will do my best out of gratitude to Tamada, who gave me the chance to try sumo, “he said.(IHT/Asahi: October 10,2005)
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