Hakuhō Cup
hakuhō cup japanese 白鵬杯 hepburn hakuhōhai sumo competition elementary middle school student held every year japan hakuhō cup childrens sumo event second annual wanpaku national championship origin actually asashōryū cup wanpaku national championship alljapanese event asashōryū wished allow mongolian kid dohyō kokugikan first asashōryū cup held august kokugikan time individual competition held total team wrestler per team consisting boy aged competed team competition event largely mongolian delegation scored nodefeats competition however mixed success people audience instead advertised asashōryū wanted make annual event forced retire month later event never repeated hakuhō yokozuna established event hakuhō cup current form event boy first ninth grade around boy attended event hailing asian country china hong kong mongolia south korea taiwan thailand japan also brazil georgia poland ukraine usa since event produced osamu suzuki experienced screenwriter tournament popular event lecture former professional wrestler competition hakuhō cup also place uncommon come across professional wrestler whether retired active come encourage son participate organization refereeing capacity member miyagino stable involved event since event grown prestigious amateur competition many participant successful career sumo include sekitori like makuuchiranked wrestler ōnoshō ura kotonowaka hakuōhō event amateur sumo competition therefore participant divided division ranging first grade sixth grade junior high school eighth category combining participant first seven form group compete team title also division like professional sumo deserving young wrestler entitled special award modelled sanshō prize another prize osamu suzuki award also awarded wrestler competing division must win advance competition period event common stable open door student train professional wrestler result began published first hakuhō cup took place ohama sumo hall sakai osaka prefecture event gathered around elementary junior high school student among amateur mongolia participated sumo event first time original event taken place mongolia june travel cancelled event postponed due scandal erupted within japan sumo association time professional wrestler ōnoshō fumiya participated event aomori team team competition year makuuchi wrestler ura kazuki also attended event hakuho cup took place december osaka following year hakuhō cup took place april ōsaki miyagi prefecture entertain child earthquake devastated prefecture location also chosen hakuhō also tourism ambassador city felt also responsibility help reconstruction effort elementary junior high school student tōhoku region allowed participate tournament event held february first time took place tokyo ariake colosseum tournament marked victory two child tokitsukaze stablemaster tokitsuumi masahiro first son hiroichi sakamoto fourthgrade division second son masamasa firstgrade division tournament kamatani masakatsu son sadogatake stablemaster kotonowaka terumasa came third junior high school division event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo february around elementary junior high school student japan mongolia south korea china took part tournament first time event produced screenwriter osamu suzuki also designed prize set awarded memorable wrestler prize taking shape championship belt went kaishin nakanishi wakayama sumo school finished second individual competition firstgrade division among future sekitori rōga tokiyoshi placed th individual junior high school division event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo february child eight country participated tournament among participant kotomitsuki keijis son participated first public appearance kotomitsuki since dismissal association year individual championship junior high school kawazoe keita later joined miyagino stable name kihō using makushita tsukedashi system reflects success event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo january sponsor year event ōzeki kotoshogiku first japanese wrestler january tournament ten year year individual championship junior high school year nakamura daiki later joined nishonoseki stable shikona ōnosato among thousand participant hakuhō son took part first time event first time mongolian outstanding performance prize event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo january sponsor year event yokozuna kakuryū record number people gathered japan mongolia usa hakuhōs son eightyearold mahato participated secondgrade division individual tournament eliminated first round also first time mongolian fighting spirit prize event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo february around elementary junior high school student eight country region including mongolia taiwan hong kong gathered event year individual championship junior high school division shingo mukainakano later joined miyagino stable event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo february edition team participant eight country including japan china mongolia took part event sponsor year event yokozuna kisenosato year individual championship junior high school division tetsuya ochiai later joined miyagino stable fourthgrade individual competition one match attracted particular attention underdog defeated thrilling match opponent twice weight winning wrestler kōsei motomura awarded competition technique prize joined sadogatake stable april becoming first wrestler since end second world war ft tall event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo february record number entrant country participated event team competing team division record make th edition hakuhō cup largest sumo tournament history first time team brazilian participated event occasion ten year event hakuhō cup sponsored two yokozuna kisenosato harumafuji also first public appearance harumafuji event linked japan sumo association since retirement first time three yokozuna publicly met together since harumafuji kisenosato retired olympics minister seiko hashimoto also gave speech opening ceremony chinese team scheduled participate unable come japan due spread pneumonia caused new coronavirus th hakuhō cup cancelled due spread coronavirus taking year pandemicrelated situation th hakuhō cup took place april ōtacity general gymnasium tokyo venue chosen last minute comply covid protocol coronavirus protocol number people venue divided morning afternoon session grade kept minimum general public admission cancelled tournament however streamed youtube people attended including contestant former ōzeki kotoōshū served sponsor edition event held ryōgoku kokugikan tokyo february team total wrestler invited compete event scaled due covid pandemic returned normal first time three year addition first thirdgraders japan child seven country mongolia hong kong taiwan thailand u australia ukraine also gathered first time toddler division introduced allow really young kid compete competition uriah ulima kamahao luamanu hawaii bronze medal elementary school fifthgrade division became firstever hakuhō cup medalist united state also first wrestler outside japan mongolia reach podium classification year history event edition hakuhō cup held ryōgoku kokugikan february total people took part competition athlete nine different foreign country thailand brazil taiwan ukraine mongolia georgia poland usa south korea exceptionally childrens group ishikawa prefecture invited take part honorary group entertain child noto earthquake hiroto son former ōzeki kotoshōgiku competed toddler division team competition club kashiwa sumo boy club tournament former junior high school division winner ōnosato also attended event spectator come cheer ibata yūki wrestler also tsubata ishikawa yuki went win individual junior high competition