Former college star Kusano looks ready for challenge of sumo's top tier

Japan Times

4 days ago

Back-to-back titles in March and May saw Onosato join Hoshoryu at the rank of yokozuna and bring a much more balanced feel to the top of sumo's upcoming banzuke (rankings list).
With Onosato and Hoshoryu having recently celebrated their 25th and 26th birthdays, respectively, the stage seems to be set for the pair of young grand champions to monopolize the sport's silverware over the next half decade.
That's a potential hegemony that won't go unchallenged, however, and the up-and-coming talent in the top division is about to be bolstered with a back-to-back champion of a different kind.
While Onosato was claiming Emperor's Cups in Osaka and Tokyo in recent months, another ex-collegian was doing something similar, albeit one level down.
Naoya Kusano, a former student yokozuna, narrowly missed out on promotion to the top division after a dominant 14-1 showing in the second-tier jūryō division in March.
Quickly putting that disappointment behind him, Kusano repeated as division champion in May with another outstanding 13-2 mark that all but guaranteed he will be listed as a maegashira on the new banzuke that comes out Monday.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing in ōzumō for the Nihon University graduate though.
After a decorated amateur career, Kusano took some time to find his feet in professional sumo with a series of adequate, but not spectacular, performances in the third tier that gave little indication of what was to come in the salaried ranks.
However, like many before him, the 24-year-old performed better once freed from the multitude of tasks and obligations that are part of daily life in sumo's lower divisions.
Fighting every day in jūryō — as opposed to every other day, on average, in makushita — may be more tiring but it also allows wrestlers to maintain a consistent daily rhythm, and the Kumamoto native was able to showcase his talents over the past two tournaments.
In an era when amateur and collegiate sumo are increasingly the main sources of new talent, many fans are excited to see how the latest prospect from those arenas does when matched up against the best in the world.
Of course, the only way Kusano will face either of the yokozuna in Nagoya next month is if he is in the title race late into the second week of action.
As good as he's been over the past couple of tournaments, that's a tall order.
The incredible top-division debuts of Takerufuji, Hakuoho and others in recent years may have skewed perceptions somewhat, but the fact remains that for most newly promoted wrestlers, the speed and power found throughout sumo's top division comes as a shock and takes some getting used to.
Even so, Kusano looks like a good bet to adapt quickly and continue his climb up the rankings.
At 183 centimeters and 150 kilograms he may not have elite measurables in either height or weight, but he is in the sweet spot for both and has the physicality to match up with the sport's biggest men.
Kusano is also well-rounded in terms of technique and comfortable both on the belt or at distance.
Naoya Kusano competes at the All Japan Championships in Tokyo in December 2022. |
John Gunning
Whether involved in a pushing-thrusting battle or locked in an embrace with an opponent, Kusano has to date appeared comfortable and unflustered. Particularly impressive is his ability to swing opponents off balance to the side from a double handed inside grip position.
Allowing an opponent to get both arms inside and on to the mawashi usually cedes control of the flow of a bout, so it's something that most rikishi fight hard to avoid.
Kusano is able to achieve that position with regularity, and it's mostly thanks to his incredible speed off the line and continued use of the amateur style of putting two hands firmly down on the clay before an opponent can get set.
Even when someone gets to that starting position before him — see his bout with Wakaikari on Day 8 of the most recent tournament for example — Kusano has the defensive capabilities and speed of lateral movement to overcome anyone using that tactic.
Of course, in recent decades there have been numerous solidly built and technically sound former collegians who had good careers in professional sumo — including some with Emperor's Cups and ōzeki promotions to their name — but who never achieved greatness.
In many cases that's been primarily because of an inability to adjust to the elite speed and unpredictable sumo of men like Asashoryu and Hakuho.
Unlike with Onosato, whose potential was obvious before he even turned pro, musing over whether Kusano will 'only' reach ōzeki or push on to yokozuna makes no sense before he has even had a single bout in the top tier.
And for every highly-touted amateur who had success at the top level, there's another who struggled, including some with better collegiate records than Kusano. Kusano's multiple 5-2 and 4-3 scores in the third tier can't be discounted entirely, either.
Even so, what the 24-year-old has accomplished over the past four months has been very impressive, and he arrives on sumo's biggest stage riding a wave of positive vibes.
Can Kusano follow in the footsteps of Takerufuji and upset the apple cart at the very beginning of the newly minted two-yokozuna era? Time will tell, but one thing's for sure, it will be worth keeping an eye on the top tier rookie in Nagoya.