Dawning of a Sumō Success Story: Reflections on the Sport’s Pioneering Group of Mongolian Wrestlers

Wrestlers grapple in an open field on the outskirts of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar during Naadam, a national festival for traditional games that is held each summer. (© AFP/Jiji)

Pioneering Mongolian rikishi (from left) Kyokujishi, Asahitaka, Kyokusetsuzan, and Kyokushūzan shortly after arriving in Japan in 1992. (© Jiji)

The author with (from left) Kyokushūzan, Dejima, and Kyokutenhō during an autumn tour stop at Yamato in Kanagawa Prefecture in October 1997. (© Nagayama Satoshi)

Kyokushūzan leaps clear of yokozuna Asashōryū at the last moment after pulling him to the ring floor on the ninth day of the 2003 summer tournament, earning him a coveted gold star for defeating a grand champion. (© Jiji)

Kyokushūzan, right, and head of the Social Democratic Party Doi Takako call for donations to aid victims of record snowfalls in Mongolia in January 2001. (© Jiji)

Kyokutenhō, left, celebrates his fortieth birthday with a cake from his stablemates. He was the first rikishi in 60 years to reach the milestone while competing in the top division of sumō. (© Kyōdō)

From left, Ama (later Harumafuji), Hakuhō, Asashōryū, and Kyokushūzan complete a Mongolian sweep of makuuchi trophies at the 2006 spring tournament. (© Jiji)