TOKYO - Foreign-born sumo wrestlers are often praised for speaking remarkably natural Japanese, a sharp contrast to many overseas athletes in other professional sports.
According to veteran sumo reporter Masashi Takarada, the difference lies less in formal study than in the unique environment of life inside a sumo stable, where language is essential for both training and daily survival.
Unlike professional baseball or soccer players who can rely on interpreters, sumo wrestlers live together in communal stables, where they eat, train, clean, cook and carry out daily chores under the guidance of senior wrestlers and stablemasters. Every instruction, from training techniques to household responsibilities, is delivered in Japanese, making language acquisition unavoidable.
As of the May Summer Tournament, 10 of the 42 wrestlers in the top makuuchi division were foreign-born. Across all divisions, there are 28 foreign wrestlers representing countries including Mongolia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia, the United States, China and the Philippines. Many have since become Japanese citizens.
Mongolian wrestlers continue to dominate the foreign contingent, helped by cultural similarities between Mongolian wrestling and sumo, as well as a long tradition of successful predecessors encouraging younger athletes to follow. Takarada also noted that Mongolian and Japanese share similar sentence structures, which may make learning Japanese somewhat easier than for speakers of many European languages.
Former yokozuna Hakuho is one of the best-known examples. Arriving in Japan at age 15, he initially struggled to find a stable because of his slight build and nearly returned home before being accepted by Miyagino Stable. He later became known for his fluent Japanese and willingness to speak with reporters. His stablemaster reportedly forbade him from leaving the stable for six months to prevent him from relying on conversations with fellow Mongolians, forcing him to use Japanese around the clock. Hakuho later acknowledged that constant exposure greatly accelerated his progress.
Takarada believes former yokozuna Kakuryu, now a stablemaster, is among the finest Japanese speakers in the sumo world. Kakuryu is known for effortlessly using nuanced expressions and humor that sound entirely natural to native speakers. His own path to Japan was unusual—after failing to attract attention at a scouting event, he wrote a letter asking to join a stable. The letter was translated into Japanese by a university professor before eventually reaching a stable willing to accept him.
Current wrestlers continue to follow similar paths. Ukrainian wrestler Aonishiki arrived in Japan shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With military restrictions expected once he turned 18, he left the country via Germany, where his parents had relocated, before eventually joining a sumo stable. Initially communicating in English while training at university, he found that life inside the stable required Japanese at all times. Determined to succeed, he studied unfamiliar words by asking senior wrestlers and using them repeatedly until they became natural.
Many younger foreign wrestlers now first attend Japanese high schools or universities before entering professional sumo. Current yokozuna Hoshoryu came to Japan as a high school student and originally pursued wrestling before discovering sumo during a visit to the Ryogoku Kokugikan. His Japanese teacher later recalled that despite his fierce image in competition, Hoshoryu often worried about whether his Japanese sounded natural.
Language learning in sumo extends well beyond conversation. Wrestlers must read tournament rankings, learn kanji for their ring names and eventually write autographs. Those who become stablemasters face even greater demands, including maintaining official bout records in Japanese and overseeing younger wrestlers. Japanese citizenship is also required before a retired wrestler can become a stablemaster.
The psychological challenge can be as demanding as the physical training. Current ozeki Kirishima arrived in Japan with almost no Japanese ability and often struggled to understand instructions during early morning training. He later admitted that he repeatedly wanted to return to Mongolia, cried from homesickness, and frequently called his family. Similar stories have been shared by many foreign wrestlers, who describe the loneliness of being surrounded by conversations they could not understand.
For many, family pride becomes a powerful motivation to persevere. Hakuho's father was a Mongolian Olympic medalist and national wrestling hero, and Hakuho has said he could not bear the thought of returning home after failing in Japan. Others, including Kakuryu, briefly returned home before deciding to continue their careers after encouragement from family and mentors.
Takarada said the experience demonstrates a simple principle: in sumo, language is learned not in the classroom but through complete immersion. Living, training and communicating entirely in Japanese creates an environment where mastering the language becomes an essential part of becoming a successful wrestler.
Source: SankeiNews
