Enho, who wrestles in the jonokuchi division, walks past the nearly empty stands at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya on July 15, where he made his comeback after a serious injury.
10:55 JST, August 21, 2024
This year’s recently concluded Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament was the last to be held at Dolphins Arena, also known as Aichi Prefectural Gym. In contrast to the late afternoon, when the arena was filled with a lively atmosphere, the morning was eerily quiet with only a few spectators in the stands. It was amidst that silence that a wrestler took the first steps toward a comeback in the sport.
The name Enho may ring a bell with sumo fans. The relatively diminutive Enho, at just under 1.70 meters tall and weighing around 100 kilograms, became popular during his time in the makuuchi division, where he would go low and use spinning techniques and other creative moves.
However, Enho suffered a serious spinal cord injury, the price of a style in which he lowered his head to get into position, and was forced to sit out all of last year’s summer tournament, when he was in the second judges’ division.
The injury was so serious that doctors advised him to retire. “It caused problems in my daily life,” Enho recalled. After a long rehabilitation, he returned to the ring for the Nagoya tournament after an absence of more than a year. Missing so much action had caused him to drop to the lowest jonokuchi division.
Heads clashing on the first strike is a common occurrence in sumo, causing an impact that would be equivalent to two small trucks colliding. In the jonokuchi division, Enho was still up against wrestlers with high school and college experience, and his biggest battle was with his own fear.
In the first match of his comeback, on the second day, he was defeated. But the joy he felt to be back in the ring outweighed his fear. “I was finally back,” he said. “I was so excited.”
The next day he had an emotional first victory. “It’s definitely great to win,” he said.
Enho finished the tournament with a score of 6-1, which will undoubtedly earn him a spot in the rankings for the next Jonidan division for the fall tournament in September.
“Amidst all the worries, the most important thing was that I was able to wrestle in all seven matches,” Enho said. “At the end of the day, I still really enjoy sumo.”
He still has a long way to go on his path back to the salary leagues. Still, it was heartening to see how diligently he overcame his problems and took the first steps. I will be watching this 29-year-old closely as he starts his career again.
— Kamimura is a sumo expert.
