>SUITA, Osaka Prefecture—A Ukrainian teenager’s flight from war and step toward fulfilling a sumo dream may not have been possible had he not been so “cool” on the dohyo.
>Another key person in the equation was Arata Yamanaka, the 23-year-old captain of the sumo club at Kansai University here.
>The two met at a world junior sumo tournament held in Sakai, also in Osaka Prefecture, in 2019.
>Danya placed third in the event, and Yamanaka was so impressed by the Ukrainian’s cool techniques that he started a conversation with him.
>They kept in touch through social media, including Instagram.
>Danya peppered Yamanaka with questions in English about sumo, asking how he trained and how the rankings of professional wrestlers were determined for grand sumo tournaments.
>But their casual exchanges were disrupted on Feb. 24 last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
>Yamanaka, who lives in Kobe, immediately sent a message to Danya to see if he was all right. Danya replied that he was fine.
>Shortly afterward, however, Yamanaka learned that Russian forces were bombing around the midwestern city of Vinnytsia where Danya was living with his father.
>
>Danya sought temporary refuge in the German city of Dusseldorf, where his mother was working as a cleaner. His father had to remain in Ukraine.
>In March, Yamanaka received a message from Danya, who asked if it would be possible for him to stay in Japan. He also opened up about his dream of becoming a professional sumo wrestler in Japan.
>The Japanese student gained his parents’ consent to take in the Ukrainian and encouraged Danya to get a visa.
>Yamanaka also gained permission from Kansai University to let Danya practice at the sumo club’s dojo.
>On Nov. 17, about eight months after Danya came to Japan, his parents visited him.
>Danya’s parents came to Japan also to celebrate a new chapter in their son’s life.
>Yamanaka had consulted with the manager of a sumo club at Hotoku Gakuen Senior High School in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, where he graduated.
>Through the club, arrangements were made for Danya to join the Ajigawa sumo stable.
>Half a month after his parents returned to Europe, Danya was accompanied by his “Japanese family” to the stable in in Tokyo’s Koto Ward.
2 comments
Excerpt from the linked content:^1
>SUITA, Osaka Prefecture—A Ukrainian teenager’s flight from war and step toward fulfilling a sumo dream may not have been possible had he not been so “cool” on the dohyo.
>Another key person in the equation was Arata Yamanaka, the 23-year-old captain of the sumo club at Kansai University here.
>The two met at a world junior sumo tournament held in Sakai, also in Osaka Prefecture, in 2019.
>Danya placed third in the event, and Yamanaka was so impressed by the Ukrainian’s cool techniques that he started a conversation with him.
>They kept in touch through social media, including Instagram.
>Danya peppered Yamanaka with questions in English about sumo, asking how he trained and how the rankings of professional wrestlers were determined for grand sumo tournaments.
>But their casual exchanges were disrupted on Feb. 24 last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
>Yamanaka, who lives in Kobe, immediately sent a message to Danya to see if he was all right. Danya replied that he was fine.
>Shortly afterward, however, Yamanaka learned that Russian forces were bombing around the midwestern city of Vinnytsia where Danya was living with his father.
>
>Danya sought temporary refuge in the German city of Dusseldorf, where his mother was working as a cleaner. His father had to remain in Ukraine.
>In March, Yamanaka received a message from Danya, who asked if it would be possible for him to stay in Japan. He also opened up about his dream of becoming a professional sumo wrestler in Japan.
>The Japanese student gained his parents’ consent to take in the Ukrainian and encouraged Danya to get a visa.
>Yamanaka also gained permission from Kansai University to let Danya practice at the sumo club’s dojo.
>On Nov. 17, about eight months after Danya came to Japan, his parents visited him.
>Danya’s parents came to Japan also to celebrate a new chapter in their son’s life.
>Yamanaka had consulted with the manager of a sumo club at Hotoku Gakuen Senior High School in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, where he graduated.
>Through the club, arrangements were made for Danya to join the Ajigawa sumo stable.
>Half a month after his parents returned to Europe, Danya was accompanied by his “Japanese family” to the stable in in Tokyo’s Koto Ward.
^1 Tetsuro Takehana for the Asahi Shimbun, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14832880
Why not, lot of great sumos comes from abroad! good for him