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TOKYO: Among the young sumo wrestlers who lift weights in the ring, 10-year-old Kyuta Kumagai stands out.
At 85 kg, Kyuta is twice the size of other boys his age and is so dominant that he fights and punches children five or six years older.
Last year, he was crowned U-10 world champion, beating competition from as far away as the UK and Ukraine.
His training regimen, devised by his father Taisuke, is relentless.
Kyuta Kumagai, 10, stretches during a training session at Buddy acL Ariake’s fight club in Tokyo, Japan, on August 22, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon)
He trains six days a week, either at his local sumo club or lifting weights. He also swims and practices athletics to develop the flexibility and explosive speed needed for sumo wrestling.
Kyuta has been on the show since his father signed him up for a tournament while he was still in kindergarten.
Kyuta Kumagai, 10, practices sumo with a child at the Komatsuryu sumo club in Tokyo, Japan, on August 23, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon)
“I didn’t teach him anything, he could do various things naturally,” said Taisuke, a former sumo fan.
“There is a talent for sumo and he has that talent. He won the tournament. I thought he might have something special.”
A shy boy of few words, Kyuta’s motivations are simple: “It’s fun to hit people older than me.”
“I’M BETTING EVERYTHING ON THIS”
When it became clear that the boy was talented, Taisuke moved the family to the Fukugawa area of Tokyo, famous for producing sumo wrestlers. It has a large number of clubs and the Nominosukune Shrine, where the God of Sumo is said to reside, which means that there is a lot of local support for the Kumagais.
Father and son use a local temple for intense individual training. Sessions tend to end with the pair wrestling up and down the carpet in front of the main shrine.
Kyuta Kumagai, 10, climbs the stairs while training at the Track Tokyo Running Club in Tokyo, Japan, on August 21, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon)
Taisuke pushes Kyuta so hard that the boy often gasps and crying. But you think it’s the only way to get the best out of your child.
“I think he’s managing to make time for himself and I think he has time to play with his friends,” Taisuke explained. “I don’t think it’s too much pressure.”
Training is expensive and requires a great commitment from the entire family, including her mother Makiko.
“I don’t gamble (in a casino). Instead, I bet everything on this,” Taisuke said.
4,000 CALORIES DAILY
The key to the success of any sumo is your diet.
On an average day, Kyuta will consume between 2,700 and 4,000 calories, including more than a liter of milk and copious amounts of protein. The steak is his favorite.
Kyuta Kumagai, 10, eats steak, which his father bought him as a reward after training, at ‘Chime’, a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, on August 21, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon).
While having a plate of chanko nabe, a special sumo broth, Taisuke said that Kyuta needs to gain another 20 kg by the time he enters high school in two years.
If he does that, the hope is that he will be duped by a high-profile sumo group and Taisuke said that there has already been interest.
His current coach, former pro wrestler Shinichi Taira, believes Kyuta has what it takes.
“At the moment, he has great talent,” said Taira.
Kyuta Kumagai, 10, warms up with other children before training at the Komatsuryu sumo club in Tokyo, Japan on August 23, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon)
Kyuta wants to reach the level of “yokozuna”, the highest ranking in the sport.
But he admits that the regime can be brutal.
“Sumo training is something that is not described with words like ‘enjoy’,” Kyuta said.
“When it got tough … sometimes I’ve thought about (quitting).”
For now, however, the routine to the top continues, for both father and son.
