Sumo+Sushi

Konishiki Sumo + Sushi Tour 2025

Andy Sumo and Sushi, Sumo Entertainment ,

This article should be subtitled, “always check your spam folder.” Sumo and Sushi is coming to the US this Fall! Apparently the presale date, June 24, has come and gone for the first four of the next tour dates. Justin had mentioned it to me a while ago but I had not gotten the memo and it had slipped by without notice.

Well, I guess I did get the memo. Oops.

The cities have been announced though specific venue details have not, except the San Francisco show will be at the Palace of Fine Arts in November. Dates have been announced for these first four tour stops, as we see below. The first is Chicago in Mid-October with Phoenix, LA, and San Fran following. There is also a whole raft of other proposed cities on the docket: DC, Miami, ATL, NYC, Nashville, and Bellvue, WA. No dates for those, so I wonder if they will slip to 2026 as we’re already in…checks notes…July.

The full slate of wrestlers does not appear to be known, either. It looks like Otani is back for more, which is great. Folks will remember Otani as one of Hakuho’s highly tauted recruits but he retired soon after the whole Hokuseiho scandal fallout. We enjoyed seeing him at last year’s DC tour event and he seemed to be enjoying himself here leaving all that drama in the rearview. He was also requested pretty frequently by folks who wanted to get in the ring and wrestle. Glad to see him listed here.

The website promises, “More Wrestlers Coming Soon.” There are several names that come to mind, immediately, as newly available free agents who are interested in spreading the word about sumo. But enough fantasy. I know Justin and I have our eyes open for the DC announcement. I’ve been wondering when that will come and I will post it when we notice. The two of us are aiming to be Front Row with our wives. I think I’ll get back in the ring next time. I missed doing it last year.

I must say, this little note at the bottom of their page is a reminder of just how f’ed up things can be sometimes. “There are several fake Sumo events using our brand and imagery that have zero affiliation with our company or production. Please be advised that our website is the ONLY place you can purchase legitimate Sumo + Sushi tickets and experience the real event. This website is the only location we will announce legitimate shows or tour dates. Please email us at events@seproductions.us for any questions or concerns.”

That shit’s just jacked up. If you see anything that looks fake, let the folks know. It’s kinda sad that you have to be on your guard like this. But if you want to see Konishiki and real sumo wrestlers, the official source will be only their site. Don’t get scammed. Anyway, I’ll keep folks apprised of things when I see updates.

Sumo News Update 2024.06.17

Andy Japanese Culture , , , , ,

There were a couple of items on the sumo calendar over the past week. The first item was the Kickoff of Konishiki’s Sumo+Sushi tour in the United States! He hosted several shows over the weekend in New York City and will stay there for next weekend as well. Due to the success, several shows have been added there, next weekend. From NYC, the troupe will head down to DC for shows June 28-30, Nashville on July 12-14 and up to Chicago on July 19-21. Click here to re-read my rundown of last year’s experience. Getting up on the dohyo was absolutely amazing, as was my sudden barrel roll across it. I was probably very lucky their dais was not made of Arakita clay.

Some of you may be questioning whether this is news worthy. Well, aside from the fact that Konishiki is bringing a sumo experience to the States, this event includes real sumo wrestlers. To me, that is news worthy of itself. While the participation of former Makuuchi wrestlers Takagenji and Daikiho’s was announced ahead of time, Otani’s role was a surprise. He may have been a last-minute stand-in for Chiyonoshin but others from last year’s crew (including Tooyama) are not on this tour. Thanks to Chanko_Mattun on Twitter for the screen grab above because Otani’s appearance over here seems to have made the news over there, too.

And back in Japan, the Kyokai participated in another PR event. In last week’s update, we saw the Fukuoka PR event. This time, five wrestlers (Atamifuji, Midorifuji, Abi, Onosato, and Tobizaru) traveled over to Nagoya for a Sports-themed expo of sorts. Watch the entire two-hour show here on the Kyokai’s YouTube channel.

This event was shared with the Dolphins basketball team. I kind of think a chance was missed here for a three-on-three tournament with the fans or h-o-r-s-e with the pros. If you ever watch a sumo “match day” from the start, you will recognize the Radio Taiso routine here. There was a bit of a shoot-around but the big event was the dance off that featured Atamifuji and Midorifuji busting a move…without music. The video here doesn’t have rights to the music, so you don’t hear the music here. Wow, the Kyokai takes this rights stuff seriously, no?