This week, we’re beginning a new miniseries on the legends of Japan’s most ancient sport: sumo. What can we learn about Japan and Japanese identity by looking at the lives of some of the most famous competitors in the national sport? We’ll begin investigating that question with a look at the life of one of the greatest ever to enter the ring: Taiho Koki.
Sources
Cuyler, P.L. Sumo: From Rite to Sport.
Graburn, Nelson, John Ertul, and R. Kenji Tierney. Multiculturalism in the New Japan: Crossing the Boundaries Within.
The Guardian’s obituary for Taiho.
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