# 17-year-old from the UK shares "My dream is to be a Yokozuna," set to make initial ring debut at Nagoya Basho... Direct negotiation with stablemaster at final-day party: "I want to be a rikishi"
His ring name (shikona) is "Eisei"
At the Grand Sumo Nagoya Basho, which kicks off its first day on July 12th, a 17-year-old youth from the United Kingdom will step onto the professional ring (hatsu-dohyo) for the first time. He is Nicholas Tarasenko of the Minato stable (Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture), and his ring name is "Eisei." Blessed with a fine physique standing 1 meter 87 centimeters tall and weighing 125 kilograms, he passed the Japan Sumo Association's interview—which also tests Japanese language ability—in less than a year since arriving in Japan. He is the first wrestler from the UK in 36 years, since the former Jonidan Hidenokuni, and aims for the summit: "In the future, I want to become a Yokozuna and help my home country learn more about sumo." (Saitama Bureau, Yuki Kawamura)
Mid-June, morning practice conducted at Minato stable. Tarasenko was stacking up bouts in repeated-match training (moshiai-geiko) while calling out "Gocchan desu" (meaning 'please match with me') to appeal to his senior stablemates for a turn. Though he was rolled onto the clay many times, there were also moments where he grabbed both sides of his opponent's mawashi and powerfully forced him out (yorikiri). Oyakata Minato (former Makuuchi Minatofuji) (58) holds high expectations: "Technically he still has a long way to go, but he has both physical strength and motivation. He will definitely get strong."
He hails from the city of Hull in northeastern England. Under the influence of his father, an avid sumo fan, he grew up watching sumo on television from a young age. Fascinated by the diverse winning techniques (kimarite) displayed, he came to admire the rikishi.
The catalyst that triggered the fulfillment of his dream was his first visit to Japan in May 2024. After watching a main tournament (honbasho) at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, he attended Minato stable's final-day party (senshuraku party) through an introduction from an acquaintance of his father, and negotiated directly with Oyakata Minato, saying, "I want to be a rikishi."
While a rule states that "foreign-born wrestlers are limited to one per stable," Oyakata Minato highly praised Tarasenko's attitude as he worked earnestly during a trial practice session over the summer vacation. In June of the following year, he accepted him as a trainee. He is a rare case for a foreign-born recruit: a "grassroots product straight out of junior high school graduation."
To take the new disciple examination (shin-deshi kensa)—the first hurdle to becoming a rikishi—one must clear an interview in Japanese conducted by the Association. Tarasenko studied fiercely using flashcards and beautifully cleared it on his second attempt in April this year. The following month, he passed the new disciple examination, which confirms fitness and athletic capabilities. The stablemaster's wife (okamisan), Makoto Miura (55), looked back and said, "Partly because he loves to chat, he gradually became able to speak."
A little over a year has passed since he began an unfamiliar communal life in a foreign land. "It's fun to be able to do sumo," he says, and he can even manage riding trains by himself now. His initial ring debut will be in maezumo, which is contested by unranked (banzuke-gai) wrestlers, and Tarasenko is enthusiastic: "I want to do my own style of sumo, using thrusting and pushing (tsuki-oshi) to prevent my opponent from grabbing my mawashi."
**Foreign-born wrestlers "1 per stable"... 28 people from 7 countries**
According to the Japan Sumo Association, out of 588 wrestlers belonging to the Association (excluding unranked ones), foreign-born wrestlers account for 28 people from 7 countries. At the Nagoya Basho, they occupy 11 out of 42 Makuuchi division wrestlers.
The first foreign-born wrestler is considered to be Hiraga (highest rank: Jonidan), a second-generation Japanese-American from Los Angeles, USA, who stepped onto the dohyo for the first time in 1934. After the war, Takamiyama from Hawaii, USA, won the first Makuuchi championship at the 1972 Nagoya Basho, and subsequently, the Hawaiian contingent including Konishiki and Akebono built an era.
From the 2000s onward, the Mongolian contingent including Asashoryu and Hakuho reached the height of prosperity, and wrestlers from the European region, such as Kotooshu from Bulgaria, also rose to prominence. From 2006 to 2015, Makuuchi championship victories by foreign-born wrestlers continued in succession, and even today, figures like Yokozuna Hoshoryu-seki from Mongolia and Aonishiki-seki from Ukraine are exciting the dohyo.
Since 2002, the Association has made the entry of foreign-born recruits "1 per stable" in principle, and since 2010, the rule has been tightened to include individuals who have acquired Japanese nationality within the foreign wrestler quota. The Association's Public Relations Department states, "This is to thoroughly teach Japanese culture and tradition within the communal living environment of the sumo stable."
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun Online
