Japan celebrated the victory of Aonishiki at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament last weekend. He captured his first Emperor¡¯s Cup after defeating Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu.
Just days later, he was promoted to ¨³ú±ð°ì¾±, the second highest rank in the sport. It has been a dizzying ascendance, having entered the world of professional sumo some three years earlier.
It has been a remarkable journey and is likely not yet complete. The public has watched and applauded his meteoric rise against considerable odds. His success and that support are a powerful counterpoints and corrective to the story, increasingly heard in recent months, that Japan is somehow seized with anti-foreign sentiment.
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