Ukrainian wrestler Aonishiki, a fast-rising up-and-comer, will never forget his challenging yet rewarding days at his virtual “alma mater” at a Kansai university where he proved his superiority.  

Born Yavhusishyn Danylo, Aonishiki arrived in Japan alone in April 2022 at age 18 to escape the Russian invasion of his homeland.

He then refined his skills at the sumo club of Kansai University in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, although he didn't attend any classes there. 

Aonishiki, 20, a member of the Ajigawa stable, made his debut in the juryo division at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Nov. 10-24.

Ahead of the Kyushu tournament, the Ukrainian received a ceremonial mawashi belt during a presentation ritual held on Nov. 5 at Kansai University’s Senriyama Campus.

“I am deeply thankful for this beautifully crafted decorative mawashi,” said Aonishiki, expressing his gratitude. “With my heartfelt appreciation for people at Kansai University, I will be competing on the sumo ring in my own style.”

In his childhood, Aonishiki tried wrestling and judo in Ukraine. He was captivated by sumo when he saw athletes involved in the traditional sport from Japan at the same facility for judo.

Aonishiki started fully devoting himself to sumo training after turning 7. He placed third at the junior world sumo championships in Sakai, also in Osaka Prefecture, in October 2019.

The Ukrainian wrestler got to know Arata Yamanaka at the competition, who is currently 25 and works as a coach of Kansai University’s sumo team.

As Yamanaka was the captain of the sumo club in 2022, his family offered to accept the fleeing Aonishiki into their home.

Yamanaka also negotiated with the university’s operator, so that Aonishiki could practice with the team despite not having official student status.

All the wrestlers from Kansai University were no match for Aonishiki.

“I have never beaten Danya (Aonishiki’s nickname) formally in any of my 200 bouts against him,” recalled Akihiro Sakamoto, 21, who had served as the sumo club’s captain until early November.

Upon arriving in Japan, Aonishiki, who measured 180 centimeters and weighed 110 kilograms, was not large enough to stand out in the college sumo community.

Despite that, Aonishiki displayed remarkable dominance in the ring. His physical strength, combined with his adept control of arms during clashes with opponents, made it nearly impossible for opponents to find any weaknesses to exploit.

A Mongolian wrestler at Doshisha University in the Kansai region could not secure even a single victory against Aonishiki during a joint practice session, although he won the individual division title in the national university sumo championship in Kanazawa.

The Mongolian is at present competing in the makushita category of the pro sumo circle under his ring name Seihakuho.

Talking all these feats into account, it was no surprise for insiders of Kansai University that Aonishiki promptly climbed the ladder to success since he entered the dohyo toward the end of 2022.

Winning the jonokuchi division in the 2023 Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, Aonishiki took the jonidan title during the following year’s New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.

Through only seven tournaments, Aonishiki has become the fifth fastest wrestler to reach the juryo rank since the annual six-tournament schedule was instituted in 1958, excluding “tsukedashi” wrestlers promoted via a grade skipping system.

Making his juryo debut, Aonishiki delivered a solid performance in the latest Kyushu tournament, chalking up 10 wins and five losses.

“Danya will end up becoming a yokozuna,” said Sakamoto. “He is really formidable.”

Based on his own experiences of competing with Aonishiki, Sakamoto believes that Aonishiki will continue moving up the career ladder further in the sumo community from here on out.

But Sakamoto has discovered at least one thing that stunned him: how fluently Aonishiki can speak Japanese.

Sakamoto heard Aonishiki say in Japanese during the mawashi presentation ceremony that he “did not know even which is right or left as soon as coming to Japan,” a rhetorical phrase illustrating how the speaker is at a loss in new surroundings.

“I have never tried that kind of sentence by myself,” Sakamoto acknowledged with a wry smile.

To tell the truth, Sakamoto was the “master of Japanese” for Aonishiki.

Having learned Russian as his second foreign language, Sakamoto befriended Aonishiki through communications using Russian phrases they knew. They likewise conversed by piecing together words from Japanese and English.

“We talked much about random, nonsensical topics, often utilizing gestures,” stated Sakamoto. “Our conversations were only possible because we were eager to share something with each other. Looking back, I feel that style of communications might actually be ideal.”

Sakamoto was both astonished and delighted by the fluent Japanese spoken by his dear friend Aonishiki.

Of the conversations they have ever exchanged, a comment from Aonishiki especially unforgettable for Sakamoto was about their university sumo club’s promotion to the first division in the western Japan student wrestling community.

In June 2022, Kansai University became the champion of the second division, advancing to the top category for the first time in 44 years. Aonishiki then told Sakamoto, “You have become significantly strong.”

“I was really happy to hear that,” said Sakamoto. “Danya’s joining us had immense importance for Kansai University’s sumo team.”

Aonishiki apparently feels the same way.

“I want to grow stronger together via training with everyone (at Kansai University),” he said. “My dream is to see athletes from Kansai University eventually enter the Ajigawa stable at some point.”