page_title: 2019 in sumo
section_title: May
hierarchical_section_title: 2019 in sumo / News / May
caption_attribution_description: English: President Donald J. Trump, joined by Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, attends the Sumo Grand Championship Sunday, May 27, 2019, and the presentation of the President’s Trophy at the cultural event at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan Stadium in Tokyo. (Official White House Phoito by Shealah Craighead)
context_page_description: The following are the events in professional sumo during 2019.
context_section_description: 1: Dressed in their black montsuki hakama, 69 of the 70 sekitori use their bodies to spell out the kanji for the new imperial era, Reiwa.
  14: Further reports on President Donald Trump's visit on the final day of the May tournament suggest he will present a custom-made trophy to the winner, the "Trump Cup."
  26: Donald Trump is in attendance for the final five matches of the final day of the May tournament. He presents the new trophy, officially called the President's Cup, to the winner of the championship, maegashira Asanoyama, who finishes with a 12–3 record and special prizes for Outstanding Performance and Fighting Spirit. He is the first winner without any previous sanyaku experience since Sadanoyama in 1961. He finishes one win ahead of Kakuryū (11-4). Tochinoshin, despite a controversial call by the judges in his Day 13 match with Asanoyama which reversed the referee's decision and declared that his heel had stepped out of the ring, finishes with a 10–5 record, enough to return him immediately to the ōzeki rank. Other notable performers are Abi and top division debutant Shimanoumi who share the Fighting Spirit prize with Asanoyama, and Ryūden who wins the Technique prize. The jūryō division championship is won by Takagenji with a 13–2 record. Among the retirements are former jūryō wrestlers Dewahayate and Tochihiryu.
  29: Promotions to jūryō for the Nagoya tournament in July are announced. There are four newcomers, the most high profile of whom is Kotonowaka, the son of Sadogatake Oyaktata (ex-sekiwake Kotonowaka) who has changed his shikona from Kotokamatani to that of his father. The other debutants are Kizakiumi, who is the younger brother of Churanoumi making them the 21st pair of brothers in history to both reach sekitori status, Ichiyamamoto the first from Nishonoseki stable to reach jūryō since Shohozan in 2010, and Onoe stable's Ryuko. There is one returnee, Takanofuji, who won the makushita championship with a perfect 7–0 record.
caption: Asanoyama receives the President's Cup from Donald Trump
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