Kirk here. The other day Hari posted about Kumamoto-ben. (Thanks Hari! Enjoyed the post!) Here’s my dialect related news item, translated and adapted by Claude AI.
— start translation —
“Please Say It in Japanese” — Grand Sumo’s “Too Real” Kumamoto Dialect Commentary Leaves Fans Baffled: “I Can’t Understand You” / “Give Us Subtitles”
Grand Sumo | March 20, 2026, 9:10 PM
THE MATCH
Grand Sumo Spring Tournament — Day 13 — March 20 — Edion Arena, Osaka
A head-to-head match between two wrestlers from Kumamoto Prefecture had a fellow Kumamoto native providing commentary — in gloriously full-throttle Kumamoto dialect. The result was a warmly chaotic moment, with fans pleading “wakarante (わからんて) — I can’t understand you!” and “jimaku dashite (字幕出して) — put up subtitles!”
THE MATCH-UP
The bout featured Fujiaoun (Fujishima stable), a newcomer ranked at maegashira 13, against Shōdai (Tōitsukaze stable), a former ōzeki now ranked at maegashira 8. Fujiaoun is from Nishi Ward, Kumamoto City; Shōdai is from Uto City, Kumamoto Prefecture — making this a true hometown showdown.
ENTER THE COMMENTATOR
Providing color commentary on ABEMA was Tenkaihou, also from Kumamoto — specifically Tamana City — a former maegashira himself. Before the match he said:
「藤青雲は中学校の後輩で、近所で子供の時から知ってます。頑張ってもらいたいところではあるんですけど、正代も同郷ですから、この取組楽しみです」 “Fujiaoun was my junior at middle school, and I’ve known him since we were kids in the neighborhood. I want him to do well, but Shōdai is from home too, so I’m really looking forward to this bout.”
THE DIALECT MOMENT
Play-by-play announcer Seino Shigeki then asked:
「取組への期待を熊本弁で言うとしたら？」 “How would you express your excitement for the match in Kumamoto dialect?”
Tenkaihou delivered, without missing a beat:
「なんさん ふたっともですね、けがせんごつですね。がんばってもらいちゃあって気持ちはあっとばってんですね」
Breaking it down:
- なんさん ふたっとも (nansan futattomo) = とにかく二人とも = “Anyway, both of them”
- けがせんごつ (kega sen gotsu) = けがをしないように = “So that they don’t get injured”
- がんばってもらいちゃあって (gambatte moraichaatte) = 頑張ってもらいたい = “I want them to give it their all”
- あっとばってん (atto baten) = あるんですけどね = “That’s how I feel, but…”
Full meaning: “Anyway, I want both of them to give it everything they’ve got without getting hurt.”
Announcer Seino applauded: “さすがネイティブ！(Sasuga neitivu!) — A true native speaker!” To which Tenkaihou laughed:
「大丈夫ですか（笑）？ けっこう自分かなりコテコテの。地元がそうなんですよ、熊本弁すごくて」 “Are you okay with that? (laughs) Mine is pretty thick. That’s just what my hometown is like — the Kumamoto dialect there is really intense.”
THE MATCH ITSELF
In the bout, Shōdai came out with strong forward pressure from the charge, worked in a left-arm underhold (sashi), and drove hard toward the edge — but at the rope, Fujiaoun executed a stunning last-moment twisting throw-down (tsukiotoshi) for a dramatic reversal. Fujiaoun earned his 9th win; Shōdai suffered his 6th loss. The arena erupted.
MORE DIALECT COMMENTARY
Reviewing the replay, Tenkaihou kept the dialect going:
「正代に左差されたけんが、タツキ（藤青雲）もやびゃーねーと思ったんですよ。ばってん、一回振っとってから右から突き落とし。このタイミング良かったですね」
Breaking it down:
- 〜けんが (ken ga) = 〜だから / 〜ので = “because / since”
- やびゃーねー (yabyā nē) = やばいよね / まずいよね = “That’s bad, isn’t it / Uh oh”
- ばってん (batten) = だけど / でも = “But / However”
Full meaning: “Since Shōdai got his left arm in, I thought Tatsuki (Fujiaoun) was in real trouble. But he shook him off once and then went for the throw-down from the right. The timing on that was great.”
Announcer Seino reflected: 「熊本弁で聞くとまた違った印象がありますね」 “Hearing it in Kumamoto dialect gives it a whole different feel.”
FAN REACTIONS
Tenkaihou’s humor-filled dialect commentary charmed fans — though many threw up their hands:
- 「わからんて」— “I can’t understand you!” (itself Kumamoto/Kyushu dialect for わからないよ)
- 「字幕出して」— “Put up subtitles!”
- 「日本語でお願いします」— “Please say it in Japanese!” (the joke being: he technically was)
- 「わかるようでわからんｗ」— “I kind of get it but kind of don’t lol”
- 「そろそろ標準語で…」— “Maybe standard Japanese now…”
(Source: ABEMA / Grand Sumo Channel)
