Hiro Morita

Hiroshi Morita
森田 博士
Born	(1967-08-07) 7 August 1967 (age 57) Tokyo, Japan
Other names	Hiro Morita
Education	Ohio State University
Occupations	news anchor television presenter journalist YouTuber
Years active	1994–present
Employer(s)	NHK Japan Sumo Association
Television	NHK Newsline Grand Sumo Dosukoi Sumo Salon Sumo Prime Time

Hiroshi Morita (森田 博士, Morita Hiroshi, born 7 August 1967), known professionally as Hiro Morita, is a Japanese English-language announcer for NHK and a presenter on Japan Sumo Association's English-language YouTube channel, Sumo Prime Time.

Born in Tokyo, Morita moved to Columbus, Ohio when he was a teenager.[1] He graduated Ohio State University and was later hired by NHK as a producer, but later became an English-language announcer.[2] His career in the broadcast industry began when he asked NHK producer Shigeno Tateno to give him a job, despite not having previous experience.[2]

NHK newsline

Morita joined NHK in 1994 and was for a time an announcer on NHK World-Japan's international news program NHK Newsline.[3][4]

Sumo

Commentary

Morita is also known for hosting programs related to professional sumo on NHK World-Japan. He has been a play-by-play announcer since 1999, and since 2016 he has covered sumo tournament news, including host of the program Grand Sumo Preview and color commentator on Grand Sumo Highlights. [1][3][5] He is one of a roster of English-language play-by-play announcers for sumo tournaments that air live on NHK.

International promotion of sumo

Morita traveled in 2019 to Georgia, Estonia, and Lithuania to promote sumo in those countries.[6] In each of those countries, he lectured on sumo and its history, and presented exhibits with various artifacts related to the sport.[7] During the trip, he also met with former ōzeki Baruto Kaito in Estonia, who demonstrated basic sumo techniques to the audience.[8]

In August 2022, the Japan Sumo Association launched an English-language YouTube channel called Sumo Prime Time in hopes of drawing a larger international audience to sumo.[3][9] Launched at the initiative of Morita, the channel provides basic sumo explanations such as rikishi routine or training and kimarite moves. It also provides exclusive interviews of toshiyori and rikishi, generally the winner of the previous tournament and popular figures of the sport.[10]

References

Citations

1. "Hiro Morita profile". NHK. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
2. Gunning, John (22 August 2018). "English sumo broadcasts bring together diverse cast". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
3. "Sumo: JSA targets overseas audience with English YouTube channel". Kyodo News. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
4. "Sumo, the Longest-Running Japanese Sport, Returns to LA in the 18th Annual US Sumo Open" (Press release). Los Angeles, CA: NHK. Globe Newswire. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
5. "Grand Sumo Highlights". NHK. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
6. Morita 2019, p. 1.
7. Morita 2019, pp. 1–2.
8. Morita 2019, p. 6.
9. "【大相撲】若隆景が海外ファンへ向けてすり足をレクチャー 昼寝の重要性も解説" [(Grand Sumo Tournament) Wakatakakage gives a lecture on sliding feet for overseas fans and explains the importance of taking a nap]. tokyo-sports.co.jp. Tokyo Sports. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
10. Gunning, John (10 August 2022). "JSA taps veteran presenter for new English-language YouTube channel". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2 March 2023.

Sources

• Morita, Hiro (2019). "'Fascinating World of Grand Sumo'～日本の国技・大相撲の魅力～" [Fascinating World of Grand Sumo: The Appeal of Grand Sumo, Japan's National Sport] (PDF) (in Japanese). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.

External links

• Hiroshi Morita page at DiMORA (in Japanese)
• Sumo Prime Time YouTube channel