More than meets the eye as sumo stablemaster not turning Japanese

[Anchorman]

Sumo Stablemaster Takasago's blanket exposure as the main spokesman explaining troubled Yokozuna Asashoryu's battle with mental illness has been a real eye-opener in more ways than one, with Shukan Shincho (9/27) suggesting the stable boss may have gone under the surgeon's knife to get Caucasian eyelids.

Pictures of the 51-year-old stablemaster during his career in the ring show his eyes were barely more than slits, but having been in the limelight as Asashoryu's troubles have been given blanket media coverage, Takasago's now saucepan-like peepers have been sparking rumors.

Some are looking hard into suggestions the stablemaster has run the risk of disdain in the heavily macho world of sumo to undergo an eyelid-doubling procedure most commonly undertaken by young women looking to make their eyes more prominent.

"There's no doubt the stablemaster's eyes have gone from the small slits they were when he was a rikishi to being big and round now. You can clearly see the pupils and whites and his eyelids have definitely doubled up," a veteran sumo beat reporter tells Shukan Shincho. "I've never heard of him having had the eyelid operation, but the stablemaster is known for being a bit goofy at times, so I don't think you could ever rule out the possibility he's had plastic surgery."

Kitaro Omori, head of the Japan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, isn't sure.

"There's no doubt that his eyelids have doubled-up, but it's possible to get a double eyelid naturally just by losing weight, so it's impossible to judge on looks alone whether he's had plastic surgery," Omori tells Shukan Shincho. "Women are overwhelming more likely to undergo an eyelid doubling procedure. There are some men who do it, but I've never heard of anyone over 40 who's had the operation. Doing the operation gives the recipient a more feminine look, so I doubt someone trying to get by in the world of sumo, where projecting a strong image is important, would go through it."

Omori continues: "There's a possibility he may have a condition called blepharoptosis and been operated on for that. Blepharoptosis is caused by a buildup of fat in the eyelids that causes them to droop and reduces visibility. The operation involves removing fat from under the eyelid. Sometimes the recipient is given an eyelid-doubling operation so the scars don't show."

Hiko Hyakusoku, a professor at Nippon Medical School Hospital, says it's quite possible the macho stablemaster may have had the surgery.

"Sumo wrestlers are overweight and have lots of fat, so they easily fall prey to blepharoptosis," Hyakusoku says. "If the symptoms are light, there's no need for an operation, but in severe cases, the condition can drastically limit vision and lead to depression, so the operation is vital."

Takasago Stable's okami-san, the stablemaster's wife, doesn't blink an eyelid when probed about her husband's oculus.

"What a ridiculous question," she scoffs at the weekly. "Be a bit sensible. Of course he hasn't had plastic surgery."

And the stablemaster himself is also quick to look askew at suggestions he went under the knife for cosmetic reasons."I naturally developed a double eyelid after I'd given up wrestling," Takasago tells Shukan Shincho. "I haven't had any operation, either cosmetic surgery or for blepharoptosis." (By Ryann Connell)