[sumo] mainichi: Musashimaru the latest to flee stiff world of sumo

["Rowan Klein" <rowanchan@hotmail.com>]

Not too much of a fan of the writer, and some glaring errors like 
Musashimaru weighing 270kgs, but of some interest none the less.



http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/face/index.html

With pockets lined, Musashimaru the latest to flee stiff world of sumo

By Ryann Connell
Staff Writer

November 20, 2003

Yokozuna Musashimaru made a valiant attempt to re-enter the dohyo following 
a year disrupted by a wrist injury, but drew a close to his glittering 
career on Nov. 15, says Shukan Shincho (11/27).

"He used the current tournament to determine his fate after the injured left 
wrist kept him out of action for six straight tournaments. He lost four 
bouts, but I think he could have kept on going," a reporter on the sumo beat 
tells Shukan Shincho. "He retired because he was too fat. When he was 
promoted to ozeki, he weighed 190 kilograms. This was Musashimaru's best 
weight. After that, he just kept on getting fatter and fought this 
tournament at 270 kilograms. On top of that, he hadn't trained enough. It 
was only natural he couldn't move too good."

Following the shock announcement from American-born former Yokozuna Akebono 
that he was turning his back on the staid, tradition-filled world of sumo in 
favor of the easy money on offer in the trashy fighting sport of K-1, 
speculation about Musashimaru's future outside of the dohyo has been rife.

"He's got no intention of remaining tied to sumo," an insider of one of the 
Samoan-born Musashimaru supporters' associations tells Shukan Shincho. "His 
stablemaster tried to set him up with somebody to marry, but he said he 
wasn't interested because he didn't want to stay in Japan. He only took out 
Japanese citizenship because the (Japan Sumo) association told him to do it 
and he couldn't do his retirement ceremony without it. Dejima, who fights 
out of the same stable, has already bought his name to become an elder, but 
Musashimaru hasn't showed the slightest interest. He's just going home to 
Hawaii."

For the time being, bachelor Musashimaru will still be linked to the sumo 
world.

"He can look forward to the association paying him a special bonus of 90 
million yen and another 35 million yen for long service and his ranking. 
He'll also get a monthly stipend of 1.03 million yen. But the biggest payout 
of all will come with his retirement ceremony where they cut off his topknot 
following the September Grand Sumo Tournament next year, when he can expect 
to pocket anywhere from 80 million yen to 100 million yen," the sumo writer 
says.

Once Musashimaru's retirement ceremony is over, most say the champion will 
head for home. He's already apparently made fairly concrete plans for the 
future.

"He rarely went to brothels when he was competing and lived a fairly quiet 
lifestyle. I'd stay he's got a fair amount of money stashed away. He's gonna 
run some businesses in Hawaii, like a seafood restaurant, a chanko 
restaurant (serving meals identical to those dished up to sumo wrestlers) 
and a gas station," the supporters' association insider tells Shukan 
Shincho. "I'm sure K-1 and professional wrestling will fight it out to try 
and secure his services, but at this point in time, Musashimaru has no 
intention of getting involved with them."

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[EndPost by "Rowan Klein" <rowanchan@hotmail.com>]