Editorial
Japan Sumo Association needs to learn lesson from departure of Asashoryu
Sumo Yokozuna Asashoryu, who secured 25 tournament wins during his career, the third highest number for a wrestler in the sport's top division, retired on Thursday.
The grappler's move was triggered by an incident during the January Grand Sumo Tournament, in which he allegedly assaulted a waiter -- an unforgivable act for a yokozuna. The Japan Sumo Association summoned Asashoryu and his stablemaster Takasago to a meeting of the board of directors on Thursday and questioned them over the incident.
The board recently held its first election in eight years, and it was expected that the new administration would severely punish the yokozuna over the incident, and possibly even sack him. It is unheard of for an active yokozuna to be fired, and such an incident would blemish the tradition-bound history of the sumo association, not to mention Asashoryu's own name. It can be concluded that by resigning before any action was taken, Asashoryu was able to end the issue with an amicable settlement.
But the sumo association must not be allowed to heave a sigh of relief now that the problem yokozuka has gone. There must be an investigation into the reason why one of the most popular and successful wrestlers left the clay mound in this way, and the association must establish measures to prevent any recurrence of such a turn of events.
There is no need to go back and explain the scandals that surrounded Asashoryu, starting with his game of soccer in Mongolia after he skipped a regional tour on the pretext of receiving treatment for injuries. Each time a problem surfaced, it was Asashoryu's stablemaster Takasago who bore the brunt of the criticism. In the world of sumo, which is governed by the rule that a pupil is the responsibility of the stablemaster, the spotlight was placed on Takasago's lack of leadership. Needless to say, Takasago indeed bore heavy responsibility, but so did the executives of the Japan Sumo Association.
It was the board of directors that recommended Asashoryu ascend to the rank of yokozuna seven years ago, in spite of a Yokozuna Deliberation Council decision that the move was "premature." But each time a scandal erupted, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of Takasago alone, while the association executives took a back seat. It can also be said that the association's board, failing to provide appropriate instruction at an early stage, went easy on the "monster yokozuna," allowing him to become arrogant.
When Asashoryu was questioned over his "dignity as a yokozuna," was it too heavy a burden for Takasago, a former wrestler of the lower ozeki rank, to teach him? One cannot help feeling that the sumo association as a whole, including former yokozuna wresters, fully grasped the weight of raising up a yokozuna service as the face of sumo.
Asashoryu's exciting sumo techniques, in which he displayed speed and fighting spirit, drew many fans. He supported Heisei Era sumo following the retirement of the popular Yokozuna Takanohana, and achieved the notable feat in 2005 of dominating all six tournaments that year. Following the rise of compatriot Hakuho to sumo's top rank, the two yokozuna sustained sumo's popularity. With one of those top wrestlers no longer in the ring, sumo's popularity will undoubtedly be affected.
Learning a lesson from the problems surrounding Asashoryu, the association needs to put in more effort than ever into the education of its wrestlers. Without such an effort, sumo is not qualified to be called a "national sport."
(Mainichi Japan) February 5, 2010