EDITORIAL: Asashoryu's retirement

Yokozuna Asashoryu, whose conduct repeatedly sparked criticism that he lacked the gravitas expected of a grand champion, retired last Thursday. The immediate cause of his move was his alleged drunken assault on an individual last month. But what ultimately forced him to bow out of the sumo world was his track record as a troublemaker who was habitually self-centered and ill-mannered.

Many fans already miss this rambunctious yokozuna, who brought much excitement to the sport with his speed and raw fighting spirit in the dohyo.

Of course, the blame for this sorry outcome lies with Asashoryu himself, as well as with stablemaster Takasago, who failed to control his unruly disciple. But the controversies surrounding Asashoryu also revealed problems inherent in the sumo world itself.

Sumo is a professional sport in which winning is the only way participants can rise up the ranks and earn a bigger salary. But at the same time, sumo is deeply steeped in ritual and tradition, with its own set of "spiritual" values that emphasize the dignity of the sport. For this reason, physical strength is not the only requisite of a fine wrestler.

Asashoryu was undoubtedly lacking in this respect, and he did not try hard enough to live up to sumo's required standard of excellence.

However, considering that he was just a teenager from Mongolia when he joined the stable and rose to sumo's highest rank in just over four years, we must wonder if the sumo world was really equipped to prepare Asashoryu for his position of responsibility.

Any novice would need support and guidance to be groomed into the "face" of Japan's national sport. The need is much greater if the novice is a foreigner unaccustomed to the Japanese language and culture. Instead of just leaving the task to the stablemaster, we believe the Japan Sumo Association should get involved.

Sumo today relies heavily on foreign talent, with non-Japanese wrestlers now accounting for 40 percent of the makuuchi senior division.

For non-Japanese to carry on sumo's tradition, simply criticizing those perceived as lacking "dignity" is not enough. It is vital that they be taught precisely what is meant by the "dignity" of the sport--a concept that is not easy even for Japanese to explain.

Every ritual and formality exists for a reason. To truly follow a tradition means to understand it thoroughly and to practice it in real life, not just mimic it. If studies are needed to properly educate sumo wrestlers, the association should be more than ready and willing to turn to outside help.

Many other issues must be addressed if sumo is to keep its dohyo open to foreigners. For one, no matter how impressive their career records, foreign wrestlers cannot become stablemasters or voting members of the Japan Sumo Association upon retirement unless they become naturalized Japanese. Is this a good system to keep?

The picture we have is that of talented non-Japanese sumo wrestlers sustaining the traditional Japanese community of topknotted men. We might say the picture shows the problems inherent in the current--and future--situation.

Foreign residents in Japan are growing in number. It is simply unacceptable for Japanese to welcome only those willing to think like Japanese and reject those who won't.

We must respect them all as fellow members of our community and try to help them put our cultural idiosyncrasies in context. And if we happen to be the ones who should change, we must not hesitate to do so. Only then will relations of mutual respect be possible.

To build a tolerant and culturally diverse society, there are actually many lessons to be drawn from the "Asashoryu incidents."

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 9