VOX POPULI: Sumo must move beyond outdated thinking

Sumo has its own vocabulary that includes some archaic terms, such as ichimon (faction) and hamon (excommunication). If such words serve a purpose by protecting tradition, their use may be reasonable. But if the state of being outdated itself becomes a tradition, the sumo world would be left behind the times. Watching the Japan Sumo Association's board of directors election, I was seized by a desire to use the word ire-fuda, an old, hardly used term for voting.

"Ire-fuda" is also the title of a short story by writer Kan Kikuchi (1888-1948) about Kunisada Chuji (1810-1850), a legendary outlaw hero, and his followers, who fled from Joshu (present-day Gunma Prefecture) to Shinshu (present-day Nagano Prefecture). Everyone wanted to accompany Chuji, but a big entourage would attract too much attention. Left with no choice, they cast a ballot to narrow down the number of followers to three people. It is a masterpiece that deftly portrayed the struggle of conflict-torn henchmen.

Although the story is fiction, the voting was carried out in a secret ballot. But in the sumo association's board election, I heard some members called for voters to show their votes to observers. While the request was turned down, I am surprised at the old thinking. To begin with, in the last three elections, board members were elected without a vote. An antiquated image enshrouds the association.

Stablemaster and former yokozuna Takanohana, who was believed to be lagging behind other candidates, won the election, causing some people to call the outcome "a miracle." The association is a closed society in which it is difficult to hide who voted for whom. But protecting ichimon, even if it means undermining sumo, is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse. I hear some voters cast their ballots for Takanohana out of a sense of crisis.

Perhaps they would be regarded as rebels given the old nature of the sumo world. But as novelist Roka Tokutomi (1868-1927) put it, "One must not be afraid of being a rebel. New things are always rebellious." Can we really expect new things? I want to hear Takanohana's ideas for reform from the man himself.

There is a metaphor of a small fish that keeps swimming at a leisurely pace unaware that it had been swallowed by a whale. While the sumo world is dominated by big men, their lack of a sense of crisis makes me think of the small fish. Also with yokozuna Asashoryu's scandal, sumo fans are casting an increasingly wary eye. I wish there were at least two or three more rebels willing to breathe fresh air into the sumo world.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 3

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.