VOX POPULI: The national sport loses its claim to dignity

The word kokugi (national sport) has a dignified ring to it. The custom of referring to sumo as kokugi is said to have taken hold after the Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena opened in Tokyo's Ryogoku district toward the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

According to a book by Kazutoshi Hando, there was much ado about what to call the new arena. All sorts of names were put forward, including sumokan (sumo hall) and budokan (martial arts hall).

When one oyakata (stablemaster) suggested kokugikan, Taisuke Itagaki (1837-1919), head of the naming committee, jumped on it. The facility opened amid great fanfare, but one newspaper commented, "Kokugi is an awkward new word. And surely, sumo is not the only national sport of Japan."

This national sport has been hit with yet another scandal. Following the 2007 beating death of a novice wrestler by his seniors and stablemaster, the sumo community was shaken by repeated drug scandals, the resignation of yokozuna Asashoryu in February this year over an alleged drunken assault and an expose by a weekly magazine last week about ozeki Kotomitsuki's suspected involvement in illegal betting on baseball games.

All that is bad enough, but now sumo's cozy ties to the yakuza gangland have been exposed again.

According to reports, two stablemasters helped obtain ringside box seats for senior members of a crime syndicate and its affiliates. These premium seats are not available to the general public, and those sitting there are seen in the center of the television screen as bouts are broadcast.

It appears that 50 or so gangsters took this opportunity to show themselves to their bosses, who watched the sumo matches on television from behind bars. The two stablemasters have been disciplined by the Japan Sumo Association.

"Daishi wa Kobo ni ubawaru" is an old Japanese saying that translates as "Kobo takes over daishi." In Buddhism, daishi is a title conferred upon a high priest. But when used by itself without the name of the priest, it refers to Kukai (774-835), the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism and known posthumously as Kobo Daishi.

A century since the opening of the Ryogoku Kokugikan, the word kokugi is now automatically associated with sumo. Perhaps we should say "Sumo takes over kokugi."

But the scandal-ridden sumo community has done a terrible injustice to Japan's other traditional sports. Its gangland ties are said to be deep. Until those ties are severed, sumo should not be allowed to call itself a national sport. I believe that would be the best medicine.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 28

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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.