So the Aki basho has started as of today! I can honestly say that for me there has been very little buildup, though this is in no way the fault of sumo. Since I will be traveling soon, it has just been a busy few weeks littered with planning, packing, and a few heavy hangovers.
Anyways, with all the business going on, I warmly welcome sumo's familiar face back into my life beginning today. Obviously the biggest thing to note for this tournament is Hakuho's amazing win streak. If he continues winning through this tournament, he will smash Chiyonofuji's second place streak and be poised to conquer Futabayama's seemingly insurmountable 69 bout winning record in Kyushu (where I will be watching!).
Aside from Hakuho's amazing run, the other unique thing about this basho is how many juryo mainstay rikishi have made their way up to makuuchi due to the large falls down the banzuke of the baseball gamblers. Some big names who have dropped include former ozeki Miyabiyama, as well as young Japanese rikishi Goeido and Toyonoshima. While this should make for some big numbers and competition in the juryo ranks amongst these makuuchi mainstays, it has created a bizarre makuuchi banzuke. The plus of all this is veteran Tosanoumi's return to the top division at an impressive 38 years old. Let's hope he can still keep up with those around him, as most are his fellow juryo rikishi anyways. The guy is so damn likeable that it is impossible not to cheer for him.
Anyways, hope you all enjoy the Aki basho. Sadly, I'll be missing out on much of the action due to my travel plans, but I'll be back for the end for sure!
Cheers!
Dohyo
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Nagoya 2010
So the 2010 Nagoya basho is over, and I was fortunate enough to catch most days on the live stream via the NSK website. Speaking honestly, I found myself enjoying the basho far more than expected, despite the usual mediocre ozeki performances and a number of top division rikishi missing. The final outcome was a resounding zensho-yusho by Hakuho, extending his win streak to 47 (surpassing the great Taiho at 45). This alone is unbeleivably impressive, and it is made even more amazing by the complete dominance exhibited by Hakuho on the dohyo. The best challenge probably came from young Japanese rikishi Kisenosato, who looked to have the yokozuna in a dangerous spot on day 10, but was ultimately felled by a spectacular kakenage throw from Hakuho. While the winning streak is reaching the point where it is holding my interest for all of Hakuho's matches, I still find myself floored by the near perfection which the yokozuna displays atop the dohyo. His size, speed, strength, and technique are all impecible, making him nearly impossible to overcome; plus, his mental composure is always focused and stable, so he does not suffer from breakdowns and hesitancy that we see in rikishi like Kotooshu. One very positive outcome from this winning streak is that it has sparked the will to win in many opponents who would otherwise take a loss to Hakuho for granted (Tokitenku for example), as the other rikishi want their name immortalized as the one who ended the streak (much as former yokozuna Onokuni was remembered for breaking Chiyonofuji's 53 match winning streak). It will be interesting to see who can finally topple this giant and break the chain of wins.
Anyways, my sincere congratulations to Hakuho on his 15th yusho! Other rikishi of note include Aran; the strong but unrefined Russian compiled his second jun-yusho and kanto-sho in a row with an 11-4 record from the M2E slot (winning 10 in a row after day 5), and he will likely make his sanyaku debut at sekiwake in Aki. M13E Homasho shared in the jun-yusho and kanto-sho, posting an 11-4 record of his own but faced far weaker competition than Aran. The third member of the jun-yusho party was M6E Kakuryu (a former sekiwake). For his efforts, he was awarded his 5th gino-sho. Lastly, in juryo, elevator rikishi Masastukasa posted a dominating 13-2 record to win his first juryo yusho and a return to makuuchi next basho.
Finally, former komusubi Kaiho of Hakkaku-beya, one of my all time favorites, had announced his retirement during the basho. It is really a shame to see him go, but he will stay on as a coach at Hakkaku-beya under the Tanigawa name. Let's hope he can pass along his technical skills and fighting spirit to a new generation!
Anyways, my sincere congratulations to Hakuho on his 15th yusho! Other rikishi of note include Aran; the strong but unrefined Russian compiled his second jun-yusho and kanto-sho in a row with an 11-4 record from the M2E slot (winning 10 in a row after day 5), and he will likely make his sanyaku debut at sekiwake in Aki. M13E Homasho shared in the jun-yusho and kanto-sho, posting an 11-4 record of his own but faced far weaker competition than Aran. The third member of the jun-yusho party was M6E Kakuryu (a former sekiwake). For his efforts, he was awarded his 5th gino-sho. Lastly, in juryo, elevator rikishi Masastukasa posted a dominating 13-2 record to win his first juryo yusho and a return to makuuchi next basho.
Finally, former komusubi Kaiho of Hakkaku-beya, one of my all time favorites, had announced his retirement during the basho. It is really a shame to see him go, but he will stay on as a coach at Hakkaku-beya under the Tanigawa name. Let's hope he can pass along his technical skills and fighting spirit to a new generation!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
NHK cancels live coverage of Nagoya
Today the NHK announced that they will be cancelling their live coverage of the Nagoya basho -- the first time since they started covering in 1953. That alone begs the question: is this gambling scandal really so awful that it merits such an unprecedented reaction? My answer is a clear and resounding NO. In fact, who in the world has anything to gain from cancelling the coverage, and who is this supposed to be punishing/appeasing?
Well, we can attempt to answer these questions, as I slowly get more and more pissed off at this whole affair. In fact, I'd like to point out that I just bought a new TV about two months ago for the soul purpose of watching the Natsu and Nagoya bashos while still in Japan. Thanks NHK, now I get 50% of the sumo I thought and bought a completely unnecessary new accessory.
Anyways, back to those questions. Well, it seems that the NHK is the only one with something to gain from cancelling coverage, and I suppose this is feasible. Sumo is not as widely popular as it used to be, and viewership would certainly be down due to the scandals. Still, what sort of programming are they going to replace sumo with? Anyone who watches the NHK will comment at how absolutely awful a lot of it is; so now we'll get TWICE the duration of diet sessions and disgraced CEO resignations instead of the kokugi. That's just lovely (saracasm). "But Patrick," you say. "Sumo viewers/fans are a minority, and surely the NHK can broadcast something more widely appealing!" To this, one needs only to keep in mind that the NHK has broadcast numerous special interest programs in the past. In fact, a lot of their programs could be considered special interest, and I can assure you that sumo is far more popular than most of the other special interest programs...
So what else could be driving behind this? Well, the 68% of online polled individuals who said the NHK should not cover. In fact, these are the true individuals to blame for the cancelled coverage. First, let me say that the results of these polls is completely meaningless, as most of those who vote are likely not sumo fans and as such don't give two shits about sumo being broadcast. Certainly I would vote to ban showing basketball amidst a scandal, as I find it to be atrociously boring, but this does not make me an accurate representation of those who really care about the issues in basketball. Some sumo "fans" claim that they want coverage cancelled to hurt the sport and force the NSK to clean up their act. To be blunt, I find anyone who is willing to sacrifice the coverage and popularity of a sport they supposedly "love" just to get their way in potential changes that might result to be an asshole -- and not a real fan at all. These "fans" want to inflict wounds upon sumo in order for it to change more to their liking. Not only is this unbelievably selfish, but it is a horrible and immoral way of going about the changes they desire. It is akin to shock therapy or domestic violence for fuck's sake!
These are the same sorts of people who think sumo's traditional practices should be abolished altogether. But I'll ask this: if we take away all of the rituals and traditions, what does that leave to distinguish sumo from other grappling sports? Just the mawashi. Great, I'll go watch some ssireum and Mongolian wrestling. Sumo's individuality resides in its unique traditions, and stripping it of these will just leave an empty husk of what used to be a grand spectacle. So let's all do ourselves a favor and quit trying to kill sumo as we know it, and rather work to reform it while still enjoying the wonderful things it has to offer.
Really, cancelling coverage only hurts sumo, regardless of changes that may come about. In fact, why would systematically working to crush sumo's popularity help bring about changes? If anything, I would think that the resulting obscurity that some are hoping for would drive the sumo world to become even more traditional, the opposite goal of these so-called progressives.
Honestly, the worst outcome of cancelling coverage is the negative impact on those fans who still want to watch sumo (myself included) and all of the rikishi who worked so hard to achieve their positions on the banzuke. In the case of fans who want to watch sumo live everyday, we are being punished as a result of a few stupid rikishi/oyakata who made the poor choice to gamble illegally and a group of non-fan jerks who want to see the basho not air. These people who feel so strongly that the coverage should not air and are soooo offended could, oh, I don't know, simply NOT WATCH the basho. I feel like I missed some sort of step in this logic; how do we get from illegal gambling to fan's not receiving coverage? I'll repeat my question from above: who is this supposed to be punishing? Those who should be punished are the offending parties, and guess what, they were. Consider all of the completely innocent rikishi who are being negatively affected by this whole blown out of proportion firestorm. Good guys like shin-juryo Kaisei and shin-makuuchi Gagamaru have worked extremely hard to make their respective debuts in these divisions, only to have the NHK come along and cancel the coverage, depriving them of their well-earned moments of glory. Indeed, we are punishing the many for the sins of the few. Ridiculous.
Finally, I will pose one last question: If the NSK and sumo world is so uncompromisingly corrupt, evil, archaic, and incompetent as so many of these reformers seem to think, then how has sumo managed to survive and succeed for so long? Obviously reforms have been and still are needed in key areas, but trying to bring down the entire sport and punish everyone from the fans to the non-offending rikishi by cancelling coverage is not the proper way to go about change. There is a lot that is wrong in the sumo world, but nothing so terrible that the whole sport needs to be shunned, killed, and resurrected.
Well, we can attempt to answer these questions, as I slowly get more and more pissed off at this whole affair. In fact, I'd like to point out that I just bought a new TV about two months ago for the soul purpose of watching the Natsu and Nagoya bashos while still in Japan. Thanks NHK, now I get 50% of the sumo I thought and bought a completely unnecessary new accessory.
Anyways, back to those questions. Well, it seems that the NHK is the only one with something to gain from cancelling coverage, and I suppose this is feasible. Sumo is not as widely popular as it used to be, and viewership would certainly be down due to the scandals. Still, what sort of programming are they going to replace sumo with? Anyone who watches the NHK will comment at how absolutely awful a lot of it is; so now we'll get TWICE the duration of diet sessions and disgraced CEO resignations instead of the kokugi. That's just lovely (saracasm). "But Patrick," you say. "Sumo viewers/fans are a minority, and surely the NHK can broadcast something more widely appealing!" To this, one needs only to keep in mind that the NHK has broadcast numerous special interest programs in the past. In fact, a lot of their programs could be considered special interest, and I can assure you that sumo is far more popular than most of the other special interest programs...
So what else could be driving behind this? Well, the 68% of online polled individuals who said the NHK should not cover. In fact, these are the true individuals to blame for the cancelled coverage. First, let me say that the results of these polls is completely meaningless, as most of those who vote are likely not sumo fans and as such don't give two shits about sumo being broadcast. Certainly I would vote to ban showing basketball amidst a scandal, as I find it to be atrociously boring, but this does not make me an accurate representation of those who really care about the issues in basketball. Some sumo "fans" claim that they want coverage cancelled to hurt the sport and force the NSK to clean up their act. To be blunt, I find anyone who is willing to sacrifice the coverage and popularity of a sport they supposedly "love" just to get their way in potential changes that might result to be an asshole -- and not a real fan at all. These "fans" want to inflict wounds upon sumo in order for it to change more to their liking. Not only is this unbelievably selfish, but it is a horrible and immoral way of going about the changes they desire. It is akin to shock therapy or domestic violence for fuck's sake!
These are the same sorts of people who think sumo's traditional practices should be abolished altogether. But I'll ask this: if we take away all of the rituals and traditions, what does that leave to distinguish sumo from other grappling sports? Just the mawashi. Great, I'll go watch some ssireum and Mongolian wrestling. Sumo's individuality resides in its unique traditions, and stripping it of these will just leave an empty husk of what used to be a grand spectacle. So let's all do ourselves a favor and quit trying to kill sumo as we know it, and rather work to reform it while still enjoying the wonderful things it has to offer.
Really, cancelling coverage only hurts sumo, regardless of changes that may come about. In fact, why would systematically working to crush sumo's popularity help bring about changes? If anything, I would think that the resulting obscurity that some are hoping for would drive the sumo world to become even more traditional, the opposite goal of these so-called progressives.
Honestly, the worst outcome of cancelling coverage is the negative impact on those fans who still want to watch sumo (myself included) and all of the rikishi who worked so hard to achieve their positions on the banzuke. In the case of fans who want to watch sumo live everyday, we are being punished as a result of a few stupid rikishi/oyakata who made the poor choice to gamble illegally and a group of non-fan jerks who want to see the basho not air. These people who feel so strongly that the coverage should not air and are soooo offended could, oh, I don't know, simply NOT WATCH the basho. I feel like I missed some sort of step in this logic; how do we get from illegal gambling to fan's not receiving coverage? I'll repeat my question from above: who is this supposed to be punishing? Those who should be punished are the offending parties, and guess what, they were. Consider all of the completely innocent rikishi who are being negatively affected by this whole blown out of proportion firestorm. Good guys like shin-juryo Kaisei and shin-makuuchi Gagamaru have worked extremely hard to make their respective debuts in these divisions, only to have the NHK come along and cancel the coverage, depriving them of their well-earned moments of glory. Indeed, we are punishing the many for the sins of the few. Ridiculous.
Finally, I will pose one last question: If the NSK and sumo world is so uncompromisingly corrupt, evil, archaic, and incompetent as so many of these reformers seem to think, then how has sumo managed to survive and succeed for so long? Obviously reforms have been and still are needed in key areas, but trying to bring down the entire sport and punish everyone from the fans to the non-offending rikishi by cancelling coverage is not the proper way to go about change. There is a lot that is wrong in the sumo world, but nothing so terrible that the whole sport needs to be shunned, killed, and resurrected.
Monday, July 5, 2010
House Arrest and Banzuke
So it's finalized -- Kotomitsuki and Otake are getting the boot from sumo. Expulsion is the chosen punishment, not the more harsh excommunication (which has never been utilized before). Kotomitsuki will still get severence pay, but it will be drastically reduced. Tokitsukaze and Onomatsu were both demoted to the lowest status within the NSK for oyakata -- 5 years for Toki and 10 years for Ono.
As for the others, the following rikishi and oyakata are on house arrest for Nagoya:
Makuuchi: Goeido, Toyonoshima, Miyabiyama, Toyohibiki, Wakakoyu, and Okinoumi
Juryo: Daido, Kiyoseumi, Chiyohakuho, Kasuganishiki (and former juryo Futeno)
Oyakata: Musashigawa (rijicho), Kokonoe (riji) (former Chiyonofuji), Michinoku (riji), Dewanoumi (riji), Sadogatake, Miyagino (Hakuho's stablemaster), Sakaigawa, Onomatsu, Hakkaku, Kise, and Kasugano
Additionally, the names of non-baseball gamblers have been released, and among them include six makuuchi, including Hakuho, Kisenosato, Kotoshogiku, Kakuryu, Asasekiryu and Kakizoe.
So, now we can see how this will impact the matches if we look at the new banzuke which was released today. For the full makuuchi and juryo banzuke, check the link: http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/hon_basho/banzuke/index.html
Less than a week before the start of Nagoya!
As for the others, the following rikishi and oyakata are on house arrest for Nagoya:
Makuuchi: Goeido, Toyonoshima, Miyabiyama, Toyohibiki, Wakakoyu, and Okinoumi
Juryo: Daido, Kiyoseumi, Chiyohakuho, Kasuganishiki (and former juryo Futeno)
Oyakata: Musashigawa (rijicho), Kokonoe (riji) (former Chiyonofuji), Michinoku (riji), Dewanoumi (riji), Sadogatake, Miyagino (Hakuho's stablemaster), Sakaigawa, Onomatsu, Hakkaku, Kise, and Kasugano
Additionally, the names of non-baseball gamblers have been released, and among them include six makuuchi, including Hakuho, Kisenosato, Kotoshogiku, Kakuryu, Asasekiryu and Kakizoe.
So, now we can see how this will impact the matches if we look at the new banzuke which was released today. For the full makuuchi and juryo banzuke, check the link: http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/hon_basho/banzuke/index.html
Less than a week before the start of Nagoya!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Busy Busy
So unfortunately, I found out that I will be doing a rewrite on my thesis (due in the middle of this month). Combining this with guest lectures for my advisor's shelter class, and I won't have much time to write anything new. I'll do my best to get something written after the July 4 meeting, but no promises (as we will be going out to celebrate Independence Day that night).
Cheers!
Cheers!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Illegal Gambling Punishments
So today the riji met to discuss what to do about this whole scandal, but for final words it seems we will have to wait for the July 4th meeting (woo Independence Day!). For those of you who don't know, a large number of rikishi, oyakata, and other sumo affiliated individuals have admitted to illegally gambling. What is striking about this scandal is not so much that the gambling occurred, but more how widespread it was within the sumo world, with 29 admitting to gambling on baseball and 36 others admitting to other forms of gambling. More damning than the actual gambling is the association with mafia (yakuza) that these sorts of illegal activities imply. Ties between sumo and the yakuza go back deep into history, but having this relationship illuminated for the public is extremely bad press for sumo, as yakuza are perceived very negatively (and rightfully so).
This whole fiasco began after a tabloid ran a story about ozeki Kotomitsuki's illegal gambling and his being blackmailed by a member of the mafia to cover up this information, and as such Kotomitsuki is going to be one of the most heavily punished amongst the guilty parties (the fact that he lied about any wrongdoing at first will also factor heavily); his retirement papers were not accepted, as his fate will be decided at the July 4th meeting. The other individual receiving heavy punishment is Otake-oyakata (former Takatoriki), who has already submitted his resignation as well.
For more information on the details regarding the scandal, please check out the forums at sumoforum.net!
Anyways, what I really wanted to talk about was the punishments being administered to those found guilty within the NSK. From what we've seen so far, the guilty parties are being evaluated on a case by case basis for the most part, hence the harsher punishments for Otake and Kotomitsuki based on the severity of their offences. Otake was said to have racked up enormous debts gambling illegaly, and alleges that Kotomitsuki took on the burden of his debt. My initial reaction to this is that Otake is probably just covering for Mitsuki and acting as a scapegoat, but we'll have to see how it all plays out.
Bringing on an independent panel to look at the situation and recommend punishment was the only logical step to take for investigation, as this scandal permeates too deep into the sumo world. Actually, I'm surprised to say that I think that the punishment suggestions reached by the panel were probably the best possible choice. Many have been calling for the basho to be cancelled, but honestly this is not the correct way to go about reprimanding those involved, as it not only punishes those who are guilty but also all those who are innocent. Additionally, the fans are hurt by this, and many would be disappointed, frustrated, and even angry that they must wait until Aki for a new basho. Consider the negative impact this would have on Nagoya's feelings towards sumo, if their only basho a year was cancelled (not to mention that Kotomitsuki is a native of Aichi-ken!).
Fortunately, the panel's recommendations were accepted (as well they should have been, as there were completely reasonable), and the Nagoya basho will go on as planned, with the banzuke coming out a week later than normal. The recommended punishments are widespread suspensions of those involved in illegal baseball gambling, as well as suspensions of the overseeing oyakata. Additionally, Otake-oyakata, Tokitsukaze-oyakata (former Tokitsuumi), and Kotomitsuki face heavier punishment. Right now, the NSK is looking at the likely expulsion of Kotomitsuki and Otake, with Tokitsukaze facing serious demotion. Of course, finalization of all this mess will happen at the July 4th meeting, but as of now it seems the NSK is accepting these recommended punishments.
Check out the story here: http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_21.html
So are these punishments fair? On either end of the spectrum we have those wishing to cancel the basho and/or expell all gambling rikishi, while others feel it is no big deal and just a minor slap on the wrist is enough. Well, I already explained why cancelling the Nagoya basho would be unfair, but it would also additionally be financially disastrous for the NSK. Furthermore, widespread expulsions would be unwise, as banishing that many rikishi would severely weaken the overall quality of sumo for many future basho. Losing strong young guys like Goeido, Toyonoshima, and Toyohibiki would only harm sumo; it's bad enough that Kotomitsuki will almost certainly be gone from sumo for good, as his technical prowess and strong tachi-ai always made him one of my favorites. Basically, we would see half of juryo fighting in makuuchi, with makushita filling out half of juryo. With Hakuho already dominating the makuuchi division with such ease, weakening the overall competition int he division would not draw any new interest in the sport and might even drive many fans away out of sheer boredom. Still, one should not assume from this that I feel these rikishi should get off with little/no punishment. Despite the fact that I honestly don't care at all about rikishi and oyakata's personal lives, conduct, or less than savory habits (I was a big fan of the ex-Asashoryu after all), I still feel that all those involved need to be harshly reprimanded. This is for two main reasons: first, the public demands that strong action be taken. Sumo's popularity is already in a state of suffering, and to have scandal after scandal does not help. Since the media has built this scandal up into a huge firestorm, to take no action against the guilty parties would certainly alienate many away from sumo. Essentially, the scope and coverage of this incident demands strong repercussions. Secondly, I feel that those involved must be punished out of consistency. After all, four rikishi were completely expelled after being caught with or testing positive for marijuana (Wakanoho, Roho, Hakurozan, and Wakakirin), and former yokozuna Asashoryu and Futahaguro were both forced into retirement after years of behavioral issues. If those involved in illegal gambling are allowed to continue on as normal, it would be quite contradictory to how issues such as these were handled in the past. Unlike how Wakanoho was unfortunately lumped in with the brothers Roho and Hakurozan during the marijuana scandal, those currently under investigation are being handled individually, which means that appropriate punishments can be handed down on a case by case basis.
Having banishment or demotion as punishments for the worst offenders, while still significantly punishing the lesser offenders with suspensions for Nagoya is a seemingly reasonable outcome. If one really wishes to see harsher punishments inflicted upon these men, they should consider the shame and loss of support that will follow their suspension as punishment enough. Despite being illegal, gambling is quite widespread in Japan, and combining this with the often sheltered world that rikishi live in, I cannot help but sympathize some with them in this situation. I tend to feel that the oyakata who allowed this widespread gambling to go on for so long are far more responsible. Either way, in my view, a fair punishment has been reached, so we can at least expect an interesting (if not exciting..) Nagoya basho next month. However, we must consider as well that these punishments are in no way getting at the core of the problems. So let's hope that this ultimately leads to more structural reforms within the Kyokai rather than ignoring all the still existing corruption and relying on a handful of scapegoats to proceed into the future.
Anyways, more to come later (probably after the July 4 meeting), and I will hopefully make a post about the banzuke when it finally gets released.
This whole fiasco began after a tabloid ran a story about ozeki Kotomitsuki's illegal gambling and his being blackmailed by a member of the mafia to cover up this information, and as such Kotomitsuki is going to be one of the most heavily punished amongst the guilty parties (the fact that he lied about any wrongdoing at first will also factor heavily); his retirement papers were not accepted, as his fate will be decided at the July 4th meeting. The other individual receiving heavy punishment is Otake-oyakata (former Takatoriki), who has already submitted his resignation as well.
For more information on the details regarding the scandal, please check out the forums at sumoforum.net!
Anyways, what I really wanted to talk about was the punishments being administered to those found guilty within the NSK. From what we've seen so far, the guilty parties are being evaluated on a case by case basis for the most part, hence the harsher punishments for Otake and Kotomitsuki based on the severity of their offences. Otake was said to have racked up enormous debts gambling illegaly, and alleges that Kotomitsuki took on the burden of his debt. My initial reaction to this is that Otake is probably just covering for Mitsuki and acting as a scapegoat, but we'll have to see how it all plays out.
Bringing on an independent panel to look at the situation and recommend punishment was the only logical step to take for investigation, as this scandal permeates too deep into the sumo world. Actually, I'm surprised to say that I think that the punishment suggestions reached by the panel were probably the best possible choice. Many have been calling for the basho to be cancelled, but honestly this is not the correct way to go about reprimanding those involved, as it not only punishes those who are guilty but also all those who are innocent. Additionally, the fans are hurt by this, and many would be disappointed, frustrated, and even angry that they must wait until Aki for a new basho. Consider the negative impact this would have on Nagoya's feelings towards sumo, if their only basho a year was cancelled (not to mention that Kotomitsuki is a native of Aichi-ken!).
Fortunately, the panel's recommendations were accepted (as well they should have been, as there were completely reasonable), and the Nagoya basho will go on as planned, with the banzuke coming out a week later than normal. The recommended punishments are widespread suspensions of those involved in illegal baseball gambling, as well as suspensions of the overseeing oyakata. Additionally, Otake-oyakata, Tokitsukaze-oyakata (former Tokitsuumi), and Kotomitsuki face heavier punishment. Right now, the NSK is looking at the likely expulsion of Kotomitsuki and Otake, with Tokitsukaze facing serious demotion. Of course, finalization of all this mess will happen at the July 4th meeting, but as of now it seems the NSK is accepting these recommended punishments.
Check out the story here: http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_21.html
So are these punishments fair? On either end of the spectrum we have those wishing to cancel the basho and/or expell all gambling rikishi, while others feel it is no big deal and just a minor slap on the wrist is enough. Well, I already explained why cancelling the Nagoya basho would be unfair, but it would also additionally be financially disastrous for the NSK. Furthermore, widespread expulsions would be unwise, as banishing that many rikishi would severely weaken the overall quality of sumo for many future basho. Losing strong young guys like Goeido, Toyonoshima, and Toyohibiki would only harm sumo; it's bad enough that Kotomitsuki will almost certainly be gone from sumo for good, as his technical prowess and strong tachi-ai always made him one of my favorites. Basically, we would see half of juryo fighting in makuuchi, with makushita filling out half of juryo. With Hakuho already dominating the makuuchi division with such ease, weakening the overall competition int he division would not draw any new interest in the sport and might even drive many fans away out of sheer boredom. Still, one should not assume from this that I feel these rikishi should get off with little/no punishment. Despite the fact that I honestly don't care at all about rikishi and oyakata's personal lives, conduct, or less than savory habits (I was a big fan of the ex-Asashoryu after all), I still feel that all those involved need to be harshly reprimanded. This is for two main reasons: first, the public demands that strong action be taken. Sumo's popularity is already in a state of suffering, and to have scandal after scandal does not help. Since the media has built this scandal up into a huge firestorm, to take no action against the guilty parties would certainly alienate many away from sumo. Essentially, the scope and coverage of this incident demands strong repercussions. Secondly, I feel that those involved must be punished out of consistency. After all, four rikishi were completely expelled after being caught with or testing positive for marijuana (Wakanoho, Roho, Hakurozan, and Wakakirin), and former yokozuna Asashoryu and Futahaguro were both forced into retirement after years of behavioral issues. If those involved in illegal gambling are allowed to continue on as normal, it would be quite contradictory to how issues such as these were handled in the past. Unlike how Wakanoho was unfortunately lumped in with the brothers Roho and Hakurozan during the marijuana scandal, those currently under investigation are being handled individually, which means that appropriate punishments can be handed down on a case by case basis.
Having banishment or demotion as punishments for the worst offenders, while still significantly punishing the lesser offenders with suspensions for Nagoya is a seemingly reasonable outcome. If one really wishes to see harsher punishments inflicted upon these men, they should consider the shame and loss of support that will follow their suspension as punishment enough. Despite being illegal, gambling is quite widespread in Japan, and combining this with the often sheltered world that rikishi live in, I cannot help but sympathize some with them in this situation. I tend to feel that the oyakata who allowed this widespread gambling to go on for so long are far more responsible. Either way, in my view, a fair punishment has been reached, so we can at least expect an interesting (if not exciting..) Nagoya basho next month. However, we must consider as well that these punishments are in no way getting at the core of the problems. So let's hope that this ultimately leads to more structural reforms within the Kyokai rather than ignoring all the still existing corruption and relying on a handful of scapegoats to proceed into the future.
Anyways, more to come later (probably after the July 4 meeting), and I will hopefully make a post about the banzuke when it finally gets released.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Introduction
Welcome fellow fans to my attempt at sharing the happenings of sumo with a wider audience. I have never written anything substantial on the internet before, let alone a "blog," so you'll all just have to bear with me!
This first post was intended to be a quick test of my layout, but I figured it would be nice to give a little introduction as well. Obviously, a lot is going on in the sumo world that merits a great deal of discussion, so hopefully my following posts will have a bit more substance (but they'll have to wait until at least after lunch).
As an academic, writing has always been a passion of mine, so I figured "why not start sharing my ramblings with others?" Of course, there are already a number of good online groups and sources that a fan of sumo can tap into, including sumoforum.net, sumotalk.com, and Sumo Fan Magazine, but I figured one more fan voicing his opinion on the sport wouldn't hurt.
In true Japanese fasion, I suppose a bit of a self-introduction is prudent regarding my experience and interest in sumo. "Why should I care what this guy has to say about sumo anyways?!" Yes, this thought came to mind when deciding to create some sort of blog, and the truth is, I am just like any other sumo fan -- or any other sports fan for that matter. In fact, prior to my coming to Japan 2 years ago, I considered myself more of a baseball fan.
After seeing a late night broadcast of sumo on ESPN 2 (or 3 or 4 or some other ridiculous number) during junior high school, my interest in this seemingly strange sport was sparked. Yet, without ample means to nurture this interest, it was passing at most. However, sumo quickly took a vice-like hold over my interest after more videos and information about the sport became available via the internet, and soon after arriving in Japan, I decided to pursue my master's thesis on the topic of foreigners in sumo. While I won't bore you all with the details of this, rest assured that for the next two years I lived and breathed everything that is sumo as best I could, even participating in a college sumo club during a 6 month exchange.
As for my near future posts, I am hoping to at least briefly address the current baseball gambling scandal (likely after the July 4 rijikai meeting) as well as a long post about revising the kadoban system.
This first post was intended to be a quick test of my layout, but I figured it would be nice to give a little introduction as well. Obviously, a lot is going on in the sumo world that merits a great deal of discussion, so hopefully my following posts will have a bit more substance (but they'll have to wait until at least after lunch).
As an academic, writing has always been a passion of mine, so I figured "why not start sharing my ramblings with others?" Of course, there are already a number of good online groups and sources that a fan of sumo can tap into, including sumoforum.net, sumotalk.com, and Sumo Fan Magazine, but I figured one more fan voicing his opinion on the sport wouldn't hurt.
In true Japanese fasion, I suppose a bit of a self-introduction is prudent regarding my experience and interest in sumo. "Why should I care what this guy has to say about sumo anyways?!" Yes, this thought came to mind when deciding to create some sort of blog, and the truth is, I am just like any other sumo fan -- or any other sports fan for that matter. In fact, prior to my coming to Japan 2 years ago, I considered myself more of a baseball fan.
After seeing a late night broadcast of sumo on ESPN 2 (or 3 or 4 or some other ridiculous number) during junior high school, my interest in this seemingly strange sport was sparked. Yet, without ample means to nurture this interest, it was passing at most. However, sumo quickly took a vice-like hold over my interest after more videos and information about the sport became available via the internet, and soon after arriving in Japan, I decided to pursue my master's thesis on the topic of foreigners in sumo. While I won't bore you all with the details of this, rest assured that for the next two years I lived and breathed everything that is sumo as best I could, even participating in a college sumo club during a 6 month exchange.
As for my near future posts, I am hoping to at least briefly address the current baseball gambling scandal (likely after the July 4 rijikai meeting) as well as a long post about revising the kadoban system.
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