Sports / Feature and Column
Mongolians running amok in Japan's ancient sport
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-22 09:25
TOKYO, May 22 - The gods to whom Japan's ancient sport of sumo was
offered as entertainment thousands of years ago may be in for a shock
this weekend.
They could be casting thunderous looks downwards should Mongolian Hakuho
join compatriot Asashoryu and attain the elite rank of "yokozuna".
Victory at the summer tournament would give Hakuho back-to-back Emperor's
Cups and certain promotion, adding insult to injury for Japanese
wrestlers.
Japan has been without a yokozuna since Takanohana's retirement in 2003,
the same year firebrand Asashoryu became the first Mongolian to reach
sumo's summit.
Historians agree sumo dates back around 2,000 years but foreign wrestlers
have stolen the thunder from the Japanese over the last 15.
Hawaiian Akebono became the first overseas wrestler to be promoted to
yokozuna in January 1993. Samoan-born Musashimaru was the next foreigner
to achieve the feat in 1999.
The word sumo means "way of the gods" and yokozuna hold an almost
god-like status within a sport which adheres to a strict warrior code.
Asashoryu may be well on his way to joining the pantheon of sumo greats
having already won 20 Emperor's Cups but the 26-year-old has stretched
the patience of sumo's elders to breaking point with his distinctly
un-samurai demeanour after his promotion to yokozuna.
SOAPY PUNCH-UP
He infamously picked a soapy punch-up with a rival in a bathtub, was
disqualified for yanking the hair of an opponent and accused of smashing
a car wing-mirror in a fit of pique.
Asashoryu's short fuse provoked more controversy before the summer
tournament in Tokyo when he put a lower-ranked wrestler in hospital after
going at him full throttle during practice.
Sumo officials hope Hakuho will restore an aura of calm to proceedings
should he be elevated to the rank of yokozuna after Sunday's final day.
"He's a very clever wrestler and is very calm and relaxed before and
after his bouts," the Japan Sumo Association's public relations manager
Takasago said.
"Asashoryu's a different type. He's much more aggressive. Having two
yokozuna will add excitement but Hakuho still has to get there yet."
The pair from Ulan Bator are unlikely to meet on the dirt ring until the
final day with both on a collision course for the title.
OUTSIDE DOMINANCE
Although a second straight Emperor's Cup for Hakuho would mean two
Mongolians at the top of the tree, sumo officials deny such outside
dominance is in any way negative.
Professional sumo has around 60 foreign-born wrestlers in Japan, ranging
from nearby South Korea to far-away Brazil with many more from Eastern
Europe.
"It's not an issue at all," said Takasago. "All of the wrestlers are
doing their best to reach the top. Hakuho won the last tournament and
deserves to be this close to yokozuna."
Not everyone agrees. Some sumo fans express concern about foreign
wrestlers taking over Japan's roly-poly sport and even whether Asashoryu
deserves to keep his rank.
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