Who do you support?
On Saturday, January 21st, a deep (for the capital) layer of
snow lay over Tokyo for the first time in several years. The next
day, at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Stadium in the capital, a Japanese
sekitori finally dethroned yokozuna Asashoryu to lay a domestic
hand on the 80 year-old Emperor's Cup — the first Japanese
hand to claim the trophy in around 16 calendar months. Was the
appearance of snow linked to ozeki Tochiazuma's victory on that
cold day?
Probably not but it made it all a little more picturesque as
he took his trophy home and paraded it around the streets of his
home in Adachi-ku in the city.
So, after a run of seven successive tournaments — and what
some think was almost an international affront to Japanese pride
in their national sport — Mongolian Asashoryu lost out to
a local rikishi. The media rejoiced. The TV stations were clamoring
all over the Tamanoi Stable of Tochiazuma in his northern Tokyo
working class suburb, and the lone yokozuna essentially ceased
to exist for a while.
Tochiazuma soon left for warmer climes and a break from
the frenzy, Asashoryu took his own post-basho vacation, and the
world of ozumo began to settle once more. The media moved on to
Livedoor and Horie-mon with, ironically, the former media darling
now detained but a couple of kilometers from Tochiazuma's home.
Having said that, come late February and early March, as the
Tokyo based sumo stables start to filter down to Osaka for the
March 12th — 26th Haru Basho (spring tournament), media
attention will once again rise and ozeki Tochiazuma will be hounded
with questions on his feelings about the opportunity to become
a yokozuna. (If an ozeki wins two successive tournaments, yokozuna
promotion is assured). All the time however, three foreign-born
tigers will be prowling looking for their time to pounce, another
10 are lurking about in the undergrowth of the top makunouchi
and juryo divisions and around a dozen others with true long-term
potential are to be found making their way up the lower leagues
with the top spot their goal.
Hakuho, runner up in the January Hatsu Basho and a rikishi
mention-ed in the same breath as the great yokozuna Futabayama
who won 69 consecutive winning bouts, is a man tipped by many
as a future yokozuna, if not the next. His own 13-2 record two
months ago included wins over Asashoryu, Kotooshu and then co-leaders
Hokutoriki and Tokitsuumi. Indeed, he would have gone to a tournament
play-off bout with Tochiazuma had the injury he inflicted on the
yokozuna not left Asashoryu vulnerable in the closing stages of
the tournament and easier than usual prey for the ozeki on the
final day.
Kotooshu, the sport's newest ozeki is Bulgarian born,
tall and hand- some to boot. A regular on TV shows and commercials
now, although he put in an impressive 10-5 in his first tournament
at sumo's second highest rank, he will be dangerous for a good
many years to come barring physical injury. Along the way should
claim at least half a dozen yusho and perhaps a few more still
should he put on another 20kg or so and make the leap up a rank.
A solid double figure outing would not be unexpected this month
although the 'bad basho' many new ozeki go through may hit him
hard if the yokozuna comes back wounded from his defeat and the
stars align to throw kadoban Japanese ozeki Kaio and Chiyotaikai
another lifeline as they attempt to avoid a drop
to sekiwake yet again.
Asashoryu is a tad annoyed at his 11-4 final record earlier
this year and is more than a match for any one man in sumo today.
Looking for yet another yusho, the Mongolian born yokozuna, who
is known and admired for seeing people and not their passports,
will, for the foreseeable future, be the betting man's favorite
for any tournament he enters (ignoring the fact that betting on
sumo is illegal).
To this end, as much as Tochiazuma will be simply plugging
away at securing enough victories to be in contention for the
title and will always have one eye on the yokozuna, he could well
leave Hakuho and Kotooshu in a blind spot. Add to this dish of
confusion another few foreign rikishi he could expect to face
in the impressive forms of Roho, Ama and Kokkai. Whichever way
'Azuma' or any of the three Japanese ozeki look come March, the
future looks different, the future looks foreign — and it
isn't only in the top division.
Coming back to Juryo will be the 197cm, 165kg Estonian Baruto.
At 21 years of age, although he fell from the division after missing
the November tournament due to acute appendicitis, he is sure
to follow up on his excellent September 2005 debut record of 12-3.
Mongolian born Kakuryu is back for another shot and should do
better this time out.
In Makushita (sumo's third and highest ranking non-salaried division)
and below, the bulk of the 60 foreigners in the sport of around
715 active participants today ply their trade — some with
better results than others of course. Names to watch are Wakanoho
(Russia), Tsukasaumi (Georgia) and perhaps even Soukokurai
(Mongolia), as these are men many long time sumo watchers have
their eye on as being of the calibre to reach the upper echelons.
What they do when they get there will depend on commitment, training
and the ability to learn, but when all is said and done, when
the rikishi start to leave Osaka at the end of March and as the
dohyo is taken apart, one certainty will remain; that however
hard it is for non-Japanese to make it in certain fields in Japan,
it is to this most ancient of spor
Where tradition reigns supreme, equality and fair play for all
in its ranks is a given, and, notwith-standing a recent shutting
of the door to new foreign rikishi, in sumo, it is your previous
performance that determines your position at any given time. Age
and experience give you more chance to get higher but count for
little, as bad performances lead to bad rankings.
For ticket information for the Osaka Haru Basho
go to http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/ticket/index.html#osaka
Text: Mark Bucktton
Photos: Barbara Ann Klein |
