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This is the only division that is featured on NHK's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only makuuchi broadcast having bilingual commentary.
Makuuchi literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers to sit prior to appearing for their bouts.
Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion in rank prior to each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (kachikoshi) results in a promotion, and the reverse (makekoshi) results in demotion. There are stricter criteria for promotion to the top two ranks, which are also privileged when considered for demotion.
literally means "the three ranks", even though it actually comprises four ranks. The discrepancy arose because the yokozuna was traditionally regarded as an ōzeki with a special license to wear a particular rope around his waist and perform a distinctive ring entry ceremony. In modern use san'yaku has a somewhat flexible definition, sometimes not including yokozuna — thus resulting in three san'yaku ranks — and sometimes even ōzeki is not regarded as part of san'yaku.
There are normally two wrestlers each in sekiwake and komusubi, although there may be more and there must be at least one. Although there is usually a yokozuna there is no requirement for one, and it has sometimes happened that no active yokozuna are listed in the ranks. If there is more than one yokozuna but only one ōzeki, the lower rank will be filled out by designating one of the yokozuna as yokozuna-ōzeki. There is no recorded instance of there being fewer than two yokozuna and ōzeki in total.
There are a number of privileges and responsibilities associated with the san'yaku ranks. Any wrestler who reaches one of them is entitled to purchase one of the membership shares in the Japan Sumo Association, regardless of the total number of tournaments they have spent in the top makuuchi division. They may be called on to represent all sumo wrestlers on certain occasions. For example, when the president of the Sumo Association makes a formal speech on the opening and closing days of a tournament, he is flanked by all the san'yaku wrestlers in their mawashi. Similarly they may be called to assist in welcoming a VIP, such as the Emperor, to the arena.
The san'yaku can be split into two groups: The senior yokozuna and ozeki, and junior sekiwake and komusubi.
The former group have special promotion criteria and higher salaries, and have additional perks such as a higher number of junior wrestlers to assist them, an entitlement to park in the Sumo Association compound and voting rights in the election for Association directors. Senior yokozuna and ozeki also have added responsibilities. They are expected to represent wrestler views to the Association, assist in advertising events and meet event sponsors.
The latter group, sekiwake and komusubi, have lesser responsibilities and are still eligible for one of the three special prizes, or sansho that are awarded for exceptional performance at the end of each tournament.
on the left and dew sweeper on the right.]] is the highest rank in sumo. The name literally means "horizontal rope" and comes from the most visible symbol of their rank, the rope (tsuna) worn around the waist. The rope is similar to the shimenawa used to mark off sacred areas in Shinto, and like shimenawa serves to purify and mark off its content. The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms, is not used during the matches themselves, but is worn during the yokozuna's dohyo-iri ring entrance ceremony.
Prior to the Meiji Era, the title yokozuna was conferred on ōzeki who performed sumo in front of the Shogun. This privilege was more often determined by a wrestler's patron having sufficient influence rather than purely on the ability and dignity of the wrestler. Thus there are a number of early wrestlers who were, by modern standards, yokozuna in name only. In these early days yokozuna was also not regarded as a separate rank in the listings, but as an ozeki with special dispensation to perform his own ring entering ceremony.
At first, the Yoshida family and a rival family, Gojo, fought for the right to award a wrestler a yokozuna licence. The Yoshida family won this dispute, because the 15th yokozuna Umegatani Tōtarō I, one of the strongest wrestlers, expressed his wish that he be awarded a licence by the Yoshida family in February 1884, and Gojo licences are no longer recognized officially.
In May 1890, the name yokozuna was written on the banzuke for the first time due to the 16th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I's insistence that his yokozuna status be recorded. In February 1909, during the reigns of the 19th yokozuna, Hitachiyama Taniemon, and the 20th, Umegatani Tōtarō II, it was officially recognized as the highest rank. Since the establishment of the on April 21, 1950, wrestlers have been promoted to yokozuna by the Japan Sumo Association. The first yokozuna promoted by the Sumo Association was the 41st yokozuna Chiyonoyama Masanobu.
The power and skill aspects are usually considered with reference to recent tournament performance. The de facto standard is to win two consecutive championships as ozeki or an equivalent performance. In the case where the "equivalent performance" criterion is used the wrestler's record over the previous three tournaments is taken into account with an expectation at least one tournament victory and two runner up performances, with none of the three records falling below twelve wins. Thus a consistent high level of performance is required. Winning two tournaments with a poor performance between them is not usually sufficient. The rules are not set in stone and hence the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and Sumo Association can interpret the criteria more leniently or strictly and also take other factors, such as total number of tournament victories, and the quality of the wins and whether the losses show any bad vulnerabilities in reaching their conclusion.
The issue of hinkaku (dignity and grace) is more contentious, as it is essentially a subjective issue. For example Hawaiian born ozeki Konishiki, in particular, was felt by many to be unfairly kept from yokozuna status due to his non Japanese origin, and many Sumo Association members even openly said that foreigners (gaijin) could never achieve the hinkaku needed to be a yokozuna. In the case of Konishiki, other issues such as his weight were also cited. Other wrestlers in the past have also been held back. For example Chiyonoyama in the 1950s was not immediately promoted due to his relative youth despite winning consecutive tournaments, although he later achieved the top rank. On the other hand, Futahaguro was given the title of yokozuna in 1986, despite immaturity being cited in opposition to his promotion. After being promoted, he was involved in several misbehaviors that embarrassed the Sumo Association such as hitting one of his tsukebitos (manservant or personal assistant) over a trivial matter in a scandal that had all of his six tsukebitos decide to leave him. The promotion again proved to be a total fiasco when it was later revealed that he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out of the heya, allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on the way. Futahaguro eventually retired after only one and a half years at the top rank and became the only yokozuna in sumo history ever to retire without having won at least one top division championship.
The debate concerning foreigners having the dignity to be a yokozuna was finally laid to rest on January 27, 1993, when ozeki Akebono was formally promoted to yokozuna after only 8 months as an ozeki. Since then three other overseas wrestlers have also achieved sumo's ultimate rank: Musashimaru, Asashōryū, and Hakuhō.
If a wrestler is deemed to have met the criteria then he will be formally visited in his training stable by a member of the Sumo Association Board of Directors who will formally give him the news. In the following days a yokozuna hawser will then be made in his stable and he will practice the ring entrance ceremony with advice from a previous or current yokozuna. Finally he will have his inaugural ceremonial ring entry ceremony held at Meiji Jingu in Tokyo, which is usually completed within a couple of weeks after the tournament ends.
In competition in each tournament for the championship he can never be relegated. A yokozuna is expected to retire if he is no longer able to compete at the peak of the sport. As a result of this, the system for promotion is quite strict.
A yokozuna, however, is introduced after the lower ranked wrestlers and is flanked by two other top division wrestler "assistants". The "dewsweeper" or tsuyuharai precedes the Yokozuna, while the "sword bearer" or tachimochi follows him into the arena. The sword is a Japanese katana and symbolises the samurai status of the yokozuna. The tachimochi will always be the more highly ranked of the assisting wrestlers. As indicated above, during the ceremony the yokozuna will wear his tsuna around his waist. The ceremonial aprons of all three form a matching set.
Once in the ring the yokozuna takes centre stage and performs a much more complex ritual dance. The dance can take one of two forms, one of which the yokozuna usually chooses when he is first promoted. In addition to the slightly different routine the choice of the yokozuna's ritual can also be determined by the knot used to tie the rope around his waist. The currently more popular "Unryū" style has only one loop at the back, while the "Shiranui" style has two. The styles are named after 10th yokozuna Unryū Kyūkichi and 11th yokozuna Shiranui Kōemon of the Edo period, although there is no historical proof that they actually carried out the dances that have been attributed to them. Indeed there are some scholars who believe that in fact the two concerned have had their ring entering rituals mixed up.
If a former yokozuna reaches the age of sixty, he usually performs a special ring-entering ceremony known as kanreki dohyō-iri, in celebration of his longevity.
If a yokozuna is defeated by a maegashira ranked wrestler, it is common and expected for audience members to throw their seat cushions into the ring (and onto the wrestlers).
As of June 2007, there have been a grand total of 69 yokozuna, although formal record keeping only started with Tanikaze and Onogawa in 1789. For a list of all the yokozuna recorded through history, see here.
Promotions are recommended by the Judging Division to the Board of Directors of the Japan Sumo Association. If it is a first promotion to the rank a member of the Board of Directors will formally visit the wrestler's stable to inform the new ōzeki of his promotion. The ōzeki will usually make a speech on this occasion promising to do his best to uphold the dignity of the rank.
During the Edo period, wrestlers often made their debuts as ōzeki based on size alone, though their real competitiveness hadn't been tested yet. The system was called Guest ōzeki (). Of course, most of them vanished from the banzuke soon after, but a few wrestlers, notably Tanikaze Kajinosuke, remained as real wrestlers.
In the tournament immediately following his relegation from ozeki, if a wrestler wins ten or more bouts, he is immediately restored to ozeki status. However, if he fails to win ten or more matches in his first tournament back as sekiwake, he is treated just like any other wrestler in further attempts at being promoted back to ozeki. This system has been in place since the Nagoya Tournament of 1969. Since that time, four wrestlers have managed an immediate return to ozeki: Mienoumi, Takanonami, Musoyama and Tochiazuma (who managed it on two separate occasions).
It represents the highest rank a wrestler can achieve by continuously making a kachikoshi (majority of wins) in tournaments. Promotion to sekiwake depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having a record in the previous tournament that is very convincing, typically 10–5 or better as a komusubi. There are special promotion criteria for the next highest rank of ozeki. Unlike the higher ranks of ozeki and yokozuna, one will lose the rank immediately after having a makekoshi tournament (more losses than wins).
For many purposes this and the komusubi rank are treated together as the junior san'yaku ranks, as opposed to ozeki and yokozuna. For example records of number of tournaments ranked in junior san'yaku are often referred to in sumo publications.
For wrestlers reaching this rank the benefits are similar to that for a komusubi. The salary is higher than for a maegashira and also the wrestler is usually called to appear to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the fifteen day tournaments that are held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ozeki and yokozuna is low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former sekiwake (ring name)" after his retirement, which is an indicator of a successful sumo career, whilst not achieving the exceptional standards of the highest two ranks.
At any time there must be a minimum of two wrestlers ranked at sekiwake. If circumstances require, this can rise typically to three or four. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank. This luck factor is less common than it is for komusubi promotions.
It is also the lowest rank where achieving a kachikoshi (or majority of wins) is no longer sufficient to guarantee promotion to a higher rank. Promotion to the next highest rank, sekiwake, depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having a record in the previous tournament that is very convincing, typically 10–5 or better.
For many purposes this and the sekiwake rank are treated together as the junior san'yaku ranks, as opposed to ozeki and yokozuna, where extremely stringent promotion criteria exist. Records of number of tournaments ranked in junior san'yaku are often referred to in sumo publications because these two ranks are so difficult to retain.
For wrestlers reaching this rank the benefits are a salary increase and also appearing to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the official tournaments, held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ozeki and yokozuna are low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former komusubi (ring name)" after his retirement, which is an indicator of a fairly successful sumo career.
At any time there must be a minimum of two wrestlers ranked as komusubi. If circumstances require this can rise, typically to three or four. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank.
Komusubi is widely regarded as a difficult rank to maintain, as wrestlers at this rank are likely to face all the ozeki and yokozuna in the first week of a tournament, with a yokozuna normally scheduled for the opening day. Komusubi face mainly maegashira in the second week, but often wrestlers new to the rank are so demoralised by this point that they lose these matches too. Few men making their komusubi debut return a kachi-koshi or winning score.
Before World War II there were several instances of komusubi immediately advancing to ozeki after nearly winning a tournament, but there have been no instances of this since then.
All the makuuchi wrestlers who are not ranked in san'yaku are ranked as maegashira, from one at the top downwards. In each rank there are two wrestlers, the higher ranked is designated as "east" and the other as "west".
The number of wrestlers in makuuchi is fixed (at 42 since 2004) but the number in san'yaku is not. Thus the number of maegashira ranks can vary, but is typically between 15 and 17. (This gives a makuuchi division split of around 10 san'yaku and 32 maegashira).
Movement within the maegashira ranks can be minor or extreme, depending on a wrestler's score in the previous 15-bout tournament. For example, a maegashira-2 who has an 8–7 record might only be promoted one level to maegashira-1 for the next tournament. Conversely, a maegashira-14 that wins the division championship could be promoted as high as komusubi. Indeed, this happened in March 2000 when Takatoriki of the Futagoyama stable won the championship with a 13–2 record.
Maegashira ranked 5 or below are likely to only fight amongst themselves, while those ranked maegashira 4 or above are likely to have several matches against sanyaku wrestlers, including ozeki and yokozuna. When a maegashira defeats a yokozuna, it is called a kinboshi and he is rewarded monetarily for the victory for the remainder of his career.
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Wrestlername | 貴闘力 忠茂Takatōriki Tadashige |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tadashige Kamakiri |
| Birth date | September 28, 1967 |
| Birth place | Kobe, Japan |
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Heya | Fujishima, Futagoyama |
| Record | 754-703-0 |
| Debut | March, 1983 |
| Highestrank | East Sekiwake (September, 1991) |
| Retireddate | September, 2002 |
| Yushos | 1 (Makuuchi)1 (Makushita) |
| Prizes | Outstanding Performance (3)Fighting Spirit (10)Technique (1) |
| Goldstars | 9 (Onokuni (1),Asahifuji (1),Akebono (7)) |
| Update | October 2007 |
Takatoriki fell into the jūryō division in 2001 and announced his retirement in September 2002. He did not miss a single bout during his 19 year career, finishing with 754 wins and 703 losses. His 1456 consecutive career matches place him third on the all-time list, after Aobajo and Fujizakura.
Along with five other oyakata (Magaki, Onomatsu, Otowayama, Tokiwayama and Futagoyama), he was forced to leave the Nishonoseki ichimon or group of stables in January 2010 after declaring his support for his former stablemate Takanohana's unsanctioned bid to be elected to the board of directors of the Sumo Association.
He announced in September 2010 that he was opening up a yakiniku restaurant in Kōtō, Tokyo.
Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Japanese sumo wrestlers Category:People from Kobe
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Wrestlername | 千代の富士 貢Chiyonofuji Mitsugu |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mitsugu Akimoto |
| Birth date | June 01, 1955 |
| Birth place | Fukushima, Hokkaido |
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Heya | Kokonoe |
| Record | 1045-437-159 |
| Debut | September, 1970 |
| Highestrank | Yokozuna (July, 1981) |
| Retireddate | May, 1991 |
| Yushos | 31 (Makuuchi)1 (Makushita) |
| Prizes | Outstanding Performance (1)Fighting Spirit (1)Technique (5) |
| Goldstars | 3 (Mienoumi (2), Wakanohana II) |
| Update | July 2007 |
, born June 1, 1955, as in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a former champion sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport. He is now the head coach of Kokonoe stable.
Chiyonofuji was one of the greatest yokozuna of recent times, winning 31 tournament championships, second only to Taihō. He was particularly remarkable for his longevity in sumo's top rank, which he held for a period of ten years from 1981 to 1991. He won more tournaments in his thirties than any other wrestler and retired in his mid-thirties, in contrast to most recent yokozuna who have tended to retire around 30. Chiyonofuji scored 1,045 wins during his professional career, which is still unbeaten as of 2009. His record of 807 wins in the top Makuuchi division was held for about 19 years, until Kaiō bettered it in January 2010.
In a sport where weight is often regarded as vital, Chiyonofuji was quite light at around 120 kg. He relied on a superior technique and muscle to defeat opponents. He was the lightest yokozuna since Tochinoumi in the 1960s.
In 1979, due to his shoulder trouble, Chiyonofuji briefly fell to the second division, but he soon came back to the top division. Encouraged by his stablemaster, he began to rely not only on throwing techniques, which increased the risk of reinjuring his shoulders, but also on gaining ground quickly and forcing out his opponents. Showing much more consistency, he earned three kinboshi (i.e. defeated yokozuna in three regular matches) in total in March and July 1980 tournaments, where he also got technique prizes (Ginō-shō). He fought again as a komusubi in May and September tournaments, in the latter of which he won 10 matches in the top division for the first time. He reached sekiwake (the third-highest rank), and stayed at this rank for only two tournament terms. As a sekiwake, he scored 11-4 in November, and in January 1981 he scored 14-1, losing only one regular match to dominating yokozuna Kitanoumi, and then defeated him in the subsequent playoff to win a top makuuchi division title for the first time. This earned him promotion to ōzeki (the second-highest rank). While making these speedy rises, he also got technique prizes in three tournaments in a row to that in January, where he also received an outstanding performance prize (Shukun-shō). Also as an ōzeki he scored well in the following three tournaments to July 1981, where he again defeated Kitanoumi and won his second title. After this victory, he was promoted to yokozuna.
In the opening tournament of 1991, Chiyonofuji surpassed Kitanoumi's record of 804 top division wins but injured himself on the second day and had to withdraw. He returned in May, but he lost on the opening day of the tournament to the 18-year-old rising star Takahanada (later Yokozuna Takanohana II). It was estimated that half of the Japanese population watched the match on TV.
Category:1955 births Category:Japanese sumo wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from Hokkaidō Category:Yokozuna
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Wrestlername | 朝青龍 明徳Асашорюү АкинориAsashōryū Akinori |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dolgorsürengiin Dagvadorj |
| Birth date | September 27, 1980 |
| Birth place | Mongolia |
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Heya | Takasago |
| Rank | Yokozuna |
| Record | 669–173–76 |
| Debut | January, 1999 |
| Highestrank | Yokozuna (January, 2003) |
| Yushos | 25 (Makuuchi)1 (Makushita)1 (Sandanme)1 (Jonidan) |
| Retireddate | February 6, 2010 |
| Prizes | Outstanding Performance (3)Fighting Spirit (3) |
| Goldstars | 1 (Musashimaru) |
| Weburl | http://ameblo.jp/asashoryu-yokozuna/ |
| Update | February 2010 |
}} is a former sumo wrestler (rikishi) from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. He was the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He was one of the most successful yokozuna ever. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official tournaments (honbasho) in a single year. Over his entire career, he won 25 top division tournament championships, placing him third on the all-time list.
From 2004 until 2007, Asashōryū was sumo's sole yokozuna, and was criticised at times by the media and the Japan Sumo Association for not upholding the standards of behaviour expected of a holder of such a prestigious rank. He became the first yokozuna in history to be suspended from competition in August 2007 when he participated in a charity soccer match in his home country despite having withdrawn from a regional sumo tour claiming injury. After a career filled with a multitude of other controversies, both on and off the dohyō, he retired from sumo in February 2010 after allegations that he assaulted a man outside a Tokyo nightclub.
He was recruited by the former ozeki Asashio of the Wakamatsu stable (now Takasago stable), who gave him the shikona of Asashōryū, literally "morning blue dragon," Asa being a regular prefix in the Wakamatsu stable. He made his professional debut in January 1999. At that time, fellow Mongolians Kyokushūzan and Kyokutenhō were in the top division and stars back in their home country, but Asashōryū was quick to overtake them both. He attained elite sekitori status in September 2000 by winning promotion to the jūryō division, and reached the top makuuchi division just two tournaments later in January 2001. In May 2001, he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi rank and earned his first sansho award, for Outstanding Performance.
In 2002, Asashōryū put together back-to-back records of 11–4, 11–4 and 12–3 and was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki in July. In November 2002, he took his first top division tournament championship (yusho) with a 14–1 record. It took Asashōryū only 23 tournaments from his professional debut to win his first top division title, the fastest ever. In January 2003, he won his second straight championship. Shortly after the tournament, Asashōryū was granted the title of yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo. His promotion coincided with the retirement of the injury-plagued Takanohana, last Japanese born yokozuna to date.
In the May tournament he lost to Kisenosato on the opening day. He injured his back in this match and subsequent losses to Kotoōshū (the eventual winner of the tournament) and Chiyotaikai put him out of contention.
Asashōryū got off to a bad start in the July tournament by losing to Toyonoshima on the first day. After a second loss to maegashira Tochinonada on day five, he pulled out of the tournament on the sixth day citing pain in his elbow. The September tournament unfolded in a similarly poor fashion. After compiling a lacklustre 5–4 record through the first nine days, Asashōryū forfeited his tenth-day match to maegashira Gōeidō and withdrew. He had elbow pain, and presented a medical certificate.
He returned to Mongolia in October 2008, staying until shortly before the tournament in Kyushu in November, which he did not enter. He stated that he would not withdraw for a third time partway through a tourney, and suggested that he would retire if his comeback proved unsuccessful.
Asashōryū returned to Mongolia after the May tournament to receive treatment for a bruised chest suffered in his defeat to Harumafuji. In June he received the Hero of Labour Award from outgoing Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, the highest government award in Mongolia and equivalent to the Japanese People's Honour Award. He performed poorly in the July tournament with a 10–5 record, his worst finish in just over two years.
He damaged ligaments in his right knee during a regional tour of Akita in August 2009 (the first time he has injured his knee), hampering his preparations for the September tournament. Despite this, he won his first 14 matches, before finally losing to Hakuhō, leaving both wrestlers at 14–1. Asashōryū would win the resulting playoff to win his 24th yusho, tying him with Kitanoumi for third on the all-time yusho list. The triumph took place on his 29th birthday. He finished on 11–4 in the Kyushu tournament in November, losing his last four matches.
On March 26, 2009, the Tokyo District Court ordered Kodansha, the publisher of the magazine, and Yorimasa Takeda, the freelance writer of the articles, to pay ¥42.90 million ($437,000) in damages, believed to be the highest award for libel damages against a magazine in Japanese history. Chief judge Yasushi Nakamura stated that the reporting was "slipshod in the extreme." However, he was then seen on television participating in a soccer match for charity with Hidetoshi Nakata in his homeland of Mongolia. He was reported to have done so at the request of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Mongolian government. However, the suggestion that he had exaggerated the extent of his injuries to avoid his duties on the exhibition tour caused a media storm.
Asashōryū was ordered to return to Japan and on August 1, 2007, the Sumo Association suspended him for the upcoming September tournament as well as the next one in November, the first time in the sport's history that an active yokozuna has been suspended from a main tournament. They also announced that Asashōryū and his stablemaster Takasago would have their salaries cut by 30% for the next four months. Isenoumi, a Director of the Sumo Association, called Asashōryū's behaviour "a serious indiscretion. Given that a yokozuna should act as a good example for the other wrestlers, this punishment for his action is appropriate." It was the most severe punishment ever imposed on a yokozuna since the Grand Tournament system was adopted over 80 years ago. Asashōryū responded by saying he would get his injuries treated and prepare for the winter regional tour and the January 2008 tournament. However, his stablemaster reported that Asashōryū was finding the severity of the punishment difficult to deal with, and two doctors from the Sumo Association diagnosed him as suffering from acute stress disorder, and then dissociative disorder. On August 28 he was allowed to return to Mongolia for treatment. After recuperation and onsen treatment, he returned to Japan on November 30, 2007, apologising for his actions at a press conference.
Subsequently, on February 4, 2010, he announced his decision to retire, after discussing the matter at a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Sumo Association. He stated, "I feel heavy responsibility as a yokozuna that I have caused trouble to so many people. I am the only person who can put an end to it all. I think it's my destiny that I retire like this." "I decided to step down to bring this to a closure." Asked what his most memorable bout was, he chose his first win over Musashimaru in May 2001, with his parents watching him.
JSA Chief Director Musashigawa revealed that directors were debating on that day whether to punish Asashōryū. "He felt compelled to resign for misconduct that was inexcusable, and the board accepted. I want to apologize to all of the fans and to the person injured in the incident." The Yokozuna Deliberation Council had recommended his retirement, and would have pressed for his dismissal if he had not chosen to go.
In Mongolia, there was anger at the news. One high-ranking Mongolian official accused the Sumo Association of using the incident as an excuse to get rid of Asashōryū before he could reach Taihō's 32 tournament victories. "I feel that they did not want him to break the record for most titles. This behavior is unjust. The Mongolian people disapprove." The Zuunii Medee newspaper called for sumo broadcasts in Mongolia to be suspended. Reacting to the tense mood among the Mongolian public, a spokesman at the Foreign Ministry of Mongolia issued a statement that the "resignation of Asashōryū will have no influence to the friendship between Mongolian and Japanese citizens." and he requested people stay calm. Reaction in Japan was more mixed, with some of the public saying the yokozuna had to go while others said they would miss him. Many Japanese media compared his case with earlier yokozuna Maedayama who was forced to resign in 1949 after dropping out of a tournament claiming illness but subsequently photographed at a baseball game. Both his stablemaster and the Sumo Association received criticism for their handling of this incident and Asashōryū in general. and was also given a retirement allowance by the Sumo Association, believed to be around ¥120 million ($1.34 million).
Asashōryū gave a press conference in Mongolia on March 11, and denied committing any "act of violence," but said he did not regret his decision to retire. He claimed it was "an undeniable fact" that there were people within the Sumo Association "trying to push me out of sumo" and that he could have gone on to win 30 or more tournament titles. He refused to take any questions from Japanese reporters. In July police reported him to the public prosecutors. However, in the event it went ahead as planned on October 3, with around 380 dignitaries taking turns in snipping his oichiomage or topknot before Takasago made the final cut. Asashoryu said to the 10,000 fans at the Kokugikan, "In another life as a Japanese, I would like to become a yokozuna with Japanese spirit... I want to show everyone that I can become a better person." to raising his arms in victory after clinching the championship, to giving opponents an extra shove after the bout was already over (such as Hakuhō in May 2008), and appealing to judges to overturn the referee's decision. Some Japanese fans called on him to "go back to Mongolia" after this incident. and his tendency to return to Mongolia without informing his stablemaster led to embarrassments like being unable to attend the funeral of Takasago stable's previous head coach Fujinishiki in December 2003. He was also sometimes seen in public in a business suit or in casual dress instead of the traditional kimono that wrestlers are expected to wear.
Asashōryū's favoured techniques according to his Sumo Association profile were migi-yotsu/yori, a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi (belt), and tsuppari, a series of rapid thrusts to the chest. His most common winning kimarite throughout his career were yorikiri (force out), oshidashi (push out), uwatenage (outer arm throw), shitatenage (inner arm throw) and tsukidashi (thrust out). He used 45 different kimarite in his career, a wider range than most wrestlers. a technique not seen in the top division since 1975. His trademark, however, was tsuriotoshi, or "lifting body slam", They have two children, a girl and a boy. They were divorced in early 2009, having reportedly been separated for several years.
Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Mongolian sumo wrestlers Category:People from Ulan Bator Category:Yokozuna
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