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Yokozuna Asashoryu- Undisputed Champion
The most talked about, despised and loved Sumo Wrestler of our era has opted for retirement. The Mongolian Powerhouse that has dominated Japan's National Sport since being promoted to the rank of Yokozuna in 2003 has given in to pressure to bow out of the sport as his latest controversy surfaces.
It is being widely reported that Asashoryu severely beat a fellow bar patron in a drunken rampage in the Nishi-Azabu district of Tokyo in January. This is only the latest scandal in a career that many Sumo spectators and reporters believe is a black eye on the sport itself. Asashoryu has received negative publicity for alleged match-fixing. He also cited injury and declined to participate in summer Sumo events in 2007 and returned to Mongolia. During his trip home, he was filmed playing in a charity soccer match. When the Yokozuna returned to Japan he was suspended from upcoming tournaments. This marking the first time an active Yokozuna had been suspended from a major tournament. He has also drawn negative publicity for fighting with Sumo off the dohyo, complaining about officiating, injuring wrestlers in training sessions and refusing to adopt Japanese Citizenship.
By focusing exclusively on Asashoryu's transgressions and by holding him out as a hot-head or a bully, the Sumo world is exposing itself to be filled with unrealistic expectations of a professional athlete in the modern age. Sure, his latest drunken escapades are not to be condoned entirely, nor are other allegations made against him. However, this routine chastising of a champion that has achieved so much is at times painful. Sumo is a little different from other sports, because it is steeped in tradition and codes of conduct and the allure of the sport rests partly in those attributes.
The simple fact that Asashoryu is Mongolian has hampered his reputation with fans who have openly called for him to, “Go back to Mongolia.” The Yokozuna is being treated differently because he is not Japanese, and he is not totally willing to bend his spirit to what the Sumo Association expects. His behavior might have been unbecoming to a man entrusted with the Yokozuna rank, but he is uniquely an individual and has brought the popularity of the sport to new audiences and as a whole leaves the business of Sumo better off for his presence in the role of champion.
"It's not only Asashoryu's problem. The root of the problem is the association's economic motive," said journalist Yorimasa Takeda, who accused Asashoryu of match-fixing in an article published in a weekly magazine in 2007. Despite his "bad guy" image, Asashoryu was a fan magnet and thus generated a lot of money for the sumo industry, which was behind the association's reluctance to punish him severely, Takeda said. (1)
Asashoryu's Accomplishments:
First Mongolian Yokozuna
In 2005 he became the first wrestler to win all six official tournaments in a single calender year
He won a total of 25 top division tournament championships
Third highest all time on wins behind Taiho and Chiyonofuji
Career record 669- 173- 76
As Asashoryu retires he should be remembered for; his strong personality, his warrior spirit, his good nature, his dominance of native Japanese wrestlers and his outstanding record.
(1) http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100206a1.html
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Asa's retirement not racism
I wonder how much racism was a part of this. I don't think it was a factor in Asa's retirement. Asashoryu was a very polarizing yokozuna. He had his fans and his detractors. There's no questioning his skill and power. Ultimately, Asa's behavior brought out his early retirement. The soccer incident told us a lot about him--that he's a liar. Here's a guy who supposedly had broken bones in his back and ligament damage, flopping around a soccer pitch in Mongolia, not expecting that people back in Japan might notice. The Sumo Association had no choice but to severely punish him. Keep in mind that his two tournament ban was the first in sumo history for a yokozuna.
If you want to point fingers, maybe Asa's stable master, Takasago, who doesn't strike me as being very bright, is a good target. He's the guy in charge of teaching and training his stable into rikishi. It's his job to make sure Asa acts the way a yokozuna is expected to. Over the years, I can't recall Asa showing Takasago much deference. Takasago, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have done a good job in molding Asa into a yokozuna given the spate of warnings and cautions dished out to Asa.
Asa had to retire. Had the Sumo Association fired him, it would have been a massive humiliation for all involved. Behind the scenes, they probably pushed Asa out the door. In my opinion, Asashoryu was an excellent sumo wrestler, but unworthy of being a yokozuna. Asa's retirement is due to his attitude and behavior, and Takasago's failure as a stable master.
Shawn
What Asashoryu did in his
What Asashoryu did in his career was unprecedented. Youngest Yokozuna in history. Won ALL 6 tournaments in a year (2005). Won 7 tournaments in a row. First Mongolian Yokozuna. All unprecedented. If his career had not been brought to an abrupt end, he would have broken all the records going.
Look, I certainly don't condone his actions against the nightclub manager, it was a total lack of self-control, which he has admitted. But some of his previous "offences" were ludicrous and smack of persecution. Remember the "Fist pumping" outrage when he celebrated his win over Hakuho? The "severe reprimand" he copped for playing golf with his fellow Mongols the day before a tournament?
It is a little known fact that Asashoryu was the elected Union Delegate of the Sumo Wrestlers - and he was quite active in this regard. It certainly must have rubbed the old fuddy-duddies of the JSA up the wrong way when he was pushing for a payrise for the wrestlers. Meanwhile, the JSA board throws 144-man per month to each of the 10 elected JSA board. Also, his rejection of Japanese Citizenship must have infuriated many - but good on him, why would he want it? He is a proud Mongolian - and the most popular person in his nation.
If Sumo is to survive it needs to change it's stuffy ways, and that means relaxing some of the nonsense rules that are pointless - rules for which Asa was being criticised for breaking. There are many, many older sports than sumo that have changed aspects of the sport over the years to retain relevance. Why shouldn't Sumo wrestlers be allowed to wear a suit, drive a car, etc?. Appealing to Japanese people over 80 is no longer going to work.
Ask most young Japanese under 50 about Sumo and they couldn't care less, in fact many are embarrassed by it. They are into well-run and exciting sports like soccer and baseball. Sumo is a professional sport, and this is 2010 - it MUST adapt if it is to compete in the market against a host of more popular pro sports. Only 20 years ago, Sumo was relevant and had popularity - it was difficult to get a ticket. Nowadays, there are empty seats at Major Tournaments, and most days one can stroll up on the day and get a ticket.
Just watch the ratings plummet now Asa is gone - and the ancient, corrupt old farts of the JSA will become even less relevant than they already are. Yes, Sumo is as much ritual as it is sport, and fair enough to people who are simply watching it for the shinto ritual side of things. But anyone who thinks the "retirement" of Asa is healthy for the sport of Sumo is not a real sports fan, and do not understand competition.
Record not in dispute
But it sounds like you're condoning them by using his achievements as an excuse. Nobody is disputing Asa's record, but the way a yokozuna behaves counts for a lot in sumo. Maybe there a lot of stuffy rules that need to be changed and hopefully Takanohana does something about that, but Asashoryu did a terrible job of being the yokozuna expected of him.
Shawn
Japanese martial arts
Etiquette and proper behaviour is paramount in martial arts. I remember when Asashoryu first came on the scene and he was throwing tantrums in the ring when he lost. You have to understand, in the Japanese martial arts world, that's unacceptable. Self-control and respect are very important, especially for a high-profile person. Straight away he became a "marked man" and, like any other "bad boys" in sports, was always going to have his behaviour scrutinized more.
I think a lot of his misdemeanours were blown out of proportion, and the punishment he got in 2007 was very harsh, but in the case of someone like him, even minor misdemeanours are going to be big news. Obviously it's gone too far for the Sumo top-brass to tolerate any more. They probably wanted him to go sooner, but didn't want to be seen to be pushing him too early. He's had a fair crack of the whip though and will go down as one of the great Sumo wrestlers. You can't say any fairer than that.
"MONGOLIAN" ISNT A RACE.
or hadnt anyone noticed?
Xenophobia maybe..racism...cant be.
The man Asashoryu hit was looking...
for a way to extort Asashoryu. the night manager is called Tsuyoshi Kawana, a Tokyo gangster to ties to tokyo's undergorund scum iranian mafia and chinese. kawana has recently been struggling for cash and took advantage that Asashoryu was a client in his club. once kawana noticed that Asashoryu was drunk kawana insulted him and looked to get hit, so he could get money out of being hit. kawana has extorted many rich japanese in the past and he is an infamous scum bag. he is linked to several murders in the japanese capitol.
google in japanese is full of blogs about this incident. what i dont understand is how can the japanese police, who know him buy his story???
kawana is now gone in hiding for this incident and is probably looking for for his next victim.
Asashoryu
The Truth - you better watch out. Guys like Shawn will come on and spout some nonsense about how you are telling unsubstantiated lies and that Asashoryu didn't follow Japanese Yokozuna "rules" yada yada yada, which is why he was booted out.
By the way, I believe what you are saying.
JSA is racist old dogs!
JSA is racist old dogs!
Takanohana one of the new memebers who made turmoil in Sumo!
Takanohana is silent deadly poison member!
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