Wakanoho - Weekly Shukan Gendai Magazine Interview

[Jonosuke 28]

"Exclusive - Wakanoho Yaocho Confession"

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First before I speak about the dark part of Ozumo World by accepting this interview request from the Weekly Shukan Gendai magazine, I'd like to apologize once again for what I have done.

Even though it was over something I happened to acquire at a club I just dropped by, it's the fact that I smoked marijuana and I put into a cigarette and carried it then lost it with my wallet. At the time I smoked marijuana I was only 19 years old and I was still immature.

There was no other sekitori at Magaki Beya and I was the head of the heya. I had two Tsukebito of my own but I had no supervision. I had my own private room and I was living free without any hindrance. The oyakata was ill and he was never around the heya and there was no one else around to guide me through. In Ozumo World, the banzuke ranking means everything. Even older senior rikishi could not go against my wish as I had a higher ranking. I was getting paid over 1 Million Yen per month and all that just got to my head.

At the press conference after my arrest, I have apologized. When I visited to the Sumo Kyokai office subsequently, I had apologized again. I even did shed my tears in front of Kokonoe (former Yokozuna Chiyonofuji) and Tomozuna (former Sekiwake Kaiki) oyakata while apologizing. Kokonoe oyakata told me, "Get your Kensho money (the Kyokai is keeping the half of all Kensho money until the rikishi's retirement) and get out of the country right away". They did not even accept my apology at all.

As I said at the press conference on September 29, I love sumo more than anything. Even now I want to return to Ozumo. I will never make the same stupid mistake like this again. I am not sure if they ever forgive me but once more I want to compete in Ozumo in Japan.

Then why did I have such a press conference? After the press conference I heard quite a few people watching on TV saying, "I was foolish" or "I made it more difficult to return to the Kyokai". So let me explain my true feeling here.

Right now I am trying to get them to retract my dismissal notice in court but it does not mean I am confident that I can ever return to the Kyokai. Actually I am thinking that possibility to be very low. Just because I want to desperately to return to the sumo world, it does not mean I can blindly close my eyes to injustice and keep my mouth shut. Those in the sumo world know full well there are injustices but they are remaining silent. They are shutting the lid on which I think is so wrong.

I heard someone on TV saying, "A totally idiotic thing to do. Making a 'confession' like this will make it impossible for him to return to the sumo world". But don't you think that's reasonable? It's not right that you can only go back to the sumo world if you keep yourself quiet and keep a secret while knowing there is injustice going on. If everyone kept quiet, the injustice will just keep going on.

I was 18 years old when I was promoted to Juryo. I was 19 years old when I was promoted to Makuuchi when I was forced to commit a Chusha (yaocho) from older sekitori. I refused several times but I had no choice but go along. I hated it so much. I worried so much about it but I couldn't talk to anyone or get any advice. There were occasions I thought about quitting Ozumo because I didn't want to do it any more.

I definitely want to return to the sumo world but I don't want to go back to the same filthy sumo world. I want to return to a clean sumo world. For that reason, I want to talk about the real story that I know. I am only hoping it will lead to a better sumo world. The current sumo world is not a professional sport. It's like a circus, it's just a show. It's fooling the customers. There is a group of rikishi like a mafia rolling around the wins using Chusha. I am only hoping that Ozumo will establish itself like a professional sport.

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Wakanoho, 20, was dismissed from the Sumo Kyokai on August 21 for possession of marijuana and held a press conference and said, "The present Sumo Kyokai is filthy. I was forced to engage in 'unfair' bouts while I was competing in Makuuchi. I will discuss the details on the Weekly Shukan Gendai magazine and testify as a witness in the Yaocho court case between the Sumo Kyokai and Shukan Gendai".

Wakanoho received so much negative reactions and "bashing" from the media since the press conference that he became more determined than ever to dedicate himself to purge bad elements from the Kyokai and clean up the sumo world. Pursuing the efforts he decided to accept the interview with this magazine.

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The reason I decided to enter the sumo world was when I learned the success of my senior Russian rikishi, Roho in Ozumo. Roho went to Japan and became successful by becoming a sekitori. I was watching him on a sports channel, "Eurosports" and I wanted to be a sumo rikishi too. I saw the oicho Roho was wearing and I thought it was beautiful. I too wanted to wear the oicho myself some day. I wanted to be like Roho too.

My father is a truck driver and my mother works too. But in Russia you only get 20,000 to 30,000 Yen in month. So once I became a sekitori, I was sending money to my parents and my sister. My mother was so happy when I sent her my Kensho money.

When I first arrived in Japan as a 16 year old, I was so amazed to see three or four-lane expressways. At first Otake Beya agreed to give me a temporary stay and Taiho oyakata told me, "If you work really hard on the dohyo, you will get money, car and house. You can do anything if you train really hard".

I learned sumo techniques at Otake Beya for six months and then I was able to join Magaki Beya where they had an extra slot open for foreign born rikishi. Training sessions were really tough and cleaning was never easy but I had a confidence in myself. Because even in the beginning I was able to compete equally with Makushita level rikishi.

Kaio was a rikishi I admired so much. He was so strong and he looked just great. My dream was to face Kaio and beat him one day.

I progressed quickly and climbed up on the banzuke but I started picking up bad habits too. I was drinking liquor when I was 16 years old. I had fights with senior rikishi too but since the oyakata was ill, no one made much fuss or I got scolded by anyone. I was always left all alone so that got me thinking everything was all too easy.

When I was 17 years old, I won Jonidan Yusho.. I became Juryo at the age of 18 years and 5 month old. I passed through Juryo in five basho and then when I was 19 years old, I became a Makuuchi rikishi. I had never known anything like Chusha existed at all before then.

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2007 September Basho - In his fifth Juryo basho, Wakanoho already ranked at Juryo Lead, was sitting right in front of Makuuchi. He was scheduled to face Juryo East 2 Otsukasa on Day 1 and Makuuchi rikishi (Maegashira East 16) Kasuganishiki. Lower ranked Makuuchi rikishi and Juryo Upper rank rikishi bout is sometimes called "Irekae-sen"　(exchange bout) and is held after "Nakairi" (after Makuuchi and Yokozuna dohyo-iri). It was the first time Wakanoho had his bout after Nakairi.

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Kasuganishiki is a rather odd rikishi. He is selling Obi (kimono belt), Geta (sandal) and ornaments for kimono to other rikishi in dressing rooms. When I was promoted to Juryo, I myself bought from him an Obi worth 150,000 Yen for 130,000 Yen and an ornament for 30,000 Yen originally priced at 50,000 Yen. When I tell him I have no money now then he would tell me, "It's OK, just pay me in the next basho, but try it on anyway". He was kind. But you know once you put on the Obi then you naturally start wanting it and you end up paying him the next basho.

I think it was just prior to the September Basho, during a jungyo tour, he came close to me and said to me quietly in my ear, "Right now I am not in a good condition but I desperately need to stay in Makuuchi". Then he asked me, "Please fall down." I right away knew what he meant. He was asking me to lose. "If I fall down to Juryo, you know I get paid less and it will be really tough. You know sometimes you should honor your senior, right?" Kasuganishiki said to me. "Remember I got you those Obi and Geta cheap, right?"

I was really in a panic when I heard it. I started thinking what this was all about. Kasuganishiki has been in Makuuchi for several years. He was 32 years old (at the time). He is a big senior to me. In the sumo world those who are senior to you or higher on the banzuke have absolute power over you. While I thought Kasuganishiki had a gentle side previously, I knew he had the other side too, he could become a "scary man'.

Back when I just got up to Juryo, I went to de-geiko at Kasugano Beya and I had a terrible experience of "Kawaigari" (specially targeted to being taken care of by a senior rikishi). As I indicated earlier, in my heya we didn't have any sekitori rikishi, so I needed to go to other heya to find more sekitori training parters.

I've been to Kasugano Beya several times before but especially at that occasion, I got singled out and received a "Kawaigari" treatment. A Kawaigari means you will be forced to keep doing "Butsukari-Geiko" for what it feels like an eternity. Basically a higher ranked rikishi will put out his chest and a lower ranked rikishi will need to hit him hard and push him until he gets to the dohyo edge. At the dohyo edge he will roll you over. Then it starts all over again, hitting him on the chest, pushing him and then getting rolled over. You will keep repeating the same set. If you do it for five minutes, you will become totally breathless. It' such a brutal training routine.

When I went to the de-geiko, kasugano Beya's Juryo rikishi Tochinonada became my training partner. In a Butsukari session, once asked in, you cannot refuse. I was forced to do "kawaigari" session for about 20 minutes and I told him, "I can't do it any more". Then he kicked me and sprayed water from his mouth and told me,　"Do it. Stand up, you bastard foreigner".

But I was so out of breath, I couldn't stand up. I hurt my ankle and I couldn't get up. But even then they forced me to continue. Kasuganishiki never once tried to stop it even though he was watching it. Even Kasugano oyakata didn't try to intervene.

I felt this wasn't a training session at all, it's just a bad form of hazing. I had to take two days off my training after that incident. Later I learned after I got in Makkuuchi, Gachinko (rikishi not known to do yaocho) rikishi like Goeido also got targeted during jungyo tours and suffered through "Kawaigari" sessions. I　heard Goeido once say, "I hate to go up on the dohyo any more". You all know someone died at Tokitsukaze Beya last year from it (Last year in June, Tokiozan of Tokitsukaze Beya died after beaten up by his senior rikishi).

So when Kasuganishiki brought up the Chusha story, the first thing that came to my mind was that "Kawaigari" session. If I refused this request, I would get "Kawaigari" in training sessions and during jungyo tours. I felt scared. I thought perhaps the reason Kasuganishiki didn't stop the "Kawaigari" session at that time was because he wanted me to accept "Chusha" later on. I've never gone back to Kasugano Beya since but I'd still see their rikishi at jungyo stops. I didn't want them to mark me for their target shooting.

Kasuganishiki actually even told me the script of the bout. "I want to hit with my head and push you out". After thinking about it hard, I decided to go along with him. When I watch the bout on video now, I see myself not going with Migi-yotsu, my favorite form, not even trying to grab the mawashi and simply stepping back as Kasuganishiki pushing me and putting my right leg out by myself. I intentionally did not put any effort after hitting him out of tachiai. To see if a bout is yaocho or not, you only need to watch the feet. I was stepping back and I put my own foot out by myself.

Another way to identify a yaocho bout is to know the rikishi's favorite technique or form. The one who is meant to lose will never try to bring himself to his favorite form or even attempt to display it. My favorite technique is Yotsu-zumo so when you see me doing Tsuppari from tachiai, you must suspect something is wrong. Anyone who closely watches sumo bouts can tell a sumo bout like this immediately.

After the bout, at the dressing room Kasuganishiki told me, "Chasu". I am not sure whether it means "Gotchan Desu" or "Arigato Gozaimasu", but rikishi often talk like that.

After this incident, I wanted to tell someone, anyone about this disparately and to seek their advice. But then I felt if I disclose this, I'd get scolded so bad. I couldn't tell anyone as I was getting really scared. In the end, Kasuganishiki finished with 7 wins and 8 losses this basho and got Makekoshi but he was able to hang on to the last rank of Makuuchi, Maegashira 16.

Then the following November Basho, I was promoted to Maegashira 13 and was scheduled to face him on the Day 5. On the previous day, in the dressing room Kasuganishiki came over to me and whispered,"Tomorrow, it doesn't matter one way or the other". Then I realized he was returning the win from the last basho back to me. So I said to him, "I understood". He then told me how I should behave. "You are Migi-yotsu (favorite form), right? So just grab the mawashi and get into a yotsu. In that way no one will suspect a thing," He told me. "Just make sure you show you really get psyched up".

In the next day's bout I displayed overly more intensity than normal from the shikiri on. When you are in a Chusha bout, as far as tachiai is concerned you will make sure to execute it perfectly. In this bout I hit him hard and went to his mawashi immediately. As soon as I hit him, I felt he "wasn't putting anything out". Up to that point I wasn't really sure if he was really returning me the win but it was true. Just as if you can tell by watching it on video, Kasuganishiki never once tried to grab the mawashi but instead just carried my elbow. Just watch it and you know he never once was going for my mawashi. And then at the end he just put his foot out of the dohyo ring.

After the bout, this time I went to Kasuganishiki and said to him, "Chasu". Kasuganishiki simply waved his hand and said," Never mind" and then "See you again". Then it all dawned on me that I'd have to do this all over again.

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After the Kasuganishki bout, Wakanoho kept progressing on the banzuke. Despite having a large frame of 195 cm, 162 kg, he possessed spontaneity and flexibility even displaying a form of henka sumo by jumping and leaping all over the dohyo and he soon reached a high Makuuchi ranking. He was only 19 year and 5 month old when he was promoted to Makuuchi at the 2007 November Basho. Within five basho he was already at Makuuchi Lead, just a step away from Sanyaku ranking. Starting from the 2008 March Basho, he had bouts against yokozuna and ozeki rekishi.

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Obviously Roho and Hakurozan being from Russia were my good friends but I have other rikishi who were my good friends as well. Ozeki Kotooshu was the fist ozeki from Europe and he was especially kind to me when I just joined Ozumo. When I won the Jonidan Yusho, he told me, "You are really working hard". And then seeing the trophy, he told me, "Congratulations".

When we see each other in the dressing room, we often talked and there were times when we went to eat spaghetti. Kotooshu speaks Russian. Normally you don't get an opportunity to talk to a sekitori equally if you are a lower ranked rikishi but Kotooshu was especially kind to me. Once I got promoted to Makuuchi, we became much better friends.

In the March Basho this year, Kotooshu hurt his left arm and he had 2 win and 6 loss record at the half way point and subsequently went into kyujo.

"???????" (Praigrai?? transliterated from Japanese katakata, プライグライ)

It was during this March Basho in the dressing room when Kotooshu came to talk to me. It was in Russian, meaning "wanting me to lose to him".

"It will be Kadoban for me the next basho. Unless I win 8 bouts, I fall down from ozeki. Once down in sekiwake, I need to get a double digit win record to get back to ozeki. It's really tough to win double digits. Please help me. You are from Europe too. If you let me win, I won't forget about you until I die. I will give you 1 Million Yen. Or even 1.5 Million Yen. Really I am pleading to you. Help me."

It was all in Russian so I am certain no other rikishi could understand what he was saying. I really felt badly over the Kasuganishiki incident already so I was ready to reject his offer.

"I want to go up to Komusubi too. I want to be in Sanyaku. I wan to be stronger", I　told him. Then he said, "Well if you don't want to do it, you will get

'Kawaigari', you know that, don't you? You will get hurt. I am sure you don't want to get hurt. If you don't help me here, you get 'Kawaigari' from everyone," Kotooshu told me.

Little later Kotooshu went on kyujo but he kept asking me in the dressing room during jungyo tours and training sessions, trying to convince me to agree with the deal.

"Everyone is doing it. Don't worry about it. You get used to it. You might feel badly about it now but you will get used to it. Trust me. Ozumo is beautiful looking from outside but inside it's totally different. So don't worry about it," Kotooshu said.

"You know what it means to be Kadoban? Do you really understand? I don't want to fall down to sekiwake. Why don't you listen to what ozeki is saying to you? Unless you do a Chusha once a while you will make senior rikishi very angry. You will get hurt for sure".

Up to then Kotooshu has been really kind to me and he has done a lot for me when I just joined. I thought he was a good man. And I really hated to be in Kawaigari sessions any more. During a jungyo tour, I've seen Kotooshu giving incredibly brutal "Kawaigari" session to Goeido. I just imagined I'd be subjected to the same treatment, I started getting scared, really scared. I could get killed. There are times when "Kawaigari" session could go on for 30 or 40 minutes. You could easily die.

"Are you saying I can do a Chusha? If an oyakata discovers it, don't we get scolded harshly?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you will be all OK. Oyakata have been doing it so many times themselves back when they were active. You heard about Asashoryu's yaocho stories (the Shukan Gendai articles), didn't you? The oyakata knew about Asashoryu's yaocho but they haven't made a fuss, not getting angry at Asashoryu at all. They all know everything about it. Like K oyakata and T oyakata, they used to do it a lot. That's why they can't tell their recruits now, 'don't do it'."

In the next May Basho, I had my bout with Kotooshu on Day 1 but by that time we already settled on the deal. Kotooshu's scenario was, "It's my kadoban.So I want to win by a good sumo. Let me win by a yotsu-zumo."

Both Kotooshu and I are Migi-yotsu rikishi so from the tachiai, we both got naturally into a Migi-yotsu position what they call "Ai-yotsu".

I did my tachiai firmly. Out of the tachiai we soon got into the yotsu and I also grabbed the mawashi. But that was the end of it as I let myself go and did not exert any pressure. I got pushed out easily as I put my own left foot out of the dohyo.

After the bout, I remember him saying to me, "Thank you (in Russian)". So I immediately responded by, "Shiii!!! Shiii (be quiet), It's a secret."

Since then Kotooshu kept winning and he won the yusho by 14 win - 1 loss. I believe I received the money from Kotooshu on the Senshuraku, May 25. We were both located in the West Dressing Room and we also had our Akeni (sekitori's clothing box) next to each other.

While I was doing a shiko and putting around a taping, Kotooshu came over and talked to me. "You OK?" and then said, "See you again", leaving a box of taping.

There are so many boxes of taping in the dressing room so it never stands out. I looked inside the box kotooshu left and saw a bundle of bills. I later checked closely and realized indeed I got 1 Million Yen inside. I actually figured it would be more like 200,000 to 300,000 Yen so I was really surprised. 1 Million Yen is like one month of salary for a hiramamku rikishi

I threw the box into my Akeni. Later on I once asked Kotooshu, "Do you ask everyone for Chusha?"

He said, "No not everyone. There are some Gachinko rikishi too."

"Does Goeido do it?"

"No he won't do it."

"Kisenosato has been losing to you, what about Kisenosato?"

"No he doesn't do Chusha either."

"Toyonoshima?"

"He is doing Gachiko sumo."

"Why couldn't you get the Zensho Yusho (15-0)? Didn't you ask Aminishiki (whom Kotooshu lost) just like you asked me (for Chusha)?"

"I definitely wanted to get the Zensho Yusho but when I asked Aminishiki, he refused."

When I heard it, I realized that there were seriously competing rikishi as well..

At the next July Basho (Nagoya Basho), Kotooshu asked me for Chusha again. I received the money in Tokyo before I left for Nagoya.

One day Kotooshu called me and said, "I have a chore to do in Ryogoku so I will drop by to Magaki Beya. I will give you the money so I want you to come to a place near the Ryogoku train station."

I didn't want to be seen by a Tsukebito so I got on a bicycle and saw him. Kotooshu was in a chauffer driven car. When I walked over to the car, he opened the window and told me to go to a remote street corner where there weren't people walking by.

"You doing well? Here.", he handed me an envelope. Later when I looked inside I found 1 Million Yen again. He gave me the money even before we had our bout.

In the July Basho, our bout was scheduled on Day 5. This time he said, "Since I am an ozeki, I want to look good and win. So I want to win by yotsu. Just make sure you show your intensity as well". And then we agreed to have one matta.

Actually I didn't make this bout as good. I kind opened up my arm so I made it easier for him to get the mawashi and it looked to be as if it was intentional. Kotooshu got into his Migi-yotsu and he got to yori at the dohyo edge. But at the edge, I totally let go of myself and wasn't putting out any resistance. I basically hopped out by myself. When I looked the video later, it looked like such a strange bout as I was hopping out of the dohyo all by myself even though I wasn't being pulled up by Tsuri or something.

Now when I look back on now, I think the reason Kotooshu was so kind to me even before I joined Ozumo was because he was already scheming to get me as his ideal Chusha opponent once I got up higher on the banzuke.

We were such good friends before but when I was arrested by police, he never even once came to visit me there. Right then I realized what Kootoshu was really like. He even told me for the first Chusha bout, he would "never forget me for the rest of his life".

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The Shukan Gendai went to talk to Kasuganishiki for his comment.

"There was none (yaocho). I've never talked to the guy. I can harldy understand what he is saying anyway."

And from Kotooshu,

"Sorry, I have a business to attend," and he left quickly.

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The worst thing is that right after the Kotooshu bout, the news that I'd do Chusha spread so quickly and I became known as a Chusha rikishi. Then I started getting more and more requests for Chusha but these I will be disclosing in a later installment.

I also like to point out that Chusha isn't the only evil permeating in the sumo world. In my press conference I talked a little bit but there are more than five rikishi and oyakata who are involved with marijuana. I'd like to talk about it the next time.

(Continies to the next issue)

[Kintamayama 45,086]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I totally believe him now. Very detailed and makes total sense. Something in the way(she moves) he tells it has a naivety of a 20 year old. I find it hard to believe he can come up with such an elaborate lie. I'm not that naive to believe yaocho never existed, but this plants me firmly on the other side now.

And for some reason, the way he tells it, it suddenly doesn't seem that evil- more like weak human nature - the ones without the balls take the easy way out. Kasuganishiki and Kotooushuu just seem like pathetic losers.

He already got Kasuganishiki in trouble by spilling the beans on his extra-curricular activities..

[Hakuyobaku 33]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I totally believe him now. Very detailed and makes total sense. Something in the way(she moves) he tells it has a naivety of a 20 year old. I find it hard to believe he can come up with such an elaborate lie. I'm not that naive to believe yaocho never existed, but this plants me firmly on the other side now.

And for some reason, the way he tells it, it suddenly doesn't seem that evil- more like weak human nature - the ones without the balls take the easy way out. Kasuganishiki and Kotooushuu just seem like pathetic losers.

He already got Kasuganishiki in trouble by spilling the beans on his extra-curricular activities..

The thing is, that Shukan Gedai would be very accurate about the way the interview was brought forth to the public.

There are a couple of things one must consider here. Firstly, there is no way to prove that motto-Wakanoho actually put the words/toned it the way the article was printed. It may very well be that Shukan Gendai made the article look like it was written from a viewpoint of a naive 20-year-old foreigner. Style is the central issue here, which is precisely why we must consider the target audience - for outsiders, which (arguably) account for a majority of Shukan Gendai audience, the rigour of the argument and the evidence is secondary; important is the persuasiveness, hence the "naive" narrative.

I would very much be interested to see detailed analysis of the bouts Wakanoho mentions by experts and people who know more about the actual mechanics of a sumo bout.

I believe we should be very careful in taking for granted what Wakanoho "said" and dig deeper. To trust intuition in assessing the righeousness of ex-Wakanoho's arguments is falling into Shukan Gendai trap of wording the interview the way they did.

[Kintamayama 45,086]

The thing is, that Shukan Gedai would be very accurate about the way the interview was brought forth to the public.

You are probably write in all you wrote. Of course it's all manipulation. Notwithstanding, it's much more detailed than any hazy reports on yaocho I have read to date.

All the other articles were also probably written by the Gendai and attributed to rikishi, but this one has a different ring to it to my ears.

[Barang 0]

It was all in Russian so I am certain no other rikishi could understand what he was saying. I really felt badly over the Kasuganishiki incident already so I was ready to reject his offer.

Funny that even Roho could not understand Russian. I am not so sure how well Kotooshu even speaks that language since late Eighties youth in Eastern Europe has been quite lazy to study it compared with English.

Now when I look back on now, I think the reason Kotooshu was so kind to me even before I joined Ozumo was because he was already scheming to get me as his ideal Chusha opponent once I got up higher on the banzuke.

We were such good friends before but when I was arrested by police, he never even once came to visit me there. Right then I realized what Kootoshu was really like. He even told me for the first Chusha bout, he would "never forget me for the rest of his life".

Does this say it straight. Wakanoho wants payback because Kotooshu did not help him enough after he was caught for dope possesion.

[Asashosakari 19,308]

Thank you, Jonosuke! :-P

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I like how the "this is what a chusha bout looks like" story goes from:

Kasuganishiki actually even told me the script of the bout. "I want to hit with my head and push you out". After thinking about it hard, I decided to go along with him. When I watch the bout on video now, I see myself not going with Migi-yotsu, my favorite form, not even trying to grab the mawashi and simply stepping back as Kasuganishiki pushing me and putting my right leg out by myself. I intentionally did not put any effort after hitting him out of tachiai. To see if a bout is yaocho or not, you only need to watch the feet. I was stepping back and I put my own foot out by myself.

Another way to identify a yaocho bout is to know the rikishi's favorite technique or form. The one who is meant to lose will never try to bring himself to his favorite form or even attempt to display it. My favorite technique is Yotsu-zumo so when you see me doing Tsuppari from tachiai, you must suspect something is wrong. Anyone who closely watches sumo bouts can tell a sumo bout like this immediately.

to

In the next May Basho, I had my bout with Kotooshu on Day 1 but by that time we already settled on the deal. Kotooshu's scenario was, "It's my kadoban.So I want to win by a good sumo. Let me win by a yotsu-zumo."

Both Kotooshu and I are Migi-yotsu rikishi so from the tachiai, we both got naturally into a Migi-yotsu position what they call "Ai-yotsu".

I did my tachiai firmly. Out of the tachiai we soon got into the yotsu and I also grabbed the mawashi. But that was the end of it as I let myself go and did not exert any pressure. I got pushed out easily as I put my own left foot out of the dohyo.

Good thing we've established that a bought-off rikishi will never go for his favourite holds or techniques, except when he does.

One question:

When I went to the de-geiko, kasugano Beya's Juryo rikishi Tochinonada became my training partner. In a Butsukari session, once asked in, you cannot refuse. I was forced to do "kawaigari" session for about 20 minutes and I told him, "I can't do it any more". Then he kicked me and sprayed water from his mouth and told me,　"Do it. Stand up, you bastard foreigner".

Wrong Tochi? Does this refer to Tochisakae...?

[kame 0]

Thanks, Jonosuke.

Wow, well for me it did the opposite: I totally think he's lying about yaocho. A writer helped him with that "confession". It's very well scripted, extremely detailed for something that happened 1-2 years ago, and it has the makings of good sensationalism (Kaio is his hero, Tochinonada and Oshu the bad guys, he sends cash to his poor folks). Hell, it even has an admittedly great cliffhanger. Next issue!

My only question is: What about Roho and Hakurozan? Right. IMO, if yaocho were real the K Bros would be up to their mawashi in it. This is the same Wakanoho that lied all along about them not smoking (I would've done the same for my buddies, truth be told). But as fiercely loyal as he is to his friends, he seems to be getting back at whoever hurt him one way or another. We know from that bout back in March that Tochinonada and Wakanoho didn't get (maybe the hazing is true, Kasuganishiki was there too). So far, the "scary" and "dark" side of sumo: two Kasuganobeya rikishi and Kotooshu.

[Koukai 4]

Funny that even Roho could not understand Russian. I am not so sure how well Kotooshu even speaks that language since late Eighties youth in Eastern Europe has been quite lazy to study it compared with English.

First of all, thanks to Jonosuke. :-P

Russian and Bulgarian are sounds the same. Both native speakers can understand each other even if they never learnt any language exept their own.

It really strange that he even didn;t speak with Roho or Hakurozan about Kasuganishiki's offer. He always told that they are his "big brothers".

[Randomitsuki 2,826]

I liked the dialog snippet where Wakanoho and Kotooshu spoke about various rikishi. Fortunately, I got hold of the real dialog exchanged among Wakanoho and Kotooshu - no journalistic editing was done with it. Here it is:

W: Hey, Osh, what about the greatest Japanese talent currently in Makuuchi? Does he do yaocho?

K: No, he's clean.

W: Ah, I see. OK, now what about the second-greatest Japanese talent in Makuuchi? Does he do it?

K: No, the second-biggest talent is clean as well.

W: But the third-best talent must have been into yaocho.

K: Au contraire. Coincidentally, the three biggest Japanese talents are free from filth. Aminishiki sometimes refuses. All the rest are into it. In other words, if only someone would come along and clean the Sumo world, maybe with the help of a really great and courageous Japanese newspaper, the top of the banzuke would have three young Japanese rikishi and everything would be perfect.

[Chiyozakura 146]

Very interesting article and very detailed. If Kotooshu really bought most of his wins in his Yusho basho then it was a very expensive one, about 10 to 15 Million Yen if there were rikishi that wanted the 1.5 and not the one million. I really doubt this makes sense. On the other hand, why did not other rikishi do the same? And if other sekitori reject yaocho, how can they survive if they will get injured? How can guys with that attitude even make it to Yokozuna? Why is Goeido still improving and not out of keiko most of the time? He should be all beat up now. For me there are too many things that make no sense. Also the argumentaton seems quite weird, for example:

"Exclusive - Wakanoho Yaocho Confession"

-------------------------------------------------

Like K oyakata and T oyakata, they used to do it a lot. That's why they can't tell their recruits now, 'don't do it'."

Has anybody ever compared the tachi-ai of Mienoumi with his current idea of a good tachi-ai? He did do the "wrong" tachi-ai but still can insist on the rikishi doing it differently...

By the way, by naming Kokonoe and Tomozuna here, you really get the impression that he is trying to get back on those two that told him there was no chance for him to return to sumo.

I also really wonder about the Kasuganishiki case. Obviously falling down to Juryo in the next basho was no big deal...really strange.

So all in all I do not believe most of his accusations and ctill continue to think that yaocho is only done to do a favor, as might have been the case with Wakanoho and Kotooshu.

[Kintamayama 45,086]

Very interesting article and very detailed. If Kotooshu really bought most of his wins in his Yusho basho then it was a very expensive one, about 10 to 15 Million Yen if there were rikishi that wanted the 1.5 and not the one million.

I don't think he is saying Osh bought all his bouts, as Osh himself says there are a few gachinko rikishi who wouldn't play along. It is pretty believable that Osh would approach a younger rikishi who he "brought up" and expect him to give in, especially as he is adding some cash to the offer. I bet Wakanohou would have done it for free if asked to do a "favor".. If this is all fabricated, why name so many rikishi who would not give in? Why go into such specific detail? Because they finally have a guy who has nothing to lose (yes, I know, it works both ways..) and is willing to go into minute details. He does go on at length about his fears for his personal safety, an angle which to the best of my knowledge was never used before. There is a lot of "human fallibility" being shown. We can attribute it to the 'real' writer's sense of drama (which all of us would prefer of course), but I don't know.. I really don't know.. This is somehow different in all respects.

[Chiyozakura 146]

Very interesting article and very detailed. If Kotooshu really bought most of his wins in his Yusho basho then it was a very expensive one, about 10 to 15 Million Yen if there were rikishi that wanted the 1.5 and not the one million.

I don't think he is saying Osh bought all his bouts, as Osh himself says there are a few gachinko rikishi who wouldn't play along. It is pretty believable that Osh would approach a younger rikishi who he "brought up" and expect him to give in, especially as he is adding some cash to the offer.

There was also a part about Wakanoho asking Kotooshu if he did not want a zensho to which he replied he did but Aminishiki was not interested. This implies that he included not only Wakanoho but lots of rikishi. That is why I wrote 10 to 15 Million yen which is what it would take to convince eight to ten guys at the nominated rates. And even for an Ozeki this is not little money.

[Kintamayama 45,086]

There was also a part about Wakanoho asking Kotooshu if he did not want a zensho to which he replied he did but Aminishiki was not interested. This implies that he included not only Wakanoho but lots of rikishi. That is why I wrote 10 to 15 Million yen which is what it would take to convince eight to ten guys at the nominated rates. And even for an Ozeki this is not little money.

Yes, that sounds over the top, but I'm guessing that's the 'drama' part 'inflated' by the writer. I still think Wakanohou throwing their match for money is very believable in this specific case.

[Barang 0]

I just wonder how much about this Shukan Gendai story Wakanoho originally told himself and how much he has willingly repeated bullshit which reporter has put in his mouth. Afterall Wakanohos Japanese language skills are limited.

[Peeter 15]

I just wonder how much about this Shukan Gendai story Wakanoho originally told himself and how much he has willingly repeated bullshit which reporter has put in his mouth. Afterall Wakanohos Japanese language skills are limited.

How does Japanese call their bulls? :-P We all in our hearts want yaocho kicked out of sumo! :-)

[Asashosakari 19,308]

I also really wonder about the Kasuganishiki case. Obviously falling down to Juryo in the next basho was no big deal...really strange.

Yes, that still confounds the heck out of me. I guess everyone can be hard up for money, but why somebody who already spent the majority of the previous three years in juryo would suddenly be worried about the financial repercussions of dropping to juryo...well, I don't get it.

If this is all fabricated, why name so many rikishi who would not give in?

Well, Randomitsuki already noted the interesting coincidence about that... In a way it's of a piece with the Asashoryu articles from last year; of course several high-ranking Japanese rikishi were thrown under the bus in those, but almost exclusively in the context of "the mean foreign yokozuna MADE them do it!"

There was also a part about Wakanoho asking Kotooshu if he did not want a zensho to which he replied he did but Aminishiki was not interested. This implies that he included not only Wakanoho but lots of rikishi. That is why I wrote 10 to 15 Million yen which is what it would take to convince eight to ten guys at the nominated rates. And even for an Ozeki this is not little money.

It's also somewhat implied by this part of the exchange:

I threw the box into my Akeni. Later on I once asked Kotooshu, "Do you ask everyone for Chusha?"

He said, "No not everyone. There are some Gachinko rikishi too." ...

Doesn't necessarily mean he asked all those other guys in the same basho, but in the context of the conversation it's probably the most straight-forward interpretation.

BTW, at the time of their alleged Haru basho conversation Wakanoho was only 4-4 at M4e and it was far from certain that Kotooshu would even be facing him in the next basho...seems kinda odd to broach the subject of selling the next basho bout in that situation, especially in such a desperate tone.* But what do I know... And I've looked at the first Kasuganishiki-Wakanoho bout again and it sure looks to me as though Wakanoho did try to go for the mawashi, just got stood up and couldn't reach it anymore. Doesn't mean there was no yaocho, of course...

* Edit: By the way, how odd that they're not touching on the fact that Wakanoho happened to be the recipient of Kotooshu's fusenpai in that basho. That seems kinda noteworthy, especially considering Wakanoho finished 8-7.

Edited October 9, 2008 by Asashosakari

[Skotkotaikai 2]

What if the magazine has offered lots of money to Wakanoho and has guaranteed they will help him stay in Japan and find him a job? All of this in exchange for some "real?" interviews. His family is poor, he must help them. He doesn't want to return to North Ossetia and be poor again. So, he agrees.

I know some of you will say: yes but he sold bouts because of the same reason. Well, he may have done it but he wasn't put against the wall then. He had a good salary, he was progressing well, he had everything he has ever dreamed of. Atm he is expelled from Sumo and has no salary.

Why didn't Roho and Hakurozan start talking too? They were expelled from Sumo too. But they had enough money already and the magazine couldn't buy them. Hope they won't prove me wrong and give some interviews to that magazine. :/

Btw, Russian and Bulgarian are quite similar languages but at the same time they are very different in pronounciation, so if you hear someone speaking Bulgarian it is unlikely you will think it is Russian(I speak both languages, so I know). Wakanoho has said Kotooshu spoke Russian. 95% of the young Bulgarians (born after 1980) don't speak Russian at all. Most of the Russian classes were stopped after Bulgaria changed its government type and returned to democracy (1989).

Ofcourse I cannot know if Kotooshu speaks Russian or not.

I am not defending Kotooshu because we are from the same country ofc :D My favourite Rikishi is Chiyotaikai and I dislike Kotooshu's lack of fighting spirit.

I just don't like what Wakanoho is doing right now.

:E

[Sasanishiki 57]

I just wonder how much about this Shukan Gendai story Wakanoho originally told himself and how much he has willingly repeated bullshit which reporter has put in his mouth. Afterall Wakanohos Japanese language skills are limited.

He could well have used a Russian-Japanese translator as he did for at least one of his press conferences.

[Sasanishiki 57]

Very interesting article and very detailed. If Kotooshu really bought most of his wins in his Yusho basho then it was a very expensive one, about 10 to 15 Million Yen if there were rikishi that wanted the 1.5 and not the one million.

I don't think he is saying Osh bought all his bouts, as Osh himself says there are a few gachinko rikishi who wouldn't play along. It is pretty believable that Osh would approach a younger rikishi who he "brought up" and expect him to give in, especially as he is adding some cash to the offer.

There was also a part about Wakanoho asking Kotooshu if he did not want a zensho to which he replied he did but Aminishiki was not interested. This implies that he included not only Wakanoho but lots of rikishi. That is why I wrote 10 to 15 Million yen which is what it would take to convince eight to ten guys at the nominated rates. And even for an Ozeki this is not little money.

Ok, so according to this story we might believe that Kotooshu bought his vicotry against Wakanoho but couldn't buy a win against Aminishiki. I think that still implies that in getting to 14-1 he had to beat gachinko Kisenosato on Day 7. I also firmly believe that he would have had to beat Asashoryu and Hakuho straight up rather than buying them off because at that point each was only a win behind Osh, meaning that if they had defeated him they would have a tie for the lead and a chance at the yusho. I think we can say that Osh earned his yusho, whether or not there was yaocho/gift bouts here or there.

[Asashosakari 19,308]

I think we can say that Osh earned his yusho, whether or not there was yaocho/gift bouts here or there.

Taking the whole scenario as given for a moment: that's still true only if you assume that the other yusho contenders had a similar number of gifted/bought bouts as Kotooshu did. Given his usual problems of dealing with maegashira rikishi I wouldn't call the yusho "earned" simply because he beat the three or four hardest opponents on his own. (And I half-suspect we'll hear in the next Gendai article about how Asashoryu masterminded Osh's yusho, or somesuch...)

BTW, how come he has those problems with maegashira opponents if so many of them are so easy to pay off and he has enough money to throw around to pay 1m+ yen for a single bout?

[Bilu 0]

I don't buy it...

Wakanoho's description of his yaocho experience has more 'angles' than what was described by Itai or the Gendai's reporter in court, but it is just stories, pretty much as could be expected if it was to be made up by someone.

Apart from the hearsay - "he asked me..", "He nagged me", etc - the only semi-credible reasoning is the Kawaigari threat. However, this doesn't seem reasonable - as pointed out by others.

So, where is the hard evidence? Can't Wakanoho bring more than just stories?

For example, if he received 2 million yen from Kotooshu can't he show some bank records to prove it?

As a sekitory his income is easy to determine - salary, kensho, special prizes, etc. 2 million yen suddenly popping in his bank account unexplained - and near the aforementioned dates - will go a long way toward proving his point.

[Kintamayama 45,086]

I also really wonder about the Kasuganishiki case. Obviously falling down to Juryo in the next basho was no big deal...really strange.

Yes, that still confounds the heck out of me. I guess everyone can be hard up for money, but why somebody who already spent the majority of the previous three years in juryo would suddenly be worried about the financial repercussions of dropping to juryo...well, I don't get it.

I'd guess gambling debts? Personal problems? It could be any trivial mundane financial jam. This guy was selling obi1kNObis and sandals in the SHITAKUBEYA to other rikishi, something he surely knew was not allowed, yet he did it. And it became public only thanks to this article. He admitted it and was severely reprimanded. That is something he COULD own up to, since it doesn't touch the core of Sumo. He can't own up to doing yaocho. Why in the world would Wakanohou name Kasuganishiki, one of the more boring and unknown faces in sumo?? If it's all a lie anyway as everyone seems to maintain, why not name someone "juicier"? A lawsuit is a lawsuit is a lawsuit. It does not make sense.

I'm not saying sumo is totally rigged with yaocho or even rampant with it and it's evil etc.. but this sort of thing surely goes on and folks, I'll wager 5 shekels this is for real.

Too bad we'll never know, since either someone will die soon or a bigger diversion will be created soon so we forget all about this.

[Skotkotaikai 2]

This guy was selling obi1kNObis and sandals in the SHITAKUBEYA to other rikishi, something he surely knew was not allowed, yet he did it. And it became public only thanks to this article. He admitted it and was severely reprimanded. That is something he COULD own up to, since it doesn't touch the core of Sumo. He can't own up to doing yaocho. Why in the world would Wakanohou name Kasuganishiki, one of the more boring and unknown faces in sumo?? If it's all a lie anyway as everyone seems to maintain, why not name someone "juicier"?

I guess they chose Kasuganishiki because they knew about his illegal activities. Guess their logic was: "He cannot deny he was selling sandals in the beya and people will think that since we told them some truth then the whole article is true".

As about the juicy pick, it is Kotooshu. And they used Kasuganishiki as a tool of making the article look more authentic.

[Randomitsuki 2,826]

He does go on at length about his fears for his personal safety, an angle which to the best of my knowledge was never used before.

I found this angle to be quite surprising as well, and in fact to me it makes the whole thing a little fishy. I might be under the wrong impression, but I thought that in the machismo world of sumo getting an extended butsugari session or kawaigari treatment is meant as an exercise in bearing hardships. It's usually done to make rikishi strong, and especially to young rikishi who are already strong to make them even stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if rikishi in hindsight tend to say how much they benefited from such treatments. As a consequence, it seems to me that under normal circumstances Wakanoho's publicly expressed fear of kawaigari would make him look like a wimp. Enter the Tokitaizan story (which of course is mentioned in the corresponding passage), and in this context Wakanoho's fear suddenly fits to a T. That whole aspect gives a very fabricated feel to the story, a nice conspiracy theory where every injustice in Ozumou is neatly intertwined with every other injustice.

[Skotkotaikai 2]

I just fell asleep at my workplace for 15 minutes and had a strange dream.

"I met Kotooshu and he gave me a strange red envelope with 5 million yens inside. All he wanted was that I post here that he is innocent. I didn't take the money of course."

Do you think that Shukan Gendai will pay me if I tell them the story?