The "State of Sumo"--and Musashimaru

[Oikeassa 0]

Interesting article from Reuters:

Ancient sumo grapples with modern times

Fri 6 February, 2004 03:06

By Dan Sloan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tracing its origins to the dawn of time when gods grappled for sovereignty over the Japanese isles, the sport of sumo has an iron grip on national mythology.

But sumo, which emerged as a professional sport in the Edo era from the 17th century, has lately been pushed to ring's edge by tough economic times and competition from other entertainment.

With waning sponsorship, falling turnout and -- perhaps most troubling -- the loss of its biggest stars, sumo has been less than agile in responding to very modern business woes.

Retiring grand champion Musashimaru put it bluntly: "Hello, it's 2004. We're not in the Edo Era."

Musashimaru, who entered the sport in 1989 and reached its pinnacle before retiring in November, says the lack of a home-grown yokozuna, or grand champion, leaves sumo vulnerable.

"We have a big hole right now. We need a Japanese yokozuna, but I don't think the guys we have right now will make it," the Samoan-born wrestler told Reuters in an interview.

"They're not big enough or physically tough enough. Their lack of something -- confidence, that's big."

Still sporting a topknot and 235 kg (518 lbs), the goliath's departure left sumo with only one yokozuna, Mongolian-born Asashoryu, and follows the loss in the last few years of Japanese brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana along with Hawaiian Akebono.

Asashoryu won the recent New Year's tournament, dashing hopes that a rival Japanese wrestler would capture enough bouts to warrant promotion to the top spot.

ROLLIN' AND TUMBLIN'

The sumo hierarchy overseeing the 2,000-year-old sport is an incorporated, non-profit association known for its tight control, which is only now coming to grips with its problems.

"The more influential leaders of the Sumo Association have a sense of crisis and are aware that more must be done," said Clyde Newton, editor of Sumo Digest.

Falling ticket sales for the six annual tournaments and the cancellation of a nightly televised digest of matches reflect the continuing desertion by once-loyal fans.

Many of sumo's corporate backers deserted during the decade-long recession that followed the bursting of Japan's late 1980s "bubble economy" due to a combination of financial strain and the growing attraction of rival sports such as soccer.

"The economic downturn caused a lot of financial sponsors to disappear years ago," said Lynn Matsuoka, a sumo commentator.

"A lot of things that the sumo wrestlers and Association want to do, like tour the country, they can't do that now."

Only sumo's relatively low overheads have staved off worse woes.

"Salaries earned by competitors in the top two divisions are very low compared with other professional sports," Newton said.

A grand champion is estimated to make about $300,000 a year compared to around $5 million for a top baseball player.

LORD OF THE RINGS

A deep body blow was the loss of Wakanohana and Takanohana, scions of a family that dominated the sumo dohyo, or ring, for much of the 20th century.

"Once the brothers started to fade in the late 1990s, public interest in sumo in Japan declined markedly," Newton said.

Musashimaru said the ancient sport, which has recently added a bilingual Internet homepage and convenience stores to its ticket retailers, still needs better public relations efforts.

"If you don't promote, you won't get anywhere."

Perhaps the conservative sport's greatest modernisation was the welcoming of foreigners such as Musashimaru, who stoked interest because of rivalries with Japanese grand champions.

But with only one yokozuna, competition is falling flat, and the exit of some stars has underscored its slide.

Former yokozuna Akebono cut his ties to sumo to join K-1, where boxers, kickboxers and wrestlers battle in a free-for-all style.

In a nationally televised New Year's Eve match, Akebono was quickly dispatched by former American football player Bob "The Beast" Sapp, an outcome that did little to enhance sumo's dignified image.

The former yokozuna, who considered leading his own sumo stable of wrestlers, says money was a factor in his move to K-1.

"For yokozuna, people expect if you stay in the Sumo Association that you'll open your own stable, and that's not free," the K-1 fighter now known as Taro Akebono told Reuters.

"Basically, I wondered if I went the stablemaster way or the K-1 route, which risk would be less for me?

"It's a big risk staying in sumo."

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

An ancillary issue is "What's up with Musashimaru?" He seems to be coming up with a bold quotable statement almost every day. Some of them have been posted here in the last few weeks. This piece includes:

"Hello, it's 2004. We're not in the Edo Era."

"We have a big hole right now. We need a Japanese yokozuna, but I don't think the guys we have right now will make it. They're not big enough or physically tough enough. Their lack of something -- confidence, that's big."

This doesn't seem like the Musashi we've seen over the years. Is this just his true personality finally coming through or is he trying to generate publicity to promote some new career aspirations? (Hopefully, not K-1 (I am not worthy...)!)

Edit: Couldn't make the link work--had to paste the article.

Edited February 6, 2004 by Oikeassa

[Asashosakari 19,320]

I think he's just trying to light a fire under the (sometimes perceived as lethargic) other oyakata...It's actually pretty nice to see that both he and moto-Akinoshima dare to have an opinion of their own about the current situation of sumo.

I was actually a bit more flabbergasted by Akebono's comment quoted in the same article (thanks for linking to it, btw...I never would have thought to check Reuters, of all places):

The former yokozuna, who considered leading his own sumo stable of wrestlers, says money was a factor in his move to K-1.

"For yokozuna, people expect if you stay in the Sumo Association that you'll open your own stable, and that's not free," the K-1 fighter now known as Taro Akebono told Reuters.

"Basically, I wondered if I went the stablemaster way or the K-1 route, which risk would be less for me?

"It's a big risk staying in sumo."

Umm...If a good monthly income (even if it's not huge) and 100% job security is "a big risk", he really must've been hurting for money...

I'm not really sure what to make of his claim about opening his own stable (he must be referring to buying the kabu)...wasn't the original idea that Azumazeki-oyakata was even willing to retire prematurely so Akebono could take over his toshiyori and heya?

[Doitsuyama 1,185]

I think the big risk he is referring to is getting the money to buy the kabu. Azumazeki might have been willing to retire prematurely, yes. But not for free. I guess he wanted to get something upside of 100,000,000 yen for it. And you really don't know if you will be able to get the same when it is your turn to sell it on retiring (which would have been 2034 for Akebono).

[Kashunowaka 300]

Always interesting to see what the press writes. OTOH, some of the things said in the article are getting really old now.

With waning sponsorship, falling turnout and -- perhaps most troubling -- the loss of its biggest stars, sumo has been less than agile in responding to very modern business woes.

The loss of big stars is the least troubling, IMHO. It is inevitable, it happens in all sports, and there will always be new stars to replace the old ones. Especially in sports where quality cannot be measured on an absolute scale (most sports). Perhaps the writer meant the loss of its biggest Japanese stars.

A much more troubling aspect of ozumo is when the number of injuries increase, or if the number of young men joining ozumo decreases.

Many of sumo's corporate backers deserted during the decade-long recession that followed the bursting of Japan's late 1980s "bubble economy" due to a combination of financial strain and the growing attraction of rival sports such as soccer.

"The economic downturn caused a lot of financial sponsors to disappear years ago," said Lynn Matsuoka, a sumo commentator.

Wasn't there a kensho banner record last basho? Surely that must mean something.

"We have a big hole right now. We need a Japanese yokozuna, but I don't think the guys we have right now will make it," the Samoan-born wrestler told Reuters in an interview.

Yawn.

Musashimaru said the ancient sport, which has recently added a bilingual Internet homepage and convenience stores to its ticket retailers, still needs better public relations efforts.

"If you don't promote, you won't get anywhere."

I have no argument with the last statement, but I wonder what site it is I have been browsing for the last N years.

[Oikeassa 0]

I was actually a bit more flabbergasted by Akebono's comment quoted in the same article (thanks for linking to it, btw...I never would have thought to check Reuters, of all places):

Incredibly, there was just a piece on CNN International--including coments from Musashimaru and Akebono--covering most of the stuff in the article.

[Zentoryu 154]

Joe Kuroda wrote an interesting response to this article over on the SML:

It's rather obvious this guy missed the boat a couple

years ago. You don't take what Maru says "bluntly".

On NHK's News10 program, their sportscaster Udo asked

Maru once if he already had someone he was thinking of

getting married. Maru said, "Yes...(her name is)

Umiko."

Edited February 6, 2004 by Zentoryu

[Zentoryu 154]

I think the big risk he is referring to is getting the money to buy the kabu. Azumazeki might have been willing to retire prematurely, yes. But not for free. I guess he wanted to get something upside of 100,000,000 yen for it. And you really don't know if you will be able to get the same when it is your turn to sell it on retiring (which would have been 2034 for Akebono).

This is almost certainly what he was referring to. Those kabu don't come cheap.

[Gaijinohana 0]

"We have a big hole right now. We need a Japanese yokozuna, but I don't think the guys we have right now will make it," the Samoan-born wrestler told Reuters in an interview.

Yawn.

This is not a statement to yawn at. He is dead on correct with his assessment that Sumo needs a japanese star. Check the popularity of japanese sumo in Mongolia. I bet that it has become more popular there since this batch of mongolians have been doing better and especially since Asa was promoted. Look at it in the US. If I mention Sumo in conversation with non-followers they all mention Akebono. You don't think that it hurts sumo's popularity to not have a japanese Yokozuna?

We all have our rikishi that we like to watch and support, but when it comes right down to it The Moose is proven right tournament after tournament about the current batch of Ozeki. They prove time and again that they don't have what it takes to be Yokozuna. He doesn't make any judgements about the techniques or physical strength of the Ozeki, just that they lack the confidence that is required. Isn't it that intangible aspect of being a Yokozuna that is one of the appealing aspects of the sport: The fact that it takes more than just strength and technique to be a Yokozuna? And the current Ozeki lack whatever intangibles are required to take the step up. Otherwise, it would have happened by now. They have all certainly had their chances.

I think back about when Asa was promoted to Yokozuna and I thought that he made it just because he came up during a weak time in the sport, but he is proving to be quite a champion. I am not particularly fond of his off-dohyo 'antics' but you can't argue with results. He's good and more importantly he's Yokozuna.

The japanese public's desire for a star is reflected in the rise of Takamisakari's popularity. He's not a bad rikishi, but he isn't a great one either. Sure his antics appeal in a showmanship way, but the public likely viewed him as a potential grand-champion and a 'flashy' one at that. Unfortunately it is likely not to be for him.

[Kashunowaka 300]

"We have a big hole right now. We need a Japanese yokozuna, but I don't think the guys we have right now will make it," the Samoan-born wrestler told Reuters in an interview.

Yawn.

This is not a statement to yawn at. He is dead on correct with his assessment that Sumo needs a japanese star. Check the popularity of japanese sumo in Mongolia. I bet that it has become more popular there since this batch of mongolians have been doing better and especially since Asa was promoted. Look at it in the US. If I mention Sumo in conversation with non-followers they all mention Akebono. You don't think that it hurts sumo's popularity to not have a japanese Yokozuna?

Oh, I agree with you, and Musashimaru. I merely yawned because this has been repeated so many times. It's not like Musashimaru is saying something we haven't heard before.