Have admitted publicly to baseball gambling

[Kotoviki 16]

I am not sure about the others but I can say that Tochinoshin sends money to his family on a regular basis!! When he got his juryo yusho he sent the money to his brother to buy a car..

Good for Tochinoshin!

A heartwarming story. Unfortunately this is not the kind of story that sells newspapers... but I guess that's human nature.

Yeah, wouldn't it be nice if this kind of stuff was in the news rather than the other? (Sign of approval...)

[kawika 123]

No, THIS is what will happen. All the sekitori involved in baseball gambling will sit this one out ...

I don't see that yet, not with potentially 15+ involved sekitori. I could see something like a massive salary reduction for the current two-month period (perhaps up to 100%), but allowing them to participate unless a rikishi's shisho decides otherwise.

We've had a basho with 16 sekitori missing before the kosho status was abolished and they managed. Not my answer, some guy from the Kyokai's.

I agree with this line of thinking, the JSA needs to come down very hard on this one, cause of the long rule of trouble sumo has had to deal with, it seems like every basho another scandal surfaces, it is really giving sumo a bad name and i think coming down a little too much is better and make an example, either be part of sumo as they teach you, or we'll kick you out, plain and simple. JSA needs to show it can be tough on behavior that reflects poorly on sumo and its associates, like the MOE.

But I think this exposes the gap in the life skills of a sumo wrestler with a junior high education. just like the US military has the GI bill, which allows people who leave the military a college education, JSA needs to do a post sumo training for wrestlers leaving sumo, it might not be a college education, but teach them a trade, a skill, something, so they can do more than hang out with yakuza or be a bouncer at a club.

[Kotoviki 16]

FWIW I just had a chat with a university co-worker, he is big into sports, a PE coach and all... he said the whole scandal is just bad timing. He said "everyone is doing baseball gambling" it is just a shame that Kotomitsuki got in so deep that the whole thing surfaced.. He also said the same that everyone who plays golf is betting but usually we are talking 10,000 yen. of course people with money are playing for huge amounts. He said he read in the paper Michinoku was playing for one million (ish) which is a lot of money.. the thing is for him a million is the same as my co-worker's 10,000 it is based on what you make/have available. He said playing golf without the bet is not fun at all!!!

[Takamizawa 0]

He said playing golf without the bet is not fun at all!!!

For me just playing golf is not fun at all! (Laughing...)

Hehe no but seriously, when I used to have weekly poker games, it would have been sooo boring without at least SOME money riding on the game.

Edited June 24, 2010 by Takamizawa

[Kotoviki 16]

My co-worker also said the basho should go on where Hakuho fights the top 7 who are not suspended for the 1st 7 days, then on Day 8 he starts over and senshuraku he fights Baruto a 3rd time!!!!

This is not a bad plan! Should we bet on this? (Laughing...) maybe not!

[igirisujin 3]

My co-worker also said the basho should go on where Hakuho fights the top 7 who are not suspended for the 1st 7 days, then on Day 8 he starts over and senshuraku he fights Baruto a 3rd time!!!!

This is not a bad plan! Should we bet on this? (Laughing...) maybe not!

Seeing as the kyokai will want to preserve as much tradition as possible through this debacle, I think they'd be pretty much against that idea. I know they're absolutely desperate to go ahead with the basho and half of the makuuchi division might be sitting in jail (probably playing mahjong with their keepers), but I still don't see this happening. Would be very interesting though...........or possibly very damaging; what if none of the sanyaku could beat hakuho in 2-3 attempts. Not good, and it would only highlight the gap between the yokozuna and the rest of the pack.

[Kotoviki 16]

Yeah well of course they would not hold the tournament with everyone fighting twice to Hakuho... but in any case there are still enough rikishi who are not going to be in jail that there are plenty to have a basho.

I could care less if there are only 8 matches in makuuchi, I want to see the Makushita and below more anyway.

They can just start the day at 10am instead of 8:20 and I can sleep in everyday in Nagoya, or better yet go to keiko every morning for chanko with the people I know aren't involved!!

Really cancelling the basho which they can still do is not fair for all the rikishi who are not involved in the scandal who have been practicing and preparing.　

[Kintamayama 45,086]

Let's not get carried away here. We're talking about 8 Makuuchi rikishi missing (one of them gone for good probably), which wasn't that rare back in the days of Kosho. It's no major problem. And no one is going to jail in the near future. We all know that this tsk tsking is major bullcrap-everybody knew about this-the only shock to some is the extent and the sums-if the numbers weren't so high the weekly that exposed this would not have bothered and life would have gone on as usual and with mahjong madness. Timing is the key-on the heels of reports of gangsters getting tickets and apparently having close relationships with Kyokai people and the swift and heavy dealing with of that problem, the Kyokai has no choice but to act seriously on this as well. In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

[Kotoviki 16]

In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

and folks remember you read it here first!!!!! (Laughing...)

[ilovesumo 12]

Next on my list as well........

[Kotoviki 16]

In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

and folks remember you read it here first!!!!! (Laughing...)

I just remembered while giving my lecture that I may have seen two of the involved parties in this new Kintamayama scandal talking at Baruto's Ozeki party in the corner... I got some pictures so when the story breaks I will have the predated evidence.. LOL

Story could involve an Ozeki, an Oyakata and a woman..or at least one woman!!! LOL

[Asashosakari 19,308]

I agree with this line of thinking, the JSA needs to come down very hard on this one, cause of the long rule of trouble sumo has had to deal with, it seems like every basho another scandal surfaces, it is really giving sumo a bad name and i think coming down a little too much is better and make an example, either be part of sumo as they teach you, or we'll kick you out, plain and simple.

That's really the issue here, though. There clearly hasn't been much more than some perfunctory "gambling is bad, 'mkay?" at least in some stables.

But I think this exposes the gap in the life skills of a sumo wrestler with a junior high education.

Most of the rikishi named thus far are high school or university graduates.

[Washuyama 641]

In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

I seem to have overheard someone ( (Laughing...) )say they absolutely LOVE YMY. (In love...)

[Sashohitowa 6]

In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

and folks remember you read it here first!!!!! (Laughing...)

I just remembered while giving my lecture that I may have seen two of the involved parties in this new Kintamayama scandal talking at Baruto's Ozeki party in the corner... I got some pictures so when the story breaks I will have the predated evidence.. LOL

Story could involve an Ozeki, an Oyakata and a woman..or at least one woman!!! LOL

This is not really scandal, this is life... Now this can be a scandal:

Story could involve an Ozeki and an Oyakata..

Edited June 24, 2010 by Sashohitowa

[Fay 1,677]

I don't think this baseball gambling is such a trivial offence. It's no argument (and simply not true) that everybody is doing it.

When I look at the amounts of money on bets and extortion attempt(s) it's nothing even Kotomitsuki can pay out of his petty cash. Of course it's their problem to ruin themselves and their families financially or maybe even ruin their careers but it's another thing to be a part of those people who keep criminals and criminal organizations healthy and alive .

[Kotoviki 16]

In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

and folks remember you read it here first!!!!! (In love...)

I just remembered while giving my lecture that I may have seen two of the involved parties in this new Kintamayama scandal talking at Baruto's Ozeki party in the corner... I got some pictures so when the story breaks I will have the predated evidence.. LOL

Story could involve an Ozeki, an Oyakata and a woman..or at least one woman!!! LOL

This is not really scandal, this is life... Now this can be a scandal:

Story could involve an Ozeki and an Oyakata..

LOL (Laughing...) I didn't say how the three are involved.... The woman could just be the run renting them an apartment for their "meetings" LOL

[Kotoviki 16]

I don't think this baseball gambling is such a trivial offence. It's no argument (and simply not true) that everybody is doing it.

When I look at the amounts of money on bets and extortion attempt(s) it's nothing even Kotomitsuki can pay out of his petty cash. Of course it's their problem to ruin themselves and their families financially or maybe even ruin their careers but it's another thing to be a part of those people who keep criminals and criminal organizations healthy and alive .

I don't think my co-worker meant everyone as in everyone in Japan and not everyone in sumo... he just said that generally as he has many contacts in sports world in Japan and that a lot of people are doing it, as well as non sports types I guess. He agrees though that when the amounts of money get out of hand then it is a problem. The yakuza isn't coming after him for betting 10,000 yen and winning... etc..

He said right now in Japan everyone is betting on soccer! He's actually taken bets on the US winning the whole thing. I said "is it legal to bet on soccer?" he just rolled his eyes.

[Kotoviki 16]

In September all will be forgotten and the next scandal, this time a sex scandal brewing on the sidelines*, will steal the limelight.

*No, I don't have any information, but I betcha there is one brewing as we speak..

I seem to have overheard someone ( (Laughing...) )say they absolutely LOVE YMY. (In love...)

I seem to know something about this as well (In love...) (In love...) (In love...) (In love...) (In love...) (In love...)

[Naganoyama 5,905]

For me, it isn't only the mob connections and the large sums of money involved that make this distasteful. It is also that rikishi, including high-ranking rikishi, are involved in an activity which is against the law in their country. Whether or not gambling is harmful (and I feel that it is both in the cases described above and where addiction is involved) these men are supposed to be providing a role model for young people.

[Fay 1,677]

For me, it isn't only the mob connections and the large sums of money involved that make this distasteful. It is also that rikishi, including high-ranking rikishi, are involved in an activity which is against the law in their country. Whether or not gambling is harmful (and I feel that it is both in the cases described above and where addiction is involved) these men are supposed to be providing a role model for young people.

Exactly. Above all most of them are not dumb boys who never learned it better, this makes it even more distasteful.

[kame 0]

For me the only surprise came from the fact this was finally reported. Sumo ties with the yakuza are historical, they go way back, at least 55 years, and have been documented on and off. Considering the yakuza (and before them their bakuto roots) have controlled most forms of gambling in Japan for well over 200 years, it's not far fetched to assume they have been directly responsible for many match outcomes and forced some intai. In this matter, I don't fault the rikishi at all, this was a simple custom their elders partook in way before the media grew balls. Blame the media or Sumo's detachment from modern society.

[Kintamayama 45,086]

The number of baseball gambling rikishi is now officially 31. There will be an emergency rijikai on Monday the 28th (Banzuke announcement day, of all days..) in which punishments and all names (possibly..) are expected to be publicly announced.

[ilovesumo 12]

31 Rikishi? Excluding Oyakata?

[Kintamayama 45,086]

31 Rikishi? Excluding Oyakata?

Wrong word-31 people.

[Kintamayama 45,086]

Toyonoshima's koenkai has announced that it is suspending its activities for now. They added that they will see how he reflects on his anti-social deeds and based on that will decide how they will continue in the future, but they are not disbanding for now.

Hakkakubeya's planned summer training camp at Ikinoshima (Okinoumi's hometown) has been canceled. Their 6th training camp at Otawara has been canceled by the locals as well.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Kintamayama