Opinion

20th Century Sumo

By SCOTT T. HARDS

Congratulations Wakanohana! We've finally got our first new yokozuna in four years — it's about time. And not only that, it is the first (and probably last) time in history that brothers have both attained the sport's highest rank.

Yes, I'm a big sumo fan. I've enjoyed the sport since my first trip to Japan, in 1980. Back then, there were three great yokozuna: Chiyonofuji, Kitanoumi, and Takanosato — three very powerful men who truly set the standard for the others around them.

I'm such a fan of the sport that, a few years ago, I decided that in order to understand sumo better, I should actually try it myself. So I found a local sumo club, put on a mawashi and went at it! It's a lot harder than it looks, and frankly, I got hurt a number of times (nothing serious). But it was a great experience, and the people I met in the club are my friends to this day.

These days, I don't actually stomp around a dohyo any more. But I still watch plenty of sumo on television. And there are a few things about the sport that are beginning to cause me some concern. My first worry is not something for which there is an easy solution. In fact, the cause isn't even clear. But many of the up-and-coming wrestlers seem to maintain their top form for only a few months before fading from contention. For example, promising wrestlers like Tosanoumi, Kaiyo and Musoyama (to name a few) have all looked like they were going to be future yokozuna, showing great speed, technique and power — and racking up a few kinboshi in the process. But they all fell back quickly due to injuries or other, less clear, reasons. So we have been left with the same group at the top for quite some time and, regardless of how good those wrestlers may be, that causes things to get dull. Is it a training problem? A lack of will to win? Diet? Who knows, but I hope somebody finds the answer, soon.

But there is a much bigger problem with sumo these days: the stable system. In sumo, two wrestlers from the same stable never face each other during a tournament, unless there is a playoff. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big problem. But right now, the Futagoyama stable is dominant, with two yokozuna, one ozeki, one komusubi and one maegashira wrestler in the upper division.

That means that many of the best wrestlers never face each other! For example, Akebono now has to wrestle two yokozuna and two ozeki each tournament, but Wakanohana only has to face one of each because so many rikishi are from his stable. Yet win-loss records of the two yokozuna are directly compared to determine the champion. No other sport has a system as unbalanced as this!

The Japan Sumo Association is strict about maintaining the traditions of sumo, and I'm in favor of that. But one cannot refuse to consider changes to solve genuine problems simply by saying change is against tradition.

Sumo may have roots that are centuries old but it has to live in the 20th century! I think it is time to consider a rules change so that opponents are paired without regard for their stable affiliations. I guarantee that it will make the sport more interesting, and I cannot believe the association would be against that. After all, they'd like to see the maninonrei (sold out) banner draped from the ceiling every day, right?

Shukan ST: June 12, 1998

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