Sumo Trouble in Mongolian Wrestlers

Mongolian Sumo wrestlers are in trouble for these weeks. One of the Sumo champions, or Yokozuna, Harumafuji, was reported to the police with suspicion of injuring younger wrestler, Takanoiwa, when he was drunk in a party of Mongolian wrestlers in Tottori last month. Both wrestlers are absent in the Kyushu tournament now. There seems to be an internal struggle in Japan Sumo Association between the conservatives and radical reformers.

The party was set with some teachers of Tottori Johoku High School, which some of Mongolian Sumo wrestlers, including Takanoiwa, had graduated. After first party was finished, the wrestlers went to a social club to have more drinks. While the reason is still not determined, Harumafuji got very angry at Takanoiwa and hit Takanoiwa forty or fifty times in the room. According to the gossip news reports, Harumafuji got mad at Takanoiwa keeping on handling his smart phone, ignoring Harumafuji’s rebuke for his ordinary disrespectful attitude to his superiors.

The incident was opened to the public during two-week Kyushu tournament. Harumafuji admitted the fact of violence on Takanoiwa with apology to him, JSA and fans. Harumafuji was absent from the tournament since then. Yokozuna Hakuho, who witnessed the violence of Harumafuji, commented to the reporters that Harumafuji did not employ any weapon, while some reports indicated hitting with a beer bottle.

One mystery is why the group owner of Takanohana-beya, retired Yokozuna Takanohana, reported the incident to the police before noticing it to JSA. While it was likely for Takanohana to be afraid of concealing the incident from public eyes, this kind of issue had to be reported to JSA first. Takanohana was defeated in the election of JSA Chairman two years ago. It is supposed that the relationship between current Chairman Hakkaku, retired Yokozuna Hokutoumi, and Takanohana has been bad since the election.

While Takanohana has been keeping silence to the reporters, Takanoiwa began to tell the story to his close acquaintances. One supporter of Takanoiwa received telephone call from Takanoiwa, in which Takanoiwa defended himself as being hit by Harumafuji with no specific reason. Gossip news are divided in two: one is accusing Takanohana of his silent protest against current JSA Board and another is praise for Takanohana of his firm attitude of reforming JSA, which keeps obsolete rules for governance. Most Sumo fans in Mongol are supporting Harumafuji in this issue. But it does not look like escalating to the extent of diplomatic issue between Japan and Mongol so far.