Breaking News - Police to Charge Tokitsukaze oyakata

[sekitori 492]

>Definition:Murder: Second degree

>Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion" or 2) a killing >caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life.

1) doesn't seem to be a valid charge since the death was not intentional. They just wanted to torture and beat the hell out of the kid, not kill him.

2) is a more realistic charge, but I still don't think it would qualify as second degree murder. The conduct was dangerous but it will be hard to prove that there was a lack of concern for his life. There was a severe lack of concern but it was for his safety and well being, not for his life. No one thought he would die--and of course, they were very wrong about that.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that this is a case of negligence--the most extreme negligence possible because it resulted in death. I would guess that involuntary manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide along with conspiracy would the easiest charges to prove. If proven, I assume they could result in prison sentences of several years.

Are any criminal attorneys members of the Forum? If there are, I would like to hear your opinions.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

What about obstructing a police investigation and willful destruction of evidence?

[Kintamayama 47,285]

An ex-Tokitsukaze-beya rikishi has come forward with stories of his trials and tribulations at the heya. It's probably Soushinzan, who entered Sumo in March 2003 and was the first deshi to be recruited by the current Tokitsukaze Oyakata (the article does not name him, but I am a DETECTIVE). He ran away three times. Twice he was persuaded to return, but the third time, he refused.

At first , they were really nice to him, but right after the shussei hiro, everything changed. "The hazing commenced..", he said. The Oyakata had told him to come to him if he felt he was having problems. After getting hazed, he complained to the Oyakata. Things of course became worse after that. "You're making this up to make trouble!!", said the Oyakata. So he ran away, but the Oyakata and Okamisan followed him and persuaded his mother to let him return. "We did butsugari for an hour and twenty minutes. My mouth was filled with salt and sand. They didn't hit me with a metal bat, but hit my head with an iron pan and wooden spoons. The Oyakata used his fists as well. I was sure I was going to die", he said.

A year later, he ran away again. After his return, he was hit in the face repeatedly till his mouth bled. "The Oyakata has a drinking problem. I know of other anideshi who were hit by beer bottles as well", added the ex-rikishi.

He ran way for the last time after Aki 2005. Tokitsukaze, upon seeing this was a done deal, proceeded to demand he pay the heya 1 million yen for "clothing and food", which of course was refused by the family. The Kyokai pays each heya 1,860, 000 yen annually for each rikishi, so that demand was a bit strange.. "He changed the rule of the heya when he became Oyakata, and made all the rikishi foot their own health bills", said the rikishi. "I guess he was trying to force me to return by threatening economic sanctions..", he summed.

Question: And it took him two and a half years to finally run away? Huh??

Ex-rikishi with his current boss:

Edited October 1, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 47,285]

1. In parallel to the police investigation currently underway, the Kyokai should hold its own inquiry

Tokitsukaze was "interviewed' by Kitanoumi, Musashigawa, Isenoumi and the Kyokai's lawyers today and maintained that "everything happened in the course of keiko". "I think they went too far. A serious sentence is necessary", countered Kitanoumi afterwards to the press. People close say a special rijikai is imminent due to the seriousness of the matter. "I admit to hitting him with a beer bottle the night before his death. The day of his death, he had a 30 minute butsugari session where he was hit with a metal bat and a branch on his buttocks, but I told the deshi to stop", Tokitsukaze exp- lamed. As for the accusations of not assisting him quickly enough, he said that he was watching him closely and the minute things took a turn for the worse, he called for an ambulance and that he was wiping his body with a cold towel.. No resignation papers were submitted. "It's not for me to recommend to him what to do. He should take responsibility himself and decide", said Kitanoumi.

5. The Kyokai is advised to add outside experts to a committee the Kyokai created yesterday to reconsider the ways rikishi are guided, trained and instructed.

Takasago was originally planned to be a member, but he will not be. The three main members are Isenoumi, Tomozuna and newly appointed Hidenoyama + 5 other Oyakata -one from each Ichimon - Chiganoura, Kiriyama, Nakamura, Matsugane and Izutsu. The other external people will be nominated starting tomorrow.

Tokitsukaze after the hearing:

Edited October 1, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Hananotaka 8]

No resignation papers were submitted. "It's not for me to recommend to him what to do. He should take responsibility himself and decide", said Kitanoumi.

I like how Kitanoumi tells Tokitsukaze to retire by saying, "I won't tell him to retire."

[Jeronimozo 3]

The affair even made it into a well-known German newspaper (S

[Jonosuke 28]

Tokitsukaze, upon seeing this was a done deal, proceeded to demand he pay the heya 1 million yen for "clothing and food", which of course was refused by the family. The Kyokai pays each heya 1,860, 000 yen annually for each rikishi, so that demand was a bit strange.. "He changed the rule of the heya when he became Oyakata, and made all the rikishi foot their own health bills", said the rikishi. "I guess he was trying to force me to return by threatening economic sanctions..", he summed.

Question: And it took him two and a half years to finally run away? Huh??

The Highest this kid ever got was up to Jonidan so it's possible that he still could have got beaten up two and half years later - especially when he was still a Jonidan. So nothing strange about him leaving the heya at the time.

I believe Tokitsukaze oyakata requested the money for his clothing and food and that's not covered by what the Kyokai pays to develop these kids (maybe food partially). As for the health the Kyokai has no health system of their own and you are surprised to find out how many working people are not covered by their company health plan (I am not saying it's right but it is a fact). For instance those bicycle parcel and letter carriers are not and if they fall off their bike and get injured, they will be in tough shape both financially and physically.

There is a national health care system in Japan and each individual through their company or their own must pay into it. I find what Tokitsukaze has done to be measly but he is not breaking any law here.

Just sum it up, what the Kyokai pays to a Jonokuchi rikishi like Tokitaizan is:

70,000 Yen to each rikishi for transportation for every basho (i.e. every other month)

Then to the oyakata for every basho (every other month)

115,000 Yen for Heya Maintenance

140,000 Yen for Developing Expense (actually he gets paid 70,000 Yen every month)

55,000 Yen for Training Expense

I suppose meals can be covered by Developing expenses but usually clothings are taken care by heya's supporters.

Incidentally Kitanoumi oyakata was asked if he was resigning from the top post and he told them why he should as Tokitsukaze oyakata was responsible and he was not.

Edited October 1, 2007 by Jonosuke

[Fujisan 536]

The worrying thing is that this wont be an isolated incident and whether we like it or not Toyonoshima and the other sekitoriki may not have been involved this time in the hazing but its likely they have been on other occassions.

Training is training but this is abuse.

What was Tokitsukaze oyakatas active name?

[Koneko 0]

Futatsuryu was his name, if I'm not mistaken.

The worrying thing is that this wont be an isolated incident and whether we like it or not Toyonoshima and the other sekitoriki may not have been involved this time in the hazing but its likely they have been on other occassions.

In an environment like that you got to be hard to make it - they in their turn would have to endure the same treatment and that does things to your head...so if you see it that way, they would be victims as well.

Anyway, the current Tokitsukaze oyakata took over the heya in 2002 according to the SFM article. Before that things seem to have been a bit different, so maybe we should be a little bit careful about judging individual rikishi just yet? But yeah, the thought does sneak up on you, doesn't it.

[Kintamayama 47,285]

Question: And it took him two and a half years to finally run away? Huh??

The Highest this kid ever got was up to Jonidan so it's possible that he still could have got beaten up two and half years later - especially when he was still a Jonidan. So nothing strange about him leaving the heya at the time.

Exactly. And he was willing to endure this for two and a half years before finally breaking down? He must have really liked being a rikishi.

[ryafuji 825]

What was Tokitsukaze oyakatas active name?

Futatsuryu. Not a spectacular career by any stretch of the imagination. 29 basho in makuuchi, was komusubi for just one tournament.

http://sumodb.sumogames.com/Rikishi.aspx?r=4081

[Asashosakari 20,270]

The worrying thing is that this wont be an isolated incident and whether we like it or not Toyonoshima and the other sekitoriki may not have been involved this time in the hazing but its likely they have been on other occassions.

What do you base that on? I think it's much more likely that (as others have said) hazing is done by the prototypical go-nowhere career Sandanme guys (who might be trying to ingratiate themselves with the shisho), and the sekitori don't even concern themselves with such "lowly" matters. Unless you're insinuating that one of the sekitori has a hidden mean streak and would have involved himself in hazing the youngsters just because he can, I think it's far from "likely" that they did. Whether they knew what was going on and didn't do anything to stop it, that's a different question of course.

[Koneko 0]

Whether they knew what was going on and didn't do anything to stop it, that's a different question of course.

Another interesting question is: what could the rikishi, no matter their ranking, have done to stop it...?

Honest question, I'd really like to know. From what I've read, oyakata's word is the law. If one person would discuss an issue like this with someone outside the heya and the oyakata found out, what would happen? Intai? (No chance of swithing heya...and when you started your sumo career at fifteen, sixteen, no education - where would you go?) Would the rikishi, over time, assume this was the general state of things in heya life?

[sekitori 492]

What was Tokitsukaze oyakatas active name?

Futatsuryu. Not a spectacular career by any stretch of the imagination. 29 basho in makuuchi, was komusubi for just one tournament.

http://sumodb.sumogames.com/Rikishi.aspx?r=4081

Thanks for the info. Another source of information about oyakatas is the Oyakata Gallery. In addition to showing their pictures, it also provides some interesting data about them, both past and present.

http://oyakata.seisa.de/

[Shomishuu 0]

Thanks for the info. Another source of information about oyakatas is the Oyakata Gallery. In addition to showing their pictures, it also provides some interesting data about them, both past and present.

http://oyakata.seisa.de/

I was interested in the identity of the previous Tokitsukaze Oyakata, referred to in the SFM article. In checking the Former Oyakata section of this site, it appears to have been ex-ozeki Yutakayama, who was ozeki for over five years in the 1960s. I actually remember seeing him on the dohyo (TV of course) during my first military stay in Japan. Since he was born in 1937, he would have reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in 2002, as mentioned in the article. He seemed a nice guy then, and apparently continued to be. Kinda makes you wonder about the worthiness of mandatory retirement ages...of course at my age I can relate (Showing respect...)

[Kotoku 0]

Word is that Tokitsukaze is a mean drunk. Changes completely after three drinks. I feel sorry for the kid, he was tortured to death, and that's a fact.

[Kintamayama 47,285]

I'm toast..

[aderechelsea 125]

suddenly EVERYONE is interested in Sumo ... (Showing respect...)

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Word is that Tokitsukaze is a mean drunk. Changes completely after three drinks. I feel sorry for the kid, he was tortured to death, and that's a fact.

If that's the case, then the organization (JSA) would bear some responsibilty. It would be a little like the Catholic Church knowing a priest had an alcohol issue, yet leaving him in charge of the development and education of boys.

I was hoping it was a new era of personal responsibility in Japan. For example, the new drunk driving laws, with passengers of drunk drivers also being fined, and those who serve alcohol to people they know will drive later being held accountable is an encouraging sign. It is a far cry from a few short years ago. Perhaps the Nihon Sumo Kyokai is getting caught up in this new wave, with the government ministry overseeing them taking some action to push the NSK taking some accountability. While it may be too little, too late in this case, we may be witnessing the early stages of much broader change.

[Jonosuke 28]

Japanese media outlets are now all reporting the Kyokai will take away his Toshiyori share and dismss him from his position as an oyakata which is equivalent to permanent expulsion as once one leaves the Kyokai, he cannot come back in ths similar capacity ever.

What's amazing is after all these stories are out in open, Tokitsukaze oyakata refuses to submit his resignation and having the Kyokai directors force him to be out.

If a shisho is responsible for his deshi's conduct like Takasago oyakata was for Asashoryu then the Directors should be responsible for one of their own's conduct. They should also take responsibiltiy by having their pay reduced for at least couple of months.

Personally I feel Kitanoumi should resign his position as the Rijicho.

Now the question is if the heya folds where would all the rikishi go? Do they have a choice? Perhaps Isenoumi may take some.

Edited October 2, 2007 by Jonosuke

[Kuroyama 715]

He seemed a nice guy then, and apparently continued to be. Kinda makes you wonder about the worthiness of mandatory retirement ages...of course at my age I can relate (Showing respect...)

Why do they even have a mandatory retirement age? To conform to corporate norms? To judge from how physically uninvolved most oyakata are in their deshi's training, it should make almost no difference unless they come down with Alzheimer's or something.

I suppose you want to allow recently retired rikishi the opportunity to acquire toshiyori-kabu, and perhaps the only way to ensure that is to force oyakata to give them up at some point, but that's an artifact of the system as it's constituted. There's no compelling reason for things to be that way that I can see. How hard could it be to come up with something that allowed oyakata to stay on as long as they're fit to while still allowing some form of participation by those who might be waiting in the wings?

Part of this is that I think mandatory retirement ages are pretty useless in general, but I really don't get it coming from a culture that's reputed to value age and experience.

[Shomishuu 0]

I suppose you want to allow recently retired rikishi the opportunity to acquire toshiyori-kabu, and perhaps the only way to ensure that is to force oyakata to give them up at some point, but that's an artifact of the system as it's constituted. There's no compelling reason for things to be that way that I can see. How hard could it be to come up with something that allowed oyakata to stay on as long as they're fit to while still allowing some form of participation by those who might be waiting in the wings?

I feel myself veering (Showing respect...), and also in need of a kabu guru, but my first guess is that if more shares were created, then more power would need to be shared - usually not a good thing for those now in power. (Danpatsu-shiki...)

[Kuroyama 715]

I feel myself veering (Showing respect...), and also in need of a kabu guru, but my first guess is that if more shares were created, then more power would need to be shared - usually not a good thing for those now in power. (Danpatsu-shiki...)

Then to drag it back on topic: forced retirement + a set of informal customs limiting the set of people to whom a kabu might be sold = once in a while you're going to get some boob who thinks this kind of thing is a good way to implement discipline, and there's not much you can do about it.

[Jakusotsu 6,399]

suddenly EVERYONE is interested in Sumo ... :-(

That article isn't so bad at all. You can expect the international media to pick up on this case, and that one got all of its facts right for a change. (unlike the German article link posted earlier)

[Kintamayama 47,285]

"A precious life has been lost. Dismissal is unavoidable", said Kitanoumi Rijicho today. A special rijikai will convene on October 5th. a successor has already been named-Edagawa Oyakata, former Maegashira Aogiyama. Supposedly, this will be announced at the rijikai. Additionally, the Kyokai bigwigs Musashigawa and Isenoumi are to pay an "apology" visit to the bereaved family soon.

This will be the second dismissal, after January 1997 when the then Yamahibiki Oyakata (ex-komusubi Maenoshin)was dismissed for being absent from a hon-basho without permission. Once you are dismissed, as Jonosuke said, you can never return to the Kyokai.