Breaking News - Police to Charge Tokitsukaze oyakata

[Doitsuyama 1,260]

According to Jonosuke's post, he doesn't want to leave sumo. In a situation such as this, would it be possible for him to transfer to another heya? Has this ever happened before?

Never happened AFAIK, except when mergers or heya folding takes place.

You are forgetting branching outs from heya associated oyakata, taking along some rikishi with them. Most famous case lately was Onoe-oyakata taking along a trifle of selected rikishi from Mihogaseki-beya.

[Kintamayama 47,337]

You are forgetting branching outs from heya associated oyakata, taking along some rikishi with them. Most famous case lately was Onoe-oyakata taking along a trifle of selected rikishi from Mihogaseki-beya.

Yes, that too..

[Kintamayama 47,337]

Tokitsukaze went on TV today to explain his side of the story. He hasn't spoken to the press in a while but he did today. "Since we are in the middle of a police investigation, neither myself or my deshi could speak. I have my own story to tell, and I wish to explain today", he said, attempting to explain why now. "I am feeling deep remorse over the death of my deshi." As for the thirty minute butsugari prior to the death- "It was a judgmental error on my part. It should have been 5, maximum 10 minutes. He wasn't showing any strength, so it just dragged on..", he explained. About the bat- "A deshi hit him once on the buttocks with the bat and I immediately demanded he stop", he said. Asked if he didn't order his deshi to beat Saito up, he answered "No way! Never happened!".

How about his offer to the family to cremate the deceased? "I never said a word on that subject!!", he emphasized.

Kitanoumi rijicho: "When I heard he went on TV I was greatly surprised . I don't know what he is feeling, but a life was lost and he should reflect deeply about that. If he can go on TV, he should face the rest of the media!!".

[Kintamayama 47,337]

The NSK bigwigs went to Tokitsukaze-beya for de-briefing today. They interviewed 18 deshi from the heya as to the circumcisions concerning the death of Tokitaizan. The place was crawling with reporters, it goes without saying, so why say it??. But I digress. After the interviews, when everyone was going out, there was an altercation between Fuji-terebi's crew and some deshi. At around 8 PM, As Musashigawa and Isenoumi attempted to exit the premises , reporters rushed to ask them stuff. The heya rikishi attempted to make way for the riji so they could go to their cars- some pushing started and consequently a Fuji TV reporter was hit on the back of his head, couldn't move for a few minutes, and was taken from the venue in an ambulance, which seemed to arrive a lot quicker than.. forget it.

The rijis' car was about to leave without noticing the incident, but shouts of "man down" made them stop.

Big balagan.

Edited October 3, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Jonosuke 28]

They interviewed 18 deshi from the heya as to the circumcisions concerning the death of Tokitaizan.

But they only have 15 rikishi (and one presumably to be AWOL) plus a yobidashi and a tokoyama. So even including one missing that's still 17. Or do they also count two heya oyakata and consider them to be deshi as well even though one was never a deshi of the current oyakata?

[Kintamayama 47,337]

But they only have 15 rikishi (and one presumably to be AWOL) plus a yobidashi and a tokoyama. So even including one missing that's still 17. Or do they also count two heya oyakata and consider them to be deshi as well even though one was never a deshi of the current oyakata?

I am only the messenger, sir. I guess I shouldn't have used the phrase "18 deshi", but I didn't think we are going to be THAT picky..

同部屋の十両以上の関取を含む弟子１４人と床山、呼び出しら部屋関係者１８人全員から事情を聴いた。

[Kintamayama 47,337]

After the interviews, when everyone was going out, there was an altercation between Fuji-terebi's crew and some deshi. At around 8 PM, As Musashigawa and Isenoumi attempted to exit the premises , reporters rushed to ask them stuff. The heya rikishi attempted to make way for the riji so they could go to their cars- some pushing started and consequently a Fuji TV reporter was hit on the back of his head, couldn't move for a few minutes, and was taken from the venue in an ambulance.

It appears that a rikishi's glasses were broken in the ruckus as well. The update is that some rikishi pushed back a TV crew that came rushing towards the Oyakata resulting in some people falling backwards and one of them bumping his head. The injured person got on a stretcher himself and was taken to the hospital. "We really don't know who is to blame. A rikishi had his glasses broken and the front door of the heya was damaged as well.. It seems both sides are guilty", said a policeman.

Edited October 3, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 47,337]

In a last-ditch attempt to sway the rijikai members and save himself, Tokitsukaze Oyakata has sent each one of them a written document explaining his side of the story. This document was distributed tonight by his lawyer personally to each rijikai member. "After reading this, it's going to be difficult to deal a severe punishment", some riji were heard saying, suddenly making this done deal undone.

He answered each accusation:

Beer bottle incident: "I just touched him lightly with it-in his attempt to avoid the bottle, he was hit on his forehead causing it to bleed. It was in no way a deep wound".

Cigarette burn marks: "He probably had a skin disease, impetigo contagiosa".

Cremation proposition: total denial

Also, he points out that he has not been charged by the police for anything.

On these grounds, if he gets fired, he may sue the Kyokai for defamation of character or who knows what else. So, suddenly, the Rijikai results are not as clear-cut as it seemed to be at first glance.

Kitanoumi, OTOH, seems adamant in dishing out a serious punishment.

So, we shall see on the 5th.

Edited October 3, 2007 by Kintamayama

[Jonosuke 28]

同部屋の十両以上の関取を含む弟子１４人と床山、呼び出しら部屋関係者１８人全員から事情を聴いた。

Sorry about that. I didn't bother to read the original article as I was busy replacing a window (not software kind) and it was raining.

So we are still missing what's his name. I guess the Kyokai CSI guys have to make a trip to Okinawa.

[Ikh Mongol Dagvadorj 0]

He answered each accusation:

Beer bottle incident: "I just touched him lightly with it-in his attempt to avoid the bottle, he was hit on his forehead causing it to bleed. It was in no way a deep wound".

Cigarette burn marks: "He probably had a skin disease, impetigo contagiosa".

Cremation proposition: total denial

Oh I see, it was dead boy's fault. Poor guy supposed to receive gentle touch of cold beer bottle of his fatherly Oyakata, without any attempt of avoiding. What a bad boy he was. Also maybe he was burning himself by cigarette, that is really disturbing behaviour.

And the father of the boy must be accomplished lier.

Very convincing answer. Let's wait and see who will buy this

Edited October 3, 2007 by Ikh Mongol Dagvadorj

[Jakusotsu 6,401]

Beer bottle incident: "I just touched him lightly with it-in his attempt to avoid the bottle, he was hit on his forehead causing it to bleed. It was in no way a deep wound".

Cigarette burn marks: "He probably had a skin disease, impetigo contagiosa".

He should be fired for that bulls**t alone! What a jerk! (Holiday feeling...)

[Kintamayama 47,337]

Tokitsukaze went on TV today to explain his side of the story.

You need to get permission from the Kyokai's PR office to go on TV, if you are a member of the Kyokai. Tokitsukaze did not ask for any. Now, remind me who is head of said PR office? Oh, right.. Takasago Oyakata.. "I have not been in touch with him at all. He just went and did it on his own", remarked an uncomfortable Takasago Oyakata.

[Jonosuke 28]

Look, let's put oursevles in his footware.

In the last forty odd years of your life, you know no other life except the life in Ozumo world. Simply put, you know nothing else outside of Ozumo.

In your heart, you truly believe you have not killed this boy. You cannot really see why other people cannot see that and understand when you say the kid died while doing nothing but a training session. How could you have known that the boy could not tolerate what all the other rikishi could have taken and endured. It was totally unexpected and unforeseen event.

So you hit him with a beer bottle to smarten him up out of love but anyway the kid did not die from the blow. Besides It all happened the night before. Some senior rikishi hit his buttocks with a bat and wooden stick slightly but that's just normal and regular happennings around a sumo beya. But you put a stop to that.

All you were trying to do was to strengthen the boy's body and spirit. Surely all oyakata should understand that. For that how could you lose your job? Why would you have to be suspended like Asashoryu or even expelled and lose your livelihood?

Without being an oyakata, you are just a fat guy with little education as you barely graduated from a middle school when you were 14 years old to join Ozumo. Without being an oyakata, you will have no social status whatsoever and will be just a uneducated overweight old man. Surely everyone could understand you cannot let such injustice happen.

You are an oyakata and you are okay.

You sleep all night and you work all day....

[Washuyama 662]

In the last forty odd years of your life, you know no other life except the life in Ozumo world. Simply put, you know nothing else outside of Ozumo.

... and in Tokitsukaze's case, his sumo wasn't even that good. I remember him when he was active... One of the largest in Makuuchi at the time... His sumo was what you would expect by looking at him now.... slow & sloppy... even less than mediocre.

[Kintamayama 47,337]

You are an oyakata and you are okay.

You sleep all night and you work all day....

Got nothing to gain and nothing to lose

So you sit there singing the Oyakata Blues

All you wanted was to pass the time

Till you reached 65, you committed no crime

Then a deshi was hazed and suddenly died

Now everyone knows, you've got nowhere to hide.

You think you did right, even though you were wrong

You should have seen it coming, but you went along

He was just 17, you know what I mean,

Instead of hiding the truth, you should have come clean..

chorus:

You are an oyakata and you are okay.

You sleep all night and you work all day....

Got nothing to gain and nothing to lose

So you sit there singing the Oyakata Blues

Second verse, same as the first.

[Doitsuyama 1,260]

Without being an oyakata, you are just a fat guy with little education as you barely graduated from a middle school when you were 14 years old to join Ozumo. Without being an oyakata, you will have no social status whatsoever and will be just a uneducated overweight old man.

I'm not even sure he graduated from middle school as his age at hatsu dohyo was just 13 years 6 months. Kitanoumi wasn't much older at 13 years 8 months.

[ilovesumo 12]

Here some pictures from Natsu Basho...

Sorry that he is not in focus.

Beside Kyokushuho

behind Kyokushuho

Behind Kumegawa Oyakata

Cigarette burn marks: "He probably had a skin disease, impetigo contagiosa".

skin disease.....not at the time of Natsu Basho.

Burn marks can be figured out if it was burn marks. This "impetigo contagiosa" (sorry, not at the English Wikipedia, but I found it at the German) looks kinda like burn marks, is an infection mostly children suffer from. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impetigo_contagiosa (picture is there)

Edited October 3, 2007 by ilovesumo

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

circumcisions concerning the death of Tokitaizan

Hmm, is Dr. Honda involved in this, too?

[Sasanishiki 57]

Cigarette burn marks: "He probably had a skin disease, impetigo contagiosa".

Wasn't the body checked out by the hospital at Niigata University? I'm sure they could work out the difference between a burn and a skin disease. However, this is not to say that the cigarette burns were inflicted by the oyakata or deshi. They could be self-inflicted. Often people who are unhappy or under extreme stress (like hazing) self-harm because they are able to control that action and the pain when often they are unable to control events around them. I know this is speculation, but it is a hypothesis that might require testing.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

According to Kyodo News, another oyakata has been charged by the police.

Sumo master charged with assault on stable member in latest incident

Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 16:18 EDT

TOKYO — Police have sent papers on a sumo master at Musashigawa stable to prosecutors on suspicion of inflicting an injury to one of the stable members, they said Thursday. The 35-year-old master Yamawake, whose real name is Hiroshi Nishizaki, allegedly beat the 30-year-old man on the arms with a bamboo-made sweeper on June 18, causing an injury requiring two weeks to heal, according to investigators. Yamawake has not been arrested.

Yamawake told the police he beat him because the victim injured a 19-year-old junior wrestler by hitting him on the head with a wooden stick. The master was quoted as saying, "I gave him a warning, but he showed little remorse and thus I beat him as part of my teaching. I feel sorry for causing an injury." The man was in charge of cooking but left the stable following the incident, according to the police.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/419645

Edited October 4, 2007 by Otokonoyama
corrected details

[Kintamayama 47,337]

According to Kyodo News, another oyakata has been charged by the police.

The 35-year-old master Yamawake, whose real name is Hiroshi Nishizaki,

Ex-Wakanoyama?? He seems like such a nice guy..

[ilovesumo 12]

According to Kyodo News, another oyakata has been charged by the police.

Sumo master charged with assault on stable member in latest incident

Now that was what I said. People will speak and even the normal bamboo stick stuff will

be something to talk about.

Yamawake is one of the very nice ones, but those get bad press too.

Everybody is oversensetive now. (No wonder...)

[Kintamayama 47,337]

Kitanoumi has hinted that the anideshi are in for some punishment as well. "The reason we went to question them was to see how deeply they were involved and to check their accountability. I will not say anything now. The rijikai will look into this, and decide according to the facts", he said.

[Kintamayama 47,337]

The man was in charge of cooking but left the stable following the incident, according to the police.

It seems the man was a civilian. It doesn't say he was a rikishi in the Japanese article either. So if a civilian injuring a rikishi + an Oyakata defending his rikishi = what?

[Doitsuyama 1,260]

The man was in charge of cooking but left the stable following the incident, according to the police.

It seems the man was a civilian. It doesn't say he was a rikishi in the Japanese article either. So if a civilian injuring a rikishi + an Oyakata defending his rikishi = what?

Ok, but why is Yamawake quoted as "thus I beat him as part of my teaching". Beating a civilian?..