Wakanohou arrested for drug possession

[kame 0]

wakanohou... always thought the "waka" part was very fitting. now we know what the "hou" stood for. puff the magic dragon.

even though i side with the people who believe pot should be legalized (and freely consumed), i'll be a moron and say wakanohou deserves some time in jail. 3 reasons:

- messing up his career and depriving sumo viewers of what should have been a fine rikishi.

- giving the Japanese people strong grounds for their case of foreigners being criminals.

- his hideous sumo while climbing up the maegashira ranks. <-- ok, i'm jk here.

[Kintamayama 45,527]

Magaki Oyakata visits Kitanoumi to apologize:

Edited August 20, 2008 by Kintamayama

[Jonosuke 28]

Some reactionary sentiments are expressed privately within the Kyokai already after the Wakanoho arrest as he stated that he "received" marijuana from Russians and "blacks".

Their obviously unfounded fear is that foreign born rikshi may be led to non-Ozumo influence and temptations by Westerners and the oyakata may attempt to prevent the interaction with them especially around their heya and before and after keiko sessions where the rikishi may have a chance encounter with "undesirable" foreigners. It's been reported that the oyakata will be asking Tsukebito of foreign born rikishi to be extra vigilant and report any overt association with foreigners.

Japanese rikishi are specifically warned not to have any relationship with known (or suspected) organized crime (yakuza) members and some oyakata feel that foreign born rikishi should also be encouraged not to associate with other Westerners not known to their oyakata and stop them from actively associate themselves with Westerners.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Jonosuke

[ilovesumo 12]

Some reactionary sentiments are expressed privately within the Kyokai already after the Wakanoho arrest as he stated that he "received" marijuana from Russians and "blacks".

Their obviously unfounded fear is that foreign born rikshi may be led to non-Ozumo influence and temptations by Westerners and the oyakata may attempt to prevent the interaction with them especially around their heya and before and after keiko sessions where the rikishi may have a chance encounter with "undesirable" foreigners. It's been reported that the oyakata will be asking Tsukebito of foreign born rikishi to be extra vigilant and report any overt association with foreigners.

Japanese rikishi are specifically warned not to have any relationship with known (or suspected) organized crime (yakuza) members and some oyakata feel that foreign born rikishi should also be encouraged not to associate with other Westerners not known to their oyakata and stop them from actively associate themselves with Westerners.

Westerners- all boiled in the same pot of Chanko it seems...

[Sakana 46]

Discussion about which substance is the most dangerous is really boring and non-relevant here. Even if we have our own thoughts on that, there is a Law in Japan, and it doesn't care about what we are thinking of it.

So, about sum

[Fay 1,677]

So, about sum

[ryafuji 815]

When it happens, it will be the first time ever an active rikishi has been dismissed.

Interesting. Futahaguro was bascially dismissed though, wasn't he? Is there a distinction between being "forced to retire" and "dismissed" (like for severance pay purposes for example)?

[Kintamayama 45,527]

When it happens, it will be the first time ever an active rikishi has been dismissed.

Interesting. Futahaguro was bascially dismissed though, wasn't he? Is there a distinction between being "forced to retire" and "dismissed" (like for severance pay purposes for example)?

Futahaguro ran away from the heya, although it was pretty obvious he would be dismissed after allegedly beating his okamisan.. There definitely is a distinction.

[Asashosakari 19,654]

Interesting. Futahaguro was bascially dismissed though, wasn't he? Is there a distinction between being "forced to retire" and "dismissed" (like for severance pay purposes for example)?

Futahaguro ran away from the heya, although it was pretty obvious he would be dismissed after allegedly beating his okamisan.. There definitely is a distinction.

Presumably there's also the distinction that Futahaguro was intai'ed by his shisho, while Wakanoho will (probably) be dismissed by the Kyokai directly.

[ilovesumo 12]

Interesting. Futahaguro was bascially dismissed though, wasn't he? Is there a distinction between being "forced to retire" and "dismissed" (like for severance pay purposes for example)?

Futahaguro ran away from the heya, although it was pretty obvious he would be dismissed after allegedly beating his okamisan.. There definitely is a distinction.

Presumably there's also the distinction that Futahaguro was intai'ed by his shisho, while Wakanoho will (probably) be dismissed by the Kyokai directly.

Magaki is in trouble himself, so there is no way he still could force Waka to retire I guess. And, Waka is not really able to do the "sorry-bow-press conference"...

Man, it's such an awful thing happening now...

I just read the blog of Ushiomaru. He wrote that it hurt watching the news...

correction: He said there is nothing much a rikishi can do but to see what actions the Kyokai would take. Only thing rikishi can do is do good keiko and perform well in sumo. He said "Drugs are no-no. Of course, we (other rikishi) do not do drugs."

Thanks M. Sorry for trying.

Most other blogs don't mention it, but the fans are writing comments about it, regardless if the blogger himself mentioned it.

So the fans force the blogging Rikishi to say something.

Edited August 21, 2008 by ilovesumo

[Pak 0]

Another news blip on Wakanoho's situation --

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080821TDY02301.htm

I must have missed reading before they found a pipe in the stable too. Things will not go well for Magaki Oyakata, I fear :/

Regards,

Pak

[hidenohana 0]

Well Mark if you want to be a wise ass about it..... I was busy doing your mom, so I could not have stolen anything from you (Whistling...)

Filthy Devil-hearted Gaijin-criminal Pot-Maniac!!!

May your Cannabis fouled lungs never breathe in Nippon's Sacred Air!

(Beaten...)

I don't get it.How did you know the guy with the knife was 'doped up' in your own words,rather than on say heroin?

Alcohol however increases my aggression and makes me lose my self-control.Once when I drunk, I even headbutted a stranger in a club.(What could I do ??? He was looking at me in a funny way! ;-) ).

Having met you Arka I find that hard to believe...

That said when I was drinking I hit anyone,anywhere....Strangers,friends and family.

I was a *******,thats why I quit.

Yeah...it was my school leaver's prom.

Happy days...

:-P

Seriously though isn't this something that could have been swept under the carpet by the Sumo authorities?

You read rumours about former great rikishi smuggling guns for the Yakuza-and getting away with it.

Could the Sumo Kyokai have used its influence to hush things up ,or in twenty-first century Japan don't these things happen any more?

I mean ,if this is crime of such a gravity, couldn't his fellow stable mates and stable master have had a word with him and clamped down on his use?

They say he acted weird i.e. came to keiko high on weed.So if they had the merest suspicion, couldn't they apprise Wakanhou of the 'seriousness' of his crime?

I mean... what a waste...

(Blowing up furiously...)

Edited August 20, 2008 by hidenohana

[aderechelsea 125]

some people are just ignorant on things they have never tried/been close too before but have a strong opinion based on other people's sayings. It's just they choose to believe "them" rather than "you" ....

i am pretty sure "them" never tried it either ... (Blowing up furiously...)

well .. let's not make this a pot related topic. Let's stay on Wakanoho's career being brought to an end in a rather peculiar way. I am not "for" when it comes to drug-using role models but i am definitely "against" overreaction on minor things ....

just relax ... grab a joint .... (Whistling...)

[ilovesumo 12]

Seriously though isn't this something that could have been swept under the carpet by the Sumo authorities?

You read rumours about former great rikishi smuggling guns for the Yakuza-and getting away with it.

Could the Sumo Kyokai have used its influence to hush things up ,or in twenty-first century Japan don't these things happen any more?

I mean ,if this is crime of such a gravity, couldn't his fellow stable mates and stable master have had a word with him and clamped down on his use?

They say he acted weird i.e. came to keiko high on weed.So if they had the merest suspicion, couldn't they appraise Wakanhou of the 'seriousness' of his crime?

I mean... what a waste...

(Blowing up furiously...)

With those laws they hardly could know how a person on it acts. They have never seen it before.

I would not know either. I don't even know the smell. It's not like smoked horse dung I guess, so it could have been incense sticks or so...

Well, the carpet might be right under the roof but why do you think would they protect him? If it came out later, the Kyokai would loose credibility...after all these scandals and with a ticking time bomb still active...phew, no way they would have swept it under. They already had a yellow card...or 2, or 3...

Yakuza is an other story. These guys are "not so bad" for many people and even the police doesn't want a confrontation...

[Mark Buckton 1]

interesting chat with someone very much in the sumo wink wink yesterday. Q for you here - Wakanoho only in on this? No other heads to roll?

[sekitori 492]

Could the Sumo Kyokai have used its influence to hush things up ,or in twenty-first century Japan don't these things happen any more?

I mean ,if this is crime of such a gravity, couldn't his fellow stable mates and stable master have had a word with him and clamped down on his use?

They say he acted weird i.e. came to keiko high on weed. So if they had the merest suspicion, couldn't they appraise Wakanhou of the 'seriousness' of his crime?

I'm sure that every foreign rikishi has been reminded over and over about Japanese law concerning the use of illegal drugs and the consequences of breaking those laws. If anyone (both in and out of his heya) who cared about him even suspected that he was using weed or any other illegal drug, he would have been told in no uncertain terms to stop and to immediately get rid of any any drugs and related paraphernalia in his possession. Unfortunately, just because someone is told that what he is doing is extremely serious and can have a severe outcome, it doesn't mean that he will stop such self-destructive behavior. In Wakanoho's case, I'm sure he believed that the pleasure he got from using marijuana far outweighed the very small chances of his getting caught using it. He was wrong and at the very least, that mistake cost him a successful career.

A lack of basic common sense can often lead to poor decisions and can cause many problems. In this case, it turned out to be a tragedy.

[Kintamayama 45,527]

One fact needs to be repeated again and again: Wakanohou has been totally unsupervised for more than a year - his Oyakata is seriously ill and has been away from the heya. The heya has NO OTHER OYAKATA, as ex-Gojourou did a runner last November and moved to Sadogatake. Wakanohou has his own flat (unmarried and barely 20 - highly unusual in the sumo world) in addition to a private room in the heya. I'd say this is a great recipe for trouble. And someone allowed for all that to happen.

As for other heads rolling, other than Magaki, I doubt any other heads will roll. The screen machine will see to that.

[Pak 0]

The screen machine will see to that.

Pardon my ignorance, but I am not certain what 'screen machine' is referring to? Screen those who were only marginally involved (i.e., those who may have known about the pot use) and handle that internally and discreetly within the Kyokai?

Regards,

Pak

[tarako 3]

I read about Wakanoho first on Akebono's blog. His perspective is here: http://www.akebono64.com/

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Does anyone know if the report that Wakanoho had a live-in girlfriend at his rented apartment is true?

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

From the Asahi Shimbun, an op-ed bit:

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/...0808210039.html

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Mainichi reports that a decision is coming today...

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080...0sp001000c.html

[Jonosuke 28]

Another reason why the Kyokai cannot really afford to go light on this is rather political. PM Fukuda had a bit of Cabinet change recently and they now have a new Minister of Education who said upon hearing the news he was "beyond" being disappointed, it was more like an extreme regret (meaning he won't accept the Kyokai's usual status quo business as usual no outside interference needed approach to everything).

As the new Minister wanting to show he is no pushover, he will insist on a firm response from the Kyokai heads or there will be harsher and more strict control placed on them by the Ministry.

The Kyokai will need to be seen by everyone that they can acti decisively on this issue or they will be forced by the Ministry to act.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

A reliable source has confirmed Wakanoho had a live-in gal pal at his condo.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

NHK has just reported that the special rijikai has decided Wakanoho is expelled from sumo. No info on Magaki oyakata, other than it appears he expressed his wishes to quit. The rijikai indicated they would accept that.

Edited August 21, 2008 by Otokonoyama