How would you repair sumo

[Peterao 3]

The Kyokai has resolved to fix the problem by doing what they do best: forming a committee. It was announced today that they decided at yesterday's Riji meeting to form the "Prevent a Reoccurrence Committee", which will be made up of five oyakata of various ages, without consideration of whether or not they belong to an ichimon, and three outsiders. Hanaregoma Riji says "We would like to decide on the people in this committee as quickly as possible."

[Fizmoyama 0]

Hmm, well, means that Sumo would be become from structure pretty much like Tennis, Golf, etc.

Other than it being much different than what we have now, would that be a bad thing?

I don't think that it would be a bad thing. It would just modernize Sumo to become more competitive and attracting.

I also would continue with the traditional elements to keep the unique flair of this sport.

[Kintamayama 44,345]

Hmm, well, means that Sumo would be become from structure pretty much like Tennis, Golf, etc.

Other than it being much different than what we have now, would that be a bad thing?

Yes it would. It would be a terrible thing. It won't be sumo, it will be muhabbarat or something, but it won't be sumo. Me, and I dare say 99% of Japanese die-hard sumo fans (who, incidentally, are those that keep the sport alive..) will be outta here faster than you can say Bjorn Borg, with all due respect to Joe (the other one, the one I actually have respect for..) and his idea. Which is why, lucky for us, it will never be implemented and will remain a pipe dream of some foreigners in distant lands..

Edited February 15, 2011 by Kintamayama

[Peterao 3]

Yes it would. It would be a terrible thing. It won't be sumo, it will be muhabbarat or something, but it won't be sumo. Me, and I dare say 99% of Japanese die-hard sumo fans (who, incidentally, are those that keep the sport alive..) will be outta here faster than you can say Bjorn Borg, with all due respect to Joe (the other one, the one I actually have respect for..) and his idea.

You really should respect Joe K. as well...

[Kintamayama 44,345]

Yes it would. It would be a terrible thing. It won't be sumo, it will be muhabbarat or something, but it won't be sumo. Me, and I dare say 99% of Japanese die-hard sumo fans (who, incidentally, are those that keep the sport alive..) will be outta here faster than you can say Bjorn Borg, with all due respect to Joe (the other one, the one I actually have respect for..) and his idea.

You really should respect Joe K. as well...

Don't touch my Sumo!!! Aaargh!!! I am taking to the streets now. I will bring down the regime!! Leave my beloved sumo alone!! And more jobs!! Yes!! And democracy on the dohyo!! Let me dive if I so wish!! Bring back Rohou!!! My Sumo!!! My Sumo!! (cries.) [curtain] {Quick change of medication]

Good morning. Have a wonderful day.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Kintamayama

[alaninjapan 18]

hello. I am new to this forum but have been in Japan for almost 10 years and watched sumo since I arrived. So here goes with my two pence worth of "improvements".

1. Start the basho on Saturday and have the middle Monday ( or Tuesday, if the Monday is a National holiday) as a rest day. This would kickstart the tournament with two sellout days and drop a half-empty one. It could even help slightly with injuries.

2. Start the top division at 6pm and catch all the guys coming out of work and into all the standing bars round the stations.

3. Get the top guys out and about on promos in schools. I live in Nara and there are virtually no sumo clubs at HS or JHS and I can't remember the last sumo tour here. For such a conservative place this should be a more of a sumo hotbed. The sumo shrine is even in Sakurai 20 kms or so south, but there are hardly any Nara guys on the banzuke.

4. Expel everyone guilty of any fixing, don't differentiate between the ringleaders and followers. Zero tolerance from now is the only credible policy. At least the onlycredible public policy.

5. Keep the regional basho as they are. 3 years between basho and people may have found other things to do.

Thanks for reading.

[Kintamayama 44,345]

hello. I am new to this forum but have been in Japan for almost 10 years and watched sumo since

5. Keep the regional basho as they are. 3 years between basho and people may have found other things to do.

Newsflash-judging by attendance in recent years at the regionals, they have already found other things to do..

Edited February 15, 2011 by Kintamayama

[alaninjapan 18]

The last time I went to the Osaka basho was on a weekday, and I would think the gym was 80% plus full.

[Asashosakari 18,783]

I'm okay with keeping Osaka, it's still in better shape than the other two locations and probably always will, just based on population and the fact that it's the one place besides Tokyo with historically significant sumo roots of its own. Cancel the July basho, the rikishi hate to fight in the summer heat anyway, and use that time for international tours or something. Rotate November between Nagoya, Fukuoka and whichever other population centres want to host it.

[Kuroyama 715]

I've begun to think that the present schedule of 6 basho a year is about half the problem. In case of injury, 2 months simply is not enough time to recover and get some decent training in besides. There are many aspects of ozumo that push rikishi toward yaocho, but this is about the only thing you can do to reduce that without introducing some pretty fundamental changes.

Kosho was abolished because of "abuse". Is that really what it was? Or was it for once an accurate picture of how often rikishi otherwise have to fight through injuries?

[Millwood 41]

I've begun to think that the present schedule of 6 basho a year is about half the problem. In case of injury, 2 months simply is not enough time to recover and get some decent training in besides. There are many aspects of ozumo that push rikishi toward yaocho, but this is about the only thing you can do to reduce that without introducing some pretty fundamental changes.

Kosho was abolished because of "abuse". Is that really what it was? Or was it for once an accurate picture of how often rikishi otherwise have to fight through injuries?

IMHO, they threw the baby out with the bathwater. The abuse was when rikishi withdrew during the basho claiming injury because he was doing poorly. They could have forbidden this and still allowed a rikishi to completely skip a basho because of injury, giving him time to heal.

[Doitsuyama 1,173]

I've begun to think that the present schedule of 6 basho a year is about half the problem. In case of injury, 2 months simply is not enough time to recover and get some decent training in besides. There are many aspects of ozumo that push rikishi toward yaocho, but this is about the only thing you can do to reduce that without introducing some pretty fundamental changes.

Kosho was abolished because of "abuse". Is that really what it was? Or was it for once an accurate picture of how often rikishi otherwise have to fight through injuries?

IMHO, they threw the baby out with the bathwater. The abuse was when rikishi withdrew during the basho claiming injury because he was doing poorly. They could have forbidden this and still allowed a rikishi to completely skip a basho because of injury, giving him time to heal.

IMHO you are one of the many people who don't understand/remember how kosho worked. Pulling out of the basho always led to a full drop in the banzuke, kosho or not. Kosho was exactly was you suggested in your last sentence.

[Kotoku 0]

So many good ideas here. I'd pretty much leave it alone but reduce and reform jungyo making it as it was until about 15 years ago. Te rikishi are too beat up for too much of the year.

There will always be some form of yaocho. But it has become so rampant, partially because the culture has changed since the influx of non-Japanese. Sumo needs to embrace its Shinto roots. Personal honor needs to be restored.

I may very well be in the minority here, but I think this will work out without a whole lot of change. The bad apples will be removed and life will go on until the next crisis. Same as it ever was...

[Kintamayama 44,345]

We have some suggestions from Yomiuri:

[Asojima 2,870]

We have some suggestions from Yomiuri:

The only suggestion offered is that the NSK "issue a statement" saying that they will deal harshly with anyone caught fixing a match. Nothing to see here.

[Haruibono 11]

Penalise the baddies, and let the fans and the rikishi who haven't been meddling in yaocho enjoy each others company.For example.the cricketers found match-fixing last year are being dealt with, the rest of the fans/players can get on with the game!!!It's not the end of the world!!!Deal with it professionally.

[Kintamayama 44,345]

Very informative Mainichi article by Eddie Torial:

[Ashikawazu 43]

Starting off: Disband the Kyokai, bring in some fresh new leadership.

Their terrible leadership and business management is ultimately responsible for any yaocho in the first place. Allowing a sport to get to a place where a significant portion of the top athletes would lose for money is a pretty rare thing in professional sports, and I believe the first indication that there is something wrong with the way the sport is run.

As people have stated before, I agree increased salaries may bring about athletes striving to succeed rather than to have to worry about bringing home the bacon. But right now there isn't money to do this due to waning popularity, cancelled TV broadcasts, less sponsors, low attendance etc....

Again, I think this is the fault of the Kyokai. Its their responsibility to keep sumo interesting for the fans.... AND find new ways to bring in the next generation of fans. They have failed miserably to do this, and without new generations of fans, who will keep it alive? Insisting that sumo and rikishi stick to old fashioned customs, that don't relate to anybody anymore except old people and the most die hard fans, ultimately drives down sumo popularity, cash, and leads to yaochao and threatens the existence of the sport.

And all these crackdowns on the rikishi are really doing is just making the sport more unpopular, and in the end the Kyokai is shooting themselves in the foot and destroying sumo. Then again, maybe sumo is already terminal... and they are just trying to go out with seppuku. :(

Edited March 7, 2011 by Ashikawazu

[Peterao 3]

Maybe they could take some advice from Charlie Sheen?

Hanaregoma: "I just closed my eyes and fixed all of sumo's problems in a nanosecond. Haru Basho is back on! WINNING!!"

[Zenjimoto 40]

Maybe this has been mentioned, but I remember some time ago, Takanohana raised some eyebrows by making some pretty drastic suggestions for reforming Ozumo - shrugged off by the establishment at the time. I can't remember what the all suggestions were, but one I do remember was the abandonment of the heya system.

I wonder if it wouldn't be a wise move to make Takanohana the new BOSS. He is still the golden boy of the golden era of Ozumo that many Japanese remember fondly to this day, his image is squeaky clean, and popularity widespread nationally and even abroad.

By putting him in charge of implementing his and perhaps additional reforms and making fundamental changes to the way sumo is managed and presented, the NSK could perhaps regain the public's support and attention through use of this charismatic young figure that would appeal to old-timers (who clamor with nostalgia for the waka-taka days) as well as a younger generation (a good looking dude who's not fat but used to be a mega-champion, etc.)

Anybody happen to have the link to the reforms he suggested at the time?

Edited March 7, 2011 by Zenjimoto

[Kuroyama 715]

Their terrible leadership and business management is ultimately responsible for any yaocho in the first place. Allowing a sport to get to a place where a significant portion of the top athletes would lose for money is a pretty rare thing in professional sports, and I believe the first indication that there is something wrong with the way the sport is run.

Have I missed something? (I might have; I haven't been making a huge effort to follow everything said.) My impression was that money was generally not changing hands. Monetary value was assigned to various bouts for "accounting purposes", but repayment would generally be made in kind, no?

[Peterao 3]

Their terrible leadership and business management is ultimately responsible for any yaocho in the first place. Allowing a sport to get to a place where a significant portion of the top athletes would lose for money is a pretty rare thing in professional sports, and I believe the first indication that there is something wrong with the way the sport is run.

Have I missed something? (I might have; I haven't been making a huge effort to follow everything said.) My impression was that money was generally not changing hands. Monetary value was assigned to various bouts for "accounting purposes", but repayment would generally be made in kind, no?

I don't think that anyone knows the frequency of monetary compensation, but as the emails contained bank account numbers and complaints of non-payment, I don't think that the practice was rare.

[Flohru 176]

Their terrible leadership and business management is ultimately responsible for any yaocho in the first place. Allowing a sport to get to a place where a significant portion of the top athletes would lose for money is a pretty rare thing in professional sports, and I believe the first indication that there is something wrong with the way the sport is run.

Have I missed something? (I might have; I haven't been making a huge effort to follow everything said.) My impression was that money was generally not changing hands. Monetary value was assigned to various bouts for "accounting purposes", but repayment would generally be made in kind, no?

I don't think that anyone knows the frequency of monetary compensation, but as the emails contained bank account numbers and complaints of non-payment, I don't think that the practice was rare.

As already mentioned I would imagine that for the Juryo guys the bank accounts and occasional monetary compensations were necessary because of the insecurity of their rank (just look at Kirinowaka). One injury and you might fall from the sekitori ranks possibly forever so you can't make any repayment by kind anymore.

However, for the top guys there is no need for bank accounts, money transfers or mediators, which probably makes it very difficult to prove anything.

Yaocho in general is not primarily about money, but about keeping your position and thus is deeply connected with the ranking system of ozumo, so the original statement that the "leadership and business management" of the kyokai were responsible for it, is not convincing at all.

[ilovesumo 12]

@ Zenjimoto

Well, Taka will be the BOSS, but when? They cannot waste their best shot. Just imagine if he would have taken over already?

D' be a mess now. In 2009 I had been told "Taka will be the next Rijichou".

Question of timing...there is still scandal-potential left. (Who knows what big names might be spoiled soon. Press is digging deeply)

[Kintamayama 44,345]

However, for the top guys there is no need for mediators.

On the contrary, all articles and speculations, including one written by one such self-professed mediator himself, point to the fat that it was ALWAYS done through a mediator (usually a tsukebito) in the higher ranks, probably so no trail will lead back to the rikishi himself, although that kind of thinking is dumb in itself.. This reminds me of Kyokutenzan a few years back who was seen shuffling between the shitakubeya daily and was sternly reprimanded for it. He left sumo a short while later.