Hakuhou caught watching Judo

[Yamanashi 3,876]

51 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:

It wasn't that hard to "catch" Hakuho at this latest heinous act when the photo was plastered all over Twitter.  

Probably he figured that if he had asked, they would have said "No."

[Kintamayama 45,408]

9 hours ago, Godango said:

 

• Openly attending perhaps THE global sporting event, clearly in some official capacity given the pass.
• Thinking it's so 'not a big deal' that you pose for photos with officials for their social media use, in full yukata.

Versus

• Covertly attending hostess bars or seeing your mistress -- wearing a hoodie to hide your identity.
• Lying about it/attempting to cover it up
• Only admitting the truth when backed into a corner

If they want to warn him because he should have asked them first, fine. That seems reasonable. Anything beyond that would be lunacy. And so of course, I expect the lunacy.

One small detail you chose to omit. There is a blanket restriction on going out. Anywhere, anytime. Be it the Olympics or a bar. No go out, sir. Even if you are Asanoyama. Or Hakuhou. Blanket. Not very complicated for the guys to understand. 

[RabidJohn 1,829]

11 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

... There is a blanket restriction on going out. Anywhere, anytime.  

I wasn't aware of that.

I mean I knew about the ban associated with setting up the bubble in which the basho can take place, but a blanket ban seems unrealistic and totally unenforceable, especially in the case of those senior rikishi who live with their family rather than at the heya.

The only thing I'm fairly certain about is: Hakuho knows the score.

We can speculate on the implications, one of which is that Hakuho already knows he ain't getting a kabu. I could get pissed off at the NSK's short-sightedness here, but I've decided to sit back and enjoy the fireworks instead.

If they don't manage to expel him, he's got five years to twist their arms, and we know he's a fighter.

[Jejima 1,406]

12 hours ago, Godango said:

Don Bradman is the GOAT of all GOATS. ;). 

No, Mary Poppins - unless you can think of a nanny to rival her? 

[Godango 1,006]

54 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

One small detail you chose to omit. There is a blanket restriction on going out. Anywhere, anytime. Be it the Olympics or a bar. No go out, sir. Even if you are Asanoyama. Or Hakuhou. Blanket. Not very complicated for the guys to understand. 

Inadvertent omission, I didn't know the specifics. 

That said, the spirit of my comment remains the same. Very different offences. 

[Kintamayama 45,408]

15 minutes ago, Godango said:

Inadvertent omission, I didn't know the specifics. 

That said, the spirit of my comment remains the same. Very different offences. 

Yes, but they are moot. First rule-don't go out. Broke that rule, the nature of the offences do not factor anymore, since you are already out.

[Kintamayama 45,408]

42 minutes ago, RabidJohn said:

I wasn't aware of that.

I mean I knew about the ban associated with setting up the bubble in which the basho can take place, but a blanket ban seems unrealistic and totally unenforceable, especially in the case of those senior rikishi who live with their family rather than at the heya.

 

Well, it was enforced pretty well, discounting the few that got caught. Not going out means not only not going out of the heya, but not going out from your private house if you have one. To make it clearer-no socializing outside the sumo circles.  This was what brought Asanoyama, Ryuuden, ex-Tokitsukaze and Abi down.  What did you think the  scandals with the aforementioned guys were all about? 

Edited August 4, 2021 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 45,408]

48 minutes ago, RabidJohn said:

 

We can speculate on the implications, one of which is that Hakuho already knows he ain't getting a kabu.

Ain't getting an ichidai-toshiyori kabu. He'll get another one (Magaki, some say), if he chooses to continue in the sumo world, which I have always highly doubted and still do. And, the ichidai toshiyori abolishing thingy so far is just a suggestion made by a committee and has not been addressed officially in any way. Urban legend for now.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Kintamayama

[ViscountessNivlac 27]

If we haven’t heard anything else by now I imagine Hakuho is in the clear?

[RabidJohn 1,829]

21 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

What did you think the  scandals with the aforementioned guys were all about? 

I honestly thought it was just about breaking the basho bubble; i.e. from about a fortnight before when they do the testing, then though the inter-heya training at the Kokugikan and the basho itself.

As I said, it's my view that a complete blanket ban in both unrealistic and unenforceable. We strongly suspect the pandemic 'scandals' are but the tip of the iceberg, so I believe the evidence agrees with my opinion.

That's by the bye, though. If Hakuho broke a blanket ban, he knows the score.

23 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

Ain't getting an ichidai-toshiyori kabu. He'll get another one (Magaki, some say), if he chooses to continue in the sumo world, which I have always highly doubted and still do. And, the ichidai toshiyori abolishing thingy so far is just a suggestion made by a committee and has not been addressed officially in any way. Urban legend for now.

Yeah, I'm no longer expecting him to get the ichidai-toshiyori. I was referring to Hakuho possibly not receiving the NSK's approval for his acquisition of Magaki, in which case he's got 5 years as Hakuho-oyakata to make a nuisance of himself.

[Seiyashi 4,106]

24 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

And, the ichidai toshiyori abolishing thingy so far is just a suggestion made by a committee and has not been addressed officially in any way. Urban legend for now.

Although if the tenor of recent comments about him by the board are anything to go by, they'll be happy to avail themselves of an excuse to not give it to him. They could always have ignored the recommendation, but I find it hard to believe that his perceived behavioural slights have not shifted the needle against him on that front.

[Godango 1,006]

43 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

Yes, but they are moot. First rule-don't go out. Broke that rule, the nature of the offences do not factor anymore, since you are already out.

Sure, but the NSK/YDC/various oyakata have really hammered the "what's worse is that he lied" line with Asanoyama. 

I appreciate your point though, and as I've said I don't have any issue with him being punished. I just think that extenuating factors being what they are, his punishment should be less severe than what we've seen. But, I know he's a yokozuna, and I certainly had my pitchfork out in the Asanoyama affair so it will be what it will be.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Godango

[dada78641 884]

However way you cut it, it is kinda funny that we have both of these topics at the top of the thread list:

And they actually might both lead to the same ending, with someone being forced out of sumo.

[Mightyduck 67]

I'm starting to think they've already put the kibosh on the magaki kabu transfer and Hakuho is preparing to walk away. A ban is pretty meaningless if you're about to go intai anyway. The 900 win chat just being noise to ensure he's still a yokozuna throughout the Olympics.

Other alternative is Hakuho had Olympic activity generally cleared pre pandemic and realized it was better to ask forgiveness than permission now.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Mightyduck

[Seiyashi 4,106]

40 minutes ago, dada78641 said:

And they actually might both lead to the same ending, with someone being forced out of sumo.

I agree it's hilarious but naw, I don't think it'll be as bad. Takagenji essentially committed a criminal offence; Hakuho a major breach of form but it's certainly not of the same magnitude as Takagenji. Retirement may result but it's nowhere near as foregone a conclusion as it was in Takagenji's case - we all knew that was going to result in intai if it turned out to be true.

[Godango 1,006]

1 hour ago, ViscountessNivlac said:

If we haven’t heard anything else by now I imagine Hakuho is in the clear?

According to reports:

"The NSK is on summer holiday until 9 August . There seems to be no hurry to take action, such as holding an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors.".

[Asashosakari 19,542]

1 hour ago, RabidJohn said:

Yeah, I'm no longer expecting him to get the ichidai-toshiyori. I was referring to Hakuho possibly not receiving the NSK's approval for his acquisition of Magaki, in which case he's got 5 years as Hakuho-oyakata to make a nuisance of himself.

That makes no sense, I'm afraid. The grace period toshiyori need to be approved like any regular one.

[Chijanofuji 113]

We haven't heard anything new on this for 48 hours now...

My assumption is that that must surely mean that Shibatayama oyakata indeed spoke out to the media without first consulting with others within the Kyokai to see if the Yokozuna had obtained permission (from his Oyakata or others) and without checking in which capacity Hakuho was there.

If so, I feel that Shibatayama needs to resign as NSK press secretary...

[yorikiried by fate 2,029]

3 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Yes, but they are moot. First rule-don't go out. Broke that rule, the nature of the offences do not factor anymore, since you are already out.

Well, I know you are not a lawyer, but you are clearly not a lawyer.

[Seiyashi 4,106]

44 minutes ago, yorikiried by fate said:

Well, I know you are not a lawyer, but you are clearly not a lawyer.

The NSK is hardly a competent court either, just saying...

[sumojoann 1,267]

2 hours ago, Godango said:

According to reports:

"The NSK is on summer holiday until 9 August . There seems to be no hurry to take action, such as holding an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors.".

 

1 hour ago, Chijanofuji said:

We haven't heard anything new on this for 48 hours now...

My assumption is that that must surely mean that Shibatayama oyakata indeed spoke out to the media without first consulting with others within the Kyokai to see if the Yokozuna had obtained permission (from his Oyakata or others) and without checking in which capacity Hakuho was there.

If so, I feel that Shibatayama needs to resign as NSK press secretary...

According to reports that godango cited, the NSK is on summer holiday until Aug 9 so we shouldn't expect to hear anything until then.

[Benevolance 2,501]

That gives us FIVE DAYS to speculate! We can get this threads power level to over 20 pages. 

[Seiyashi 4,106]

2 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

4 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

Yeah, I'm no longer expecting him to get the ichidai-toshiyori. I was referring to Hakuho possibly not receiving the NSK's approval for his acquisition of Magaki, in which case he's got 5 years as Hakuho-oyakata to make a nuisance of himself.

That makes no sense, I'm afraid. The grace period toshiyori need to be approved like any regular one.

Which begs the question, has the NSK ever declined to approve an assumption of a share for a rikishi who has not left in explicit disgrace (i.e. Asashoryu/Harumafuji and the yaocho group)? Hakuho's being criticised left right and centre, but say he decides to retire tomorrow and take up the Magaki share if he has it, is there a remote possibility that the board will decline it to him based in part on the nonsense of the past month?

[Yamanashi 3,876]

5 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

has the NSK ever declined to approve an assumption of a share for a rikishi who has not left in explicit disgrace

It's important that kabu holders demonstrate the hinkaku necessary for discharging the duties of Oyakata, such as garbage detail and ticket-taking during the basho.

[Seiyashi 4,106]

16 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

It's important that kabu holders demonstrate the hinkaku necessary for discharging the duties of Oyakata, such as garbage detail and ticket-taking during the basho.

Jokes aside, Kakuryu did go above and beyond the call of duty during his stint guarding the hanamichi, albeit at the risk of scaring the mawashi off a bunch of lower rankers.

EDIT: Just for context - Not by grimacing threateningly at them, but by asking those who looked a little injured whether they were ok and stopping them for a bit of a chat. Quite naturally the junior rikishi were rather startled/taken aback that a non-related oyakata - and a former yokozuna no less - was taking an interest in their welfare; the sky might as well have dropped for them for all the effect that it produced.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Seiyashi