Foreigners rankle sumo purists

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Web posted Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Sumo purists wrestle with big problem

Foreigners among the top performers in Japan's national sport

By JIM ARMSTRONG

Associated Press Writer

AP Photo/Kyodo News

TOKYO

[aderechelsea 124]

yeah but they are enough to form a makuuchi division by their own if they are really good .....

[Tomoe 0]

While Japanese baseball limits the number of foreigners who can compete, no such restrictions exist in sumo

No, the number of foreigners in Sumo is restricted. Only one new foreigner per heya is allowed. But no heya must throw out the foreigners who are already there.

And the quality of an article with wrong informations like this is very questionable to me. (Sign of disapproval)

[Yasashiyama 0]

It's hard enough getting any news at all. Besides there aren't that many newspapers or websites that dedicated and educated enough to prevent a small mistake like that. To be fair I'm grateful enough that the article was posted at all.

[madorosumaru 7]

After the recent YDC meeting, Tsuneo Watanabe, who had just completed a 14-year tenure on the Council, spoke to the gathered press. In response to questions about limiting foreign rikishi, he said "I don't think it is a good idea to put restrictions on foreigners. They don't do that in Major League Baseball."

"There are restrictions in [Japanese] baseball because Japanese players are losing jobs. I think that to be anti-foreigner just because yokozuna or sanyaku positions would be lost [in the future to foreigners] is being small-minded."

To have to address this subject on Mr. Watanabe's last day with the YDC would indicate that there is a wide-spread concern for the current situation in sumo. By restrictions, I am sure they are talking about FURTHER limitations on participation by foreigners beyond the current "One Heya, One Gaijin" rule.

Edited January 31, 2005 by madorosumaru

[Doitsuyama 1,173]

At any rate, I would say this is no small mistake, but is a huge OOPS. To say that there aren't limitations for the number of foreigners when the article centers on foreigners really shows that the author hardly knows anything.

Edited January 30, 2005 by Doitsuyama

[Asashosakari 18,651]

The article suffers from more problems than just that, though. Just take the "[Japan] has not produced a grand champion in the ancient competition of sumo since 2003" statement...it's

a) false - they haven't "produced" a new Yokozuna since 1998, actually, and

b) would be extremely misleading if it were true, since "no new Yokozuna since 2003" (i.e. for the last two years) is a completely meaningless statement considering the number of new Yokozuna per decade can be counted on one hand.

The idea that Kasugao "was in contention [for the yusho] in the New Year tournament until Asashoryu clinched the title with two days remaining" is similarly misleading, albeit factually true.

It's nice that the AP feels the topic is important enough to assign somebody to do a story on it, but as usual with the wire services, the article seems to suffer from a bad case of deadline-ism and lack of any editing oversight by actual experts in the field.

Edited January 31, 2005 by Asashosakari

[Hakuyobaku 33]

Further:

They never mention Kokkai as part of European wave of rikishi when he was the first ever european in Makuuchi - a pioneer, in a nutshell

[Zuikakuyama 1]

Let me try too!!

"Others complain that a steady diet of computer games and junk food has left Japan's youth ill-equipped for the realities of sumo's rigid system, a 1,500-year-old sport bound by tradition and ritual.

Asashoryu thrives under such conditions."

I dont think Asashoryu thrives under the tradition and ritual part of sumo.

[Lucius Flavonius 0]

But no heya must throw out the foreigners who are already there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kyokutenzan is saved.

[sumofan 6]

I have said it before, and I know that Kitanoumi agrees with me (sounds good when putting it like that :'-( ):

Japanese rikishi need to work harder.

The only reason that Asa and Hakuho are so good is because of

a) talent and

b) working very hard

statistically there should be just as much Japanese rikishi with (a), but i think they should put some more effort in (b).

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

A Japanese friend recently mentioned (during the last basho) that he read an article in the newspaper or a magazine (IIRC, could have been on TV) where it was theorised that new Japanese deshi always have a cell phone. After asa-geiko, or whenever heya life feels hard, they call/email home to mommy, and she listens and coos and soothes her precious baby. Gaijin deshi, OTOH, cannot call overseas to talk to those at home - even if they have a cell phone so early in their careers (I doubt many do, as opposed to native-born rikishi). They just have to tough it out (similar situation was alluded to in the Kokkai article kindly supplied by Nishi-san).

Doubt that's the only reason for the big differences these days, but could be a piece o' the puzzle...(however small).

[hoshidango 0]

Why doesn't the government chip in to give pension for retired makuuchi 10basho wrester or something(for all Japanese citizens of any born)? Would it help?

[aderechelsea 124]

i have little knowledge of the ways that the Japanese govenment works, so i am not sure if such a pension is feasible, but if it was to be given, i would insist that a rikishi with a long (10+ years?) career in any rank should get one.

Don't forget it is more needed when you don't go all the way up to Makuuchi.

[Ryukaze 0]

I think its about time they saught after foreign markets sure sumo can keep its "Native Japan'ness" when its done in Japan but c'mon think of the potential here! I cant wait for the day when they're forced too because it seems clear the fire's just gonna run out of air in Japan........... :-D (im hoping anyway..)

Edited February 5, 2005 by Ryukaze