■Nathan Shiga: November 29

A personal act of violence has cost Yokozuna Harumafuji a disgraceful retirement on account of a slugfest involving a junior Rikishi Takanoiwa. He is one of the four current grand-champions (Yokozuna) and paradoxically the most skillful of them all despite his physical disadvantages.

The accident took place at a post-tourney get-together of Rikishis of the Mongolian ancestry in Tottori in October. The case is still amid a police scrutiny, so much yet in the mist, but Harumafuji’s own admission of his “act of violence” against Takanoiwa led to his retirement.

There are plenty of hearsays over and around the incident involving a certain discrepancy within the Japan Sumo Association over its governance and traditional quasi-violent training methods.

The Mongolian Rikishis are fast advancing in the higher ranks of Sumo in recent years and some report has it that a movement for “Mongolian solidarity” could have ignited a feud of some sort among them.

Sumo is a sport and also a traditional Shinto ritual as well with a rich reservoir of practices in the way it is run – particularly the way Rikishis are trained in independent stables by somewhat strong-arm methods.

Harumafuji’s retirement leaves behind heaps of problems for the Japan Sumo
Association to tackle in its endevour of modernizing the sport.

In his hour-long press interview in Dazaifu, November 29, Harumafuji commented as follows, roughly phrase by phrase, with his stable-master of Isegahama by his side:

“I am retiring, effective today, to fulfill my responsibility as Yokozuna for having inflicted an injury on the person of a junior Rikishi Takanoiwa. I deeply apologize for having caused immense discomfort and pains to the people, Sumo fans, Stable Master and his wife, the Japan Sumo Association and so many others concerned.

“I should have retired a lot sooner if the tournament had not been in action. I realize the gravity of my behavior apparently inconsistent with the position I hold. I was looking for the first instance to announce my retirement amid the mounting media coverage.

Asked about the reason for what he did, Harumafuji stressed:

“I thought it a vital responsibility for Yokozuna to drill into the mind of any junior Rikishi the importance of manners and to teach what it means to respect manners. I did what I did to discharge my share of responsibility but ended up injuring the party – further causing pains and discomfort on the part of Sumo fans and all others concerned – which I regret very much.

To wrap up the interview Harumafuji said a few touching comments:

“I love Sumo, I love the people of Japan. I wish to offer my heartful gratitude, gratitude, and once again gratitude to Japan for my great 17 years as Rikishi and the honor to be the 70th Yokozuna.”

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