The “Sumo Association is the Second Johnny’s”: Hakuho’s Brother’s Criticism of the Kakukai Shaken by the Miyagino-Yakudan Riots
Takanohana had to leave sumo because of a conflict with the Sumo Association. Takanohana is at odds with the Sumo Association and left the sport. They probably want him to return to Mongolia, but he will never leave the sport. Takanohana has lived a life without any inconvenience since he was a small child, so he would have no trouble making a living even without sumo.
But when Hakuho was a child, Mongolia is a socialist country. Even though his father was a hero and a medalist, his family lived in poverty. They did not even have a refrigerator, and they could not even drink enough juice. Hakuho rose from poverty to become a yokozuna. That is why he never makes any complaints. The current Sumo Association is like the old Mongolia. It is an organization like the dictatorship of North Korea. Even so, he will not be defeated. In fact, none of the sponsors have left the association even after the riot. They all believe in Hakuho.
Kyokushuzan himself was a man who, during his active career, challenged the old customs that the association considered common practice. When he bought a luxury foreign car, he was criticized for not being flashy, and when he enrolled in a correspondence course at Waseda University to improve his education, he was implicitly advised to leave the school, saying, “All you have to do is sumo.
The world of the Sumo Association is one in which only one’s interpretation is correct,” he said. The association is in close contact with the Mongolian embassy to challenge Hakuho’s punishment. However, Hakuho is now Japanese because he became a naturalized citizen. The embassy responded that they were not in a position to protest easily. But it is also true that some Mongolian citizens think that he is being excluded because he is from Mongolia.
On April 1, it was announced that Miyagino Oyakata would become the stablemaster of the Isekehama stable following the closure of the Miyagino stable. The true value of the “empire” that the Sumo Association has become is now being questioned.
Interview and text by: Kei Kato