He was a prostitute and a victim of the COVID-19 crisis! Former Tokitsukaze Oyakata, “First trial for illegal parking”, shows his knees to this magazine.
I will live my life so that this will never happen again.”
In court, the former rikishi expressed his remorse, saying, “I will never do this again.
On December 3, the Tokyo District Court held the first trial of Masahiro Sakamoto, 52, who is accused of forging sealed official documents. Sakamoto is a former Tokitsukaze stablemaster (hereafter “oyakata”) who won two juryo (makuuchi) championships and four technical awards as a makuuchi rikishi, and after his retirement, he taught the younger generation. He is alleged to have forged official documents and continued to park illegally.
The incident occurred in February ’25. The master is alleged to have parked on the street in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, with a color copy of the “Parking No Parking Exemption Designated Vehicle Mark” on the dashboard of his car. The emblem is issued by the Prefectural Public Safety Commission to physically disabled persons, who are exempted from parking restrictions if they present it.
At his first trial, Oyakata admitted to the indictment, saying, ‘There is no doubt about it. The prosecutor’s office said he was ‘self-centered and selfish,’ and sought a sentence of one year and six months in prison. The prosecution also accused him of repeatedly parking illegally and of being ‘addictive. The defense, on the other hand, asked for a stay of execution, and the trial concluded on the same day.
Oyakata has been in trouble often in the past. He had violated the guidelines of the Japan Sumo Association three times and was advised to resign. This magazine interviewed Oyakata immediately after his resignation (“FRIDAY,” June 18, 2009 issue). He was shown on his knees to apologize to his fans. We would like to look back at what he told this magazine about his remorse and explanation.
I did not do it during the tournament.
The first time Oyakata violated discipline was in June 2010. He was involved in a baseball betting game and was demoted to the lowest rank in the oyakata hierarchy, flat nenyoro. He said, “I did it lightly.
I had a light heart. I regret that I got involved in the game with a naive awareness.
The second mistake was made in September 2008. Although the Sumo Association’s guidelines forbade him from going out unnecessarily because of the new coronavirus, he was invited by a friend to a golf competition in Miyagi Prefecture. He also moved to Fukuoka Prefecture to return to his hometown (Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture), where he stayed for several days.
Due to a typhoon, he was unable to return to Tokyo. The association seemed to be aware of the fact and scolded me over the phone while I was in Fukuoka, saying, ‘You went golfing! I was scolded by the association over the phone.
Oyakata was ordered to stay under house arrest during the September tournament of the same year. During the period of house arrest, Oyakata developed acute pancreatitis, which left him bedridden for about three weeks, unable to eat, and he lost 20 kg.
In January 2009, he was again suspended from work. In January 2009, the February 4 issue of Shukan Bunshun (February 4, 2009) reported that during the first tournament of the year, he went to a mahjong parlor in Akasaka (Minato Ward), Tokyo, and a brothel in Shinbashi (Minato Ward) every day.
It is true that after Honwari was over, he went to an acquaintance’s office in Akasaka. That place is licensed as a mahjong parlor, but there is only one mahjong table. It does not accept the general public. I have played mahjong with my friends, but not during the place. The reports are wrong. We just chit-chatted and had dinner.”
There was stress, too.”
For more information about Shinbashi’s sex life, see …….
I am ashamed to say that I was going there. At the time, my relationship with my wife was strained and I was under stress from being hospitalized for acute pancreatitis. I was accumulating a lot of things. ……”
After the Shukan Bunshun report, Oyakata immediately submitted a notice of resignation to the Sumo Association.
He said, “This is the third time he has violated the rules of the association. I was determined to make my peace with it. After that, he gathered the rikishi on the second floor of his room and reported his resignation. I think I’m going to retire. I apologized to them, and the room was filled with silence.
In February 2009, the Sumo Association recommended Tokitsukaze retire and reduced his severance pay by 30%. However, the uproar did not end there. He and his wife divorced.
He was very angry with me because I had violated his discipline many times,” said Tokitsukaze. I was sleeping in a private room and she was at home, so we didn’t communicate much. I deserved it.”
Oyakata’s repeated troubles led to his departure from the association and his family’s separation from him. He even lost his social credibility due to the incident described at the beginning of this article. …… The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on January 14, 2014.
PHOTO: SONO Soda
