Double the length of absence than other rowdy rikishi…Cabaret-going Asanoyama “Reason for Heavy Punishment”.

Asanoyama won the match, not allowing his opponent to do anything.

On July 12, Asanoyama, 28, a former ozeki and the 22nd rank in the west san danme, drove Nishikuni to the edge of the ring with a right yotsuri and then threw a ukegidashi nage to start his first tournament in a year and two months with consecutive wins.

He was a former ozeki, even though he had been out of the tournament for more than 400 days. Even though he has been out of the tournament for more than 400 days, he is still a former ozeki. As long as he doesn’t get injured, I think he’ll climb all the way up to juryo,” said an official of the Sumo Association.

The scandal that led to Asanoyama’s suspension came to light in May 2009. The Shukan Bunshun (weekly magazine) reported that Asanoyama had been going to cabarets every day. The new coronavirus had spread, and the Sumo Association had banned him from eating out, but he was out of compliance.

The punishment handed down by the Sumo Association was a suspension of six tournaments and a 50% reduction in remuneration for six months. Asanoyama will be banned from leaving the ring and placed under house arrest, except for special cases such as medical treatment. Asanoyama’s ranking has dropped to the third rank, and his salary, which was 2.5 million yen per month when he was an ozeki, has been reduced to zero.

He was no longer treated as a sekitori, but as a rikishi trainer. Naturally, he is not assigned an attendant and must take care of himself. He joins the younger wrestlers in sweeping the training hall with a broom and washing the toilets and bathrooms. They also serve food at meals,” said a former rikishi.

(Aforementioned) “While other rikishi are absent for three tournaments: ……

As a rikishi who has risen to the rank of ozeki, it must be tough on his pride. Compared to other rikishi who have been in trouble recently, he has been punished more severely.

In July 2008, Asanoyama and Ahen (now a West shokubyo) were suspended for three tournaments and demoted to the makushita rank when it was discovered that they had been going to cabarets multiple times while their corona infection was spreading. Ryuden (now the top-ranking juryo in the east) was also suspended for three tournaments and demoted to the makushita division.

Asanoyama, on the other hand, has been suspended for six tournaments, twice as many as the other two. Asanoyama, on the other hand, was suspended for six more tournaments, twice as many as the other two. You could say that the punishment was quite severe.

Why was Asanoyama punished more severely than the other problem rikishi?

Asanoyama’s reaction to the association. The Sumo Association interviewed Asanoyama prior to the release of the Weekly Bunshun, which reported his cabaret club visits. Shibatayama, the director of public relations, Oguruma, the director of compliance, and others asked Asanoyama, “Are you okay with this kind of article coming out?” Asanoyama replied, “There are no facts. Asanoyama stubbornly denied it, saying, “There is no basis in fact. Even when the stablemasters told Asanoyama that he would be in serious trouble if it later turned out to be true, Asanoyama’s attitude did not change. The Sumo Association executives believed Asanoyama’s words, and they were close to taking a stand against the “Shukan Bunshun.

However, Asanoyama’s story did not add up in many respects, so his legal advisor attended the hearing and asked him again. The lawyer urged him, “If you deny it so much, show us your smartphone. When he examined the phone, he found that there was location information on the device and that he had been at the cabaret club on the day the Shukan Bunshun article pointed out. What do you mean?” Asanoyama finally admitted the fact, saying, ‘I’m sorry.

Asanoyama was severely punished for betraying the parental love of the top management with falsehoods, and after his first bout in the ring in 418 days on July 11, he told the press with a mysterious expression on his face.

The hardest thing for me was that I lied to the Sumo Association when I committed the scandal. I thought that the Sumo Association, my fellow wrestlers, and my fans would no longer support me. I have not been forgiven yet, but I want them to see me fight in the ring and regain their trust.”

Whether Asanoyama can truly regain their trust will depend on his future endeavors.