Asanoyama returned to the main tournament ring on July 11 after an absence of 418 days (Image: Kyodo News)It was past midnight when Asanoyama stepped into the ring at a venue with a sparse crowd. Asanoyama was wearing a plain black mawashi, the uniform worn by makushita and below, but his strength was overwhelming. He twisted an opposing sumo wrestler with his signature right yotsuki, and within three seconds or so, he was out of the ring.  On July 11, former ozeki-ranked Asanoyama, 28, won his first main tournament in 418 days with a white star. After the bout, he told the press with a mysterious expression on his face. “I have not been forgiven, but I want people to see me fighting in the ring. I want to regain their support and trust.” The Asanoyama scandal broke in May 2021. The Shukan Bunshun (weekly magazine) reported that Asanoyama had been frequenting cabaret clubs. Asanoyama’s non-compliance came at a time when the Sumo Association had banned him from eating out due to the spread of the new coronavirus. “There was a girl in a cabaret club in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, whom Asanoyama liked. At the most, I think he went there three times a week. Asanoyama’s real name is Hiroki Ishibashi, so she called him ‘Bassey’.” “After the news report, Asanoyama’s response was not good for the Sumo Association’s reputation. When Shibatayama, the director of public relations, Oguruma, the director of compliance, and others asked him, ‘Are you okay with this kind of article coming out?’ He stubbornly denied it, saying, ‘There is no basis of fact.’ When we asked him again about it, he said, ‘I’m sorry,’ and admitted to going to cabarets,” said a sumo association official. Cleaning the training hall with young wrestlers