The Japan Sumo Association’s Surprising Impatience in Addressing the Hakuho Bullying Incident

On April 7, the Miyagino stable led by former yokozuna Hakuho moved into the Isekehama stable. Miyagino Oyakata had been punished with a demotion of two ranks and other punishments for failing to fulfill his supervisory responsibilities in the violence of former Hokushoho, and at the spring tournament held in Osaka in March, Miyagino Oyakata was removed as master and Tamagaki Oyakata (former kobun Tomonohana) from the Isekehama clan acted as acting master.

At the board meeting held at the end of March, it was decided to transfer the Miyagino stable to the Isekehama stable. The Miyagino stable has often been the subject of controversy, not only in this case, but also in other cases of assaults by other sumo stable members. A reporter for an evening paper revealed, “The compliance committee of the Japan Sumo Association is in charge of this matter.

The Japan Sumo Association’s Compliance Committee (chaired by Takayuki Aonuma, former chief public prosecutor of the Nagoya High Public Prosecutors Office) even said, ‘Rehabilitation is impossible and the Miyagino-ya should be demolished. The executive board ultimately decided to transfer the master (Miyagino Oyakata) and all rikishi to the Isekehama stable, a punishment that was significantly heavier than any of the assaults that had occurred in past sumo stables.

The one who is being pushed harder than Miyagino Oyakata is Chancellor Yasutoshi Hakkaku: ⁉︎

There is a surprising reason why the executive board of the Sumo Association, led by former yokozuna Hokkatsumi Hakkaku, has gone to such great lengths to push Miyagino Oyakata.

It has to do with the fact that, despite the fact that he is now in his fifth term, there is no sign of who the ‘post-Hakkaku’ will be: “Contrary to most expectations, Kasugano Oyakata (former Sekiwake Tochinowaka) was chosen for the post of head of the business department, the No. 2 position on the executive board of the association, at the recent election of officers, held after the spring tournament in March. ‘ It was a surprise appointment for those involved in the Sumo Association, since his assault in 2011, in which he hit his apprentice with a golf iron, became a problem,” said the aforementioned reporter.

Amidst the current focus on the assault, does this mean that the Sumo Association is in such a difficult situation in terms of human resources that they have to promote a stablemaster who has been involved in an assault case in the past to the No. 2 position? A former reporter continued, “The past head of the board of trustees of the Sumo Association is almost always the head of the board.

The past presidents of the board of trustees of the JSA were almost all yokozuna or ozeki, but among the newly elected board members, there are only Shibatayama Oyakata (former yokozuna Ohnokuni) and Asakayama Oyakata (former ozeki Kaio). However, Shibatayama Oyakata has sometimes objected to the Hakkaku system, and was reassigned from head of the public relations department to head of the training institute, which is said to be a “leftward shift.

Asakayama Oyakata is a man of character, and was expected to have the potential for a “key position” on the executive committee. It is said that he was approached by the executive committee to transfer to the Miyagino stable, but he turned it down because the Asakayama stable was too cramped. In the end, the position that awaited him was that of “regional tournament director (Fukuoka),” which is not a central position in a company, but rather an outside “sales department.

After Yasutoshi’s retirement, there is no one who can succeed him as the head of the Sumo Association. Therefore, if Miyagino Oyakata is elected to the board of trustees soon after the retirement of Hakkaku Oyakata, there is a possibility that the era of “Chancellor Miyagino” will come in the near future. However, although he won the most championships during his active career (45), the way he won his victories by attacking his opponents with tension strikes or by launching surprise attacks was far from the conventional image of a yokozuna, and Chancellor Hakkaku often complained about it. I believe that the current Miyagino Oyakata feels that he is ‘not worthy to be elected as a board member.

The scandalous behavior of Miyagino’s apprentice should not have happened, but the executive board of the Sumo Association wanted to give him a hard time somewhere, and I think that was a big reason why he was punished so severely.

Before the scandals involving his disciples came to light, Miyagino had already expressed to those around him that he would eventually become the president of the board of trustees, and he was planning to run for the board in the upcoming election of new board members.

He was serious about running for the board. He had the No. 1 campaign fund in the world, but he didn’t have the ‘human virtue’ to make people want to vote for him. He had the most money in the Kakumei world. When Takanohana Oyakata ran for the board of trustees, he had the backing not only of Kitanoumi but also of Taiho Oyakata, a former yokozuna in his own clan. Miyagino Oyakata had the money, but not this.”

It seems that Miyagino Oyakata felt that he could drive a wedge into the executive committee led by Chancellor Hakkaku, which was by no means a monolithic body.

Miyagino himself believes that in the end, his record of winning 45 championships, the most ever, will do the trick,” said a reporter in charge of sumo.

Miyagino Oyakata is a central figure in one of the major factions of the sumo world, the Mongolian-born rikishi. If Miyagino Oyakata eventually recovers and becomes the chairman of the board of trustees, which has been his goal for a long time, he will be able to win the championship,

He still has a ‘pipeline’ with Asashoryu and Himafuji, who were forced out of the association due to troubles, and they may come back to the association.

A stablemaster who openly “objected” to the Mongolian yokozuna

One yokozuna who clearly stated “I have an objection! ‘ to Miyagino Oyokozuna during his active career. Takanohana, who retired from the Sumo Association in 2006. He openly criticized Hakuho, who won many championships during his active career, for using “elbows,” which are similar to “harihatsu” and “kachi-age,” to hurt his opponents.

He said, “I don’t take sumo to hurt my opponents. A yokozuna is the one who lets his opponent come at him, takes it, and keeps on winning.

That was not all. Takanohana was also harsh toward former yokozuna Asashoryu, who had made his mark as a Mongolian wrestler. One “incident” was the catalyst for this.

After winning the first tournament of 2009, Asashoryu rode in the convertible used for the victory parade with the Mongolian flag in his left hand.

Takanohana Oyakata was furious at this action. He said that no Japanese rikishi had ever ridden in a convertible with the Japanese flag. Rikishi from Hawaii had never been so arrogant. The masters of those rooms need to teach the way of sumo. （I don’t think they will understand in one or two years.

Takanohana had stubbornly refused to allow Mongolian wrestlers to join his stable, but in 2008, he took in a Mongolian wrestler, Kinoiwa, as his apprentice, the first foreign wrestler in the stable. There was a reason for this. Takanohana revealed, “That boy [Kinoiwa] was a good student of mine.

He lost his mother (the late Altangerel, age 46) when he was eight, and his father (the late Adia, age 64) when he went to Tottori to study sumo at the age of 16. She is a child who has had a very hard time. I saw how he practiced when he came to the summer training camp at the Takanohana stable, and I allowed him to join the stable.

Through hard work and perseverance, Takanoiwa became the first sekitori in the Takanohana stable, but ironically, he was the victim of the “Hima Fuji assault” incident in 2005. At that time, Takanohana, who was the head of the tour tournament, failed to report the incident to the Sumo Association and repeatedly refused to cooperate with the Crisis Management Committee’s investigation, “violating his duty of loyalty as a board member,” and was dismissed from his post.

Furthermore, Takanohana himself subsequently retired from the board for violently attacking his followers. When Hakuho, then yokozuna, who was present at the incident, heard of Takanohana’s resignation, he replied with a mysterious expression on his face: “I wanted more guidance.

I wish he had given me more guidance. I wish he had given me more guidance.

Isekehama Oyakata (former yokozuna Asahifuji), who assumed responsibility for the Miyagino stable, reportedly recommended that Miyagino go and apologize for the incident, saying, “Go and see the parents of your apprentice. A source close to the Sumo Association further revealed, “Asakusa is also a board member of the yokozuna clan.

The two masters will report to the executive board on the progress of Miyagino’s actions together with Asakayama Oyakata, who is also a member of the board of trustees of the stable. There is no possibility of reviving the Miyagino stable, but it is all in the hands of Chancellor Hakkaku.

Chancellor Hakkaku has four years left until his retirement. Will he be able to nurture a successor to whom he can pass the baton with peace of mind? Will Miyagino Oyakata, who has been transferred to the Isekehama stable, be able to put up with the “unreasonable treatment” from the Sumo Association? And will the Miyagino-ya be revived? In any case, we cannot take our eyes off Miyagino Oyakata’s new life, which began with his move to the Isekehama stable.