The last day of the “Technical Examination Tournament” was held in the wake of match-fixing and other scandals. This tournament was held in-place of a regular tournament due to a very large number of wrestlers being forced retired (they don’t fire people in Japan), so they don’t have rankings to organise a tournament properly. Hakuho, who is usually undefeated, when faced against lesser opponents seemed to find it tougher to clinch victory. Today he lost against the oldest wrestler who is ten years his senior (extremely unusual). I’m sure there’ll be a few raised eyebrows in the next tournament due to be held here in Nagoya in July. The tickets were due to go on sale on the 19th of May (today’s the 22nd), but are yet to be released, perhaps in anticipation of canceling yet another tournament?
NHK reports that 22 wrestlers and one stable master are to resign for their part in sumo match fixing (or ’bout fixing’), which includes six of the top-ranked wrestlers. Japanese don’t fire people, but expect the offender to ‘take responsibility for their actions’. This confirmation that there had been match fixing will surely rock public confidence in the sumo world, which has already lost fans and saw drops in audience attendance. This action by the Japan Sumo Federation follows accusations of match fixing involving former top-wrestler Asashoru back in 2008 or 2009, as well as the cancellation of the March Osaka tournament, and other controversies in previous years which have also been reported on this blog (see the tags for previous sumo entries). The next question is if this also means that the Tokyo May tournament will go ahead, though this may have no impact on the Nagoya July tournament, which was almost cancelled last year. Parallel to this, the Chinese football league has been accused of the same offences and lacks major sponsors and TV coverage (BBC).
Coming up this Spring are a few important things. Firstly, a 10% discount for all purchases at my PhotoShelter portfolio with a minimum USD$25 purchase, unlimited use, until 30th March, 2011. Coupon code is: SUPERSPRING.
Secondly, the Spring Sumo tournament in Osaka has been cancelled due to match fixing allegations. It is the first time sumo had been cancelled since 1946, which itself was cancelled due to renovations to the Tokyo sumo venue. Here are my galleries, all eligible for the Spring 10% discount: Top wrestler, Hakuho, Sumo Spills, and general Japanese Sumo.
Thirdly, the Tado Horse Festival, is a Shinto religious festival intended to bring a good harvest for this coming growing season. If a horse can make it up the steep slope and over a mound-obstacle, then a good harvest is expected. Only after the event do the local farms begin sowing. The 10% Spring discount also applies to this PhotoShelter gallery.
That’s pretty much the main events that are coming up this Spring.
Mongolian sumo wrestler, Hakuho, of the Japan Sumo Association loses his winning streak on the second day of the Kyushu Tournament. He was on a winning streak at 63 wins, with just 6 more to equal the all-time record of 300 years of sumo set by the legendary Futabayama at 69 wins in 1939. Hakuho faced lower ranked Kisenosato who often loses to Hakuho. Today, Hakuho was literally put onto the back foot and was eventually pushed out of the ring by Kisenosato rolling into the crowd. Whilst Hakuho did not achieve the record, he did get a record: the second longest winning streak in all of sumo history.
The Mongolian sumo wrestler Hakuho gets the second highest unbeaten winning streak in modern sumo today. Hakuho faced the ambitious rising star Kisenosato who fought well. Hakuho did not play his usual style of sumo and appeared nervous. During the bout Hakuho seemed unstable and did not calmly respond to his opponents attacks. Hakuho managed a win, which made him outright the second highest unbeaten wrestler in modern sumo with 54 unbeaten bouts. This record is also fourth highest in about 350 years of organised sumo. It is likely that Hakuho will win at least the next five or six bouts, possibly making him the third highest in sumo. If Hakuho can win all eight of the remaining bouts in the current tournament, then he will be in a very good position to easily surpass Futabayama’s 69 unbeaten bouts in the next tournament.
In a time when fans are turning their backs on sumo due to scandal after scandal, this winning streak is extremely important. Today was also the first day in the current tournament that all seats were sold out. Historically there would normally have been several days of sold out seats already by this stage of the tournament. Further, this is the first time a non-Japanese wrestler is breaking such important records.
My Hakuho Sumo Gallery. Hakuho (below) walking from Harumafuji after defeating him in the Nagoya summer tournament in July.
Some time back I invested in a cheap little Sony Bloggie. It’s an alright camera, as you will see. It is so light that it’s hard to hold steady, as you will see that, too. But that’s not the point. What I want to do is to give you a sample of what I see when I’m at an event, though I don’t see things with shakes and wobbles. Look in the tag cloud to the side for Sumo and matsuri (town festival) pictures
A rather noisy local town festival with portable shrines, drums and cymbals. The lanterns that you see atop of each portable shrine are arranged to be in the same shape as a rice ball (which is not in the shape of a ball, but a kind of Michelin-man triangle).
The second is a sumo bout. This footage was taken at the recent Nagoya Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. Watch out for the bitch-slap.
The idea occurred to me as I began shooting at the Nagoya Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on the 14th and second to final day. There had been scandals and problems. Let’s list some here:
Abuse of apprentices (resulting in the death of one 18 year old)
Allegations of match fixing
Unruly behaviour in public of one of the top wrestlers (Asashoru)
Giving highly prized ring-side tickets to gangsters (extremely taboo in Japan), and most recently
Illegal gambling on baseball, and high school baseball games.
I can’t hit all of those points, but I’ll tell you a story through pictures. Here’s the link the the complete Japanese Sumo Gallery.
This isn’t an abuse scene, it’s just regular practice, and no one batted an eyelid (if they even noticed this)
As a result of all the scandals, ticket sales were down 10%, according to the national radio and TV broadcaster NHK, so the first half of the tournament had few seats filled. This image was taken early in the afternoon before the crowds had finished arriving.
Whilst some see the light of day, many members of the public are still sceptical and suspect that there’ll be more scandals.
As a result of the most recent scandals, involving illegal gambling, some of the top wrestlers were told to withdraw from the tournament, which has caused a thinning out of the ranks.
However, the later half of the tournament saw the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium filled, though with late ticket sales. This image below, shows the banner displayed thanking the spectators for making this a sell-out day, which was seen much less in this tournament.
Generally, the heads of the Sumo Association have been seen as weak, ineffective, or unable to deal with the problems. These ring-side judges are actually conferring on a bout where two wrestlers knocked the referee out of the ring so the referee was unable to rule on the bout.
In the past, the Sumo Association has not wanted foreign sponsors and their sponsorship banners. However, many major sponsors including HB-101 has withdrawn their support. As a consequence, the Sumo Association has allowed in some foreign sponsors… The Golden M.
An innocent victim. Not really a metaphor, but pertinent information just the same. This proud Mongolian, Hakuho striding away from this bout, had just scored enough wins to secure a tournament victory. The next day he won again, making him completely undefeated for three tournaments straight, a first in modern (post-war) sumo. In a rare show of emotion, Hakuho wept with joy afterwards. However, the Sumo Association decided not to award him the coveted Emperor’s Cup (another first), given the circumstances and the general public’s current displeasure for their beloved national sport. Not getting the Emperor’s Cup on the day that Hakuho made sumo history has got to sting.
Cover-ups. The Sumo Association has tried to keep a lot under wraps in the past, but have decided not to cover-up the latest scandal. I bet they wish they could have put a big green tarp over the illegal baseball gambling fiasco.
The winners of bouts in the top divisions are shown with a red mark above or below their name. The wrestlers who have withdrawn from the tournament have their name listed on the left. Usually one or two pull out due to injury in each tournament.
Every crowd has a golden lining. Sumo is special. It’s the only sport that Japan has exported, and is iconic to Japan. It has its group of eclectic supporters like all sports in all countries. The Gold Hat Man (as I call him) is ubiquitous. He is seen in the much sought-after ring-side area on every day of every tournament since I’ve been in Japan (about five years now). He is one of the many characters that really enjoy the sport through thick and thin. He’s an inspiration to many.
But the crowds still gather to see their favourite wrestlers leave at the end of the day.
I was able to attend the 14th and second to final day of the summer Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. I arrived early afternoon, when the last of the lower ranked wrestlers were still battling their way to move up in the world. I saw the Ring-entrance Ceremony of both the Juryo (intermediate) and Makuuchi (upper) divisions, and then the Yokuzuna (highest rank) Ring-entrance ceremony, too. On this day, all my favourite wrestlers won (always makes for a good day), and saw some great, and entertaining bouts.
There have been numerous controversies in sumo in the last few years, culminating in the latest illegal gambling issue. As a result, far fewer tickets have sold, and some ticket vendors have claimed that they will run at a loss by the end of the tournament. Also, some important sponsors have withdrawn their support, namely HB-101 that was the biggest financial contributor to the sport. Last year, the sumo association ceded, and allowed foreign advertisers to show their banners, consequently, McDonalds Japan is now a major sponsor, and is currently one of the very few supporters of sumo. Interestingly, when the banners were paraded, the crowded cheered and applauded, I never thought I’d see anyone do such a thing at the sight of a Golden M.
These sumo photos will be available at both Asia Photo Connection and my PhotoShelter account. Also, look out for the “Metaphors in Sumo” and Sumo Spills that I’m planning to produce, soon.
This morning I got to the training session of the Minezaki Stable, just one day before the controversial Summer Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament is to begin. The same old faces were there, practising hard, but looking far more ready and experienced. However, there was one new addition, a young Caucasian who looked like he was just giving it a go, and today was perhaps his first day.
The sumo association has been rocked by a series of controversies, and the latest includes cavorting with the criminal underground. This has caused the association to be censured for the first time. The national broadcaster, NHK, will not air this tournament live on TV, but show pre-recorded highlights after 7pm (one hour after the last bout). A lot of community support had been withdrawn from the association and individual stables. Usually, there must be absolute silence from on-lookers (like me) during the practice sessions, and absolutely, now flash photography. So, it’s little wonder that the Minezaki Stable appeared to allow an outsider to tryout today, and a group of children to watch, and not be told off for the racket they were making.
I’ve photographed this stable before, mainly because I really like the location, accessibility, and that there is the potential that I might be photographing a future top wrestler already. You never know.
