Fw: [sumo] asashoryu and SUMO reality

[Takanomizu]

I agree with Lynn. I think the Kyokai has waited long enough for Asashoryu 
to mature into his role as Yokozuna.  He might have thought he would just 
get a verbal spanking, as before. But this time he went too far.(fig & lit)

If Sumo became a free-for-all, like other sports, would it still be the Sumo 
we love?

Irene
Takanomizu

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lynn Matsuoka" <artist at aloha.net>
To: "Sumo Mailing List" <sumo at webtrek.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: [sumo] asashoryu and SUMO reality



The fans just don¹t understand- emotions have no place in this. Liking Asa
or not liking him are irrelevant. It runs deeper than pagentry, PR, great
athletic ability....

The sumo world is deeply Japanese,  and like  Japan, but more  so, an enigma
to  most outside the Japan-born Japanese people. EVEN THE NATIVE JAPANESE, I 
have found over all these years, don¹t have a clue about the rigors and
rules of the sumo world.

The comments on the you -tube clip are exactly how the Kyokai will take
Asashoryu¹s behaviour; rude, no common sense...  but they don¹t feel the
need to be so polite. The Kyokai in fact has been  incredibly patient in
waiting out Asashoryu¹s renegade behaviour, giving him the chance to come
around.  And probably not wanting to raise the  ³prejudice ³card that
naturally comes up . But that patience has only given the signal apparently
that it was  all OK.

He not only broke the rules but flaunted it for the world to see. This is an
embarrassment to the Kyokai, and if gone un punished, will cue others to
break the rules.  And any of you who know Japan well know that embarrassment
is avoided at all costs here. And those who CAUSE embarrassment are shunned.

As for the question-  would they punish a Japanese rikishi as severely? I
cant imagine a Japanese rikishi doing all this, or surviving his peers¹  And
Oyakata¹s outrage if he did.

Re Baseball.. The Kyokai a has told me personally that they don¹t give a
rat¹s $#@ about any other organization or how they function. They are an
island and are happy there.

But then, if the bad guy is caught in the first act, there is no movie.

Lynn Matsuoka
The Sumo artist, author
www.traditions.com


On 8/1/07 12:21 PM, "Pardoe, Richard (RPardoe)" <RPardoe at chevron.com> wrote:

>> If Asa were Japanese, would the punishment have been so harsh?
> Probably not.
>
> And I would disagree with you.  As was noted in the Sumo Forum, a very
> similar thing happened to a Japanese Baseball player (Daisuke Matsuzaka)
> when he was caught driving on a suspended license:
>
> Hananotaka posted
> (http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=12990&view=findpost
> &p=121764):
> **********
> When it came out that he'd driven with his license suspended, the
> reaction was swift and immediate. The courts let him off with a 195,000
> yen fine (roughly $1,800) for driving without a license and parking
> illegally. A hefty fine, but then Matsuzaka was making plenty of money,
> and it didn't really hurt him. But then the baseball team stepped in.
> They confined him to his house for the remainder of the baseball season
> (about a month). He had to cancel his trip to the U.S. to see the World
> Series, and did not participate in that year's all-star series between
> Japanese baseball and Major League Baseball, despite his appearance
> being much anticipated. His endorsement contracts were cancelled,
> costing him millions of dollars. The president of the team, the manager,
> and other executives publicly apologized at a press conference, with the
> obligatory deep bow for the cameras.
> **********
>
> Seems to be of similar harshness to me.  This is not an issue of "let's
> get the foreign Yokozuna".  In my mind this is an issue of an employee
> "calling in sick" to get out of some work but then being caught
> red-handed being all but sick embarassing his superiors.  I know I would
> be reprimanded at my work if I did that, and I think it is fair that
> Asashoryu get reprimanded for showing the flouting similar rules.
>
> - Rich Pardoe
> _______________________________________________
> Sumo mailing list
> Sumo at webtrek.com
> http://www.webtrek.com/mailman/listinfo/sumo

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