[sumo] [Long] Asashoryu Yaocho Article from Shukan Gendai

[Joshua Maciel]

Comments throughout:

On 1/29/07, Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda at yahoo.com> wrote:
> If some of his records were indeed set as a result of
> yaocho, it's definitely a conduct akin to betrayal of
> the citizens in Japan.

I know this isn't the original language, and it's been translated, but
does anyone else find it a little obnoxious to speak in hypotheticals
here when he's being a lot more blatant elsewhere?

> Mr. X pointed out the next four bouts to be Gachinko
> or no bout-fixing.
> Day 2: Futeno
> Day 4: Iwakiyama
> Day 7: Aminishiki
> Day 8 (the middle day of basho): Kisenosato
>
> "These four rikishs are well known 'Gachinko rikishi'
> in the Ozumo world and have never known to get
> involved in Yaocho bouts. Even if they were asked by
> the yokozuna, they would never have accepted nor gone
> along with the request. So to put it otherwise, we can
> state all the remaining bouts were undoubtedly 'Chusha
> Sumo'," Mr. X said.

Does anyone else find this logic rather odd? These rikishi are known
not to cheat, therefore all the other rikishi were fixing bouts?

> What is unexpected is in the list of Yaocho rikishis
> are European rikishi names like Roho, Kokkai, Kotooshu
> and Baruto. Not so long ago, European and Mongolian
> rikishis disliked each other profusely and there were
> scenes of them getting into petty fights during jyugyo
> tours. One time, a major sumo magazine tried to
> feature a cover picture with Asashoryu and Kokkai but
> the photographer could not even get them together to
> stand next to each other.

I remember seeing Kotooshuu and the Mongolian Rikishi (Asashoryuu,
Kyokushuuzan, Tokitenku, Kyokutenho, and a couple others) all playing
basketball together and smiling and laughing. But I'm sure it was just
a facade, to throw us all off the trail of this yaocho thing.

> However a story goes that Yaocho money transactions
> eventually brought them together. As if to symbolize
> their relationship, we witnessed such scenes in a
> recent Fuji TV network program "New Year's Eve in
> Japan with Kazuko Hosoki" aired on December 31 last
> year. In the program Asashoryu was shown surrounded by
> Kotooshu, Kokkai and Baruto from other Ichimon groups
> eating foods cooked by Hosoki and talking to each
> other like one big family.
>
> Yoshio Ishibashi, chairman of the Yokozuna
> Deliberation Committee is not pleased with rikishis
> appearing on such a TV show. "People who have seen the
> program may well have gotten a strong impression that
> foreign born rikishis are all so friendly to each
> other. A yokozuna should not appear in a program that
> could bring in such a doubt to the viewers."
>
> (Edit: I watched this program. My personal opinion was
> that there was no such exchange between Assahoryu and
> Kotoooshu as they simply behaved civil. While
> Miyabiyama and Kotomitsuki looked more like a loving
> couple. Especially Miyabiyama looked totally drunk.
> Regardless the writer got this one wrong. In this
> program neither Kokkai nor Baruto were there although
> Kotooshu was there. Hosoki did not cook as she had
> professional chefs preparing food. The food tab was
> said to be over six million yen (she served 20 bottles
> of red wine from Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour,
> Chateau Lafite-Rothschild). Other rikishis invited
> were Ozeki Chiyotaikai, sekiwakes Kotomitsuki and
> Miyabiyama.
>
> Hosoki is a controversial figure and is well known for
> her acid tongue fortune telling and "straight talk".
> She is often fond of telling showbiz types that they
> would "fall to the hell." She has several popular
> weekly TV shows of her own on network TV as well doing
> private counselling and publishing fortune telling
> books. She is one of Asashoryu's favourite people to
> be with and Asashoryu is known to commute to a
> hon-bassho arena in a chauffeured white Rolls Royce
> Hosoki owns. Asashoryu even says she even treats him
> like her own son. She was one time a nightclub owner
> and was even accused of prostitution as well as having
> close relationships with organized crime groups.)

I entirely agree with this part (I saw the program too).

> Asashoryu is keeping winning while smearing Japan's
> national sport. In the next issue we will elaborate on
> the Yaocho structure in Ozumo with Asashoryu as its apex.

And now he doesn't bother to hold back any punches and describe it as
a possibility. Disgusting.