[sumo] Death at Tokitukaze beya - Time Line

[Lon Howard]

On Oct 1, 2007, at 3:00 PM, Moti wrote:

>
> I say it is a matter of  hours before Tokitsukaze Oyakata is ousted  
> from the Kyokai, with or without taking responsibility. The Kyokai  
> has to be seen as acting quickly on this matter. After the police  
> have made it clear they have hard evidence and Tokitsukaze himself   
> has admitted his role in all of this, although he tried to play it  
> down, this looks like it is it.

I'll be aghast if the Kyokai acts before charges are brought or  
before the Oyakata accepts responsibility...but I've been aghast  
before and I'm prepared for it.  Still, even if this occurs, it's  
evident that the NSK has had to be dragged kicking and screaming into  
taking any action themselves.

After all, they  received a 'full' report from the Oyakata within a  
month or so after the young man died.  Since the reports of cigarette  
burns and other abuse on the body was already well known at that  
time, you would expect he had to answer some pretty pointed  
questions.  If the Oyakata told all, it means the NSK was willing to  
let the whole thing fade away if the police never came up with  
anything.  If the Oyakata withheld information about his involvement  
from them, it means that even though he was lied to, the Rijicho  
still had to receive the admonishment from the government before he  
was willing to publicly say that they would act themselves, and  
that's after having 'slept on it' for a day or two, as evidenced by  
his remarks during the press conference.

Even with the punishments that are bound to be meted out, whether  
criminal or internal, I'm skeptical that much change in the way  
training is conducted is in the offing.  All of the five conditions  
given to the Kyokai by the government for improvement have enough  
wiggle room so that the status quo can pretty much continue,   
especially if Tokitsukaze-beya was a 'rogue' beya as far as it's  
training methods are concerned.  If that's indeed the case, then not  
much would need to be done in the other heya, since the five  
conditions are designed to prevent another death, and not to enact  
major reform.

But if the use of  baseball bats, beer bottles, etc. is modified in  
at least one other heya, I guess it will be worth it.  And if I ever  
get to sit in on a butsukari-geiko session, maybe I'll bring along  a  
stopwatch.

Lon Howard
Shomishuu