New Year Sumo Tournament
As 2007 dawns, top dog Asashoryu continues his run toward the record books

Asashoryu

Being a Japanese sumo fan is a lot like being an English soccer fan. England, as everyone knows, invented soccer (despite claims from Kyoto, China and other places), but its national team is a laughingstock when it comes up against foreign teams.

Sumo, of course, is Japan’s national sport (although it could have come from Mongolia or South Korea), but if you’re a Japanese rikishi, the chances are you, too, are laughed at every time you come out to play.

The last time a Japanese yokozuna appeared in the banzuke rankings was January 2003, when Takanohana and American Musashimaru were sumo’s top dogs. That was Takanohana’s last tournament, one that he didn’t complete due to injury, which forced him to retire at the age of 30. A year later, Musashimaru’s name, too, disappeared from the banzuke following his retirement in November of 2003, leaving a single man—Asashoryu—at the top.

Three years on, Asashoryu is still the only yokozuna, with barely a glimmer of a challenge from below. Going into the upcoming New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan, the man they call the Mad Mongolian sits alone on his throne, master of all he surveys.

But this is not the Asashoryu of old. Asa claimed his Mad Mongol moniker by being the wild man of sumo—grabbing chonmage topknots, scowling, slapping around other wrestlers, using the “wrong” hand to grab his winnings, wearing a suit, challenging referees’ rulings and beating up cars.

He didn’t explain himself or his attitude. He didn’t need to; he was the king, he had the power in a land of weaklings. That said, his power was still conditional. If he had remained “mad,” there was every chance he would have been booted out of sumo—marauding Mongols have never been welcomed in Japan—but three things have helped, if not tame Asashoryu, at least contain him.

First of all, maturity. He got married and had kids, and understands family values. Asashoryu comes from a wrestling dynasty in Mongolia, and his father has called on him to show “humility.” By all accounts, Asa’s wife, Tamiraa, is a very smart woman (she went to college in Germany) and is more than capable of looking after and handling the yokozuna.

Secondly, Asashoryu’s destiny in the ring may be his own, but he wrestles at the pleasure of the Sumo Association. There were very vocal calls for him to be thrown out of the sport a couple of years back when he was perceived to be disrespecting sumo’s traditions. Asa got his act together and responded in the best way possible: he won every tournament in 2005. While he understood that he was wrestling “by invitation,” he also recognized that it would be hard for his “masters” to dismiss someone with a perfect record.

Thirdly, there is history. Asashoryu now has focus. In the beginning, he was content just to beat people (and cars) up, and played the role of the schoolyard bully. But bullying is actually a sign of weakness—not needing to bully shows maturity and strength. Asa can still beat up almost anyone he wants to, but it’s clear he has a greater goal in mind: his legacy. At 26, he has won 19 yusho in four years. If you assume he has at least four years left, he could overtake Chiyonofuji (31 yusho) and Taiho (32) to become the most successful wrestler of all time.
And how embarrassing would that be for the Japanese? You don’t have to ask me; I’m an English soccer fan. Jan 7-21 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. See sports listings for details.



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