The latest incident again taught us that it is difficult for those who do not hold the spirit of Japanese people to be bearers of the Japanese culture

Friday 12th September, 03:24 AM JST

Kenshiro Matsunami, a former wrestler and one-time vice education and sports minister, referring to the marijuana scandal that has seen three Russian sumo wrestlers booted out of the sport. (AFP

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13 Comments

realteacher at 08:07 AM JST - 12th September

Why does JT continue to put this drivel on the site? "those who don't hold the spirit...." sounds like a watered down Ishihara rap on foreigners... again.

WAKE UP FAT BOYS OF SWA, your sport has gone international, and without the interest of foreigners, sumo would in all likelihood die in the next decade. The last couple basho's I went to looked like a gathering of westerners anyway, at least so far as the crowd went. The vast majority of Japanese spectators were old geezers and their paid for dates.
realteacher at 08:14 AM JST - 12th September

Sorry, JSA, not SWA... oops, must have gotten carried away by my aryan roots. ;-)
cleo at 09:37 AM JST - 12th September

Matsunami is talking claptrap. Were the holders of the Japanese spirit who beat up the young lad in the sumo stable and then tried to cover it up by offering to take charge of his funeral 'bearers of the Japanese culture'?

The only Japanese spirit worth having is imojochu - and even that's messed up these days.
Schutzstaffel at 09:50 AM JST - 12th September

This man talks words of ignorance. These are typiuval words og people in high positions in Japan. it is a shame many Japanese and Japan loving foreigners on here will not criticize his comments

cleo- plaese inform me as to the meaning of imojochu.
cleo at 10:04 AM JST - 12th September

Schutzstaffel -

Sorry, imojochu is a clear strong liquor made from sweet potatoes and, apparently, rice. Lakefuls of the stuff have been recalled after the manufacturers realised they'd used contaminated, unfit-for-consumption rice to make it.
Schutzstaffel at 10:22 AM JST - 12th September

cleo- Thankyou for this information.
nisegaijin at 11:18 AM JST - 12th September

Yes, true Japanese spirit of beating your Kohai to death. Of course it is absolutely nothing compared to a gaijin smoking a joint on his free time in Roppongi. I sincerely hope that this moron will adhere to his true Japanese spirit and just jump off a bridge somewhere.
kavikahi at 11:34 AM JST - 12th September

Spirits weren't meant to be held, most good ones anyway.
borscht at 03:07 PM JST - 12th September

I've heard people say for decades now that rice is Japanese culture. (Never mind 3/4 of the world cultivates and eats it). As Cleo pointed out, the company that sold rancid rice to the sake and shochu makers - do they have the Japanese spirit? Poisoning their fellow Japanese people? This is Japanese culture?
outofmydepth at 03:50 PM JST - 12th September

oh, i guess murdering a younger rikshi falls under the "spirit of japanese people." along with the tainted rice scandals, the mislabeled food scandals, murder, mayhem and suicide taking as many with you as possible. yes, that`s the japanese spirit. i do not think this man speaks for the majority of japanese.
kavikahi at 04:47 PM JST - 12th September

I think I get what he wants to say, I would have gone with: hold culture, bear spirit.
LFRAgain at 05:15 PM JST - 12th September

I think Matsunami's statement falls squarely in the "What an ass" category.
bushlover at 06:22 PM JST - 12th September

I think he's right or the Sumo wrestler who possessed a controlled substance would have offed himself. That's really good Japanese Spirit. To off yourself when reality hits.