Battle over sumo event in Mongolia

During last month’s sumo tournament in Nagoya, Mongolian Yokozuna Asashoryu pulled out on the 6th day, citing an elbow injury. But insiders say Asashoryu might have pulled out of the tourney after hearing talk that a sumo tour to Mongolia—scheduled for this month—might be canceled.

“As soon as he heard that news from reporters, Asashoryu requested permission to withdraw from the Nagaoya tournament,” says one insider at the Takasago sumo stable to which the yokozuna belongs.

“He suddenly told his stablemaster he would have to withdraw from the tournament to take medication at a hot spring spa in Mongolia. However, the stablemaster told him he couldn’t go back to Mongolia.”

Asashoryu’s company in Mongolia is supposed to host the tour. Former Mongolian sumo wrestler Kyokushuzan, who is currently a politician in Mongolian, visited Japan on July 17 and advised the Japan Sumo Association to postpone the tour due to the unstable political situation in the country after the general election.

A sports reporter says, “Asashoryu asked politicians to send letters to the Sumo Association to request that the tour not be postponed. Finally, the association made the decision to conduct the tour as scheduled.”

However, Kyokushuzan has been trying to get the tour postponed. “We should not risk the safety of sumo wrestlers in Mongolia. I also think it’s too tacky to hold Japan’s national sport in a circus tent that Asashoryu owns.” (Translated by Taro Fujimoto)

Latest 15 of 21 Total Comments Show All

dennis0bauer at 03:14 PM JST - 1st August

Like mongolians would attack sumo wreslters? The Mongolian sumo wrestlers are all big stars in Mongolia, are there issues between Kyokushuzan and Asashoryu?
ExPrinceska at 04:26 PM JST - 1st August

I love Asashoryu's childish tantrums, they remind me of one man not related to sumo.

Asashoryu is already a history as yokozuna. He won't be back so strong as before.
timorborder at 08:03 PM JST - 1st August

What this does not mention is that Kyokushuzan and Asashoryu have a bit of a history (going back about 5 years ago).
Chessnutroastin at 10:06 PM JST - 1st August

With a lot of gas left in his tank, Asa needs to refocus on sumo instead of business ventures. If he doesn't Hakuho will simply leave him in the dohyo dust. And despite the Princess' sumo fantasies, there currently isn't even one more person close to these rikishi in skill and talent.
Sarge at 10:10 PM JST - 1st August

"Asashoryu is already a history as a yokozuna"

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Asashoryu will win the next basho.

"The Princess' sumo fantasies"

They center on Kotooshu, the handsome Bulgarian gladiator who made his kachikoshi with one win to spare this basho.
ExPrinceska at 01:24 AM JST - 2nd August

"The Princess' sumo fantasies" They center on Kotooshu, the handsome Bulgarian gladiator who made his kachikoshi with one win to spare this basho."

yes, I admit Kotooshyu was a bit shaky this basho but he is so handsome, strong and polite that I do not mind his losses, I will always admire and respect him. The bad boys Asashoryu and Hakuho do not have manners, they almost fought after their bout in the Tokyo tournament, it was a very shameful act of both yokozunas. Asashoryu is a symbol of unsportsmanship, a yokozuna shall respect his opponents and should not behave like the bully of his village. Aslo and yokozuna should not make business of the sumo tournaments he participates in. He can do this after his retirement.
sharpie at 10:31 AM JST - 2nd August

I really think the J media are out to get Asashoryu. I honestly think that the media and alot of fans of sumo are frustrated that there has been, and exists no hope of a J wrestler stepping up and taking he title of Yokozuna.

I mean,look at the crap ad drama that those loser brothers takanohana and waka went through with their father's estate. they acted like complete children and shamed themselves, as well as the sumo world with their selfishness. but yet the media still treated them with love and respect. Asashoryu blows a fart and its in the papers the next day. poor guy. well, not really, i guess cuz he's the one that's laughing. laughing all the way to the bank. that guy needs a house just to put all of his hardware in. great champion, walking history.
USAPatriot at 10:33 AM JST - 2nd August

sharpie- Great post!!

He is non Japanese, ie doesnt understand WA, hehe! Of course they are out to get him, and what is more annoying is , he is the best ,and he doesnt do exactly as he is ordered.

He is a good guy!!
ExPrinceska at 11:38 AM JST - 2nd August

great champion, walking history

A great champion should win not only against his opponents but he should win the hearts of the people. Most Japanese do not like Asashoryu because he is arrogant and disrespectful and does not understand what sumoe means for Japanese people. They say that if Asashoryu was a Japanese person, he should have retired long ago after all the mistakes he had done.
Hun at 09:43 PM JST - 2nd August

If he was a Japanese he would have been treated like a god, which is the proper treatment of great yokozuna.As for arrogancy and disrespect thing, they are histeric fists of impotent Japanese who realized that Japanese have lost their ohzumo totally to Mongolians for years to come.
GenkiDesuKa at 01:13 AM JST - 3rd August

So, Kyokushuzan asks the Sumo Association to cancel the tour, Asashoryu says please don't, and the Sumo Association decides to go ahead with the tour, therefore we should all comment that the Japanese are out to get Asashoryu because he's not Japanese??

I was at the Kokugikan when he clinched his yusho that would promote himself to Yokozuna, and I thought he was great at the time. However, over the years he has proved himself to be unworthy as Yokozuna. As this incident should prove to anyone who hasn't been paying attention, he is just as unpopular with his fellow Mongolians as he is with anyone in Japan.

This is not to say that people don't want to see a Japanese yokozuna. But, there hasn't been a Japanese yokozuna since Wakanohana (and a worthy Japanese Yokozuna since Takanohana) but the dislike felt by everyone for Asa goes far beyond this reason.
Blue_Tiger at 02:27 PM JST - 4th August

I agree, Sharpie - Not only is Asashoryu a foreign rikishi at the hgihest rank, but he's on track to break several records in Sumo, which only seems to incense the J-Media more. Just imagine how much more anti-Asa press there'd be if Hakuho had been Japanese, or if a Japanese Rikishi had been promoted to Yokozuna? The reason the J-media doesn't like Asashoryu is because he's good, and he puts the smack-down on the rest of the Sumo world.

As far as Princeska and Kotooshu, if Kotooshu does any more of these 15-0-then-9-6 baso's, he's going to end up like Kaio and Chiyotaikai: career mediocrity fighting between insignificance and kodoban, always good for an upset or two, but never good enough to make final promotion....
Asahak at 09:14 PM JST - 5th August

I have been to Japan several times just because of Asashoryu and this stuff GenkiDesuKa writes it total crap. Sorry. And to write that Asa is is unpopular with fellow Mongolians is just laughable. Of course he will be back and kick the ass of both the Bulgarian Noodle Boy and this other Yokozuna who forgot his Mongolian roots.
ExPrinceska at 09:51 PM JST - 5th August

Blue Tiger, Kotooshyu is the only one who tries to oppose the Mongolians. They have trained since youths only this sport which has traditions in Mongolia. Kotooshyu is in sumo from a few years ago. He is a wrestler trained in the pure classical Greek-Roman style, who turned to sumo because his weight did not allow him to continue competing in wrestling. He is a World wrestling champion, a thing, neither of these Mongolians can dream of achieving. But future is in front of Kotooshyu, he is only 25, and can achieve his dream to be yokozuna when he wants to do it. He can be both - a world wrestling champion, and a yokozuna. The successor of the great Dan Kolov!
isthistheend at 04:38 PM JST - 26th August

All these experts of sumo. Ha ha ha. None of the Yokozuna aof today, or in Akebono, Musashimaru days are Japanese, so they really aren't Yokozuna, which is the pride of Japanese Culture and tied to Emperor worship. When they leave the sumo world, they go back to Hawaii or wherever they were born. Hakuho has a pretty Japanese wife and 1-2 children now so maybe he'll stay. But in general, sumo is just a waste of everyone's time, its so mediocre. I did see an interesting commercial on the Internet recently, filmed in N.Y. or some such big city, a hoard of 40-50 sumo running down the street in their sumo loinclothes, in the shape of a plane or something. Now that was exciting. Its a wonder how they lose their fighting abilities once they enter the dohyo.