After Hokuseiho’s sudden kyujo in January, the rumor mill began churning that the absence had been punitive and based on bullying allegations, not injury. This week, we have learned the rumors were true, and the Kyokai has acted decisively. Hokuseiho has resigned and is coach, Miyagino-oyakata, has been handed a severe punishment for basically ignoring the allegations when they were brought to him and obstructing the Kyokai’s investigation, but he stays in the Kyokai — for now.
The Japan Sumo Association’s Compliance Committee found that Hokuseiho had been inflicting on-going, regular, casual abuse upon two lower-ranking wrestlers. He would assault them with his hands, sticks and strips of mawashi and even burn them with burners and cans of bug spray. He was also stealing from fellow wrestlers. In light of these facts, the Kyokai has accepted Hokuseiho’s resignation. I would expect to see a blank spot in Juryo when the Haru-basho banzuke.
Though Miyagino-oyakata was alerted to the abuse during the Nagoya basho in July 2022, for which there was photos but he didn’t look at the pictures. He did not report it to the Kyokai, nor did he work with the wrestlers to end it. He just seemingly ignored it and then blocked Kyokai inquiries. He will be demoted two ranks, from iin to toshiyori, which is the lowest rank among the oyakata. He will also be hit with a 20% pay cut for three months.
A care-taker will be appointed from the Isegahama ichimon to oversee Miyagino-beya and act as stablemaster from Haru-basho, for a period to-be-determined. The Kyokai and Isegahama-ichimon will provide guidance and training to Hakuho on how to be a stablemaster. The Kyokai will have another meeting and Isegahama will report on the matter after the Spring tournament to reassess. This is not over.
Bottom line: Hokuseiho is out and Hakuho is skating on thin ice.
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I won’t actually miss the lumbering one armed tree. His bout against Midorifuji was distasteful to me. From then on I scrubbed past any match he was in. The decision to punish Hakuho so severely seems like bullying by the Kyokai. I am sure there is much more to this political story. However, phrases like cut off your nose to spite your face spring to mind. I am glad I got to see Hakuho work his magic on the doyho. Here is hoping there exists a perfect place for his magic among the other sumo elders.
He ignored what was going on for over a year. The little nugget about how he hindered the Kyokai’s investigation was particularly surprising to me and I hope to find more details about that. But Hokuseiho got off light. Given the circumstances, if I were one of the abused, I would want to see charges. Given the length of the abuse and some of the details about burning them…I mean, compensation would be the least of it. I would want jail time. In light of that, Hakuho’s blind eye is egregious and seriously disappointing. But shisho is a massive job. You’re not just a coach (which is what he seems to excel at and really enjoy). You’re a CEO, running around trying to fund raise while being a surrogate parent to a host of teens and twenty-somethings…all while being a husband and father to your actual family. I think it was something unpleasant that he hoped would resolve itself and he had no idea how to do it…especially without cooking the goose that was laying his golden eggs (Hokuseiho). I think that the fact that he is overseeing the development of Hakuoho was his saving grace here.
Totally agree
The stablemasters, in the end, are the ones with the power to quell bullying. If there’s an issue with the punishment handed down to Hakuho, it’s that it hasn’t been meted out to other coaches who have this going on in their stables. Every stable should be required to have the type of security that got Hokuseiho busted, especially if that’s what it takes for anything to be done.
It sounds like the Kyokai are going out of their way to set Hakuho on a path to improve. It would be great if the instructions and lessons he gets can be standardized and provided to all stablemasters when they start up.
Might be harsh but I feel the same way. Hokuseiho was just starting to fill the “standing around with a belt grip for 2+ minutes” niche that Ichinojo has barely vacated. Hopefully that post remains unfilled for the time being.
Living up to your handle.
I would agree that the punishments to both seem well deserved and appropriate. In a major company with a strong compliance culture a manager who ignored whistleblowers would expect to be fired. What happened to Miyagino is not unreasonable compared to global norms. The issue is rather that the Sumo association only a few months ago did nothing about the reports against Oshoma, arguing that, as the complainant rikishi had already quit, they had no jurisdiction. That seemed and seems a quixotic argument for total inaction.
I am not sure what, if anything, the Kyokai did about Oshoma. There may be an investigation, it may be open or not.
Incredibly disappointed in Hakuho. He is responsible for all the rikishi in his stable, but he “wouldn’t look at photo evidence” and later obstructed investigations? In light of this, it would have been warranted to kick him out, as much of a legend as he is. I hope he does better in the future (and if not, that he does not get another reprieve).
Whether or not the NSK would have been more lenient towards other oyakata is another question, but I would rather they crack down on stuff like this hard than to let the bullying fester as has happened before, with oyakata and higher ups protecting the bullies rather than everyone else.
I can’t decide whether a) Hokuseiho has such a terrible personality that given the slightest status in a stable hierarchy he can’t help but abuse it massively by disrespecting, controlling and inflicting pain on others – what might be called psychopathic tendencies, or b) he’s just a misguided wayward kid who got carried away with a certain bad behaviour and wasn’t smart enough to realise that if it continued he’d eventually get caught and lose that bright future everyone thought he had.
If it’s (b) then a lot of the blame is on Hakuho and his colleagues for not stepping in and redirecting him before it was too late. If it’s (a) then essentially he was an accident waiting to happen and while taking action earlier may have diffused the situation, only intensive long-lasting mentorship could have really helped him, which seems to be more than Hakuho can give. Whether (a) or (b) it’s still disappointing that no-one was willing to take any action for so long.
Maybe c) both? Sounds like some of the behavior issues, like theft, were known when he was still in school.
Interesting that the caretaker is from Isegahama-beya which had it’s own bullying episode in 2022. Or maybe I am confused by the names. Anyway we can hope that this puts everybody on notice regarding these type of behaviors and all stables become more proactive.
It was cited in the press as “Isegahama Ichimon”. The Ichimon is a group of heya, not just Isegahama. It includes Asakayama, Isegahama, Asahiyama, Oshima, Ajigawa, and Miyagino. Presumably any of the oyakata there could be offered up as the caretaker. They include the stable masters but also, presumably, other coaches like former Tomonohana, Kaisei, or even Ishiura. Should be interesting to see who is picked.
Well, Kaisei always seemed like a sweetheart in the ring so here’s hoping that personality prevails in his coaching
Thanks for the clarification!
What happens to a guy like Hokuseiho after Sumo? Will he get any pay from the JSA? He’s young but he’ll need a job of some sort. Some kind of post Sumo life. If he’s troubled, and I think he is, he’ll need counseling and support. Kinda sad, actually.
In the articles it had mentioned his supporters. I imagine some of them might stick around but yeah, he’ll need to find a new gig. Some guys try to go into MMA or pro wrestling. Others set up businesses, like gyms or personal training. Tōōyama seems to be working with a company that helps them find gigs in the entertainment industry… So there are resources and connections. But for all intents and purposes, he’s out of a job.
The NHK World story quoted the sumo association as demoting Hakuho for “failure to report the problem, and allowing outsiders to interfere in the investigation.” The second reason is a little surprising, I wonder what the story is.
I’m not surprised with any oyakata failing at the social aspects of running a stable. Being really good at pushing and throwing does not prepare you well for that, and having a bunch of young men living together in extreme hierarchical structures almost inevitably creates abuse.
Add that the oyakata has a bigger financial interest in his higher ranked wrestlers, and you have a very bad combination.
I don’t think a lot of people who went through that system themselves will make actually good stable masters in terms of dealing with interpersonal stuff. And while Hakuho, unlike his two biggest rivals, managed to not have to retire for assault, I’m not surprised he doesn’t take it seriously. IIRC , he was there (along with many others) when Harumafuji beat up Takanoiwa. He didn’t tell the kyokai then either. Nor did any of them.
I’m rapidly becoming enough of an “old man yells at cloud” curmudgeon that I sometimes wonder if some of the sumo bullying episodes we’ve seen in recent years might have something to do with newly overly sensitive mores, as opposed to real misbehavior (and I’m in favor of violating covid nonsense as a matter of principle), but the allegations against Hokuseiho above, brief as they are, seem to suggest he may have some real psychological problems, and it’s probably best he has been separated from the sport.
I hope the young man gets help and finds a path forward where he lives as a responsible adult (quite possibly in Mongolia).
My first thought was, “What the heck was Hakuho thinking!?!?” Hasn’t he seen Animal House?
Let see whose in the building. Young men, in a culture of physical intimidation and beer, ages 18, 21, 23, 18, 26, 25, 23, 22, 25, 25, 21, and 22 plus a 27 and 35 year old in sandanme and makushita that aren’t going anywhere. That leaves Enho, who is about as big a Hokuseiho’s leg and Ishiura/Magaki who isn’t much bigger to provide the maturity. Unless Hakuho made it crystal clear that Ishiura’s role was discipline and that he would back him up without hesitation, what else did he expect when he went home in the evening or off to his many other obligations?
Maybe the leadership should have forced him to watch Animal House to scare him straight as well has making him sign the good behavior paperwork.
One of the cardinal rules for good management, and good parenting is, “What you permit, you promote.” Hakuko’s role is both manager and parent so it applies doubly. By not responding to the first incidents he promoted the bad behavior.
My opinion, free from any knowledge about the details, history, financial implications, etc. is that they got the punishments backwards. Hakuho should the one out and Hokuseiho with the big suspension (which means demotion).
There seems to be some concern about someone like Kaisei being too kind or soft for the temporary leadership of Miyagino. Most of the best managers, coaches and parents I know are kind, thoughtful, nurturing types. They also have clear boundaries and establish expectations and consequences up front. When people go out of bounds they make it clear that the consequences are not up for discussion. “If this” is immediately followed by the previously communicated “then that”. Given the state of the NSK’s recruiting and finances the “then that” needs to be clearly stated as “then I hand in your paperwork for you.”
I suspect someone like Kaisei, supplied with the coaching up front about setting clear expectations and consequences, might be very refreshing all involved.
Somehow I don’t think the expectations were set up front, once again leaving Hokuseiho’s worst impulses free to run.
He should have known not to try to burn someone’s hair off with a can of Raid and match, but …. Animal House.
I only disagree with one sentence. I think the Kyokai got it right to kick Hokuseiho out. He can sort out his behavioral issues at home and not where he can find more stablemates to bully. He would regain his status after demotion, at some point. Also, Hakuho is an asset to sumo and the Kyokai. He’s no disciplinarian, that is clear. So I think the Kyokai are doing this right. Get him, and Ishiura, some assistance in running the show. They will produce amazing stars of tomorrow but they need to be able to behave. They can’t be prima donnas.
What a bloody, damn shame. Wow. This is so messy. This shouldn’t have happen. I really feel for the lower ranked rikishi that were done awfully wrong by all of this. All so unnecessary. This is Hakuho chance to show that he’s oyakata material…and he’s let so many people (and fans) down with his mind-bending actions. Hopefully Hokuseiho will get the help he truly, desperately needs. Smh.
I haven’t been paying attention… I just heard that Hokuseiho has retired due to his bullying, so I go searching for info, and find this lovely forum!
I’m relatively new to Sumo fandom, but I watched Hakuho for the last few years before he retired. As we know he was awesome, but I noticed something else, he was, and probably still is, really really arrogant. When he was in the dohyō, everyone else looked like nonentities. I’m familiar with the type, when you’re that good, no one sets limits on you, and you can get away with almost anything. I think he saw Hokuseiho, as his legacy and was blind to, or supported, anything he did.
Hokuseiho was always the biggest kid in the room, none of the other kids could challenge him, and he fell to bullying without concern or awareness. Hakuho is a bully himself, have you seen his open training events? He probably saw Hokuseiho’s bullying as natural.
I have to admit that I wasn’t a fan of Hokuseiho’s game. Two minutes of him standing there waiting for his weight to overwhelm his opponent. Just like boxing, it’s the lighter weights that are most entertaining.
I would disagree with the Hakuho-as-a-bully characterization. It is a contact sport. People are physical in the ring. He’s intense. He’s damn good, and he knows it. But I think that characterization goes a bit far.
I go back to the Ikioi/Kizakiumi fight or the Takayasu/Tamawashi fight. Your opponent is going to force you to make decisions, which might result in injury, in order to win a bout. I cringe every time I see someone on the edge, like Kizakiumi, straining hard not to step out. Ikioi’s only choice to win? Topple him. Kizakiumi never recovered. Tamawashi got a lot of hate for his arm bar. But we see it, tournament after tournament. How do you train to win that way? How do you train to actually avoid or defeat those techniques? You need the intensity in practice.
I have never seen Hakuho overly physical, like Asashoryu was to him. And Asashoryu knew he was on camera. The one point where he was a bit arrogant was when he wanted a mono-ii after losing to Yoshikaze. You see other wrestlers subtly tap their topknot or slow-roll their sonkyo all the time, sending a message that they disagree with the call and want a mono-ii. He went way too far in that situation and lost face because of it. But that certainly wasn’t bullying.
Hakuho also loves the sport. He loves the idea of kids learning and taking up the sport. But overall, he seems to legitimately fight for the enjoyment of the fans. I do think that their satisfaction is what he is after. When the fans turned on him after he henka’d Harumafuji…he was near tears from the rebuke and apologized, apparently quite sincerely.
It sounds like Hokuseiho was quite the bully, on the other hand. I am glad he is out of the sport, and it sounds like his own heya is happy, also. I hope Hakuho learns his lesson on how to manage these kids. The ones who are left seem to be really good kids. Hakuoho seems legit, not just with skill but with character. Hakuho’s biggest mistake was probably committing to Hokuseiho in an airport when the kid was in elementary school. The guys that he recruits now seem to be gems and I think the sport is much better off with him there.
Just wondering, will Hokuseiho have a haircutting ceremony at any point? I’ve heard that he wanted to hold one in April, but there hasn’t been any news of that since. Do we have any information?
I don’t. His heya doesn’t exist anymore so I don’t think Miyagino would be putting it on. He might have to go the Ichinojo route. It’s a good question and I will keep my eyes open for news.