The venerable John Gunning dropped a banger in the Japan Times last week, discussing the fallout of the Hokuseiho bullying scandal and the Miyagino beya caretaker drama. Developments in the latter story have seen the public and media barred from the training facilities at the heya’s Osaka lodgings, as new temporary boss Tamagaki tries to steady the ship.
Tamagaki is the former Komusubi Tomonohana, and has been drafted in from Oshima beya to restore the viability of the troubled stable. In his article, Gunning expands on a point that frequent Tachiai reader/commenter/participant Asashosakari and I were discussing recently on Sumo Forum, that one of the issues that could be contributing to problems at heya that lack oversight is the wildly uneven distribution of oyakata at stables in the Kyokai:
“Despite there being 105 elder name shares in the JSA, and (currently) just 45 stables, the distribution of the former among the latter is far from even. Musashigawa stable for example has 14 wrestlers and just one elder… while in Kasugano stable, seven former top division men supervise 16 wrestlers. A more even apportioning of that experience and wisdom would go a long way toward preventing situations where immature 21- and 22-year-old wrestlers are left in control of groups of teenagers.” – John Gunning, The Japan Times
Now, before the conspiracy theorists start furiously pounding away at their keyboards, John and I have been seen in the same place at the same time, I couldn’t tell you anything about hurling and the only feelings I have for Manchester United are occasionally pity or loathing. But he is onto something and it’s rather in line with this excerpt from my Forum contribution:
“Another thing that hasn’t come up here is Takashima’s defection from Miyagino to Isenoumi a couple years ago. I don’t know if the real reason for this ever cropped up, and maybe he just didn’t want to be a part of what Hakuho was going to build, but you’d think that having a veteran presence at the heya (ie adult in the room) would help to hopefully mitigate some situations.
It seems absolutely nuts that Kasugano and Isenoumi account for 10% of all elder shares between just the two heya, and Kasugano has another 3 official staffers.
Now that everyone can be a sanyo, a good use of the role would be using their time to support new oyakata to help them develop. I could be wrong but newer shisho who have a sanyo or very senior oyakata in the backroom team (ie Oshima when he was Tomozuna, Ikazuchi with Irumagawa, Hanaregoma with Minatogawa, Oshiogawa with Oguruma, etc.) seem to have had it pretty smooth sailing so far.”
Before you make the point, I know, quoting yourself is weird and should be reserved for self-help and wellness influencers who repost their tweets on their main Instagram feed. But I digress.
I actually don’t believe heya consolidation is the answer, because while it potentially solves one problem it creates another issue in terms potentially pushing the declining rate of recruiting even further. But I do think a realignment of oyakata – and especially sanyo – makes a ton of sense.
Gunning points out a number of issues that would be caused by migration of oyakata, all of which are valid and you should go read the article. For the purposes of this thought exercise, let’s set up some ground rules:
- No oyakata leave their existing ichimon (keeps power balance the same as it is now), with one exception
- Prioritise support for new shisho (who inherited or opened stables in the last 5 years) by experienced oyakata and sanyo
- Don’t move oyakata to experienced single shisho if a better option exists
- Try to keep sub-family alignments in order to preserve culture (ie, among stables which branched from or share affiliations with other heya within the larger ichimon)
- We will ignore the geographical locations of the heya. Obviously, in real life it would be a big deal for an oyakata based in the south of Tokyo to move to, for example, Chiba or Ibaraki prefectures. I think it’s difficult to do this as a thought experiment and consider the personal circumstances of people we don’t know all that much about.
Takasago Ichimon
- Jinmaku (ex-Fujinoshin, 63) moves to Takasago from Hakkaku
Just one move here. I toyed with moving Tanigawa to Nishikido beya, as he’s spent 13 years coaching first at Hakkaku and then Kokonoe and is the best candidate to assume a heya. But Kokonoe has 25 rikishi and probably needs all four coaches. While Nishikido beya has been more or less dead since its own scandal(s) and has no one to inherit it, you can always move someone in closer to the time that the current shisho is ready to go.
So, the move that I did make is the soon-to-retire Jinmaku. Hakkaku beya has 18 rikishi, but in addition to the chairman of the association it’s also coached by a former shisho in Azumazeki and a future one in Kimigahama (Okinoumi). Takasago-beya, meanwhile, has 24 rikishi of its own, but only two coaches at present and the shisho is one of the youngest and least experienced in the Kyokai with only 3 years as a coach before taking over as stable master amidst a scandal. While Wakamatsu (former Asanowaka) is also there, this provides a much better balance.
Tokitsukaze Ichimon
- Kagamiyama (ex-Tagaryu, 66) moves to Arashio from Isenoumi
- Michinoku (ex-Kirishima, 65) and Tatsutayama (ex-Sasshunnada, 66) move to Otowayama from Michinoku
- Urakaze (ex-Shikishima, 53) moves to Arashio from Michinoku
- Katsunoura (ex-Kirinishiki, 61) moves to Oitekaze from Isenoumi
- Takashima (ex-Koboyama, 66) moves to Isegahama ichimon from Isenoumi
As referenced above, Isenoumi beya has 7 coaches for 15 rikishi, which is absolutely ridiculous. Let’s keep the former Oikari, Ikioi and Tosanoumi all in the heya with the shisho, as they were all Isenoumi-beya products. Kagamiyama recently shut down a basically dead heya and migrated to Isenoumi, and as a sanyo his services are better utilised with the relatively inexperienced Arashio oyakata, who has produced multiple sekitori and also seems to be an active recruiter.
Oitekaze oyakata is vastly experienced, but he has 20 rikishi that he oversees himself. Katsunoura is older than him, but by the time he reaches the mandatory retirement age, one of Oitekaze beya’s vast number of sekitori will be ready to take their steps into coaching anyway, so this can be a temporary move.
The other departure from Isenoumi beya will be Takashima. Whatever his reasons were for leaving Miyagino beya, he should certainly never have been allowed to take a fairly prestigious name out of that ichimon to go to a stable that was already overloaded with coaches, especially given the greater need for that share in Isegahama ichimon in future. It may be coincidental that Hokuseiho’s reign of terror is said to have begun in the summer of 2022, which is exactly when Takashima left Miyagino-beya.
Tatsutayama is formerly of Izutsu beya, so that’s why I found the fit for him as a sanyo who can provide senior support in Kakuryu’s new Otowayama beya. Finally, Michinoku beya closes in April and it’s said the rikishi will have their choice of stables to join within the ichimon. Word on the street is that Michinoku’s Ozeki and shisho will join up with Kakuryu, but there’s no reason for four coaches there so we’ll send Urakaze to Arashio beya.
Isegahama Ichimon
- Takashima (ex-Koboyama, 66) moves to Ajigawa from Isenoumi
This is a tough one to project, as we have the ongoing Hakuho disciplinary issues, as well as a handful of potential names that may be needed soon.
There’s going to be a serious kabu crunch here soon, as Takarafuji and Terunofuji probably aren’t that long for the mawashi, and Isegahama is going to need to hand over his stable next year. So, we’re bringing the Takashima kabu back into the family where it should have stayed, and we’ll put him as a mentor to Ajigawa for the time being.
Every other shisho in the ichimon has a partner except for Asahiyama, who is much more experienced and also has quite a small heya of rikishi who are similar in rank. We’ll leave things as they are with respect to Tamagaki and Miyagino beya for now, as that situation will resolve itself shortly anyway.
Nishonoseki Ichimon
- Kumegawa (ex-Kotoinazuma, 61) moves to Naruto from Sadogatake
- Minatogawa (ex-Daitetsu, 63) moves to Nishonoseki from Hanaregoma
- Minezaki (ex-Misugiiso, 67) moves to Shikoroyama from Shibatayama
- Shiratama (ex-Kototsubaki, 63) accompanies Hidenoyama when the heya branches out from Sadogatake
- Merge Otake beya into Minato beya when it probably closes next year
There aren’t many stables with a surplus of coaches in this large ichimon, apart from Sadogatake which will soon lose Hidenoyama oyakata to a branch-out. We also don’t want to deplete Sadogatake beya too much, because with 24 rikishi it’s easily one of the biggest heya in the sport.
So I’ve made five recommendations here, in an attempt to exercise restraint. Shibatayama beya, with just eight rikishi and a very senior shisho, doesn’t feel like the best home for a sanyo like Minezaki, a former stable master in his own right, despite their long standing connection. So, I’ve sent him to support ex-Homasho at Shikoroyama-beya where he is the new shisho following the former Terao’s passing. Homasho has plenty of seasoning as a coach, but as a large stable which has had some issues in the past, a veteran oyakata seems better placed to assist there.
Sadogatake beya ultimately gets its allocation reduced by half here, as the very senior Shiratama could accompany Hidenoyama upon his branch-out to offer senior support. Hidenoyama, presumably, will be slightly reducing the overall number of deshi at Sadogatake when he leaves, anyway. We’ll also send Kumegawa oyakata to Naruto beya, to offer support to an oyakata who has shown tremendous scouting and recruiting prowess but whose rikishi have suffered plenty of issues on and off the dohyo.
Hanaregoma beya, with just nine rikishi, probably isn’t the best home for three oyakata, including the very senior Minatogawa. As a former Nishonoseki man himself, we’ll send him to assist ex-Kisenosato, who is the youngest shisho in the Kyokai and with one of the largest heya, thanks to the deshi brought by his deputy Nakamura (ex-Yoshikaze). But in an effort to avoid the Hakuho scenario, sticking a veteran presence in a very junior heya might be helpful, even if temporarily.
Finally, Otake beya will probably close next year. If the oyakata intends to continue as sanyo (provided the Kyokai is open to it), it might make sense to send him to Minato beya where there have been some behind-the-scenes issues in recent years in an attempt to lend some additional stability.
Dewanoumi Ichimon
- Wakafuji (ex-Otsukasa, 53) to Shikihide from Kise
- Nishikijima (ex-Shotenro, 42) to Futagoyama from Fujishima
- Sekinoto (ex-Iwakiyama, 48) to Takekuma from Sakaigawa
- Dekiyama (ex-Hochiyama, 42) to Musashigawa from Sakaigawa
- Mihogaseki (ex-Tochisakae, 50) to Tatsunami from Kasugano
- Iwatomo (ex-Kimurayama, 42) to Tamanoi from Kasugano
Some of these moves were obvious and some were less obvious, and in the end I decided to be somewhat conservative rather than doing anything radical. Each of these moves adds an oyakata to a single-oyakata stable.
Wakafuji’s move to Kise always seemed a little bit weird. The heya has a few other oyakata, none of whom really made sense to move (Futeno might ultimately be the successor and seems to have worked closely with many of the sekitori, while Tokushoryu and especially Akiseyama may only be in situ temporarily, depending on Shimanoumi’s situation). In any case, another veteran presence at a Shikihide beya which has had some internal issues in the past few years seems prudent.
Nishikijima was the only oyakata that seemed to make sense to move to Futagoyama, as all of the other Fujishima beya oyakata would be senior to a shisho who by now has some decent experience. On the flip side, Takekuma is a brand new heya and it seems prudent to stick a senior oyakata from the parent heya with the former Goeido, who is one of the youngest stablemasters in the Kyokai.
I pulled another oyakata out of Sakaigawa beya as well, with Dekiyama going to Musashigawa beya. This was an imperfect fit, but I felt better about pulling from Sakaigawa (itself, like the original Musashigawa, branched from Dewanoumi beya) rather than Kasugano beya for two reasons: 1) Sadanoumi and Myogiryu – who may well be the eventual successor – are both soon to retire, potentially giving the stable yet more oyakata; and 2) it’s possible that Tochiozan (Kiyomigata oyakata) is a branchout candidate from Kasugano himself, especially if Tochinonada (Takenawa oyakata) is the eventual successor to the heya in 3 years’ time.
I did however pull two oyakata from the bloated Kasugano beya: the first was the more obvious move, with the junior Kimurayama going to Tamanoi beya which branched from Kasugano, and which has a large volume of rikishi. The second was less obvious, and probably the biggest debate, as Tatsunami beya is another large stable. It also has a number of sekitori with more likely soon to follow, so it felt like an experienced coach was better than moving the likes of Tokushoryu, which is why I settled on Mihogaseki, the former Tochisakae. With Tatsunami not having any connections within the ichimon due to its relatively recent realignment, it was tougher to find a suitable candidate.
Conclusion
All in all, this was an interesting exercise. What it showed me was that it’s possible to improve the balance of coaching within the Kyokai by making around a dozen or so moves and without any radical realignment of the existing ichimon structure.
There will be more scientific ways of doing this, and more forensic ways that take into account the various personalities. As a back of the napkin exercise, however, I think it does show that if the Kyokai put some proper time into researching how to realign their coaching resources, they can probably come up with something even better that would be even more impactful.
It’s also worth linking to this recent article from the Asahi Shimbun. The piece details another solution, which is allowing coaching credentials and ideas to dictate the ability of a former rikishi to operate a stable, rather than the duration of their time on the dohyo. Perhaps we can visit some suggestions for concepts like that in a later post.
What do you think of all of this? Obviously this isn’t the standard Tachiai thought experiment and might be limited in scope to a handful of die-hard readers, but if anyone has any thoughts they’d like to share in the comments then I’d certainly love to kick those around as we get ready for the upcoming basho.
Sometimes, don’t we have to change the paradigm. Resting the future of sport on ethnocentric old men, anchored in traditions that no longer respond to the reality of populations of young hopefuls, isn’t that playing with fire? Endangering the survival of sport? Where would football be in the United Kingdom Europe without the contribution of foreign talents – players, coaches, managers? Where would be hockey and baseball in America without Russians skaters or Japanese and latinos baseballers?
In your article, you treat as paronoia the criticisms made against the fate reserved for Hakuho in particular, as well as other great foreign rikishis who have become the headliners of the sport not only outside Japan… but also in Japan? Isn’t that the case? Canings in the Beyas are not new. How many Japanese elders were ostracized like the gaijins were?
What job was reserved for Hakuho by the Association upon his retirement? Arbitrary judge? No. But a guardian and in the communications and public relations department with the obligation to promote Sumo throughout Japan and abroad?
The success of the Hakuho Cup gave a boost to young people’s interest in sport… including that of girls and women still ostracized by the Association. So the old beards are jealous of the success of the operation by associating it with irregular recruitment practices?
Hokuseiho behaved like an idiot. A 22-year-old giant in a country of dwarves who idealize giants can easily become an imbecile and commit quasi-criminal actions. Forcing him to leave the sport that has trained him since his earliest years is a way of doing things that may seem reasonable. Keeping him within the sport and making him a better man and an example of rehabilitation as was the case with Asayonama who exposed all his colleagues to the disease would have been better.
Drive Hakuho out of the sport, prove good old John, the “spokesman” of the Association, right, sprinkle the ranks of the heyas with obedient old beards*… and watch the sport decline.
*I am 80 years old!
Whoa mama
First of all, thank you for the comment, it seems as though you’ve certainly been thinking about this stuff a lot, and I appreciate it very much at a time when most commentary is very reductive. There’s a lot here to unpack.
That being said, this thought experiment isn’t really about “what punishment awaits Hakuho” or “how has Hakuho been treated” or “shouldn’t they be nicer to foreigners” or any of that kind of stuff. It really came from an observation that actually, stables where there has been some assistance and some leadership have done pretty well to keep things on the rails (Andy loves a good railway safety metaphor).
“In your article, you treat as paranoia the criticisms made against the fate reserved for Hakuho in particular” I don’t really know where this is coming from, I’ve just recapped the facts at the start. My only real speculation is over why Takashima left the heya two years ago, which I don’t think makes any sense.
What a few of us just happened to realise independently is that, while there are a lot of elders in the Kyokai, the distribution of those elders is quite bad. Even if there’s no scandal, it’s still crazy for there to be 7 coaches at Isenoumi beya, it doesn’t make any sense. Fixing this could be a lot better for making sure there’s more coherent or at least better oversight. The purpose of this was to take that idea and then say “ok, if we could redistribute the leadership better, what would it look like?”
I think there is for sure a time and a place to say “maybe there’s a better way to run a Sumo Association,” and if some of the rumours floating around the internet this week come to pass, then we may have a lot of time to debate that in the future. But as for now, I think we can look at the culture and accept that this is not a place where revolution occurs – if anything, its remit is to preserve and evolve only as absolutely necessary. So within the existing framework, can it still be improved? I think yes, and that’s where the ideas in the post come from.
The last thing I’d say – and I don’t know that it’s my place to even say it – is that I certainly don’t think John is any kind of spokesman for the Kyokai. In my opinion he’s certainly critical when the time is right to be critical and as a longstanding media participant I know that many of us on the periphery are grateful for the access into their world that he is able to provide and explain.
“ethnocentric old men, anchored in traditions that no longer respond to the reality”
Those are the reasons why I like sumo.
“I actually don’t believe heya consolidation is the answer, because while it potentially solves one problem it creates another issue in terms potentially pushing the declining rate of recruiting even further”
I’m on board with oyakata redistribution, but I’m generally in favour of heya consolidation, too, if only because I don’t expect the number of rikishi to significantly rise again regardless of how strong everybody’s recruiting efforts might be, and there’s really no reason to have ~45 stables for under 600 wrestlers.
I do wonder if it would help if the roles and responsibilities of affiliated oyakata were better known / better publicized. People who are regularly in contact with a particular heya might know that while it’s X-beya, it’s really Y-oyakata who handles the training and Z-oyakata who handles the off-time supervision because X-oyakata is actually busy with other Kyokai work, etc., but for the public at large the division of duties is really opaque – if they’re aware that affiliated oyakata do work at stables at all. (Heck, over on Reddit even a user I’d normally classify as above-average in clue recently proclaimed that not all oyakata are, well, oyakata, because he was under the misapprehension that “oyakata” == “stablemaster” only.)
It would be quite a break from sumo’s strongly hierarchical nature, but perhaps stables ought to be run with more of an acknowledged collaborative model where a handful of oyakata are known to pool their human resources, including e.g. credit being given for an “affiliated” oyakata’s recruiting and training efforts. (Currently, we basically just know about that when it’s somebody who is expected to branch out with his personal recruits at a later date.) Internally, some stables are probably already working like that, with the official heya owner being just first among equals rather than supreme commander, but I think it could help with the public image of life in a heya – and perhaps even with recruiting! – if people knew them to be more of a “sumo school” with a variety of “teachers” who contribute different strengths to the project, as opposed to the current black box model of heya operation where basically nothing besides the owner’s personality is known (if even that).
But all that is arguably part of the larger conversation about transparency in sumo that the Kyokai has been wrestling with for the last decade and a half…
Just to add: If there’s one thing the Hokuseiho mess has told us, it’s that even in cases where many fans are convinced they know perfectly well what a particular heya “is like”, the truth can be wildly different. I have a feeling that much of the overblown “they’re just out to get Hakuho” defenses/spinning/excuse-making seen from international fans in the last couple of weeks is just borne from their inability to confront the fact that they got things so completely wrong about Miyagino-beya.
I’ll revisit your bigger point a bit later after I’ve had some sleep, but the immediate thing about this for me is:
I think some of the shock comes from “they made him sign that thing!!!”
And I was somewhat surprised just for that reason. But I just keep going back in my head to the departures of Takashima and ex-Miyagino. You lose two very tenured heads in the room, regardless of how much they were doing, and I feel like it must have an effect (although to your other point, impossible to quantify). We all know Hakuho is constantly out of office, and Ishiura has his fairly well documented extra curricular activities. So it’s like, “well, yeah.” It’s hardly the most implausible scandal we’ve ever seen!
My immediate reaction and honestly part of the reason for the post was thinking about other very active recruiters with significant extracurriculars like Naruto and Takekuma and thinking “it’s gonna happen there as well, right?” And obviously Naruto has already had issues.
Did the previous Miyagino disappear into the ether? I would be surprised if he didn’t stick around in an unofficial capacity. I think Daikiho is still there coaching, no? Some folks might have an unofficial role or a contractor role and maybe Miyagino thought the situation was going to get handled by someone else? I hate to speculate and I really like the transparency of roles that Asashosakari brought up.
Just to add here, along with explaining which oyakata is responsible for what, it would be good to know whether some of those roles are handled by others. Seems some heya have managers from outside the sport, as well as sewanin and/or wakamonogashira and sanyo. I would be surprised if they have simple roles, like stacking akeni in trucks. I would not be surprised if they have wildly different roles from heya to heya.
Some arguably have privately employed “junior oyakata”, too…ex-Daishodai at Oitekaze-beya comes to mind. His role is listed as “manager” マネージャー on the heya website, but I think it’s safe to say that he’s essentially the oyakata’s right-hand man, as not only a former sekitori of the stable, but also personally close enough to the shisho that he got to inherit Daishoyama’s shikona towards the end of his active career.
Indirectly that also points to an issue that’s arguably not for the Kyokai to solve, at least not within the current framework where shisho qualification is just based on dohyo success – they could mandate the provision of extra manpower to heya owners like Josh outlines, but the owners have to want it. Sumo is no exemption to the adage that good leaders surround themselves with good talent, and bad leaders…don’t.
OK, circling back now on this. The recruitment thing is an interesting talking point, and probably no surprise that Gunning has gone straight for that afterwards.
I work in an industry that constantly cuts-its-nose-off-to-spite-its-face and is currently doing so at record speed (music), so in a bizarre way, I’m kinda familiar with some of the machinations here. Game recognise game!!! Also like sumo, it’s very under-optimised. I just have this feeling that, if the Kyokai were able to set a 5 year plan, and set up a task force for how to reverse the shrinking rikishi population trend, and properly organise the stables in a way that would encourage this, they could flip it around and make sumo sexy again.
I don’t even really think they need to do all that much to stablise and then reverse it, even with Japan’s other ongoing economic factors, it just feels like the marketing story is pretty horrendous. There are so many internal factors and external factors that it feels like they can improve, without even radically touching the culture or open-ness to foreigners or any of that kind of stuff.
I know kabu nerdery is such a ridiculously niche thing, and even more so the actual roles (even the publicly known Kyokai committees and jobs) and there are very few of us in the depths of SF that pay attention to the good work being done to report this internationally, but I feel like your suggestion is a good one. This is an unpopular suggestion but I also wonder if a gradual widening of the elder pool (105 > 110 > 115 > 120 > 125) might create a situation where higher quality coaching is available because the Kyokai work can be spread wider and more work can be done on actual good coaching, compliance, culture, etc.
The collaborative model is also an interesting idea, but maybe that’s one where more can be made of the ichimon in general. Not that they are really all that properly competitive but again I can make an analogy to my life in music – the major record companies all have label groups inside of them which share some central resources but also compete with each other even inside the same company (normally by way of marketing and scouting). The Kyokai is more or less set up the same way, these ichimon don’t do their own jungyo, they have their own central shared marketing services but can compete by way of recruiting and coaching to develop excellence.
It feels like there are some more thought experiments posts in here, but we’ll save that (and the other crap I have on hold) for after the basho…
Is Daikiho one of those unofficial “jr. oyakata”? I got the sense that he’s coaching over at Miyagino.
My impression is almost certainly coloured by what we’ve learned about the broad lack of supervision at Miyagino-beya, but it always seemed to me that Hakuho employing Daikiho and Ryuo is more a “jobs for the boys” thing with Hakuho trying to take care of guys he likes. Not so much a case of trying to have someone who actually gets to call the shots in Hakuho’s absence, and has his backing for it. But I could be totally wrong.
I read Gunning’s article and the – well titled and written – thought experiment here. At first it made some sense: insert some experienced coaches to help new heya’s get their feet under him. Then I thought about it some more and have come to believe that it would actually make little change and may make things, including recruiting, worse. It seems to me that it’s a solution without first defining the problem.
There is quite a lot at play. Just a few of the many things to think about.
Abusive behavior surfaces as a scandal every now and then but really, it’s the norm and not the exception. There are far too many interviews with former rikishi that confirm this. The level may go up and down, but it’s always there. Redistributing coaching that grew up in this environment and may have no desire or commitment to changing it and/or lack the knowledge of how to change it will likely result in further institutionalizing it. It may even go so far as squelching new approaches as new heyas are opened with the intent of doing things differently (e.g. Nishonoseki?), especially in Japan with the strong senpai/kohai culture. So the problem statement is how to propagate the technical skills and beneficial parts of the culture without pulling along the bad parts of the culture.
The outlook for a rikishi when the sumo career is over isn’t what it used to be. The combination of declining and aging population, particularly in more rural and traditional areas, the stagnant economy of the Lost Decades that shows no immediate signs of improvement, and the likely automotive manufacturing apocalypse driven by missing the electric vehicle shift all combine to make it less likely that the heya support groups will be able to provide soft landing spots for low ranking rikishi when they retire. There’s a good side to this: more college graduates are entering sumo with plans in place for when the body wears out. The bad side is that sumo is increasingly recruiting from people in difficult situations and with fewer options. While this is not the case for most new recruits, several data point indicate it is a trend. More options means less likely to put up with a bad environment and conversely few options means feeling forced to endure it. So the problem statement here is how to make sumo a viable first career for rikishi rather than a roll of the dice that is increasingly likely to be taken only by people in difficult situations.
Generalizations about and group usually lead to poor outcomes, but at the risk of doing so … The trend to finish college before joining is relatively recent. The majority of the rikishi population comprises people with basic formal education. So the problem statement becomes how to provide the right kind of education to help those who stay in sumo.
I’d look at a more radical solution than just spreading the old ways more evenly. When new recruits enter sumo they go to sumo school for 6 months or a year, depending on origin. Consider creating a second school for oyakata in conjunction with outside groups including universities and successful leaders from other sports and professions (and maybe an alcohol and diet rehab program?) Perhaps plan on a few tracks and have each track be 6 to 12 months part time.
– If planning to coach without opening a stable have a focus on sports and health science, leadership, and motivation.
– If planning on opening a heya, have a track that adds finance and management skills.
– If planning on working on tournament and PR organization, have a track that focuses on project management, communications, and PR.
For those not staying in sumo provide a forum for companies to build relationships with the rikishi so they can get a running start at a second career.
This would address problem 1 by bringing in outside perspectives, especially from effective leaders and motivators in other sports and industries but preserving and refining the learned knowledge of sumo technique and training. It would help with problem 2 by making sumo less of a gamble thus widening the attraction for new recruits. It would help with 3 by providing appropriate adult style education as opposed to college or nothing.
Now then, did Japan really miss the electric vehicle shift? and what does that have to do with sumo? And aren’t we about to shift back to non-electric because of the human rights issues involved with getting the raw materials for batteries? Nothing to do with sumo either, I know! However, do I discover tendencies of “white man saviour syndrome” here, just saying. Imagine the good people of Japan writing reams and reams about how to reform US gun culture after every mass shooting. Would that be welcome? I occasionally compare rikishi with ballet dancers. Both groups are subject to a very strict regimen, possible physical and psychological abuse by their teachers and abuse their bodies for the enjoyment of others. Once they are spent at a fairly young age, they end up with next to nothing financially, having ruined their health in the process. One of my brilliant reform ideas for sumo once was setting up an upper weight limit to reduce the diabetes risk.
As a consequence sumo would no longer be sumo, but wrestleres would be more healthy. It’s a complex world out there. This exchange of ideas is interesting but futile.
Define, “white man savior syndrome”. If having an opinion is an illness, well shoot, I am sick as a dog. If you ask Japanese about sumo and bullying, they would say there’s a problem. You read about it in Twitter and I hear about it at home and with friends…who are not white, some are not men, and are literally card-carrying Japanese. Even they begin to question the communal lifestyle and, yes, the distribution of oversight.
Don’t get me started about Japan and guns. They don’t need to “write reams,” they live the alternative and many of us would hope to learn from that.
We all are outsiders here to the sumo world. We’re fans. Race and ethnicity have zero to do with it.
Installing a supervising system within the JSA itself and with their own resources should generally be welcomed. I see two difficulties in the plan of distributing elder oyakata as sanyo: first one is, as you already pointed out slighty, that 60+ people maybe won‘t like to be moved around the Tokyo Map. Without knowing what their present tasks in their heya really look like, I‘d presume that it would be regarded as disrespecting to make them leave their places. As I understand, they live there as senior members as a result of personal decisions during their career, no? There’s a proverb sounding like: you don’t plant the old tree elsewhere. On the other hand I admit, that the oyakata/sumotori ratio in some heya seems strange and could be transformed into something more useful. – Second thing would be, that every shisho has his own style of teaching and running his community. There may be persons who like to work in teams and some who like to have it on their own – and are better with that. To force in a constant supervisor would not always be the wisest solution for them. Though there has to be a possibilty to have insight, what’s going on there. All these may be naive assumptions from far away, but I think there are some natural laws in social life, which occur round the planet.
Besides, your considerations how to do it, if to do it, seem very thoughtful and well accommodated.
With the disclaimer that I didn’t read this entire post in detail, because it is just out of my league in terms of sumo knowledge, I don’t see any explanation of why the oyakata-tachi have clustered in this way. What incentives underlie it?
It’s hard for me to evaluate a solution without understanding the source of the problem. Is this really something that can be fixed by a central authority just moving the elders around like shogi pieces until the distribution looks good? And repeat as necessary? Whose ox would be getting gored in the process?
Since this is taking place on planet Earth, and among species Homo sapiens, I assume there has to be a financial aspect, but I don’t know what it might be. In truth, I only have a rudimentary understanding of who pays whom for what in sumo.
I just want to know the names of grumpy old men who are spearheading the hate against Hakuho while hiding themselves cowardly behind JSA name. Give me like 5 names so I can curse 5 times per day.