He had to protect his honour, even though his career was outstanding and im certain that no one would complain about a 3 way rivalry with hakuho and kisanosato. PS that would be amazing but like Chris says sumo is littered with Ifs and buts. What happened happened and it surely is hard to except but yokozuna have to maintain the highest standards of honour and because he admitted it's truth his honour went flying.
Seems his writing skills are just as sharp as his fighting ones were in his prime. I miss him very much and I'm deeply sorry for the way he was forced to leave. Thank you, Chris, again for your generosity. Your channel is a gift I don't think I deserved.
I discovered Sumo watching Takanohana wrestle and become a dominant yokozuna, it's quite a shock to discover what kind of person he is and has become. Harumafuji is soarely missed. And yes, I would like to hear more about Harumafuji, thank you !
Thank you for this. Harumafuji was and likely always will be my favorite rikishi. Not a Basho goes by that I don't miss him, so hearing news about him is always welcome.
The top division is a shadow of what it could be if Harumafuji was still competing. Such a pity, but such an honorable decision he made, knowing full well the consequences.
it was a sad day when Harumafuji retired, one of the few wrestlers that could really give Hakuho a run for his money, interesting to see what's happened to Takanoiwa since the incident, something about it always made me wonder
I got into sumo in September 2017. Within a month, still barely skimming the surface of sumo, its intricacies and history, Harumafuji became my favourite Rikishi. The sheer grit and power and finesse, and in a stature relatively small for a sumo, was fascinating. You can only imagine how heartbroken I was when he left sumo almost at the same time I began to truly appreciate him!
it shouldn't have happened- takanohana really handled things shamefully. takanohana deserved to be forced out of the JSA for his dishonorable politicking, throwing careers away in order to try and force the advancement of his own.. i believe when takanoiwa says he was unable to control the situation, because he was under control by takanohana. turns out while he was great as a yokozuna, he made a terrible elder.
Please translate more of this incredible book. I truly appreciate what you have already produced. Harumafuji was the glue that held my love for Sumo together and it has been difficult to find anyone else to equal his passion and skills.... I live in hope.
Thank you, Chris, for your generous gift of time and excellent translation of Harumafuji's version of his infamous beating of Takanoiwa and subsequent resignation from o-sumo. While I can't say I believe everything Harumafuji states, I surely appreciate hearing his side of the story. Yes, more please. :)
thanks Chris I have been searching for info on the incident since it was announced. I am vary great full to you for taking the time to make these videos and keep us informed.
Thanks man. That was GREAT. Really appreciate it. I was a big fan, and so sad to see him go and get kind of demonized. I thought he had dignity as a YOKOZUNA.
I thought the negative press reaction was reprisal for Harumafuji throwing Kisenosato off the clay and giving him his 'career ending' injury. Does he speak about that at all in his book because I feel the two incidents are sort of related, at least in the context of ousting him from Sumo. And to be clear, I was heart broken when Kisenosato got injured. He was amazing before the injury. But I do think that the post match push had a lot to do with anti Harimafuji sentiments that could have contributed to his retirement.
i don't think kisenosato's injury was ever even considered harumafuji's "fault" by anyone aside from that minority who resent the mongolians in sumo. those kinds of injuries happen, too often, and if anything, the dohyo height is to blame.
I was scrolling down looking for others like you. For me too, it will always be Ama who stopped Hakuho's win streak by throwin him in the seats a decade ago.
Harumafuji mentioning pain and weight loss after retirement reminds me, I'm curious to know how rikishi cope with retiring both mentally and physically.
his high blood pressure was probably caused by the general stress of the situation. comfort post-retirement is highly dependent on what your peak rank was. san'yaku, especially ozeki and yokozuna have a lot softer of a post-sumo life waiting for them than say, someone who peaked in juryo. having an elder stock helps a lot, as well.
Wow, "I started punching him", not "I punched him". It was multiple blows. This was before my time watching sumo but this whole event just seems crazy to me.
Let's all be honest: his autobiography is self-serving and inaccurate. He observed a high-school star being surly and dismissive in the face of a Yokozuna, challenged him, also received a dismissive response, got enraged and proceeded to beat him up to teach him a lesson. This was also a kid he'd supported and followed for some time, so he indeed likely had a reformative intent. This much he states and everybody can agree on. However, where Harumafuji starts to vacillate and tell lies of omission in his autobiography, Hakuho is quite clear. So are the doctors who examined Takanoiwa, and several other wrestlers and staff members at the karaoke bar. He flew into a rage, punched him 20-30 times in the face then hit him in the head with a solid, randomly-grabbed object (the object differs) until forcibly separated by Hakuho (who by his own admission was watching but avoiding intervention). In so doing, Harumafuji didn't merely cut Takanoiwa, he fractured his skull. To say he did that with his bare hands is a lie. The most obvious candidate for this is a beer bottle, which Hakuho says he saw him wielding. The whole "I never hit him with a beer bottle" bit is sophistry: the actual object is irrelevant, it was sufficient to fracture his skull and was seen in SOME form by multiple people.
Then I also found out this comment on TH-cam saying: "after Takanoiwa's retirement, further investigation lead to the discovery of the fact that Takanohana and his discipline faked the injury and caused Harumafuji to retire for something that would have been a minor incident. Further along, takanoiwa was not on his phone when hakuho was talking to him, he repeatedly insulted Hakuho and caused drunken Harumafuji to bonk him on the head with a karaoke remote. Takanohanas was forced to leave the association for faking a severe injury, for his student and causing a scandal."
@@bxyhxyh "bonked him on the head" For such a self-described peaceful and evolved society, the Japanese have a masterful ability to deny acts of violence when they want to, don't they?
I know nothing of this altercation, but I would like to comment on something you suggested. Namely hitting someone with their bare hands could not cause a skull fracture. When he was younger, my father was professional boxer who served in the Army. While overseas, he got into a bar fight and the MPs showed up. He fought them, knocking one out and gave another a skull fracture until he was knocked out by blows from a police baton. He was charged with using a weapon on the MPs and it took some investigating to determine that this was not the case and that charge was later dropped. So, a person can certainly give another person a skull fracture just using their bare hands. I don't know if Harumafuji is telling the truth or not, but it is at least within the realm of possibility.
Harumafuji seems like an intelligent, eloquent, and reasonable guy. I think he was treated much too harshly, especially by the media. Given the circumstances, I don't think him hitting Takanoiwa was a very big deal. I still suspect foul play by Takanoiwa, especially knowing his vicious nature, and I think Takanohana is complicit. You don't get scalp stitches by being punched a couple times. In that light, if I were in Harumafuji's shoes, I would not have retired so soon. But maybe I don't understand Japanese social norms.
harumafuji had to give up his career, as yokozuna, because of one incident? fine him, suspend him, have the wronged party sue him for bodily harm but this is preposterous! this man dedicated his life to sumo and managed to climb to the highest rank and thats how you treat him? imagine lebron being forced to retire under these circumstances? totally disgusting!
People dont get the incidence and just want to judge from their perspective. What Takanoiwa did was provoking as much as he could. He very well instigated the reaction and knew that full well. Telling two Yokozuna that they are hasbeens and looking down on his mobile, that is an offense that could have ended his career and I have to say from a japanese perspective rightfully so. He did not understand at all to behave like a rikishi should. Haru should have never needed to retire because of that.
mixed to positive, but for weird reasons. nobody can argue that hakuho is the greatest of all time, or at least since antiquity, but they will always be more excited for a japanese wrestler. the japanese (for the MOST part) haven't really been racist like we think of it in the west since the end of ww2- it's more of a national pride when someone who is japanese is at the peak of something, not much different from having pride in one's own national olympic team. the key thing to remember is that japanese culture is still VERY homogeneous, the population likely exceeding 98% ethnic japanese, so there is no real separation in their minds between the japanese culture/nation, and the japanese people. there is still some way to go before the final barriers of more casual things like accepting foreigners as part of their culture are gone, but that goes quicker as the older generation slowly fades away. it's not something that happens overnight. it's kind of interesting, though, because a lot of NEETs are *more* xenophobic, but they won't really matter, since they are just NEETs and will not likely get into politics (or reproduce). they are, however, the majority of japanese you're likely to encounter online anonymously, so they have a big impact on how the japanese are seen online.
Dear Chris, Would very much appreciate knowing how HARUMAFUGI is doing now. How is he spending his retirement? We heard that he went into a law enforcement career. Is that true? I am posting this in Sept. 2019. And WE STILL MISS HARUM VERY MUCH! Thanks for your hard work 🇺🇸 💜 🇯🇵 💪 🙋
Asashōryū Akinori and Harumafuji Kōhei both were set up by the Japanese for being Mongolians. Plan and simple they do not want Mongols to be Yokozunas. And Hakuho is next because of his "erratic" behavior. Is sad to see a great sport like sumo wrestling be controlled by a few "elites" who never even had a single sumo match.
I believe in Harumafuji. Takanohana's father 'had a role in building a counter foreign force stable. No rikishi from the stable is allowed to battle each other. How much advantage was there for his two sons in those days? Now this time carrying on the tradition. Oyakata Takanohana becomes instrumental in forcing the Mogel Yokozuna Harumafuji out this time, isn't it?
I have learned a bit about Sumo ecosystem and if looked closely, I think they are to the public both heroes and toys. By this I mean they like them and praise them but when retired many are left alone. A wellfare and education system should come into place if Japan really loves them, otherwise it seem each one is just a toy fron which they will choose their favourites to play with after retirement. A humble opinion on what I know so far. One more thing, the rules and field of play make the fat seems to be neccesary, but hakuho, asashoryu and Harumafuji shows that so much fat is not necessary, also enho shows it. Sumo wrestlers could be lead to nourish by new scientific knowledge on how to prevent diseases. Old is not neccesarily good. Smart is always good.
HOOOLD UP....Harumafuji retired because Takanohana was mad at him? Well just give him a day to cool off dude. Youd reach him to apologize eventually. No mention of the Sumo association pressuring him to retire? This seems a bit rash.
I would love to hear Hakuho's take on that evening. Whether there was a beer bottle or not, why did Haramafuji hit him? That is not how yokozuna are supposed to behave. So unlike him. I had liked Haramafuji since my first basho, but I had noticed that he had become unnecessarily aggressive that last year or so. The day he pushed Kisenosato after he had already won the bout, I was quite surprised. Nobody mentioned it, so I tht I was being silly. Kisenosato's career was basically over as a result of that fall. Something, I believe, was going on with Haramafuji. I have noticed Hakuho becoming more aggressive, too, lately. Slapping, pushing. Maybe the pressure on yokozuna is more than we will ever understand. I hope Haramafuji is happy and healthy now. Wow. I guess I needed to get some stuff off my chest.
As expected, Harumafuji downplayed the events of the karaoke incident, not offering many details of the real reasons of the meeting and avoiding at all cost mentioning alcohol use- which has been considered as the igniting key element of this incident by many. I personally think he missed a chance of set the record straight about the importance of sumo decor outside the dojo and its enforcement but that can open another can of worms even worst.
Many sumo fans around the world believe that, with Haramafuji and Assasshoryu gone, there is no actual competition for the Hakuho. Thus rendering the tournaments boring and not worth watching.
The last two tournaments have been FAR FROM BORING. With no Yokazunas the field has been wide open and very exciting to watch the wrestlers in the lower ranks do their best. The bashos without Yokazunas have been some of the best in the last few years. Of course, this is my opinion but I have read in sumo comment sections many other sumo fans say the same and offer their praise of the performances of the lower ranked rikishes also.
You can't feel bad about his retirement. He assaulted another wrestler, and these events happen all too often in the sumo world. You don't get to assault another person for "disrespect" when all they did was try to ignore what your friend was saying.
Sumo culture is so strange. Why would Haramafuji get so upset over the guy pulling out a cellphone. Was it really worth his career. So dumb. Trying to look like a tough guy, but really it’s just bullying.
It is not bullying, since Sumo is full with tradition and respect in and off the stage, Harumafuji feels the other Sumo is not listening to Yokozuna who speak to him. Thats what it is, being a Sumo is on and off the stage status, nothing personal.
Harumafuji will always be my favorite wrestler, and I'll always miss seeing him fight. Thanks for the readings.
Harumafuji proved his worth and honor by stepping down. He was (and always will be) a true Yokozuna.
He had to protect his honour, even though his career was outstanding and im certain that no one would complain about a 3 way rivalry with hakuho and kisanosato. PS that would be amazing but like Chris says sumo is littered with Ifs and buts. What happened happened and it surely is hard to except but yokozuna have to maintain the highest standards of honour and because he admitted it's truth his honour went flying.
Your sumo translations are a blessing to sumo fans around the world who cannot read or speak Japanese
That's right, german Sumo fan here and merely a beginner in my conquest to learn japanese :) Thank you, Chris!
Seems his writing skills are just as sharp as his fighting ones were in his prime. I miss him very much and I'm deeply sorry for the way he was forced to leave. Thank you, Chris, again for your generosity. Your channel is a gift I don't think I deserved.
I discovered Sumo watching Takanohana wrestle and become a dominant yokozuna, it's quite a shock to discover what kind of person he is and has become.
Harumafuji is soarely missed. And yes, I would like to hear more about Harumafuji, thank you !
Su Shin Fudo Shin he is actually quite arrogant and presumes to be Sumo royalty because of his family tree
@@jaberjaber131 Even his own family members cannot stand him and literally every single one of them had issues with him......
Damn shame. Terrible way for it all to end for such a great rikishi.
Thank you for this. Harumafuji was and likely always will be my favorite rikishi. Not a Basho goes by that I don't miss him, so hearing news about him is always welcome.
Chris, this is outstanding work! Wish you'd translate the entire book (and many more like it)--I'd buy them all!
The top division is a shadow of what it could be if Harumafuji was still competing. Such a pity, but such an honorable decision he made, knowing full well the consequences.
Excellent and necessary work Chris. Thank you for your elucidations into the memoirs of Harumafuji.
it was a sad day when Harumafuji retired, one of the few wrestlers that could really give Hakuho a run for his money, interesting to see what's happened to Takanoiwa since the incident, something about it always made me wonder
He has retired. Out of ring incident.
Three videos in one day? Thank you Chris!
I got into sumo in September 2017. Within a month, still barely skimming the surface of sumo, its intricacies and history, Harumafuji became my favourite Rikishi. The sheer grit and power and finesse, and in a stature relatively small for a sumo, was fascinating. You can only imagine how heartbroken I was when he left sumo almost at the same time I began to truly appreciate him!
it shouldn't have happened- takanohana really handled things shamefully. takanohana deserved to be forced out of the JSA for his dishonorable politicking, throwing careers away in order to try and force the advancement of his own.. i believe when takanoiwa says he was unable to control the situation, because he was under control by takanohana. turns out while he was great as a yokozuna, he made a terrible elder.
I would love to hear more of what Harumafuji has to say, I miss seeing him in the ring.
Harumafuji was one of my favourite wrestlers, when you have the time, I would enjoy hearing more of your excellent translation. Thankyou
If this happened in America nothing would have been made of this. Great video Chris translate more of the book when you have time. Thank you
Merci Monsieur Gould. Your pages are opening windows on Japanese culture and sumo.
Very nice to finally hear his side of the story....
Please translate more of this incredible book. I truly appreciate what you have already produced. Harumafuji was the glue that held my love for Sumo together and it has been difficult to find anyone else to equal his passion and skills.... I live in hope.
ive heard this great recount from you Chris 8 times.. - cant get enough. Absolutely fabulous narrations
So many passionate people left their comments about their loved sport and person, thank you Chris for your work.
Love your channel. Thank you 😊
I, along with everybody else, would love to hear more. Thank you for your service!
Great video, as always great work...
I enjoyed this very much. Mr Chris if you translate the book I'm sure many of us will buy it. You could put it in PDF or some format like that.
Thank you, Chris, for your generous gift of time and excellent translation of Harumafuji's version of his infamous beating of Takanoiwa and subsequent resignation from o-sumo. While I can't say I believe everything Harumafuji states, I surely appreciate hearing his side of the story. Yes, more please. :)
Thank you what you do. Keep going
Please if you would be so kind tell him I honour his integrity. Much love and respect to you and him from Canada
without Harumafuji, nothing can stop Hakuho, all my respect to Harumafuji and honorable way to step down.
Was sad to hear when he retired , I then started sumo right after . Hopefully he can tune in to me like I did to him and hopefully meet him .
Amazing insight as always, Chris! Thankyou very much as always.
Thanks so much Chris. I finally feel I really know what happened!
Nice work woth the translation.. thanks for giving us an avenue to get sumo news here in youtube..
thanks Chris I have been searching for info on the incident since it was announced. I am vary great full to you for taking the time to make these videos and keep us informed.
I'd definitely be down to listen to an audiobook of this!
No other Yokozuna could perform the tachiai like Harumafuji, not even Hakuho. JSA was way to harsh on him. He would have gone far.
Would love to hear more from Harumafuji’s book
I'd love to hear more from his book, Chris, when you have the time.
This is great. Keep it up
Thank you for your hard work !
Alcohol makes people do stupid regretful things. I heard he hit him with the karaoke 🎤. I miss Harumafuji's sumo.
Thanks man. That was GREAT. Really appreciate it.
I was a big fan, and so sad to see him go and get kind of demonized.
I thought he had dignity as a YOKOZUNA.
Thank you Chris for this. Very awesome and appreciated!
Do you know if there will be an English edition of the book?
Been watching sumo for about two years now, well recall this controversy, so yes please Mr. Gould, more translations.
I thought the negative press reaction was reprisal for Harumafuji throwing Kisenosato off the clay and giving him his 'career ending' injury. Does he speak about that at all in his book because I feel the two incidents are sort of related, at least in the context of ousting him from Sumo.
And to be clear, I was heart broken when Kisenosato got injured. He was amazing before the injury. But I do think that the post match push had a lot to do with anti Harimafuji sentiments that could have contributed to his retirement.
ChairmanChairman sounds more like an anti-Mongolian crusade rather than anti-Harumafiji.
i don't think kisenosato's injury was ever even considered harumafuji's "fault" by anyone aside from that minority who resent the mongolians in sumo. those kinds of injuries happen, too often, and if anything, the dohyo height is to blame.
That was great, thanks! More of this would be cool
Thanks for speaking of my Ama.
I was scrolling down looking for others like you.
For me too, it will always be Ama who stopped Hakuho's win streak by throwin him in the seats a decade ago.
What about the guy picking a booger behind harumafuji? 1:00 in
Harumafuji mentioning pain and weight loss after retirement reminds me, I'm curious to know how rikishi cope with retiring both mentally and physically.
his high blood pressure was probably caused by the general stress of the situation. comfort post-retirement is highly dependent on what your peak rank was. san'yaku, especially ozeki and yokozuna have a lot softer of a post-sumo life waiting for them than say, someone who peaked in juryo. having an elder stock helps a lot, as well.
Wow, "I started punching him", not "I punched him". It was multiple blows. This was before my time watching sumo but this whole event just seems crazy to me.
Thanks for the reading. Keep up the good woork.
Let's all be honest: his autobiography is self-serving and inaccurate. He observed a high-school star being surly and dismissive in the face of a Yokozuna, challenged him, also received a dismissive response, got enraged and proceeded to beat him up to teach him a lesson. This was also a kid he'd supported and followed for some time, so he indeed likely had a reformative intent. This much he states and everybody can agree on.
However, where Harumafuji starts to vacillate and tell lies of omission in his autobiography, Hakuho is quite clear. So are the doctors who examined Takanoiwa, and several other wrestlers and staff members at the karaoke bar. He flew into a rage, punched him 20-30 times in the face then hit him in the head with a solid, randomly-grabbed object (the object differs) until forcibly separated by Hakuho (who by his own admission was watching but avoiding intervention). In so doing, Harumafuji didn't merely cut Takanoiwa, he fractured his skull. To say he did that with his bare hands is a lie. The most obvious candidate for this is a beer bottle, which Hakuho says he saw him wielding.
The whole "I never hit him with a beer bottle" bit is sophistry: the actual object is irrelevant, it was sufficient to fracture his skull and was seen in SOME form by multiple people.
Then I also found out this comment on TH-cam saying:
"after Takanoiwa's retirement, further investigation lead to the discovery of the fact that Takanohana and his discipline faked the injury and caused Harumafuji to retire for something that would have been a minor incident. Further along, takanoiwa was not on his phone when hakuho was talking to him, he repeatedly insulted Hakuho and caused drunken Harumafuji to bonk him on the head with a karaoke remote. Takanohanas was forced to leave the association for faking a severe injury, for his student and causing a scandal."
@@bxyhxyh "bonked him on the head"
For such a self-described peaceful and evolved society, the Japanese have a masterful ability to deny acts of violence when they want to, don't they?
I know nothing of this altercation, but I would like to comment on something you suggested. Namely hitting someone with their bare hands could not cause a skull fracture. When he was younger, my father was professional boxer who served in the Army. While overseas, he got into a bar fight and the MPs showed up. He fought them, knocking one out and gave another a skull fracture until he was knocked out by blows from a police baton. He was charged with using a weapon on the MPs and it took some investigating to determine that this was not the case and that charge was later dropped. So, a person can certainly give another person a skull fracture just using their bare hands. I don't know if Harumafuji is telling the truth or not, but it is at least within the realm of possibility.
Harumafuji seems like an intelligent, eloquent, and reasonable guy. I think he was treated much too harshly, especially by the media. Given the circumstances, I don't think him hitting Takanoiwa was a very big deal.
I still suspect foul play by Takanoiwa, especially knowing his vicious nature, and I think Takanohana is complicit. You don't get scalp stitches by being punched a couple times.
In that light, if I were in Harumafuji's shoes, I would not have retired so soon. But maybe I don't understand Japanese social norms.
harumafuji had to give up his career, as yokozuna, because of one incident? fine him, suspend him, have the wronged party sue him for bodily harm but this is preposterous! this man dedicated his life to sumo and managed to climb to the highest rank and thats how you treat him? imagine lebron being forced to retire under these circumstances? totally disgusting!
You're judging different culture.
Thank you, Chris, awesome matherials
People dont get the incidence and just want to judge from their perspective. What Takanoiwa did was provoking as much as he could. He very well instigated the reaction and knew that full well. Telling two Yokozuna that they are hasbeens and looking down on his mobile, that is an offense that could have ended his career and I have to say from a japanese perspective rightfully so. He did not understand at all to behave like a rikishi should. Haru should have never needed to retire because of that.
i love your stuff.
Yes. Another "Inside the Sumo-World" video 👍👍👍
He seems like a nice guy.
Interested to see what happens to students in his school in the future.
More please
I would love to hear more if you're up to doing the translations.
More baby, more!
What do the Japanese think of the Mongolian sumo wrestlers?
mixed to positive, but for weird reasons. nobody can argue that hakuho is the greatest of all time, or at least since antiquity, but they will always be more excited for a japanese wrestler. the japanese (for the MOST part) haven't really been racist like we think of it in the west since the end of ww2- it's more of a national pride when someone who is japanese is at the peak of something, not much different from having pride in one's own national olympic team. the key thing to remember is that japanese culture is still VERY homogeneous, the population likely exceeding 98% ethnic japanese, so there is no real separation in their minds between the japanese culture/nation, and the japanese people. there is still some way to go before the final barriers of more casual things like accepting foreigners as part of their culture are gone, but that goes quicker as the older generation slowly fades away. it's not something that happens overnight. it's kind of interesting, though, because a lot of NEETs are *more* xenophobic, but they won't really matter, since they are just NEETs and will not likely get into politics (or reproduce). they are, however, the majority of japanese you're likely to encounter online anonymously, so they have a big impact on how the japanese are seen online.
@@SuperAWaC thanks for the reply, it was insightful.
I always wanted to know, maybe you already said it but what is your profession ? Something related to the world of sumo ? Journalist, blogger...?
Is his book in English? Harumafuji was my favorite rikishi?
Thanks.
Bonded with him so much I felt I could best him up in public.......
Dear Chris,
Would very much appreciate knowing how HARUMAFUGI is doing now. How is he spending his retirement? We heard that he went into a law enforcement career. Is that true? I am posting this in Sept. 2019. And WE STILL MISS HARUM VERY MUCH!
Thanks for your hard work
🇺🇸 💜 🇯🇵 💪 🙋
Yes, we want to hear more of him, Chris :)
Asashōryū Akinori and Harumafuji Kōhei both were set up by the Japanese for being Mongolians. Plan and simple they do not want Mongols to be Yokozunas. And Hakuho is next because of his "erratic" behavior. Is sad to see a great sport like sumo wrestling be controlled by a few "elites" who never even had a single sumo match.
I believe in Harumafuji. Takanohana's father 'had a role in building a counter foreign force stable. No rikishi from the stable is allowed to battle each other. How much advantage was there for his two sons in those days? Now this time carrying on the tradition. Oyakata Takanohana becomes instrumental in forcing the Mogel Yokozuna Harumafuji out this time, isn't it?
Кто нибудь переведет это?
I have learned a bit about Sumo ecosystem and if looked closely, I think they are to the public both heroes and toys. By this I mean they like them and praise them but when retired many are left alone. A wellfare and education system should come into place if Japan really loves them, otherwise it seem each one is just a toy fron which they will choose their favourites to play with after retirement. A humble opinion on what I know so far. One more thing, the rules and field of play make the fat seems to be neccesary, but hakuho, asashoryu and Harumafuji shows that so much fat is not necessary, also enho shows it. Sumo wrestlers could be lead to nourish by new scientific knowledge on how to prevent diseases. Old is not neccesarily good. Smart is always good.
It would be cool if you could translate Sumo wrestlers book into English. I'm sure a lot of us would buy them.
Plus 1 subscribe today. Txs from Brazil.
HOOOLD UP....Harumafuji retired because Takanohana was mad at him? Well just give him a day to cool off dude. Youd reach him to apologize eventually. No mention of the Sumo association pressuring him to retire? This seems a bit rash.
I would love to hear Hakuho's take on that evening. Whether there was a beer bottle or not, why did Haramafuji hit him? That is not how yokozuna are supposed to behave. So unlike him. I had liked Haramafuji since my first basho, but I had noticed that he had become unnecessarily aggressive that last year or so. The day he pushed Kisenosato after he had already won the bout, I was quite surprised. Nobody mentioned it, so I tht I was being silly. Kisenosato's career was basically over as a result of that fall. Something, I believe, was going on with Haramafuji. I have noticed Hakuho becoming more aggressive, too, lately. Slapping, pushing. Maybe the pressure on yokozuna is more than we will ever understand. I hope Haramafuji is happy and healthy now. Wow. I guess I needed to get some stuff off my chest.
As expected, Harumafuji downplayed the events of the karaoke incident, not offering many details of the real reasons of the meeting and avoiding at all cost mentioning alcohol use- which has been considered as the igniting key element of this incident by many. I personally think he missed a chance of set the record straight about the importance of sumo decor outside the dojo and its enforcement but that can open another can of worms even worst.
Frenells Estrella I couldn’t agree more with everything you pointed out.
Pretty sad when sumo sounds like a Real Housewives episode. Shameful bs drama.
Takanohana is the Reason why Harumafuji retired. He hated all Mongolian wrestlers
Exactly, he's not even shy about it......
Many sumo fans around the world believe that, with Haramafuji and Assasshoryu gone, there is no actual competition for the Hakuho. Thus rendering the tournaments boring and not worth watching.
The last two tournaments have been FAR FROM BORING. With no Yokazunas the field has been wide open and very exciting to watch the wrestlers in the lower ranks do their best. The bashos without Yokazunas have been some of the best in the last few years. Of course, this is my opinion but I have read in sumo comment sections many other sumo fans say the same and offer their praise of the performances of the lower ranked rikishes also.
@@joannaedwards6325 yes exciting because Hakuo didnt participate...otherwise it is 1000 to 1 that he wins
@@gyurmethlodroe1774
But you said the bashos were boring. I don't understand you.
@@gyurmethlodroe1774 oh.
You meant boring when HAKUHO is in them. Ok . I get you now. Well a lot of ppl agree with.you.
@@joannaedwards6325 it is like watching a B division soccer match...exciting but
You can't feel bad about his retirement. He assaulted another wrestler, and these events happen all too often in the sumo world. You don't get to assault another person for "disrespect" when all they did was try to ignore what your friend was saying.
@@jamisonr i dont have any sympathy for Takanoiwa either, and we've had enough violence in sumo. We dont need it cleaned up, we need it stopped.
Sumo culture is so strange. Why would Haramafuji get so upset over the guy pulling out a cellphone. Was it really worth his career. So dumb. Trying to look like a tough guy, but really it’s just bullying.
It is not bullying, since Sumo is full with tradition and respect in and off the stage, Harumafuji feels the other Sumo is not listening to Yokozuna who speak to him. Thats what it is, being a Sumo is on and off the stage status, nothing personal.
So to simply put it. Harumafuji kinda became the Donald Trump of Japan for a while lol!
Harumafuji has all the class! Takanohana is a sumo disgrace. Jealous of SOMEONE ELSE beating his student.
Good stuff Chris