Asashoryu, GOD of Japanese sumo, sports

When introducing the sports culture of Japan (being a sport nut, could not resist the temptation), one need only look at sumo to understand the sports frenzies of the Japanese populous.



Now, before I get into the recent craze of this country over Asashoryu - the first-ever Mongolian to reach the highest rank in sumo - I need to explain the background of this sport a bit.

We've all seen, at one time or another, two fat dudes going at it in a ring the size of a one-car garage. Sumo wrestlers are so-called "rikishi," meaning "men with power." They also sport a different mask, as sumo is a national sport, meaning that cash to operate the sport are funded (and organized) by the Japanese government. A rikishi is - quite literally - constantly in the public's eye. Thus, sumo is the most watched sport in this country.

All rikishi are ranked, with the highest being the "Yokozuna" and the next rank being "Ozeki". For the sake of argument, I'm gonna make it clear that an Ozeki is the champ; and Yokozuna is GOD. God does not lose. You lose 2 or 3 times in one tournament, the public (with the nice push of the sports media) begin to speculate you're not worth the God-like status. God is forced into retirement. Age is of no concern. You lose, you're out.

I guess the closest comparison I can think of a Yokozuna is Tiger Woods in the modern day sporting world. You're expected to win. Still, if Tiger loses a tournament, he would be asked, "Why couldn't you win?" A Yokozuna, after a loss, would be pushed with the question: "Why didn't you win?" You get the point.

So, this Asashoryu is out in the papers, blogs, the TV almost everyday for the past few months, despite sitting out the last three tournaments of 08 with various injuries (or maybe because he was out for so long). And, as usual, everyone began to ponder the "r" word with Asashoryu before the start of the January tournament.

For those who do not know, Asashoryu is that one kid in every classroom constantly looking for trouble. God is supposed to be resilient, humble, politically correct; Asashoryu is quite the contrary - he's curses in front of the camera, he's arrogant, and he speaks his mind. Before the start of the January basho (or, tournament), Asashoryu was almost forced into retirment by the media. The papers said if he lost two bouts of the first five days of the tournament, he's done for good.

So, how does Asashoryu respond? He goes out and wins the first 14 of his bouts, before losing to Hakuho (the other God, alas Yokozuna) on the final day. With the two Gods all tied with a 14-1 record, they bump heads one last time in a one-match playoff to determine the tournament champ. Asashoryu lifts Hakuho out of the ring in God-like fashion. All of a sudden, the guy that was almost pushed out of ring by the public is back in the spotlight as national hero.

The funny thing with Asashoryu is that he was almost forced into taking the bad-boy role. He's the Dennis Rodman of the NBA, the Terrell Owens of the NFL, or Roger Clemens of the MLB. He adds a spice to the sport that the Japanese people have never witnessed before. Consequently, he has the same number of followers as haters. That's just life being a bashful Yokozuna.

So if you're ever in Japan, you might want to stop by the Ryogoku (the sumo stadium) to catch a glimpse of this guy. He's definitely worth seeing for a couple of thousand yen.

After all, he still is God of Japanese sports.


*Related YouTube video

2009 January tournament - final bout


2008 January tournament - another Asashoryu VS. Hakuho bout, this one even better!!