Photo/Illutration Retired yokozuna Hakuho speaks at a June 9 news conference in Tokyo. (Wataru Sekita)

After resigning from the Japan Sumo Association, retired yokozuna Hakuho, 40, told a news conference on June 9, “For 25 years, I was loved by sumo and I loved sumo in return.”

But for a relationship of supposedly mutual love, it ended too abruptly for Hakuho, who is believed by many sumo fans to be the greatest grand champion in the sport’s history, given his record and extraordinary longevity at the pinnacle.

It was actually painful for me to watch his news conference.

Hakuho did not express any personal dissatisfaction or grievance with the JSA. But from time to time, his facial expressions seemed to give away his inner hesitation.

One such instance was when he said he could no longer tell when his problems with the JSA would be resolved.

“I felt conflicted,” he admitted.

He waited for one year and still has no idea when his stable will be reopened. I can imagine how he must have felt like giving up.

During his active years, his behavior in and off the dohyo invited mixed reactions from sumo fans.

After he became a stablemaster, his “maturity” was called into question regarding his handling of scandals caused by his disciples.

The criticism was probably warranted, but I still cannot dispel the suspicion that his being Mongolian-born must have affected how the JSA ultimately acted.

Put simply, I have been suspicious for years that the JSA treats foreign-born wrestlers differently from their Japanese-born counterparts.

In retrospect, it was the popularity of Hawaiian-born wrestlers that caused the JSA 49 years ago to spell out the rule that only Japanese citizens could become stablemasters.

There also was the time when the JSA came under fire for allegedly lowering the yokozuna promotion hurdle for a Japanese-born contender.

If the JSA insists its decisions are never wrong, I believe it should explain itself in a public setting.

And if and when that happens, I would very much want to ask the association to give a detailed explanation of how it handled Hakuho’s case, including whether it ever appreciated his decision to become a Japanese citizen.

At the news conference, Hakuho spoke of his dream of promoting sumo broadly around the world.

I suppose this implies that sumo was what Hakuho truly loved and was loved by, not the sport’s organizing body, the JSA.

—The Asahi Shimbun, June 10

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.