Harumafuji tells police he assaulted fellow wrestler

According to the investigative sources, no one at the restaurant reported the incident to the police or called an ambulance, while it took a few days for a damage report to be sent to the police by Takanoiwa's stablemaster.

There is a lot of conflicting information being passed around in the media, and this "damage report" is a poor translation of what Takanohana filed. It filed an official complaint with the police reporting an assault.

There are pictures and video showing Takanoiwa participating in a small tournament the day after the assault and he looked fine.

It is very possible that he injured himself while practicing sumo and the assault has nothing to do with it! But Harumafuji is going to be blamed no matter what.

As I suspected there is a lot more to this than the simple clear cut version that the media blasted all over.

"Oo-Otoko Somi ni Chie ga Mawarikane" (The bigger the biceps, the smaller the brain). It was a mistake Takanohana stable master reported the incident to the Tottori Police before he reported it to the sumo association. It was a lot later. All involved will become losers.

Takanoiwa's stablemaster, former Yokozuna Takanohana, seems to know a lot more than he's letting on. Although he has a Mongolian in his own stable, he has long taken a nationalistic stance within the Sumo Association concerning the growing power and influence of the foreign grapplers. In the end, however, I suppose the incident will be settled in typically vague Japanese fashion, perhaps with a generous payout to Takanoiwa for his lost time in the sumo ring.

Takanoiwa's stablemaster, former Yokozuna Takanohana, seems to know a lot more than he's letting on. 

The episode has some hallmarks of a framing by Takanohana. Unlike what Takanohana reported to the police, there was no attack by a beer bottle. There was no scull fracture. But the CAT scan showed evidence of old damage. I wonder who was responsible for that?

The episode has some hallmarks of a framing by Takanohana. Unlike what Takanohana reported to the police, there was no attack by a beer bottle. There was no scull fracture. But the CAT scan showed evidence of old damage. I wonder who was responsible for that?

When question by the Sumo association he told them he had no knowledge of the attack, but he filed a complaint with the police 4 or 5 days prior to that meeting.

Also the "old damage" could very likely be from a prior injury related to sumo.

I agree with the theory that Takanohana is out to get the Mongolian Yokozuna, it's got to bug the hell out of him that he has to play second fiddle to them, and he comes across as if he is Sumo royalty.

I read in the Japanese papers that he hit him multiple times with his bare hand. That at least makes sense. A beer bottle would have been a dire medical emergency not to mention covered the face with abrasions, lacerations and deep bruises.

A beer bottle would have been a dire medical emergency not to mention covered the face with abrasions, lacerations and deep bruises.

Not necessarily, if the bottle did not break, but if Hakuho is to be believed there was no bottle involved as Harumafuji dropped it.

Takanohana's story doesn't add up. Haruma has admitted to hitting him, but we have no idea the level of the assault.

Sumo wrestlers often slap each other across the face during a bout, and the slap alone has been known to cause concussions in some cases, so maybe he slapped the guy.

But the next day he was participating at a tournament in Tottori and there was no after effects of the "assault" visible. He went into the hospital after that, as a precaution and was released the day prior to the start of the Kyushu tournament, and the doctors released him saying he COULD participate in the tournament as there was no medical reason for him not to.

But the next day, he was taken out of the tournament by Takanohana, under the guise of injuries sustained at the hands of Harumafuji. The doctor that released him from the hospital was surprised, when interviewed, that he was not in the tournament, as there was nothing wrong with him.

We all know sumo is one step removed from the yakuza.

Yokozuna Hakuho, who was also at the scene, has said the allegation of the beer bottle strike was inaccurate.

But, actually it was Shōchū (焼酎) bottle.