Sumo grand champ facing police probe over alleged assault

He's done...that's a given, it's just now will the police do anything.

including two other Mongolian grand champions

To whom ever wrote the article, thank you, I am quite sure anyone can find out the "names". Trying to protect the innocent? They are going to be in trouble for being there and not doing anything about it!

Don't think you can blame an ethnic group, when the common denominator is Sumo, brutal training methods an expectation of adulation from underlings. The results are in the news and would be too long to list, all negative.

"May" face a police probe? Why not 'will'?

Some become different persons when they get drunk and in the worst case ruin their life. A good wrestler Harumafuji will lose everything. He has to retire. Alcohol is really bad. We need statistics about drinking hazards as well as smoking.

 in the sumo-obsessed country...

That's hyperbole at best. A majority of Japanese are more interested in baseball, or golf, or shogi, or no competitive activities at all.

A shame about the alcohol. It can turn even the mildest mean, imagine what it does to a man mountain.

All the same, sumo is one of the world's most fascinating sports. Japan should be rightly proud of it, despite the ongoing scandals.

Stick a fork in him because he is done!It now means that the sumo federation can highly promote their only Japanese born Yokozuna to increase viewership.

A yokozuna is like a God

You mean like a god who like to get drunk and assault people?

His career may be over (?) but let's not kid ourselves about police involvement. He will never even be charged, let alone prosecuted, let alone do time.

Gotta hand it to JT though, they decided to put this story in the crime section

I bet he will get a stiffer punishment because he’s a gaijin.

Remember a few years back when the 17 year old apprentice got beat to death with bats? The Sumo Association ruled it heart failure. Only after insistence from his father did they do an autopsy. Shockingly corrupt how it could be ruled as heart failure from the get go.

Mongols are warrior people. If this would have happen in Mongolia it would not even make the news. Too sad for Harumafuji as this may be the end of his career as well as the other Mongol. Takanoiwa is lucky this all he received as punishment by insulting the Yokozuna!

Alcohol is really bad. We need statistics about drinking hazards as well as smoking.

Yes, surprised it has never been done and you have just come up with that proposal now.

All this lofty talk about Sumo and how wrestlers should act is a joke. The illegal brutality wrestlers endure in their stables is an open secret.

How convenient. Now more space for native wrestlers.

But I like this wrestler...

Reckon that Takanoiwa's sumo career is pretty much over too. Probably feels guilty (wrongly so imo) about the whole thing. Hope he gets the support he needs from the sumo association.

As for Harumafuji, mate, ever thought about playing rugby? Well you have 22 months to learn the art of scrummaging and play for Japan at the next rwc! (could be a decent n8 if he loses 10-15kgs).

The ancient art of sumo wrestling is Japan’s national sport and its members or held to the highest personal conduct. With that said there’s no way his assuly

Assault will go unpunished. The Sumo Association will eject/bar him from the sport.

Has he taken Japanese citizenship? If he is still Mongolian then a successful police prosecution could result in him being deported?

including two other Mongolian grand champions

Well, it doesn't take a genius to know who they are!

Hakuho and Kakuryu (are there any other possibilities?) are going to have a stressful basho with all the media speculation and police questioning. And Harumafuji was also smoking it seems--2nd demerit.

this is so unfortunate as i’m new to sumo and a fan of Harumafuji.. i understand he’s human so this isn’t entirely unexpected, but i assumed he wouldn’t have done something like this because he was so thoughtful and expressed concern for the other wrestlers during his recent matches. i hope takanoiwa has a speedy and full recovery. this is too sad...

I am glad this has been public. This kind of incident often occurs in the sumo world without our knowledge. Plus he’s a foreigner. They aren’t going to give him any rest. Yokozuna Gaijin kaereeee!!

Details are also in sport section of JT.

It is a vanishing Japanese sport now.

Is it vanishing?

Admittedly, the only time I attended was about 4 or 5 years back but it was pretty much full house and felt really healthy and alive.

Be a shame if the sport was to decline because of the rotten apples.

I feel sorry for the devastated "Oyakata" in the photo...

Sumo seems to be less interesting these days. The glorious battles of Akebono against the Hana boys, with Chad beating them all, even when they tried everything: fixed bouting schedules to make it easier on the Hana Boys and frikken Takanonami with his dumb one move. Nothing could stop Akebono. Just a monster.

Good times.

Maybe. More likley I'm just old and looking back on the sports heros of my relative youth with chrysanthemum colored glasses...

Looks like he was going to police station. In this case he will be following Japanese legal procedure. (jishu) I don't think his career is over. Yokozuna usually have sponsor and he helps rehabilitation. Then after retired, the sponsor open some kind of restaurants for him.

@Luditt: police does not prove. they just arrest. DA's office try to prove. In this case, he is not denying and showing remorse that this is easy case for court. I think he brought own attorney. If defendant can't afford attorney, court can assign public attorney.

Older people go to watch when Sumo come to their area (chihou jungyo). A local powerful man sponsor event. (kannjinmoto) they. have habit to watch sumo. I was a child and suggested if suumoutori wear. clothes, women might pay admission fees to watch but no one listened me.

The news is reporting that Harumafuji became incensed when Takanoiwa ignored him by texting with his smart phone. Now that's what I call extenuating circumstances.

This is just the inner circle bullying spread outside the walls.

Half of the matches are fixed anyway. The sport, and I use that term loosely, has just barely a little more integrity than wrestling