Associated Press
Musashimaru, or Fiamalu Penitani from Hawaii, tosses
Wakanosato out of the ring to improve his record to 12-2
in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.

Musashimaru to face
Akebono for summer
sumo crown

JSA divided over promoting
Musashimaru to yokozuna

TOKYO, May 22 (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Musashimaru threw down upstart maegashira Wakanosato on Saturday to emerge the lone leader in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, setting up a showdown Sunday with yokozuna Akebono for the championship crown.

Musashimaru, seeking a second straight championship and possible promotion to sumo’s top rank, overpowered Wakanosato at the face-off of their bout at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan and pitched the No. 10 maegashira out of the ring for his 12th win of the 15-day tourney.

The Musashigawa stable ozeki, who also won the championship in March, can claim his second straight tournament title -- and fifth overall -- outright with a victory over Hawaiian-born compatriot Akebono in the meet’s finale Sunday.

A win by Akebono, however, would force a playoff for the championship between 12-3 wrestlers, which could also include sekiwake Kaio and Wakanosato. Akebono leads the series with Musashimaru 20-13.

Akebono, returning to the ring after missing the last three tourneys with a lower back injury, wrapped up Takanonami, 9-5, and walked the ozeki off the ring for his 11th win.

Akebono, the first foreign-born wrestler to reach grand champion status in sumo, will be seeking his first championship since winning the summer tourney in 1997.

Also posting an 11th win, Kaio pulled down Higonoumi, 8-6, to keep alive his chances to sneak away with the Emperor’s Cup on the final day.

Kaio faces Takanonami on Sunday for a chance to join the playoff if Musashimaru falls to Akebono.

Wakanosato, a 22-year-old native of Aomori Prefecture, will face komusubi Tochiazuma, who slapped down No. 3 maegashira Kotonishiki, 8-6, for a ninth win.

Sekiwake Dejima, 10-4, rebounded from a loss to Wakanosato on Friday by shoving out No. 8 maegashira Toki, 9-5.

Akinoshima, however, who had been looking at ozeki promotion after 11 wins in back-to-back tourneys, was pulled down by No. 7 maegashira Terao, 6-8, for his eighth loss, meaning a slip in the rankings for the Nagoya tournament in July.

In other bouts, top maegashira Tosanoumi, 8-6, ran out fourth-ranked Kyokushuzan as the former komusubi from Mongolia was saddled with his ninth loss.

Kyokutenho, meanwhile, pulled down No. 9 maegashira Ohinoda, 5-9, to end a four-match losing streak and claim an all-important eighth win to ensure he will be moving up from his No. 14 maegashira ranking in July.

---

JSA divided over
promoting Musashimaru
to yokozuna

TOKYO, May 22 (Kyodo) -- Top officials of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) are divided over whether to promote ozeki Musashimaru to the exalted rank of yokozuna, on the eve of his final-day showdown with Akebono in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.

Musashimaru can win his second straight championship and fifth overall with a victory over fellow Hawaiian-born grappler Akebono on Sunday at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Even with a loss in the tourney’s final regulation bout, the burly Musashigawa stable ozeki could still cart home the Emperor’s Cup by prevailing in a playoff between wrestlers with 12 wins and three losses.

According to guidelines set out by the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, an advisory board to the JSA head, an ozeki must win two straight championships or produce an equivalent performance to be considered for promotion to sumo’s ultimate rank.

But JSA head Tokitsukaze and JSA officiating committee head Sadogatake appeared at odds Saturday evening on whether Musashimaru fulfilled the requirements to become a grand champion.

”A championship with 13 wins will be worth consideration, and even with 12 wins, we will have to consider the quality of those wins,” Sadogatake said.

Sumo elder Musashigawa, Musashimaru’s mentor and vice chairman of the JSA officiating committee, said, ”This has nothing to do with the fact that he is one of my wrestlers, but I think if you look at the results, I think back-to-back championships are OK for promotion.”

Still, JSA Chairman Tokitsukaze was unconvinced. ”I recognize that Musashimaru has been much better this second week of the tourney, but my thinking is unchanged that even with 13 wins, promotion would be very difficult and 12 wins would be out of the question.”

Kazuo Ichiriki, head of the yokozuna advisory council, maintained, however, that Musashimaru would receive their endorsement with a championship Sunday.

”The number of wins is irrelevant, the council would have no complaint with consecutive championships,” Ichiriki said. ”We will look at the quality of the sumo, but I think it is unjust to ask an ozeki in training to produce yokozuna-quality sumo.”

Results in Scoreboard

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