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Sumo
TOKYO, Jan. 21 (Kyodo) - Yokozuna Akebono ended a personal six-match losing streak to ozeki Dejima on Friday just when the Musashigawa stable appeared poised to walk off with the championship at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Akebono holds off
Musashigawa threatAkebono locked up Dejima off the initial charge at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan and carefully marched the Musashigawa stable ozeki out of the ring for his 11th win against a pair of losses in the 15-day tourney.
A loss by the lumbering grand champion would have virtually given the Musashigawa stable its sixth straight tournament championship - even with yokozuna Musashimaru on the sidelines with a wrist injury and Dejima (8-5) struggling.
Sekiwake Musoyama and newly promoted komusubi Miyabiyama are also 11-2 after one-sided wins Friday and have turned in inspired performances in the absence of their senior stable mates throughout the tournament.
The Musashigawa pair will enjoy an easier schedule over the final two days of the tourney as they faced all the higher ranked wrestlers, including the yokozuna and ozeki, earlier in the tourney.
Akebono, however, seeking his first championship in 2-1/2 years, squares off with ozeki and defending champion Chiyotaikai (8-5) on Saturday and rival yokozuna Takanohana (10-3) on Sunday.
Takanohana kept alive his own hopes for his first title since September 1998 by forcing out Chiyotaikai in the day's final bout, getting knocked back by the ozeki's initial charge but calmly regaining control of the match with belt control.
Earlier, in a showdown of co-leaders, Miyabiyama stayed low at the face-off and took the early advantage from Kyokutenho to back the No. 13 maegashira from Mongolia out of the ring.
Kyokutenho, who slipped to 10-3, is the only other wrestler with a mathematical chance to sneak in for the championship and will face Musoyama on Saturday.
Musoyama, meanwhile, pulled Chiyotenzan to the ring's surface at the face-off for his 11th win and eliminated the Kokonoe stable rank-and-filer, now 9-4, from the title chase.
In other bouts, Takanonami marched No. 5 maegashira Shikishima out of the ring for his eighth win to ensure that he will, at the very least, remain at sekiwake for the spring tourney.
The lanky trickster from Aomori Prefecture, however, must win his final two bouts of the tourney over the weekend for the 10 wins he needs to regain ozeki status.
Mongolian No. 6 maegashira Kyokushuzan ran eighth-ranked Asanosho (6-7) off the raised ring for his fourth win in a row to improve to 6-7 and stave off demotion for another day.
TOKYO, Jan. 21 (Kyodo) - Sixth-ranked maegashira Aogiyama will sit out the final two days of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament after rupturing his right Achilles tendon Friday, officials of the Tokitsukaze stable said. Aogiyama out with ankle
injury in New Year sumoAogiyama (4-9) toppled off the raised ring at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan in a loss to 10th-ranked Takatoriki and was removed from the arena by wheelchair. Doctors at a Tokyo hospital diagnosed the injury as a tear in the Achilles tendon in his right ankle.
Aogiyama became the fifth wrestler in the elite makuuchi division to pull out of the current tournament.
Aogiyama's opponent for Saturday, top-ranked Kotoryu, also 4-9, will receive a win by injury default.
Meanwhile, in the second-tier juryo division, No. 8 Gojoro of the Magaki stable and Takamisakari of the Azumazeki stable appeared likely to withdraw from the tournament for the final two days.
Former makuuchi division wrestler Gojoro aggravated an old shoulder injury and juryo division newcomer Takamisakari hurt his knee Friday.
Both appeared questionable for Saturday's bouts after preliminary examinations at the arena Friday.
Ex-komusubi Itai reopens
By Alastair Himmer
bout-fixing controversy
Kyodo News ServiceTOKYO, Jan. 21 (Kyodo) - A well-known former sumo wrestler has refueled the debate over the alleged practice of bout fixing in Japan's national sport, claiming that many of today's top stars, including yokozuna Akebono, take dives - or ask opponents to - in return for cash.
Keisuke Itai, a former komusubi who wrestled under the name Itai, said Friday that he had been involved in rigging bouts during a 12-year career lasting from 1978 to 1991, which he said coincided with "the worst period for match fixing in the history of sumo."
According to Itai, who made his allegations public in a recent series of interviews in the weekly "Shukan Gendai" magazine, "from 1984 to 1991, sometimes as few as two bouts out of 30 were legitimate."
"I think the bubble economy contributed to the problem. With businesses booming and sumo at the height of its popularity, it just became a part of the game," he said, claiming that up to 300,000 yen was the going rate when negotiating a result with the top dogs.
Nowadays, bout fixing - known as "yaocho" in Japanese - is less common, Itai said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, estimating that "only one, two or three contests a day" are prearranged.
However, Itai alleged that over a dozen wrestlers competing at the ongoing New Year Grand Sumo Tournament have fixed the outcome of some of their bouts, including Hawaiian giant Akebono and ozeki Chiyotaikai.
The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) was quick to hit back at the allegations Friday, insisting that it monitors wrestlers closely to check for signs of foul play.
"We will continue to investigate these allegations, but the JSA categorically denies that the practice of yaocho goes on," the association's chairman Tokitsukaze said.
Akebono echoed the sentiment, saying simply, "I don't know anything about what other guys do, but obviously I haven't fixed any results."
Now running a restaurant specializing in "chanko" - a nutritionally loaded stew favored by sumo wrestlers - near Tokyo Disneyland, Itai said he has no ulterior motive for talking to the press when the JSA would clearly prefer he kept quiet.
"I have no gripe with the JSA, but I want it to recognize that match fixing is still a part of sumo. Now is the time to wipe out the problem - that's my mission," he said.
In 1996, Itai's former stablemaster Onaruto famously opened a can of worms by alleging in the "Shukan Post" that sumo, a centuries-old sport steeped in tradition and an almost feudalistic moral code, was rife with fixed bouts, tax evasion, underworld connections, drugs and orgies.
The JSA dismissed the accusations as "scurrilous lies," but the plot thickened when Onaruto and another sumo insider, who also contributed to the magazine article, died - within hours of each other - on April 14, 1996.
However, Itai denied that Onaruto's death had been mysterious.
"Look, my stablemaster wasn't murdered - he died because he was very sick (with pneumonia). There was nothing suspicious about the circumstances," he said.
Fidgeting in the glare of the television spotlights, Itai dodged questions about the modus operandi of bout rigging, sketchily explaining that an odd number of wrestlers collaborate and prearrange their results on a "round-robin format" - ironically, the fairest way of cheating.
Itai said he is "sorry" for fixing matches during his career, but said he has "nothing to apologize for" regarding his decision to sell his story to the weeklies, arguing that "Japanese newspapers know about yaocho, but are not allowed to write about it."
A buzz went around the room when Itai sensationally claimed he received 400,000 yen to take a dive when he faced off against Akebono in 1991, but he was quick to point out that yokozuna trio Takanohana, Wakanohana and Musashimaru "have never rigged bouts."
"There is a clear distinction between those wrestlers fixing bouts and those who don't do it," Itai said, stressing that a stablemaster has little or no control over whose palms his charges may decide to grease.
"The popularity of sumo is in decline because of all the cheating from 1984 to 1991. If we don't act immediately, yaocho will never disappear from the sport," he said.
PARIS, Jan. 21 (Kyodo) - French President Jacques Chirac hopes to give a French presidential award to the winner of July's Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament during his visit to Japan for the Group of Eight (G-8) summit, sources at the president's office said Friday. Chirac hopes to commend
sumotori after G-8 summitThe sources said Chirac wishes to give the award after watching the final day of the Nagoya meet, slated between July 9 and 23.
Chirac will visit Japan for the July 21-23 G-8 summit, to be held in Japan's southernmost prefecture Okinawa.
A great fan of sumo wrestling, Chirac always checks sumo score sheets sent from Japan and watches sumo wrestling tournaments whenever he visits. He refers to a sumo wrestler's belt given to him as "his treasure," the sources said.
The office has yet to decide on the schedule for Chirac to watch the tournament, they said.
Results of 13th-day bouts at New Year Grand Sumo Tournament
TOKYO, Jan. 21 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Friday, the 13th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division):
Won Technique Lost
+Daizen 8-5 oshidashi Oikari 8-5
Ohinode 4-9 yorikiri +Wakanojo 3-10
Tokitsuumi 9-4 yorikiri Kinkaiyama 6-7
Tamakasuga 6-7 oshidashi Takanowaka 9-4
Wakanoyama 7-6 yorikiri Minatofuji 6-7
Otsukasa 5-8 tsukidashi Terao 4-9
Takatoriki 5-8 oshidashi Aogiyama 4-9
Kyokushuzan 6-7 yorikiri Asanosho 6-7
Asanowaka 2-11 hatakikomi Kaiho 5-8
Kotoryu 4-9 yorikiri Hamanoshima 4-9
Toki 3-10 hikiotoshi Kotonishiki 3-10
Miyabiyama 11-2 yorikiri Kyokutenho 10-3
Kotonowaka 6-7 uwatenage Tosanoumi 6-7
Takanonami 8-5 yorikiri Shikishima 5-8
Musoyama 11-2 hikiotoshi Chiyotenzan 9-4
Tochiazuma 7-6 yorikiri Akinoshima 6-7
Kaio 7-6 yorikiri Tochinonada 6-7
Akebono 11-2 yorikiri Dejima 8-5
Takanohana 10-3 yorikiri Chiyotaikai 8-5
Main bouts for 14th day of New Year Grand Sumo Tournament
TOKYO, Jan. 21 (Kyodo) - Makuuchi division bouts for Saturday, the 14th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+denotes juryo division):+Hayateumi x - x Oikari
Takatoriki 0 - 0 Kinkaiyama
+Daizen x - x Otsukasa
Chiyotenzan 2 - 0 Minatofuji
Ohinode 1 - 2 Asanosho
Kaiho 1 - 0 Wakanoyama
Tokitsuumi 3 - 1 Shikishima
Kotonishiki 7 - 5 Tamakasuga
Kotonowaka 4 - 4 Kyokushuzan
Terao 5 - 5 Asanowaka
Toki 4 - 1 Hamanoshima
Aogiyama 6 - 6 Kotoryu
Tosanoumi 10 - 8 Akinoshima
Takanowaka 0 - 0 Miyabiyama
Kaio 16 - 19 Takanonami
Musoyama 0 - 0 Kyokutenho
Tochinonada 2 - 4 Tochiazuma
Takanohana 7 - 2 Dejima
Chiyotaikai 1 - 4 Akebono
TOKYO (AP) - Hawaiian-born yokozuna (grand champion) Akebono bulldozed ozeki (champion) Dejima Friday to maintain his lead in a three-way tie on the 13th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo tournament. Akebono wins
to tie for first placeAkebono, or Chad Rowan, grabbed his 11th victory against two defeats, leaving Dejima with five losses against eight wins. Also tied for first place at 11-2 are komusubi (junior champion second class) Miyabiyama and sekiwake (junior champion) Musoyama.
Miyabiyama hoisted up No. 13 maegashira Kyokutenho from Mongolia and ousted him from the ring. Kyokutenho, whose real name is Tsevegnyam Nyamjav, now stands at 10 victories against three losses.
Musoyama slapped No. 11 maegashira Chiyotenzan in the throat before Chiyotenzan (9-4) fell to the floor.
In other major bouts, yokozuna Takanohana seemed to lose his balance after a thrust from ozeki Chiyotaikai, but finally recovered and bulldozed his opponent over the rim. Takanohana is tied for second place with 10 victories against three losses. Chiyotaikai stands at 8-5.
No. 8 maegashira Tamakasuga at one point had his arm locked by No. 12 maegashira Takanowaka, but Tamakasuga recovered his position to bulldoze his opponent from the ring for his sixth victory against seven defeats. Takanowaka dropped to 9-4.
Sekiwake Takanonami was pushed over the rim by No. 5 maegashira Shikishima. That left Takanonami with eight wins against five losses, while Shikishima now stands at 5-8.
No. 10 maegashira Otsukasa rose to his fifth win against eight losses by pushing out No. 7 maegashira Terao, who now stands at 4-9.
Sekiwake Kaio grabbed his seventh win against six losses by slapping No. 4 maegashira Tochinonada in the throat, hoisting him up and throwing the loser from the ring. Tochinonada has six victories against seven defeats.
No. 2 maegashira Kotonowaka locked his arm under komusubi Tosanoumi before twisting him out of the ring, leaving both wrestlers with six victories against seven defeats.
In the 26-member juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, No. 9-ranked Sentoryu, or American Henry Armstrong Miller, bulldozed No. 3-ranked Hoshitango, or Argentine Imach Marcelo Salomon, from the ring for his sixth win against seven losses. Hoshitango is 5-8.
In makushita, the top junior division, No. 17-ranked Kotokanyu pushed down No. 12-ranked Asashoyu (3-4), or Mongolian Dolgorsvren Dagvadrj, leaving the loser 3-4.
In sandanme, the second-highest junior division, No. 50-ranked Ryuo (3-4), or Wang Yu from Shanghai, China, pulled down No. 61-ranked Hokutoarashi.
No. 23-ranked Kyokutenzan (5-2), or Mongolian Enkhbat Batmunkha, drove out No. 26-ranked Haguronada from behind.
In jonidan, the third highest junior division, No. 105-ranked Ryukizan (3-4), or South Korean Kim Soo-young, was thrown by his belt by No. 107-ranked Tsurunosho.
In jonokuchi, the lowest junior division, No. 19-ranked Takainazawa pushed out No. 32-ranked Kitakasuga, or Mongolian Tsolmonbayar Munkhbat (5-2).
Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament.
TOKYO (AP) - Results of main bouts Friday, the 13th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena: Results of main sumo bouts
Winners Losers
Daizen (Juryo) (8-5) Oikari (8-5)
Ohinode (4-9) Wakanojo (Juryo) (3-10)
Tokitsuumi (9-4) Kinkaiyama (6-7)
Tamakasuga (6-7) Takanowaka (9-4)
Wakanoyama (7-6) Minatofuji (6-7)
Otsukasa (5-8) Terao (4-9)
Takatoriki (5-8) Aogiyama (4-9)
Kyokushuzan (6-7) Asanosho (6-7)
Asanowaka (2-11) Kaiho (5-8)
Kotoryu (4-9) Hamanoshima (4-9)
Toki (3-10) Kotonishiki (3-10)
Miyabiyama (11-2) Kyokutenho (10-3)
Kotonowaka (6-7) Tosanoumi (6-7)
Takanonami (8-5) Shikishima (5-8)
Musoyama (11-2) Chiyotenzan (9-4)
Tochiazuma (7-6) Akinoshima (6-7)
Kaio (7-6) Tochinonada (6-7)
Akebono (11-2) Dejima (8-5)
Takanohana (10-3) Chiyotaikai (8-5)
Juryo Division
Sentoryu (6-7) Hoshitango (5-8)
Junior Divisions:
Makushita
Kotokanyu Asashoyu (3-4)
Sandanme
Ryuo (3-4) Hokutoarashi
Kyokutenzan (5-2) Haguronada
Jonidan
Tsurunosho Ryukizan (3-4)
Jonokuchi
Takainazawa Kitakasuga (5-3)(Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament.
Records of foreign wrestlers' opponents were not available.)
Saturday's main bouts:
Hayateumi (Juryo) Oikari
Takatoriki Kinkaiyama
Daizen (Juryo) Otsukasa
Chiyotenzan Minatofuji
Ohinode Asanosho
Kaiho Wakanoyama
Tokitsuumi Shikishima
Kotonishiki Tamakasuga
Kotonowaka Kyokushuzan
Terao Asanowaka
Toki Hamanoshima
Aogiyama Kotoryu
Tosanoumi Akinoshima
Takanowaka Miyabiyama
Kaio Takanonami
Musoyama Kyokutenho
Tochinonada Tochiazuma
Takanohana Dejima
Chiyotaikai Akebono
Results in Scoreboard
For more sumo information online, try:
Sumo Web
Da Kine Sumo E-zine
Ozumo
Kyodo News Service