It started from an article in a Japanese magazine. The article reported that Japanese sumo wrestlers committed an illegal baseball game offense provided by a Japanese organized crime group. Some of them are high-ranking fighters; including Oozeki (second highest rank) and Stable Masters, who hold a leading position among young wrestlers. There have been sumo wrestler betting problems in the past. This time, however, it was different as it involved great Sumo Masters and Wrestlers. The order restoration committee suspended the activities of the president of the Sumo Association and replaced the president. The Japanese consider this the biggest disaster in Sumo history.
The Nagoya season started from July 11 to 25 as scheduled. There was even an opinion that the Nagoya season should not have been held. Japan National Broadcasting did not broadcast live as it usually does. The president of the Sumo Association seemed to apologize on the first day. Number of tourists reduced by 10%. About 8,000 people canceled their tickets. The Emperor’s office decided not to award the biggest prize for the champion, the Emperor’s Trophy to the champion of the season.
For people who are not familiar with this Sumo wrestling sport, Sumo is the traditional Japanese wrestling style. 2 muscular guys fight to push the enemy off the field or make him fall to the ground.
Many foreign people love Japanese sumo, I know. For these sumo fans outside of Japan, the situation seemed dire. They must have worried about what would happen to Sumo. It was quite fortunate for the entire Sumo community that they had this Yokozuna (Grand Champion, highest ranked wrestler). His name is Haku-Ho. During this Sumo Association’s illegal baseball betting mix-up, Yokozuna, Haku-Ho continued to fight quietly and kept winning. His record for consecutive wins before the Nagoya season was: No. 4 all-time after No. 1 Futaba-Yama, 69, No. 2 Chiyo-no-Fuji 52, No. 3 Tai-Ho 45. In this Nagoya season, Haku-Ho kept winning and posted a continuous 47. He became record holder number 3 by beating his own teacher, Tai-Ho. Haku-Ho was the winner of the Nagoya season, but he was unable to obtain some rewards centered around the Emperor’s Trophy, due to this illegal gambling scandal. He seemed a bit sad despite his excellent record of wins and back-to-back championships. He did not comment on the scandal when asked by an interviewer.
The time has passed. The fall sumo season began on September 12. There were still a few people who were talking about the scandal. The association decided to fire an Ohzeki (2nd rank alongside Yokozuna, 1st rank). Some others disappeared forever. The damage of the scandal was evident. However, the focus of the people had already shifted from the scandal to Haku-Ho’s record of consecutive victories. People talked about how many wins Haku-ho can achieve, if he could win the fall season without losing. Haku-Ho resembled the Blue Wild Wolf, from the Mongolian Prairie, who doesn’t bark, doesn’t growl, but just attacks and fights. He was quiet. When a reporter asked him about the pressure from him, he only said that he fights giving his best.
Day 7 of the season, he won the match and became the official number 2 of the all-time record. He kept winning and finished the entire season without losing once again. His continuous win after this season was 62, along with the No. 1 record of 69. Veterans and former sumo wrestlers say they can’t imagine anyone who can win Haku-Ho.
People no longer talk about the news about the illegal gambling of sumo wrestlers. People say how many more Haku-Ho you can earn. They talk about whether he could replace the all-time record of 69 wins. If there were no Haku-Ho, if there were no continued winning record, sumo’s popularity would not have recovered so quickly. It must not be just me who believes that this young Mongolian-born yokozuna saved Japanese sumo.