Re: Sumo and the Right Wing

[Doreen Simmons <jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp>]

At 10:35 PM +0900 6/11/02, John Racine wrote:
> > >When were the trucks blaring away, anyway?  Was this during the
>ascendance
>> >of Konishiki and Akebono?
>>
>> No, why should they object to them?
>
>I assumed that the Japanese right doesn't enjoy watching foreigners succeed
>at their precious national sport.


They don't; but surely in that case they would try to intimidate the 
individuals, not the whole Kyokai?  The trucks are in fact alleging 
bout-selling and dishonest practices. When Konishiki and later Akebono were 
burning their way up the ranks,  plenty of Japanese at that time, including 
people in the Kyokai itself, were uneasy at the prospect of having 
foreigners make it to the top (look what happened to the 'pure Japanese' 
sport of judo, for instance); since a couple of foreigners did, in fact, 
battle their way to the top, this was surely a guarantee that they did it 
honestly?   The right wingers in that case phoned individual death threats 
to Konishiki, according to what he has said.

Again, in a tearing hurry,






~Doreen Simmons
      <jz8d-smmn@asahi-net.or.jp>~