[sumo] Sumo and Money

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

This appeared during the Kyushu basho but now with
ShiroiKuma's deep meditation and "moneyball"
discussion, it may be more relevant to the
discussion.) 


During this Kyushu Basho, Director of Sumo Kyokai and
Director of Judges Division Oshiogawa Oyakata (former
Ozeki Daikirin) announced the closing of his heya
effective at the end of the Haru Basho next year.

Since the oyakata set out on his own and founded the
heya 29 years ago, the oyakata brought up a total of
11 sekitoris in one generation. It is very unusual for
an 
oyakata to decide to close his own heya while he has
only two more years remaining to his mandatory
retirement age. One of the reasons for closure is a
very serious shortage of new recruits.

With foreign born rikishis more and more dominating
the sumo scene, there is only a handful of promising
Japanese born new recruits coming into Ozumo. For an
oyakata it is a real mad scramble to capture a slice
of the ever diminishing pie. Increasingly this is
becoming to be a game in which only selected very
popular and well financed heyas can play well with. 

At a High School Sumo tournament held this summer,
there was an oyakata, well liked former Yokozuna known
for his sharp and well executed sumo. He was there for
one specific purpose, to recruit a new rikishi. As
with many other oyakatas, scouting has become a deadly
serious business. 

While observing the tournament bouts, he disclosed he
has already prepared a sum of 30 Million Yen for a
promising second year high school student from
Chugoku/Shikoku area. It is generally regarded to have
an oyakata offer a gift of 
"Preparation Allowance", several dozen Million Yen to
the recruit and his coach/trainer. It is generally
assumed that a difference in the allowance will
dictate the final destination of the recruit. 

Oshiogawa oyataka admits there was a time he himself
considered recruiting college trained rikishis but he
got so disgusted by having himself "getting tangled up
in the 
money game" and got out of the race. All too
frequently we now see old guard oyakatas raising their
voice to display the displeasure of having their
poteintial recruits "snatched away for a bundle". 

This year a high school student all oyakatas and major
college sports directors were paying the most
attention was Yuichiro Kageyama, third year student
from Meitoku Gijutsu High School in Kochi Prefecture
(in Shikoku). He was considered to be "one rare find
in a decade" and his possible career decision was
closely watched and much 
anticipated. 

Out of the 55 Sumo Beyas several prominant heyas
pursued him actively - among them were such
heavyweights as Musashigawa Beya which produced one
Yokozuna and three Ozekis and Takasago Beya with the
school's most famous alma mater, Yokozuna Asashoryu. 

However after the National High School Sports Festival
ended, Kageyama surprised everyone by deciding to join
relatively little known Kasugano Beya (its shisho,
former Sekiewake Tochinowaka). It is a prestigeous
heya which produced Yokozuna 
Tochinishiki but it is currently known more for its
rather subdued existence than anything else.

"The oyakata is a hot blooded man you know. The heya
has quite a few rikishis and I feel I can get lots of
training done there," Kageyama explained his reason of
choosing the heya. "We have not done anything special
to get him in here," Kasugano oyataka said. It was
quite unusual to see a new recruit selecting his heya
without being swayed by money or heya's popularity. 

Nonethless the robbing of the cradle has already
began. During All Japan "Wanpaku Sumo" for elementary
school students, the heyas were having the students
stay at their own premise and the heya officials have
been trying to maintain an amicable relationship with
them by sending gifts and money at holidays and New
Year season. 

These days it is nothing out of ordinary to see heya
managers invite their parents and grand parents to the
heya and treat them for dinners and shows. "Well,
chances are one in 10 may or may not join us but we
look at this way, it's better to do what we can do now
than being sorry later on by not doing anything," one
oyakata admitted. 

A dozen years ago during the Waka/Taka boom, what is
commonly known as the career basho, Haru Basho, had
over 100 new recruits joining Ozumo. This year's Haru
Basho had only 70 new recruits. In the last few years,
they barely managed to get 100 new recruits in the
whole year. With a variety of sports options, kids
with
superior atheletic abilities are going to baseball and
soccer.

A vast majority of kids now want to go to high school
and university. If they have certain academic
background, they feel they will have a better chance
in life if they
ever get injured and end up leaving Ozumo. Another
reason for continuing with their education is if they
set a recognized tournament record at university
level, they may qualify for Makushita Tsukedashi
ranking. In addition if they are nominated by the
sumo club, they can get a scholarship and their
tuititon will be waved.

"It really does not matter how much more training you
put on a recruit, you just cannot beat one with a
superior natural talent." Right now even those
oyakatas with a successful recruiting history are
battling daily to seek out and hunt down the next
phenom. All out contests for survival in Ozumo are now
being played out all over Japan. 

- From the Yomiuri Shimbun - November 27, 2004


=====
.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique      &#24515;&#12288;&#25216;&#12288;&#20307;&#12288;>

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[EndPost by Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]