Konishiki/Asahi Shimbun Online

[David Turkington <dturk@uic.edu>]

This is ffrom the Asahi Shimbun Online
------------

Goodbye to one of sumo's great ozeki

It was not only his sheer girth that made sumo just the right profession
for Konishiki. Sumo suited Konishiki to a tee. Fans applauded with
delight at the very sight of Konishiki lumbering his way to the dohyo ring
before his bout. 

But he sat out the last two days of the Kyushu basho tournament. And we are
never going to see him in action again. 

Few other wrestlers, if any, have had people speculating about their
retirement for so long. Konishiki had come to the brink of tumbling from his
rank of ozeki (champion) time and again, but somehow managed to hang
on--until he finally did tumble just four years ago in Kyushu. After that,
he was repeatedly rumored to be thinking of hanging up his belt. 

His body, by far the heaviest in the profession, was forever prone to
injuries and ailments. The press was already speculating on his retirement
before the start of his final Kyushu basho. 

Getting on the dohyo every day in that situation must have put Konishiki
under tremendous pressure. But on the morning of the 14th day of the
tournament, his stablemaster blurted out the word "retirement," as if he
had realized he could no longer keep the press off the issue. 

With that, the wheel of the sumo world tradition began to turn inexorably.
The Sumo Association instructed the stablemaster to set Konishiki's
retirement procedures in motion at once. As for the bout later that day,
Konishiki's defeat by default was declared, and his belongings were
swiftly cleared away from the dressing room. 

Konishiki's father had just flown in from Hawaii to watch the son's final
performance, but it was not to be. 

In a way, though, one could say that the whole outcome was befitting of
Konishiki. His controversial words and deeds had repeatedly made him
something of a heretic in the world of sumo. 

There was, for instance, his "sumo is a scuffle" comment that caused no
small stir. Likewise, he ruffled quite a few feathers when he was quoted
as saying, "Racism is what's blocking me from making it to yokozuna (grand
champion)." 

In both cases, however, he had been quoted out of context. With that
"scuffle" comment, for instance, he had actually qualified it as "a scuffle
with rules." As for the "racism" remark, he had made it in response to an
earlier comment by a Yokozuna Promotion Council member that sumo
"didn't need a non-Japanese yokozuna." Obviously, this was the sort of
comment Konishiki could not resist reacting to with his characteristic
candor. 

Throughout his 15 years in the world of sumo, Konishiki gradually mellowed
out with experience, but he was undoubtedly a stimulating influence
on the profession. Fans got years of pleasure watching this wrestler with a
peerless stage presence and unique personality. 

"He was a truly great ozeki. His contribution to sumo shall never be
forgotten," said Kagamigawa, head of the Sumo Association. As words of
farewell to Konishiki, these were most appropriate. (Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 24) 

------------------
David Turkington
dturk@uic.edu
(312) 413-9141