
Hakuho vows to grow sumo globally after exiting local sports body
Former yokozuna Hakuho, who assumed the name Miyagino when he took over the stable of the same name and became a sumo elder, left the Japan Sumo Association Monday, saying later in the day that his distrust for the body led him to quit and start a new international project aimed at amateur sumo wrestlers.
The impetus for the decision, Hakuho said, was the failure of the JSA to provide a clear timeline about the restoration of Miyagino stable, which was shut down in late March 2024 amid a bullying scandal involving one of its wrestlers.
'April marked a full year after the stable shut down, but there was no specific date (on when the stable will resume) which was a big reason for me to quit,' said Hakuho, who returned to Japan from Mongolia, his home country, on Saturday.
In a statement last week , the JSA said there had been discussions with Hakuho and other board members about restoring the stable after the next November Basho, trying to persuade him to stay on but without success.
Isegahama oyakata, better known as former yokozuna Asahifuji, was quoted as saying in the statement that Hakuho seemed to be 'less passionate' in training junior wrestlers, apparently because his mind was elsewhere, with him considering his resignation.
'I had wavered, and it may have shown in my words and actions since March,' Hakuho said.
The Miyagino stable shut down after one of its wrestlers, Hokuseiho, was found to have been regularly beating two junior wrestlers in the stable. In February 2024, Hakuho was demoted two ranks and received a pay cut for failing to prevent the abuse.
When Miyagino stable was closed, its wrestlers joined Isegahama stable with the hope that the JSA would restore their original home in the future.
Media reports said the Isegahama stable's decision to allow former yokozuna Terunofuji, Hakuho's junior, to become its oyakata was the final nail in the coffin for the former sumo great.
Hakuho denied those reports, saying, 'I have no bad feelings about being under Terunofuji.'
Hakuho also received proposals for him and his wrestlers to join Asakayama stable during the last phase of the Summer Basho, which ran for two weeks through May 25, but nothing was certain, he said.
The JSA's rigid rules, such as allowing only one foreign sumo wrestler per stable, also led Hakuho to seek a different, more flexible platform to spread sumo around the world.
'There are many young sumo wrestlers (overseas) who want to join stables in Japan,' he said. 'I want to support them.'
What Hakuho has in mind is to host international amateur sumo matches based on his experience of hosting the Hakuho Cup for junior wrestlers for the past 15 years.
'An annual international sumo match has wrestlers from around 25 to 30 countries participating,' he said. 'There are also yokozuna in 150 countries. So there's already a base.
'I will do my best to develop sumo from outside of the JSA,' Hakuho said.
The project has already attracted at least one prospective major sponsor — Toyota, with Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda expressing interest, he said. Details of the plan will be revealed at a later date.
Born as Davaajargal Monkhbatyn, Hakuho became the 69th yokozuna in 2007 at the age of 22. He became a naturalized citizen of Japan in 2019 and retired as a wrestler in 2021 .
'The past 25 years were years I've loved sumo and have been loved by sumo,' he said. 'I have no regrets.'
But in his last words before he wrapped up the news conference, Hakuho appeared to show a painful reluctance to leave the young wrestlers he took under his wing.
'I wanted to see my wrestlers become yokozuna and ōzeki,' he said. 'I'll cheer them on from outside once Miyagino stable resumes.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Hakuho's lofty 'global sumo' ambitions bolstered by generous backers with deep pockets
In a June 9 press conference, former sumo stablemaster Miyagino, a retired yokozuna (grand champion) who formerly competed under the name Hakuho, announced his resignation from the Japan Sumo Association. The Mongolian-born Hakuho, now age 40, holds sumo's all-time record of 45 tournament victories, but was nudged out of sumo when the stable he managed, Miyagino, was disbanded over his failure to discipline Mongolia-born Hokuseiho, a senior wrestler who had allegedly physically abused junior grapplers. But as Shukan Post (June 20) reports, Hakuho's seemingly ignominious departure from sumo may have a silver lining, as he informed the media that he still hopes "to share sumo's appeal with many people around the world, not just in Japan." An unnamed stablemaster remarked that Hakuho no doubt expects to continue organizing the annual "Hakuho Cup," a junior sumo tournament held every February at the Kokugikan sumo arena in Ryogoku since 2010. And thanks to cash contributions from wealthy supporters, Hakuho is said to be in good shape financially. "His retirement ceremony in January 2023 made news because of the extremely high ticket price of 5 million yen," confided a supporter, who noted that several major corporations such as Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Tokyo-based amusement machine giant Sankyo Co Ltd were among the sponsors. "He's also known to have a close relationship with Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda," the stablemaster noted. Nagoya hosts a grand sumo tournament each July. As opposed to traditionally spartan lodgings for wrestlers at Buddhist temples, since 2019, the grapplers of Hakuho's stable had been cozily accommodated at the Toyota Sports Center in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, an air-conditioned sports facility that also houses an athletics track, gymnasium and swimming pool. Toyota also sponsored Hakuho's dampatsushiki (hair-cutting retirement ceremony), where Chairman Toyoda was accorded the honor of being the penultimate person to snip off Hakuho's topknot, just before his stablemaster. "Toyoda's substantial gift of 5 million yen set tongues wagging," a Hakuho supporter was quoted as saying. Rather than sponsorship via the Sumo Association, Toyota appears to be backing Hakuho on a personal basis. "Hakuho is also involved with the Sports Academy, an industry-government-academia collaboration project established by Toyota, Chukyo University and Toyota City," the supporter noted. Asked if he would continue to support Hakuho, Toyoda was quoted as saying, "I have a good relationship with him as a friend. When we met from time to time, our conversation was always about the development of Japanese sumo, connecting the world through sumo, and what we can do for the next generation. "Hakuho's love of sumo and his sincere dedication to the development and passing on of sumo culture has resonated with many people, leading to the founding of the Tokai Miyagino Stable Supporters Association two years ago," Toyoda continued. "I am also a friend and serve as honorary chairman of the supporters' association. I'd like to consult with him about any assistance I can provide for his future activities." By harnessing his relationships with global companies, Hakuho aims to "expand sumo globally," Toyoda added. "Hakuho says he plans to create a new organization and first get involved in sumo events, and then set up a global organization for amateur sumo," an unnamed sumo journalist tells Shukan Post. "Just as judo was internationalized in the past, he wants to develop sumo into a global sport, creating a 'Second Sumo Association,' with himself as its head, that would organize a Sumo World Cup." The groundwork for that is already in place in the form of the aforementioned "Hakuho Cup," which this year marked its 15th anniversary. "The Japan Sumo Association did not participate in the sponsorship, but Hakuho himself solicited sponsors, and was supported by special sponsors including Sankyo and Toyota," the journalist explained. "Despite Hakuho's stable having been shuttered last year, entrants into this year's Hakuho Cup attracted an impressive 203 organizations and 1,144 wrestlers from 15 countries and regions, including amateurs from 40 of Japan's 47 prefectures, as well as from Mongolia, Hawaii, South Korea, Brazil, Poland and Ukraine." The sumo journalist remarked that Hakuho possesses exceptional skills at recruiting sponsors and organizing events. It's entirely possible that a fight for the international sumo market will unfold in the future, but from Hakuho's perspective, such a fight would further expose the "closed nature" of the association that forced him out. "Some members of the association look down on the former yokozuna, saying, 'Once he's gone, without the association's affiliation, he's a nobody.' But is it really going to be that simple?" the journalist asked. "Hakuho is trying to use his situation to his advantage, to recruit and develop talented foreign wrestlers and internationalize sumo," he added, predicting "The day may come in the future when a Japanese team is defeated by Mongolia, led by Hakuho, in a Sumo World Cup." © Japan Today


Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Japan Fair Trade Commission warns NPB over Fuji TV media pass denial
The Japan Fair Trade Commission warned the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, on Wednesday over its confiscation of media passes from Fuji Television Network. The antitrust watchdog said that such moves could violate the antimonopoly law, urging the NPB to prevent any recurrence. Fuji TV broadcast a digest of the Major League Baseball World Series, in which Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani appeared, during the same time slot as a game of the Japan Series professional baseball championships that was aired live by a rival broadcaster. The Japan Series ran from October to November last year. The NPB confiscated Fuji TV's media passes for the Japan Series, saying that the broadcaster's actions seriously damaged its relationship of trust with the baseball governing body. According to the FTC, Fuji TV's coverage activities, including for the Japan Series hosted by the NPB, were restricted from Oct. 26 to Nov. 10 last year due to the confiscation. Fuji TV broadcast the third match of the Japan Series as scheduled although the NPB had tried to get another broadcaster to air the program. The FTC concluded that the NPB's actions may constitute obstruction of transactions, prohibited by the antimonopoly law, by making broadcasters think twice about dealing with the MLB, which competes with the NPB on the supply of baseball programs. Meanwhile, the FTC did not recognize the NPB's actions as violating the antimonopoly law, because Fuji TV broadcast the World Series except on the day of the third match and the media passes were confiscated only for a short time. When receiving a notice of a draft warning from the FTC last month, the NPB described it as unacceptable, saying there were serious errors in the commission's recognition and evaluation of facts.


Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Japanese MLB stars to be featured on manhole covers
Major League Baseball has announced that special manhole covers featuring Japanese players currently active in the professional league will be installed in their hometowns, starting next Monday. Each manhole cover will have an illustration of a Japanese player and be located at a place associated with his roots in baseball, according to the announcement on Tuesday. On Monday, the first three will be installed in the players' respective birthplaces in Iwate Prefecture. The cover featuring Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani will be placed in the city of Oshu, and that with an illustration of his teammate Roki Sasaki in the city of Rikuzentakata. The cover bearing an image of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi will appear in the prefectural capital of Morioka. A map of Japan showing the places where special manhole covers featuring Japanese Major League Baseball players will be installed | Major League Baseball website / via Jiji