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Not to be confused with the Japan Sumo Federation [ja], a public interest corporation that oversees amateur sumo in Japan, or the International Sumo Federation, the international governing body for amateur Sumo.
Japan Sumo Association
日本相撲協会
Nihon Sumō Kyōkai
PredecessorEdo-sumo Kaisho
FormationDecember 28, 1925; 98 years ago (1925-12-28)
Merger ofOsaka Sumo Association
TypeNonprofit
Legal statusPublic Interest Incorporated Foundation
PurposeOrganization of sumo tournaments and promotion of sumo culture.
Maintenance and operation of sumo training schools, Ryōgoku Kokugikan and Sumo Museum.
HeadquartersRyōgoku Kokugikan
Location
Coordinates35°41′49″N 139°47′36″E / 35.69694°N 139.79338°E / 35.69694; 139.79338
Region served
 Japan
Membership
~ 1 200[1]
Official language
Japanese
Chairman
Hakkaku Nobuyoshi
See below
Key people
Kasugano Kiyotaka (current Operations director)
Takadagawa Katsumi (current Judging department chairman)
Yamauchi Masayuki [ja] (current Chairman of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council)
Parent organization
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
SubsidiariesKokugikan Service Company, Sumo Museum
SecessionsTakasago Kaisei-Gumi (1873 – 1878)
Kansai Sumo Association (1932 – 1937)
AffiliationsYokozuna Deliberation Council (advisory body)
Revenue (2023)
¥13 billion[2]
Websitehttps://www.sumo.or.jp/En/
(in English)
https://www.sumo.or.jp/
(in Japanese)
Formerly called
All Japan Sumo Association (大日本相撲協会)

The Japan Sumo Association (Japanese: 日本相撲協会, Hepburn: Nihon Sumō Kyōkai), sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, is the governing body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling, called ōzumō (大相撲), in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Concretely, the association maintains and develops sumo traditions and integrity by holding tournaments and tours. The purposes of the association are also to develop the means dedicated to the sport and maintain, manage and operate the facilities necessary for these activities. Therefore, the JSA operates subsidiaries such as the Kokugikan Service Company to organize its economic aspects, the Sumo School to organize training and instruction or the Sumo Museum to preserve and utilize sumo wrestling records and artefacts.[3]

Though professionals, such as active wrestlers, referees, hairdressers and ushers, are all on the association's payroll, leadership positions are restricted to retired wrestlers. The organization has its headquarters in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan arena, in Sumida, Tokyo.[4]

Following a number of scandals, the association has implemented numerous reforms in recent decades.

History edit

See also: Sumo

Beginnings of organisations edit

The association has its origins in a Shinto ritual (or festival) that has been held since ancient times to pray for a bountiful harvest. This primary form of sumo was called shinji-zumō (神事相撲). During the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga made sumo a popular sport, aided by the emergence of large cities (like Edo, Osaka, Sendai and Nagoya), which soon began to compete with Kyoto's cultural monopoly, as it was Japan's only metropolis at the time.[5][6] These new cultural centres saw the emergence of wrestling groups, from both the commoners and the warrior classes, who took part in festivities at shrines.[6] During the Edo period, sumo bouts, called kanjin-sumo (勧進相撲), were often held to raise funds to develop provinces (new construction or repair of bridges, temples, shrines and other public buildings) or for entertainment purposes.[7]

 
The premises of the Ekō-in temple in Edo, during a kanjin-sumo tournament (1842)

After the Sengoku period, during the period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced an unprecedented period of vagrancy for many samurai who had lost their social standing.[8][9] These masterless samurai, began to be organized in two extremes that coexisted side by side. On the one hand, certain powerful clans formed suites of wrestlers organized into veritable royal households called geisha-gumi (芸者組, lit. 'geisha troupe'), and elevated them to the status of vassals.[10] On the other hand, a number of rōnin had no choice but to put their martial skills to good use in street sumo tournaments, called tsuji zumō (辻相撲, tsuji-sumo, lit. 'street-corner wrestling'), for the entertainment of passers-by.[11] Similarly, a number of street entertainment wrestling groups formed and began touring, sometimes with the support of shrines that occasionally recruited them as part of religious festivities and to help priests raising money for the construction of buildings.[12] Eventually, this mix of professional wrestlers and disgraced rōnins, along with the commoners who took part in the contests of strength of the street tournaments, created conflicts over money.[5][13] Tense brawls, even deaths, sometimes occurred.[13] Public order became so disturbed that in 1648 the Edo authorities issued an edict banning street sumo and matches organized to raise funds during festivities.[14] Over the next two decades or so, the wrestlers, now without any income, decided to petition the authorities to lift the bans, forming informal associations that resembled coalitions of interests to protect themselves from any violent repression of their movement.[15] In 1684, these movements bore fruit and a rōnin by the name of Ikazuchi Gondaiyū (雷 権太夫) obtained permission to hold a tournament after proposing a new etiquette associated with tournaments.[15][16] The organisation of tournaments began to depend more on groups following new standards designed to satisfy the authorities of the towns hosting them.[17]

At that time, the Edo-based association (although composed of elders as today) was organized in such a way as to be dominated by a duo of executives, the fudegashira (筆頭), the director, and the fudewake (筆別), his second.[18] The composition of the banzuke and its hierarchy was primarily their decision, and conflicts of interest were common.[19] In addition, the profits from the tournaments were first divided among them before a portion was given to the other elders, who in turn distributed the money to their disciples.[19] Because of the filtering of high-ranking managers, little money reached the bottom of the ladder, and this system was only tolerated because the patronage of local lords also added extra salaries for high-ranking wrestlers.[19]

The foundations of the current association edit

Wrestlers who took part in these authorised tournaments without the patronage of lords did not yet have samurai status or a salary and their finances depended largely on donations they could receive from the organisers of charity tournaments or admirers.[20][21] The organisers also ensured that they were fed and housed for the duration of the tournament.[20][22] In those days the promotion system was decided by the tournament organisers, who then distributed the profits to the elders who then redistributed funds to their wrestlers, with the wrestlers under the protection of the lords receiving bonuses and having financial security and the others being kept in a situation of poverty.[21] In 1757, during the Hōreki era, the beginnings of the Japan Sumo Associations were formally established as Edo Sumo Club (江戸相撲会所, Edo Sumō kaisho), later called Tokyo-zumō kaisho.[23] In 1869, the Ōsaka Sumō Kyōkai (大坂相撲協会, Osaka Sumo Association) was founded.[24]

Each associations had their own history and changes. For example, from 1888 to 1895 the Kōkaku-gumi (廣角組), led by wrestlers Ōnaruto and Shingari, broke off from Osaka-sumo.[25] In the 1870s, the first wrestlers' revolt was organized by Takasago Uragorō asking for better treatment for the wrestlers (without initial success) and created a split from the Tokyo-based association before merging again.[26] The Meiji Restoration was a period of semi-censorship of sumo, with the adoption of Western ideology leading to the perception of sumo as unworthy of the new era, as the matches were seen as barbaric and the semi-nudity of the wrestlers shocking.[19] With the disappearance of government protection, the association found it difficult to keep up the number of wrestlers.[27] At the same time, political circles were organized to preserve some of Japan's indigenous traditions, saving on behalf of the association the privilege of wrestlers to wear samurai chonmage (topknot) in 1871.[19] The nobility introduced changes to the way tournaments were organised, reforming the way winnings were distributed and creating the status of association director.[28] Social movements in sumo did not cease, however, and in 1911 a strike by low-ranking wrestlers called for a new wage reform, securing a bonus (made up of payment in cash and a deposit in a pension fund) distributed to all wrestlers who were not ōzeki or yokozuna.[29] In 1923, another strike known as the Mikawajima Incident demanded better pensions for wrestlers and was led by Yokozuna Ōnishiki, without success.[30]

In April 1925, Prince-Regent Hirohito invited the Tokyo Sumo Association to hold a tournament at the Imperial Palace, with the implied aim of also featuring wrestlers from the Osaka-based association.[31] During the tournament, the Emperor's Cup (then the Prince-Regent's Cup) was awarded for the first time.[31] Under the impetus of this tournament, a joint competition plan with a common banzuke was proposed, concluding talks that had been taking place since the early 1920s to merge the two rival associations.[31] To establish a ranking according to the wrestlers' skills, qualifying tournaments were organized in November 1925 and in March and October 1926.[31] During the same period, in December 1925, the Tokyo-zumō kaisho became the Dai-Nihon Sumō Kyōkai (大日本相撲協会, All Japan Sumo Association),[32][33] an organisation now recognised as the first incarnation of today's association.[32][34][35]

Merger and final recognition edit

As a result of these tournaments, the Osaka-based association lost many top-ranked wrestlers who found themselves demoted in the rankings, although Yokozuna Miyagiyama was able to retain his position.[31] Later in 1925, the first chairman of the association, Lieutenant-General Hirose Seitoku [ja], was named.[36]

In January 1927, Osaka-sumo officialy merged with the Greater Japan Sumo Association after a long decline.[31][32] However, it saved face in the first tournament after the merger of the two associations, won by Miyagiyama (a yokozuna from the Osaka-based association).[31] The association formally acquired the status of nonprofit organization,[37] and was placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, since in Japan this type of organization requires registration with a government institution.[38]

In 1932 (Taishō era), the last major wrestlers' strike broke out with the Shunjuen Incident, calling for fundamental reform of the Sumo Association and leading to a mass resignation of wrestlers the likes of which professional sumo had never seen before.[39] From 1933 to 1937, the Greater Japan Sumo Association briefly experienced a secession leading to the foundation of the Kansai Sumō kyōkai (関西角力協会, Kansai Sumo Association) by members of the Dewanoumi ichimon. The secessionist association later dissolved.[40]

In 1944, the first successor from the sumo world was chosen and Dewanoumi (the former Tsunenohana) became chairman of the association. After the war, the association was further modernized, notably in response to a scandal highlighting the management of the association's funds. In 1957, a special commission of the National Diet investigated the improper use of money by the association due to the general inability of the public to reserve seats for tournaments, in opposition to its non-profit status.[41] In those days, the reservation system was mainly based on private teahouses, which gave patrons privileged access to tournaments.[41] The scandal erupted when it was revealed that the wife and daughter of the then chairman, Dewanoumi, were running two of the biggest houses.[41] Since he was personally blamed for the management problems, Dewanoumi tried to commit suicide by seppuku.[41] He was replaced by Tokitsukaze (former Futabayama) who began a series of reforms.[41] Under his chairmanship, the teahouse system was reformed, with 40% of places now reserved for direct purchase, and the system placed under a commercial company directly dependent on the association.[41] In 1958, the association was renamed Japan Sumo Association.[42]

Modern times edit

 
Emperor Shōwa is welcomed by JSA officials and top-ranked wrestlers during his visit of the Kuramae Kokugikan (1956).

In the 1970's, the association opened up more officially to foreign wrestlers, which led to reflection on the possibility of these wrestlers remaining in the association after retirement.[43] More specifically, the case of Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama in 1976 provoked a conservative reaction from the association, which declared that sumo being Japan's national sport, it was inconceivable that a foreigner could participate as a trainer.[43] The statement was subsequently severely criticized in the press.[44] This led to a correction in the association's position in this regard, with the association subsequently declaring that Takamiyama and Kaneshiro (a Japanese sumo wrestler of Korean descent) would indeed be eligible to become coaches within the association after their retirements.[45] Takamiyama was the first to retire, becoming a coach under the name Azumazeki, the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to do so.[45]






Due to sumo being seen as the national sport, the association was ancillaried to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 1958 as a Special Incorporated Foundation and named Japan Sumo Association. In 2014, it shifted to a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.[46]

Missions edit

In order to maintain and develop the traditions and order of Sumo, the association is mainly responsible for holding competitive tournaments (called honbasho) in January, March, May, July, September and November. The association also holds regional tours (called jungyō). The Japan Sumo Association holds these tournaments each year with different purposes for each kind. Main tournaments are televised and help to maintain the interest of sumo as a sport by broadcasting the competitions. The jungyō meanwhile are important for the popularity of wrestlers and allow fans to meet them in the form of meet and greet events.[3]

The association is also responsible for the recruitment, instruction and training of wrestlers via the heya system or the Sumo School.[3] Although not all wrestlers are salaried (only sekitori ranked wrestlers are), the association provides a small allowance to all of them when they turn professional. Depending on the wrestler's performance during tournaments, the association is also responsible of the wrestlers ranking. As wrestlers are not the only employees of the association, it also oversees the recruitment of yobidashi, tokoyama and gyōji to maintain the traditional settings of Sumo. Non-traditional occupations are also the responsibility of the association, in particular to maintain the operation of businesses linked to the association (such as the Kokugikan sales department, the restaurant or the yakitori skewer factory).

Bearing the responsibility of the sport's long history, the association oversees the preservation and utilization of sumo archives.[3] It also collects various types of objects linked to sumo wrestlers (such as keshō-mawashi, tachi or tsuna belts) which are stored and exhibited in the Sumo Museum.

Organization edit

The Japan Sumo Association is a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation since 2014. Therefore, its functioning is of a non-profit organization and its activities are regulated through a top-down system of government supervision, as well as adherence to strict establishment conditions in exchange of preferential treatments under the tax system.[47] Its operations are authorized and defined by the administrative agency of the Act on Authorization of Public Interest Incorporated Associations and Public Interest Incorporated Foundation (Act No. 49 of 2006).[48]

Professor Mark D. West defined the organization of the Association as a "complex web of formal legal rules and informal social norms" while the association's choice to apply rules or to defect to norms "is based on a calculation of comparative efficiency".[1] In this case, "legal rules" refers to the legislative and judicials provisions as well as the organizational rules nominally approved by the Ministry of Education, as sumo's supervising agency, where social norms are traditional constraints not enforceable by law.[1] The Japan Sumo Association relations between its members are primarily shaped by rules and norms related to the ownership and transfer of the "elder stocks" held by the association elders.[1] Of all the employees of the association only them can manage the organization.

The toshiyori kabu system edit

See also: Toshiyori

Former wrestlers gain the right to participate in the functioning of the association by inheriting a share (called a kabu), of which there are 105.[49] The value of these shares was extremely high and rules only permitted former sumo wrestlers who either reached at least a san'yaku rank (komusubi or higher) or been ranked for a significant number of tournaments as a sekitori to purchase them. Since the introduction of the Japan Sumo Association as a Public Interest Foundation, the shares were no longer purchasable, but rather collectively managed by the Association.[50] Japanese citizenship is also a prerequisite. [[File:Musashigawa (former Mienoumi) address to the public.jpg|thumb|right|JSA chairman Musashigawa (former Mienoumi) addresses the public at the beginning of the last day of the 2008 September tournament.]]

Each share is associated with a particular name, and in the sumo world the former wrestler will be known by that name, usually with the suffix -oyakata. The members are also often called elders in English.

An exception to the normal acquisition is made for the most successful rikishi, former yokozuna, who may be offered a "one generation" elder stock (called ichidai toshiyori) without having to use a traditional share in the association and enter their retirement duties with their wrestling name.[51] Since this exception system has been in place, three former wrestlers (Taihō, Kitanoumi and Takanohana) have obtained this status.[52][53] A fourth, Chiyonofuji, was offered this status but preferred a normal share and became known as Kokonoe. These four all achieved more than twenty tournament championships in their active careers.[52] In October 2021, Yokozuna Hakuhō, the Emperor's Cup number record holder, was however denied the ichidai toshiyori kabu and Masayuki Yamauchi (a Yokozuna Deliberation Council member) declared to a press conference that "no such system exists" under the current status of the association.[54]

The members of the association receive a salary and are expected to assist in the running of their stable and the association, from selling tickets and security work at the most junior level, to taking charge of one of the association departments as a director.

These members are also the only persons given the authority to train new sumo wrestlers. They do this by opening or taking over a training stable, or heya (changed to -beya as a suffix) which will take the same name as the founder's elder name. Thus Dewanoumi will be the owner of Dewanoumi stable. Typically about 50% of the association members have their own stable, while the rest are required to be affiliated with one and assist the principal owner. It is common for the most senior members of the association to concentrate on their association responsibilities and pass the day-to-day management of a stable to another. If a senior oyakata wishes to do this, the two may elect to swap names so that the stable can keep the more prestigious name. A recent example was in 1996, when the association's chairman Dewanoumi (former yokozuna Sadanoyama), swapped names with Sakaigawa (former sekiwake Washūyama) who took over the running of Dewanoumi stable.

The association members are also split into various ranks. A new retiree will begin his career as a coach at toshiyori rank (commonly called oyakata), except for former ōzeki and yokozuna who are automatically granted "Committee Member" rank. The most senior Association members are "Committee Members."

All members are required to retire when they reach the age of sixty-five (with a possible five-year extension if approved by the board of directors), after which they can pass their name to another, provided that person meets the association's eligibility requirements. In the case of a one-time membership mentioned above the name merely lapses. Like the toshiyori kabu system there can be only a limited number of them.

Other personnel edit

See also: Gyōji, Yobidashi, and Tokoyama

The association employs a certain number of other personnel, mainly to assist in the running of tournaments. Therefore, auxiliary personnel such as gyōji (referees), yobidashi (ushers) and tokoyama (hairdressers) are all employees of the association. In contrast to wrestlers, all members employed in these roles may generally stay in the association until retirement age. The association provides their training, usually conducted by seniors in their field of activity, and ranks them.

In addition, a limited number of positions do exist for retired wrestlers who did not fulfill the requirements for inheriting a kabu, and would otherwise have to leave the sumo world upon their retirement from active competition. These former wrestlers are kept within the association as contract employees, customarily retaining their old shikona as their professional name, and are employed to handle various tasks. They are separated into two distinct roles:

  • Up to eight wakaimonogashira (若者頭), or "youth leaders", serve as officials of the association. They typically work at their former stables or within the associated ichimon. Wakaimonogashira are tasked with arranging maezumō matches and supervising young sumo wrestlers from makushita and below. They also appear in public next to the dohyō during the honbasho closing ceremony, receiving the trophies given to the tournament winner to return them backstage.[55]
  • Up to 13 sewanin (世話人), or "caretakers", work as transportation and storage managers, handling association equipment used for tournaments and regional tours. In addition they deal with miscellaneous, primarily physical tasks, as instructed by the master of the stable they belong to, or other association members (including wakaimonogashira) or.[55]

Departments edit

Association organization edit

The association is ruled by a series of departments and committees into which the oyakata are divided when they enter their new career as coaches.[56] The association's departments are organised as follows:[3]

Department Role Notes
Sumo School An institution that educates and train new apprentices for 6 months (1 year for foreign wrestlers).
Guidance Promotion Department A department that aims to hand down the techniques and traditions of sumo through training, sumo classes, and the publication of works. Even though it is called a department, all the toshiyori below the "committee member" rank (iin) belong to it.
Life Guidance Committee An ethics committee tasked to prevent polemics to emerge from the wrestlers' attitude. In addition to the directors, deputy directors, and special executives, all the masters in the association belong to it, therefore each stables must comply to what has been decided by the committee. Also provides second career support for former sumo wrestlers.
Compliance Department Established in 2018 "to eradicate violence in the sumo world" by creating a network of whistleblowers. Each of the five ichimon (clans) have an appointed oyakata in charge of compliance.[57]
Operations Department Department responsible for the implementation and operation of the honbasho in Tokyo.
Judging Department Department that coordinates the shimpan, judges the honbasho outcomes and prepares the matches. The number of committee members is limited to 20. Appointment to this committee is considered prestigious.[58]
Regional Honbasho Department Department responsible for the implementation and operation of local tournaments in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
Jungyō Department Department responsible for the implementation and operation of local tours.
Public Relations Department Performs public relations work both domestically and internationally. In addition, the department in charge of filming, production and management of videos.
Competition Supervision Committee A department whose purpose is to prevent, monitor, and punish intentionally lethargic techniques and match-fixing during tournaments. Members are elected and appointed by the board of directors from among the oyakata.
Museum Steering Committee Operates the Sumo Museum and maintains, stores and exhibits historical materials related to sumo. The Sumo Museum is also in charge of publishing researchs. Directors are appointed for a three-year term. Most of them are former yokozuna who have retired from the association. Several directors participates to the running of the museum.
Sumo Association Clinic The center mainly provides consultations for association members. There are departments of internal medicine, surgery, orthopedics, and physical therapy, and they are located in the Kokugikan. Injured wrestlers are treated here after their bouts.

Advisory body edit

See also: Yokozuna Deliberation Council and Yokozuna promotion

To this organization adds an advisory body called the Yokozuna Deliberation Council.

Department Role
Yokozuna Deliberation Council An organization composed of experts outside the association and mainly recommending rikishi for promotion to yokozuna.

Elections edit




See also: List of sumo elders and List of sumo stables

The possession of a toshiyori kabu is essential for the functioning of association as elders, assembled in a board of trustees called hyōgiin-kai (評議員会), votes for the board of the association. The election process is heavily influenced by the stables regroupments to which coaches are distributed in. Each stable belong to an ichimon, or clan. There is currently five ichimon, each bearing the name of its leading stable: Dewanoumi, Isegahama, Nishonoseki, Takasago and Tokitsukaze.[59] The ichimon serves as quasi-political groupings, each clan nominating candidates for the ten positions or so that are available on the association's board each election cycle. Each vote is normally along the interests of the ichimon, which explain why the bigger clans more often holds the association's chairmanship. Former wrestler popularity however plays a role in the credit given to an application. For example, former yokozuna Takanohana won four straight election bids to become director before his demotion in 2018, despite being the leader of a small ichimon.[60]

Stables aren't equally divided among the ichimon. As of April 2024, Nishonoseki has the most stables with 15, but Dewanoumi has the most affiliated oyakata (elders) with 38.[a][61]

As in the political world intrigue, subterfuge, splits and new coalitions are ordinary. The oyakata have a lot of leeway and can decide many things on their own. In fact, some elders change stables, move their stable to different ichimon or break off from their clan. For example, the Kokonoe stable was founded in 1967 after Yokozuna Chiyonoyama failed to gain control of the Dewanoumi stable. The break off that ensued saw the stable leaving the Dewanoumi ichimon to join the Takasago ichimon. Also, in 2010, Takanohana stable (run under the "one in a generation kabu" system by the eponymous yokozuna) broke off from the Nishonoseki ichimon (with Ōnomatsu stable, Ōtake stable and Magaki stable) as he wanted to present himself to the board's election and his clan would not permit it. He became the leader of its own group, which was then formally recognized as an ichimon (called Takanohana ichimon) in 2014.[62] The ichimon was however short lived and was disbanded in 2018 after the Takanoiwa affair. Until 2018, there have been non-aligned stables, or loose coalitions that weren't formal ichimon, but in 2018 the association ruled that all stables had to belong to one of the current ichimon.[59]

Board of the Association edit

The Japan Sumo Association's board is composed of a board of directors, under which several deputy directors and special executives operate. At the same time, a counselor committee was introduced in 2014 to facilitate dialogue between the ministry and the association.

This committee, called hyōgi-in (評議員), is made up equally of retired wrestlers (with no san'yo re-employment) elected within the association and personalities appointed by the ministry. Their rank equals that of a director to the association's board. Elders on the committee are not allowed to concurrently serve as oyakata because of the committee authority that allows them to have a say in the appointment and dismissal of directors. Each counselor serves a term of four years. Having the task of "overseeing the execution of duties by the directors", auditors may attend meetings of the board of directors and the Board of Trustees, but have no voting rights.

Directors, called riji,[63] are elected by a single anonymous vote by all the elders, assembled in a board of trustees called hyōgiin-kai (評議員会), from candidates selected among the toshiyori and external candidates. There is a maximum of 10 directors in the JSA.[64] Prior to 2014, 4 active sumo wrestlers serving as representatives and both the tate-gyōji had the right to vote, but with the transition to a public interest incorporated foundation, sumo wrestlers and referees no longer have the right to vote.

In September 2008, at the Ministry of Education's insistence after a series of scandals hit sumo, three external directors were appointed. One of the three, Murayama Hiroyoshi [ja], served as acting chairman for the July 2010 tournament while the then head, Musashigawa, was suspended.[65]

The board of directors elects a chairman, called rijichō,[66] from among themselves. Directors other than the chairman serve as department heads. Among them, the role of Operations director is considered to be the association's number 2.[67] Each board member serves a two-year term.

The current Board of Directors is composed as follows (as of March 2024):[68]

Position Name[b] Ichimon and occupation[68]
Chairman
Rijichō
理事長
 Hakkaku Nobuyoshi Takasago
Director
Riji
理事
 Operations director Kasugano Kiyotaka Dewanoumi
Museum Steering Committee
Jungyō director Sakaigawa Hideaki Dewanoumi
Regional basho director (Nagoya) Dewanoumi Akikazu Dewanoumi
Sumo School director Shibatayama Yasushi Nishonoseki
Regional basho director (Osaka) Isenoumi Hayato Tokitsukaze
Public Relations director Sadogatake Mitsumune Nishonoseki
Responsible for general planning
Museum Steering Committee
Crisis Management director Katsunoura Toshirō Tokitsukaze
Compliance Department director
In charge of new apprentice inspection
Museum Steering Committee
Judging Department chairman Takadagawa Katsumi Nishonoseki
Guidance Promotion director
Life Guidance director
Museum Steering Committee
In charge of new apprentice inspection
Regional basho director (Fukuoka) Asakayama Hiroyuki Isegahama
External Directors
Gaiburiji
外部理事
 Yamaguchi Toshikazu President of the Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Head Office
Takano Toshio Attorney. Head of Takano Law Firm, Former Superintendent Public Prosecutor of Nagoya High Public Prosecutors' Office
Imai Tamaki Managing Director at NHK Enterprises Inc
Auditors
Kanji
監事
 Kajiki Hisashi Public prosecutor. Former Superintending Prosecutor of Takamatsu High Public Prosecutors Office. Member of Japanese Supreme Court (Supreme Court Administrative Appeal Review Committee)
Fukui Ryōji Former Vice Minister (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, MIC)
Kozu Kanna Writer. First woman appointed to the Japan Sumo Association board.

List of rijichō edit

Name[b] Year(s) Notes
Hirose Seitoku [ja] † 1925-1928 Lieutenant-General in charge of army budget. First Chairman of the Japan Sumo Association.
Held the position until his death.
  Fukuda Masatarō [ja] †
acting chairman
 1928-1930 Kotobank Fukuda Masataro here Patrons of martial arts. It was not uncommon for an organization or a corporation to have a military officer, retired politician or high-ranking bureaucrat as its chairman.

These officers became directors of the Association, the position is however often considered unofficial.[69]









  Ono Minobu [ja] †
acting chairman
 1930-1939 here + Tsubota
  Takeshita Isamu †
acting chairman
 1939–1945 Kotobank Takeshita Isamu here + sources on his Wikipedia page [6]
  Fujishima Hidemitsu / Dewanoumi Hidemitsu † 1945–1957 First president from the ranks of wrestlers. Founded the Kuramae Kokugikan.[70] Changed kabu in 1949, in middle of his term. Attempted to commit suicide by seppuku and gas in May 1957 after internal conflicts within the association prompted a reaction from the National Diet. Rescued, he stood down of the chairmanship but stayed the head of his stable.[41]
  Tokitsukaze Sadaji † 1957–1968 Started a series of radical reforms.[64] Remained in charge of the association until his death from hepatitis in 1968.[45]
  Musashigawa Yoshihide † 1968–1974 Pursued the efforts for modernizing sumo.[45]
  Kasugano Kiyotaka † 1974–1988 Longest serving chairman to date. Founded the current Ryōgoku Kokugikan.
Futagoyama Kanji † 1988–1992
Dewanoumi Tomotaka / Sakaigawa Shō † 1992–1998 Pursued the efforts for modernizing sumo. Changed kabu in 1996, in middle of his term. Resigned in the middle of his fourth term in 1998 after the association's board became mostly occupied by a rival faction.
Tokitsukaze Katsuo 1998–2002 Before being chairman of the association, elected as a director at the age of 32 years old (the youngest ever for a director of the Japan Sumo Association). First ōzeki elected to the position.
  Kitanoumi Toshimitsu † 2002–2008 First chairman under the age of 50 in half a century. His first term was marked with scandal such as the 2007 hazing scandal and cannabis use by wrestlers. Resigned his post in 2008.
  Musashigawa Akihide 2008–2010 Suspended in 2010 after a series of scandals involving wrestlers gambling and associating with organised crime members. He announced his resignation the month following his suspension.
Murayama Hiroyoshi [ja]
acting chairman
 2010 Former Chief Public Prosecutor.

Appointed acting chairman of the Japan Sumo Association following the baseball gambling scandal in 2010.
It was the first time in 66 years that a non-professional sumo wrestler was appointed to the top of the Japan Sumo Association since Takeshita Isamu.

  Hanaregoma Teruyuki † 2010–2012 Entangled in a match-fixing scandal in 2011, he announced an independent investigation and drew criticism from sumo commentators. Stood down from the chairmanship in 2012 as he was close to the mandatory retirement age of 65.
  Kitanoumi Toshimitsu † 2012–2015 Became the first person to head the association twice. Died in office in 2015 due to hydronephrosis and anemia.
  Hakkaku Nobuyoshi
current
 since 2015 Appointed in 2015 after Kitanoumi's death to serve as acting chairman until the end of the terms. Officially elected in 2016 after defeating Takanohana in a contested ballot.

Controversies edit

See also: Controversies in professional sumo

In the decade from 2007 to 2017, the association had to deal with a number of affairs like the Tokitsukaze stable disciple assault death case (2007), the case of foreign sumo wrestlers possessing and smoking cannabis (2008), the baseball gambling and match-fixing scandal (2010-2011), Yokozuna Harumafuji's assault incident (2017) and the ban on women. While the association had always benefited from leniency on a certain number of its practices, the evolutions of Japanese society and the ever more frequent media coverage of the scandals surrounding the association contributed to the reaction of the latter and to the establishment of reforms in this world yet governed by immutable rules.

Links with criminals edit

In 2010, the Japan Sumo Association announced its decision to dismiss Ōzeki Kotomitsuki and Ōtake (former Takatōriki), for betting on baseball games in a gambling ring run by the yakuza.[71] At the same time, two stable masters were demoted and an unprecedented 18 wrestlers banned from the July 2010 tournament.[72] Sumo Association chairman Hanaregoma declared in August 2010 that "violent groups or antisocial forces" were being banned from accessing tournament venues, training stables and other facilities.[73] The association issued a statement on the matter, stating "the Japan Sumo Association are aware of their social responsibility and declare that they will work to eliminate anti-social forces such as organized crime groups".[74] Since then, members of organized crime groups are not allowed in sumo venues (such as the Ryōgoku Kokugikan), stables, supporters' associations and celebrations.[74]

Unequal treatments and accusation of racism edit

As the association have the mission to perpetuate sumo traditions, a certain number of its practices and comments are often seen as dated. The treatment of injured wrestlers is often pointed out as unfair. In recent times, both yokozuna Hakuhō and Kakuryū drove criticism from the Yokozuna Deliberation Council for extended periods where they sat out tournaments due to injury. However, in the meantime, injured Japanese yokozuna Kisenosato did not get any critics and rather had encouragement from the council. The difference of treatment prompted criticism on the supposed preferential treatment.[75]

The inequality of treatment between wrestlers also drove suspicion of racism within the institution. The controversy arose when The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Samoan-born ōzeki Konishiki had alleged racial discrimination was the reason for him being denied promotion to sumo's top rank of yokozuna.[76] The New York Times subsequently quoted Konishiki as saying, "If I were Japanese, I would be yokozuna already."[77] The Japan Sumo Association demanded an apology. Konishiki held a press conference during which he made his apology and tearfully denied making the remarks.

More recently, during the retirement of era defining Hakuhō , the "Experts' Meeting on the Succession and Development of Grand Sumo" (directed by Yamauchi Masayuki, a member of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council), which the Japan Sumo Association consulted on how sumo should be in response to the new era, suddenly came up with a proposal for "the abolition of the ichidai toshiyori kabu." The reason mentioned was that "there is no provision in the articles of incorporation of the association that serves as a basis."[78] The association faced severe criticism in particular on the basis of previous suspicions of racism.[79] However it is assumed the decision was taken to prevent the rise of another Takanohana controversy by giving a wrestler too much prestige.[78]

Violence and hazing edit

Sumo stables were well known for their systematic hazing and physical punishment of young disciples in order to "toughen them up".[80] Stablemasters have often been proud to show to the media how they frequently use a shinai to beat those who fall out of line, and elder wrestlers are often put in charge of bullying younger ones to keep them in line, for instance, by making them hold heavy objects for long periods of time.[81] Also, the strict sumo hierarchy where senior and high-ranking wrestlers take responsibility to train their juniors often led to violence as in sumo the rank is a symbol of status.

The system of hazing was widely criticized in late 2007. A hazing scandal was exposed in which a Tokitsukaze stable's 17-year-old sumo trainee died after a serious bullying incident involving his stablemaster Jun'ichi Yamamoto hitting him on the head with a large beer bottle and fellow rikishi being subsequently ordered to physically abuse him further. The stablemaster and three other wrestlers who were involved were arrested in February 2008, after which Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda demanded the JSA take steps to ensure such an incident never happens again.[82] In May 2009, Yamamoto was sentenced to six years in jail.[83]

Violence affairs also came up to light in 2017, when Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon reported that Yokozuna Harumafuji had assaulted fellow Mongolian wrestler Takanoiwa during a regional sumo tour in Tottori in late October. According to the report and other sources, Harumafuji was drinking with other sumo wrestlers (including Hakuhō, Kakuryū and Terunofuji)[84] and was admonishing Takanoiwa over his behavior. Angered that Takanoiwa was looking at his cell phone at the time, Harumafuji struck him in the head with a beer bottle and punched him 20 to 30 times.[85] Harumafuji was then questioned by the Sumo Association's crisis management panel, where he admitted to assaulting Takanoiwa.[86]

On October 25, 2018, the association issued a statement introducing external experts involved in training, operation of procedures, and other measures to prevent the recurrence of violence.[87] However, this did not stop the violence scandals, and, on December 26, 2022, Isegahama announced his resignation as director after a case of violence, where two junior wrestlers in his stable acted violently against younger wrestlers, with the victims beaten with wooden beams and burned with chankonabe hot water poured on their backs.[88] In May 2023, Michinoku stable's senior wrestler, Kirinofuji, assaulted another young wrestler, Yasunishi, who had to take the matter to the press to trigger a response. Stablemaster Michinoku was accused of having covered these facts of violence by contributing directly to the fact that the aggressor can remain within the stable then letting him retire with dignity and without any charges brought against him. Hanakago, the director of the Compliance Department, is also criticized for having let the aggressor go unpunished, despite having been informed late and by the victim.[89]

In March 2023 a former lower-ranked wrestler in Sadogatake stable, Daisuke Yanagihara, sued the Japan Sumo Association and his former stablemaster (ex-Kotonowaka) on allegations that he was forced to quit the sport. Yanagihara claimed that his human rights were violated and that, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Sumo Association instituted health protocols, he was denied his request to sit out of the January 2021 tournament over fears of contracting the virus following cardiac surgery. In the lawsuit, Yanagihara also alleged mistreatment of lower-ranked wrestlers in his former stable, such as being served meals containing meat that was years beyond its expiration date. As of July 2023 the Sumo Association has not commented on the allegations.[90]

Communication edit

edit

 
The cherry blossom shaped logo of the Association

The Japan Sumo Association, like most institutions, owns a mon. The design is based on cherry blossom,[91] which is the national flower of Japan. Around the flower, two stylized "dai" (大) characters, extracted from the kanjis of professional sumo, called ōzumo (大相撲), can be seen.[92] The logo was created in 1909 for the opening of the first Ryōgoku Kokugikan. This symbol can be found in various places when the association holds celebration. It can be mainly seen on the tsuriyane's (suspended roof above the dohyō) curtains, called mizuhiki (水引).[93]

Ukiyo-e edit

In 1985, the Japan Sumo Association created a partnership with nishiki-e artist Kinoshita Daimon [ja] in the hope of reviving old sumo ukiyo-e works.[94] He collaborated on the official ebanzuke. His portraits of wrestlers are sold at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan.[95]

Mascots edit

On August 31, 2009, the Japan Sumo Association unveiled a group of official mascots under the title Hakkiyoi! Sekitori-kun (ハッキヨイ！せきトリくん). Designed to get more children interested in the sport, the characters are chickens (鶏, which can be read as とり, tori in Japanese) as chicken are considered good luck in sumo. A chicken walks on two legs, not four; similarly, a sumo wrestler loses the match if he is knocked off his feet and touches the ground with his hands or any part of his body.[96] The characters compete in sumo and are centered around main character Hiyonoyama (ひよの山), a pun on hiyo (ぴよ) meaning chick, and his rival Akawashi (赤鷲).[97]

YouTube channels edit

The Japan Sumo Association launched its first YouTube channel on November 5, 2018, with content all in Japanese language. The channel offers light-hearted and humoristic videos, such as a golf competition between former yokozuna Hakuhō, Kisenosato and Kakuryū or chanko-nabe receipes with small skits featuring low-ranking wrestlers. It also provides more serious contents with insights on ceremonies held in the Kokugikan, such as the consecration of the dohyo before each tournaments or danpatsu-shiki (hair cutting ceremony). Old tournaments are also regularly reruned on the channel.

In August 2022, the association launched an English-language YouTube channel called Sumo Prime Time in hopes of drawing a larger international audience to the sport.[98] This new channel, presented by former NHK sumo sportscaster Hiroshi Morita, provides basic sumo explanations such as rikishi routine or training and kimarite moves. It also provides exclusive interviews of oyakata and rikishi, generally the winner of the previous tournament. The general tone of the channel is light-hearted.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ As of April 2024, Nishonoseki have 15 stables, followed by Dewanoumi (14), Isegahama (5), Tokitsukaze (5) and Takasago (4). However Dewanoumi have 38 affiliated oyakata, followed by Nishonoseki (27), Tokitsukaze (16), Isegahama (11) and Takasago (11).
  2. ^ a b Former wrestlers use their toshiyori kabu (elder title) during their terms.

References edit

Notes edit

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  9. ^ Kakuma 1993, p. 16.
  10. ^ Cuyler 1979, pp. 57–58.
  11. ^ Cuyler 1979, p. 58.
  12. ^ Cuyler 1979, pp. 58–59.
  13. ^ a b Cuyler 1979, p. 59.
  14. ^ Cuyler 1979, p. 60.
  15. ^ a b Cuyler 1979, p. 61.
  16. ^ Cuyler 1979, p. 63.
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  19. ^ a b c d e Cuyler 1979, p. 96.
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Bibliography edit

External links edit


Category:Sports organizations established in 1925 Category:1925 establishments in Japan Category:Organizations based in Tokyo Category:Sumida, Tokyo Category:Sumo organizations Sumo

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