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Above average Musashimaru may be sumo's next star
Posted: Wednesday May 26, 1999 12:55 PM
TOKYO (AP) -- Musashimaru is anything but your average sumo wrestler. For one thing, he's bigger than just about everybody else in the ring. He's also better. But on Wednesday, Japan applauded Musashimaru in his most extraordinary accomplishment yet -- the Hawaii-born giant's promotion to the hallowed summit of the ancient sport, a rank only one other foreign-born wrestler has ever held. The event was marked with all the pomp and tradition sumo is famous for. Reporters and TV crews crowded into the training "stable" to which Musashimaru belongs to see the wrestler take his formal oath. Musashimaru displayed both the traditions of the sport and his own Hawaiian background -- like all sumo wrestlers, he wore his hair in a greased down topknot, but he also wore purple leis around his neck during the celebration after the ceremony. "I humbly accept," the 215-kilogram (473-pound) Musashimaru said as he recited his vows in halting Japanese. "I will do my utmost not to tarnish the yokozuna name." The rank of yokozuna, or grand champion, holds a very special meaning to the Japanese. Because sumo's history is intertwined with Japan's native Shinto religion, it carries with it an aura of authority and respect that other athletic honors can't really match. And the question of who should hold the post is never taken lightly. Concerns over the rise of foreign-born wrestlers like Musashimaru and fellow Hawaiians Akebono -- who became yokozuna in 1993 -- and Konishiki, who nearly reached yokozuna the year before, became a national issue in the late 1980s. Some fans felt foreigners shouldn't be allowed to hold the post, while others accused the sport of discrimination. Most of that concern has since died down. Akebono has proven himself a solid champion, and Konishiki has retired from the ring to become a popular TV personality. All three have taken Japanese citizenship. Still, Musashimaru, who is 28, tread cautiously around the issue Wednesday. "A wrestler is a wrestler," he said, refusing to answer other questions about his background. He did, however, urge Hawaiian youngsters to follow his example and pursue sumo. "The only problem I had is that I couldn't speak the language," he said. On Wednesday, it was clear he still hasn't mastered that aspect of life here. During the ceremony, he sat and bowed deeply next to his master Musashigawa, a former yokozuna himself, in front of a golden folding screen. Later, he sheepishly acknowledged he had, out of nervousness, left out the phrase "in body and soul" from his vow. When questions were asked in Japanese, Musashimaru often cocked his head with a smirk, unsure of his answer. Sumo tournaments are held six times each year. The goal of the sport is simple. Wrestlers, clad only in loincloths, clash in the middle of a dirt ring; whoever gets pushed down or pushed out loses. Musashimaru, who stands 190 centimeters (6 foot-3 inches) tall, sealed his promotion by winning two consecutive tournament titles. He has won more bouts than he has lost in the 15-day tournaments 52 consecutive times -- a sumo record. His promotion comes at a crucial time for officials. The sport has been in desperate need for a reliable yokozuna -- two of the three other yokozuna sat out the most recent tournament with injuries, a pattern that has become common of late. Those two yokozuna have also been plagued by scandals surrounding their family, alleged tax evasion and reports of marital troubles. Japanese fans, meanwhile, had no problems welcoming Musashimaru as a new yokozuna. "He has a great sense of humor. And he's so friendly," said Mitsuo Ogiwara, a 55-year-old bakery worker. "I'm overjoyed."
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