Sumo wrestling
Heavy petting
Oct 11th 2007 TOKYO
From The Economist print edition
A gruesome death hits Japan's already ailing national sport
THE gash on his forehead was from a bottle smashed against it. Bruises tattooed his body, from cigarette burns on his legs to the marks left by a metal baseball bat.
Takashi Saito, a 17-year-old
junior-level sumo wrestler, who competed under the name Tokitaizan, twice tried to run away from the Tokitsukaze stable, his training camp. But he was brought back and beaten by senior wrestlers, who were following the example set by the stablemaster,
Junichi Yamamoto. In sumo this bullying is called
kiai-ire, or “instilling spirit”; wrestlers refer to it as “petting”.
The death of Tokitaizan during a training match in June, after a particularly harsh bout of abuse, led to the expulsion of Mr Yamamoto from the sport on October 5th by the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), for “severely damaging public trust”. It is only the second time a stablemaster has been banned since the organisation was formed in the 1920s. The police are investigating the incident. They may file charges of assault and manslaughter against the stablemaster and possibly some wrestlers too.
It is only the latest trouble facing Japan's national sport, which has a history of more than 1,500 years. The popularity of sumo is in severe decline. Ticket sales have fallen for years. Moreover, there are fewer recruits to the sport. The JSA approved 87 new trainees in 2006, compared with 223 at its peak in 1992. In July, for the first time since records have been kept, the JSA was forced to cancel the testing of recruits when no one showed up for the traditional induction exams. Young Japanese men reject the brutal training and regimented lifestyle, which includes communal living and mundane chores in the stables. Some who planned to train as wrestlers are said to have pulled out after Tokitaizan's death.
Meanwhile, the sport of Japanese emperors has been dominated by foreigners. In the 1990s two Hawaiians, Akebono and Musashimaru led the pack. Today, the only yokozuna, or grand champions, are Mongolians, Asashoryu and Hakuho. And Asashoryu has caused trouble, from topknot-tugging (inadvertent, he claimed) during a bout and faking injuries, to rumours of match-fixing and tax evasion.
All this has thrown an
uncomfortable spotlight on the insular and
opaque JSA. It is accused of tolerating the sport's unsavoury practices, from possible
match-rigging to the abusive treatment of initiates. In 1996 two former wrestlers who dared disclose match-rigging died shortly afterwards, hours apart, of the same
respiratory ailment. And the JSA turned a blind eye to Tokitaizan's suspicious death until the boy's father went to the press and the police. Since 1989 four other young men have died of “heart failure” during training, reports
Bunshun, a weekly magazine.
There are
calls for the JSA to
clean up sumo. And the dirt
piles up. The head of another stable, Musashigawa, this month came under police investigation for assaulting a trainee. In the case of Tokitaizan, the JSA directors punished themselves by cutting their salary for a few months. In the past, the JSA sued publications for defamation following articles that alleged
match-fixing. Now they have a lot more on their hands.
译文:
同性爱抚
相扑运动
同性爱抚
2007年10月11日 东京
摘自《经济学人》印刷版
国技处境雪上加霜 骇人命案火上添油
额头上的深长伤口为瓶子重砸所致，身上更是伤痕累累。腿上有烟头烫过的斑斑疤痕，也有铁质棒球球棒留下的青青瘀伤。现年17岁的初级相扑选手斋藤俊（赛名为时太山）曾先后两次尝试逃离时津风相扑部屋，但都被抓回。在教练山本顺一的授意下，高级相扑选手对他拳打脚踢。在日本相扑运动中，此种打架斗殴的举动被称为 “培养忠心”；相扑选手则称之为“爱抚”。
6月，斋藤俊在一场训练赛中受到残忍虐待致死。10月5日，日本相扑协会（JSA）做出了开除相扑教练山本顺一的决定，因为他“严重损害了公信力”。自日本相扑协会于20世纪20年代成立以来，他是被该协会开除的第二位相扑教练。目前，日本警方正对此案展开调查，并可能会以侵犯人身罪和谋杀罪起诉山本顺一和其他部分涉案相扑选手。
相扑运动在日本已有1500多年的历史，这也只不过是日本国技遭遇的最新麻烦而已。日本民众对相扑运动的支持程度已在大幅下降，赛事门票收益已是减少多年。除此以外，相扑运动招募的新成员也是越来越少。2006年，日本相扑协会共吸纳了87名相扑新成员，但在1992年鼎盛时期却达223人。7月，在无人应征的情况下，日本相扑协会不得不取消对新成员的传统入门考试要求，此举在日本尚属首次。日本青年不愿意接受残酷的训练和刻板的生活方式。作为相扑，他们需要过着群居的生活，做着单调乏味的杂务。据说，许多有意接受训练成为相扑选手的新成员在获知斋藤俊的死讯后纷纷抽身而退。
与此同时，国外相扑选手已对日本皇家的相扑运动项目起到了影响。20世纪90年代，两位美国夏威夷选手——曙（Akebono）和武藏丸（Musashimaru）——是相扑选手中的佼佼者。当前，相扑大赛的冠军地位则是非蒙古选手——朝青龙（Asashoryu）和白鹏（Hakuho）——莫属。不过，朝青龙已是麻烦缠身，如在比赛中拉扯对手顶髻（他声称并非有意），假装受伤，以及内定比赛和偷税漏税的传闻等等。
这一切已令人不安地将目光投向保守不堪而又缺乏透明的日本相扑协会。针对相扑运动中存在的种种弊端，如操纵赛事结果和虐待相扑新手等等，该协会均被人指责存有纵容之嫌。1996年，两位前任相扑选手积极披露了赛事结果受到操纵的丑闻，但两人在数小时后皆因呼吸疾病迅速身亡。在斋藤俊父亲未向媒体和警方求助前，日本相扑协会一直是对这名男孩的离奇死亡熟视无睹。据《文艺春秋》周刊的报道，自1989年以来，另有四名青年在训练当中死于“心力衰竭”。
日本相扑协会已被呼吁清理门户。种种问题已堆积如山。本月，荒汐相扑部屋的总教练因涉嫌袭击一名相扑训练选手在接受警方调查。在对斋藤俊一案的处理上，日本相扑协会管理层接受了减薪数月的处罚。以前，日本相扑协会以诽谤罪起诉那些刊文指责它内定比赛的媒体。现在，它要着手处理的问题却比比皆是。