JAPAN: SUMO WRESTLING - Foreign sumo wrestlers, such as Bulgarian Koto-Oshu, challenge the Japanese sumo world but not their traditions

Record ID: 467945

  • Title: JAPAN: SUMO WRESTLING - Foreign sumo wrestlers, such as Bulgarian Koto-Oshu, challenge the Japanese sumo world but not their traditions
  • Date: 13th April 2006
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) BULGARIAN SUMO CHAMPION KOTO-OSHU OR KALOYAN STEFANOV MAHLYANOV, WALKING ALONG THE GROUNDS OF YASUKUNI SHRINE FOR A PURIFICATION RITE (2 SHOTS) KOTO-OSHU AND OTHER WRESTLERS BOWING HEADS AND OFFERING PRAYERS TO THE JAPANESE GODS (2 SHOTS) WRESTLERS WALKING AWAY (2 SHOTS) WRESTLERS BEING OFFERED DRINK AND OFFERINGS BY SHRINE MAIDENS (2 SHOT
  • Embargoed: 28th April 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6LK1EDR4NSIW9DOE2M6G3FK7U
  • Story Text: Little did Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov know as he was growing up in Bulgaria that he would someday walk around Japanese temples dressed in a thick silk loin-cloth. But it is all part of normal day in the life of the 23 year old sumo champion -- now called Kotooshu which uses the chinese characters for "european harp" -- as he attended the annual prayer offerings at the holy Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo. Kotooshu last year became the first European to rise to sumo's second-highest rank, in sign of the dominance of foreigners in the ancient Japanese sport. The tallest grappler in the sport at 2.04 metres (6 ft 8 in), has become something of a national sensation in Japan, not only due to his performance in the ring but also because of his good looks, which have earned him the nickname "Beckham of sumo". At a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday (April 12), Kotooshu and his stable master Sadagatake entertained foreign press, trying to clarify one of Japan's most traditional sports.
    "The bout is very rapid that is the hard part. Its often over before you know whether you've won or not or made a mistake. That's the hardest bit," the Bulgarian said, comparing sumo to wrestling in a Japanese learned since his sumo debut in 2002.
    Kotooshu was a Bulgarian wrestling champion aiming to compete in the Olympics, but had to give up his dream after rule changes limited the weight of wrestlers to under 120 kg (265 lb).
    The sumo association limits sumo stables, where wrestlers live and train under a master, to only one foreign wrestler, saying the rule is necessary to maintain the traditions of Japan's national sport.
    "I can't really comment about this rule because the person that decided to allocate one position for foreign wrestlers (per stable) is my predecessor," added Kotooshu's stable master Sadagatake.
    "I am a foreigner so I can't comment on that," Kotooshu added with perfect traditional Japanese deferrence to his superior.
    Despite his modesty, Kotooshu has been the quickest wrestler to reach the ozeki rank.
    Sumo has been hit by waves of foreign invasions, first by the Hawaiians in the 1980s, then by the Mongolians in the 1990s and now by the Europeans. The pioneer was American Jesse Kuhaulua, who entered the sumo world in 1964 and fought under the name Takamiyama. The sport, which some historians say dates back 2,000 years, may even soon witness its first wrestler with a blond top knot.
    Professional sumo now has 58 foreign-born wrestlers from 12 countries, ranging from nearby South Korea to as far away as Brazil. The latest additions are mostly from Eastern Europe. While the participation of foreigners raised eyebrows in the conservative sumo world in the past, opposition has faded in recent years and the rivalry between Asashoryu and Kotooshu is being credited with a slight recovery in the sport's popularity.
    "I am happy that foreigners are entering the ranks in the sumo world, but I wish to see the Japanese wrestlers do better and raise the level of the competition," one sumo fan told Reuters at the annual Yasukuni shrine sumo tournament.
    Many young Japanese are reluctant to enter the rigid world of sumo, and commentators say more Europeans, especially those from countries where wrestling is popular, are likely to test their skills in the sumo ring.
    Asashoryu, who still reigns supreme at the top echelon of "yokozuna", has just made history by winning a recent tournament -- becoming the first wrestler to win seven Emperor's Cups in a row -- is Mongolian.
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