Japan mourns death of sumo legend
SPORTS JAN. 20, 2013 - 03:54PM JST ( 1 )TOKYO �\
Japan on Sunday mourned the death of former sumo grand champion Taiho, who won a record 32 tournaments and became a hugely popular figure in the 1960s when the sport was untainted by the damaging scandals seen more recently.

Taiho, whose real name was Koki Naya, died of heart failure in hospital in Tokyo on Saturday, the Japan Sumo Association said. He was 72.

His death was front-page news in Japan, with the Nikkan Sports daily calling him �gthe strongest yokozuna (sumo grand champion) in history.�h

�gHe was sumo history,�h former yokozuna Chiyonofuji, whose 31 championships are second on the all-time list, told Kyodo news agency. �gThat one additional title he won, that was something beyond my reach. It is a measure of his greatness.�h

Born on the then Japanese-occupied island of Sakhalin off the Russian far east to a Japanese mother and a Ukrainian father, Naya was raised in Hokkaido, reportedly in poverty.

After making his debut in 1956, he won his first championship in 1960 and became the youngest wrestler to reach sumo�fs top rank in 1961 when he was 21 years old.

He retired from competition in 1971 after a career that saw him twice win six tournaments in a row. He also took eight tournaments with 15 straight wins against no losses and had a 45-match winning streak.

Naya was �ga hero in the period of Japan�fs rapid economic growth in the 1960s�h, the Tokyo Chunichi Sports commented.

A catchphrase, �gKyojin, Taiho, tamagoyaki�h, was also coined, putting him among children�fs top three favorite things, which also included the Yomirui Giants baseball team and a Japanese rolled omelette, a school lunchbox must-have.

After his retirement from sumo, Naya founded his own stable. He suffered a stroke in 1977 but recovered and went on to serve in variouos posts in the sumo association.

Sumo�fs popularity has declined in recent years amid scandals including match-fixing, marijuana use, illegal betting by the wrestlers, and the death of an apprentice due to hazing by seniors at their sumo stable.

The increase in foreign-born wrestlers has also been contentious.

Hawaiian Akebono became the first foreigner to become yokozuna in 1993, followed by four more�\another Hawaiian and three Mongolians. The sport is currently dominated by foreign-born wrestlers with its top rank occupied by two of the Mongolians.

�gWe live in an era in which it is not easy for us to share common values,�h the Asahi daily commented. �gThat may be why we feel nostalgic about �ethe Giants, Taiho and rolled omelette.�f�h



This is sad news. I mentioned on a post a few years ago that my first sports hero as a kid was Taiho. I thought he was the best rikishi ever back then, and I still think that 50 years later. His prowess as a yokozuna is inextricably and forever woven into my childhood, and when I read about his passing, memories of times long ago came to me: sumo tournaments with neighborhood kids, most of whom wanting to be either Taiho or Kashiwado, his greatest rival; relatives, long since departed, translating Japanese language newspaper articles for us kids that described Taiho's latest basho victory; thumbing through these thick Japanese magazines--more like softcovered books--to find pictures of him; hearing his name mentioned , his character extolled, and his winning moves recreated whenever my sumo-crazy relatives would get together.

I guess the older one gets, the more nostalgic one gets.

Found this video of Taiho's 45 match winning streak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ6Gtgl0lQQ

It almost ended at 12. His match against Tamanoshima (starts at around 4 minutes) to get number 13 was very hard fought.

Win number 37 against Maenoyama almost didn't happen either.

gaijinmark wrote:

Found this video of Taiho's 45 match winning streak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ6Gtgl0lQQ It almost ended at 12. His match against Tamanoshima (starts at around 4 minutes) to get number 13 was very hard fought. Win number 37 against Maenoyama almost didn't happen either.

gaijinmark: Thanks for the link. Great video.

Bit of trivia: There was controversy when his 45-match winning streak was broken. TV replays showed that the judge incorrectly ruled Taiho the loser. As a result, sumo began using video replay to determine close calls, a practice that other sports only began using many years later.

Taiho was the Babe Ruth of sumo. Like Ruth, he set records which heretofore had been unimaginable. Like Ruth, his fame and popularity extended way beyond his sport. Like Ruth he was the face of an era. Like Ruth, his name became part of his nation's lexicon.

And the New Year Basho Harumafuji back on form 10-0 after day 10 and Hakuho 9-1. Looks like it will come down to those two.

Here's the video from yesterday Harumafuji vs. Baruto, not much of a match: http://www.youtube.com/user/JasonsinJapan?feature=watch

Edit: It's been updated to day 11, Harumafuji still undefeated and Hakuho one behind at 10-1.

Edit, part II: Now updated to day 13, Harumafuji now at 13-0 and Hakuho at 11-2, still has a mathematical chance.

Edit, part III: Final match, Hakuho vs. Harumafuji which is as it should be.

Better late than never I guess:

Taiho to be honored posthumously

TOKYO - The government decided Tuesday to give the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to former yokozuna Taiho, who died on Jan. 19 at the age of 72.

The sumo legend, whose real name was Koki Naya, won a record 32 tournaments, the most in sumo history.

gaijinmark wrote:

Better late than never I guess: Taiho to be honored posthumously TOKYO - The government decided Tuesday to give the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to former yokozuna Taiho, who died on Jan. 19 at the age of 72. The sumo legend, whose real name was Koki Naya, won a record 32 tournaments, the most in sumo history.

To quote Joni Mitchell:

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til it's gone

Ran across this video, Takamisakari upsets Asashoryu, watch the zabuton fly!!:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gUigVZhFOc

gaijinmark wrote:

Ran across this video, Takamisakari upsets Asashoryu, watch the zabuton fly!!:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gUigVZhFOc

This basho in 2003 was probably the zenith of Takamisakari's career. He earned two kinboshi (victory over a yokozuna) in this tournament; the other win was against Musashimaru. Honestly though, he was never more than a mediocre rikishi, although he did get as high as komusubi. His record shows that the higher he was ranked, the worse he did in a tournament. It bespeaks how far sumo has fallen in Japan that he was by far the most popular rikishi, due primarily to his quirky antics and not to his sumo.
Eventually he fell out of the makuuchi division. After the January basho, had he elected to continue, he would have been demoted from the juryo division, which means he would no longer draw a salary. Wisely, he chose to retire.

Found this site, kind of neat: http://www.sumotalk.com/news.htm

After day 4 of the Osaka Basho, Hakuho alone at the top 4-0. A bit of a logjam at 3-1, Kakuryu, Tochiozan, Goeido and Baruto among others. Harumafuji a disappointing 2-2.

Halfway thru, Hakuho alone at the top 7-0, rank and filer Jokoryu (who??? ) at 6-1 and a bottleneck of a bunch at 5-2 led by Harumafuji.

The question at this point isn't if Hakuho will win the basho but if he'll go undefeated.

Hakuho still rolling along at 10-0. Baruto put up a pretty good effort, but finally Hakuho said enough is enough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CGfmojLODQ

Perfect Hakuho wins Spring Basho ties Kitanoumi with 24th win

OSAKA - Yokozuna Hakuho secured the Emperor's Cup for the 24th time with a dominant win over Goeido, capturing the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament title with two days to spare on Friday.

Hakuho breezed to his 13th victory in as many days, slamming sekiwake Goeido (8-5) -- an opponent he beat for the 18th time in 19 career fights -- to join former yokozuna Kitanoumi in fourth place for all-time championships.

Harumafuji is a disappointing 9-4.

Hakuho finished 15-0, undefeated for a record 9th time!!

Final match was against Harumafuji, pretty good match actually:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXGSJasykQc

Day 2 of the May Basho and Harumafuji already at 1-1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUoiuuwvfEk

After day 8, Hakuho, Kisenosato, and Kakuryu undefeated, nobody at 7-1, Harumafuji leads a group of 5 at 6-2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTODyco1-Z8

Day 14, Hakuho vs. Kisenosato, both 13-0 and whoever wins this will still not decide the basho: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC4UawOd0Hs&list=PL556B0EVMUL3BoC8-w71RC50Kf_SUYiWk&index=64

Final match of the basho which Hakuho won when Kisenosato lost the match before this one. Nice moment at the end, the judge working this basho was retiring and both the yokezuna gave him some flowers after it was over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Jqe56jO9E&list=PL556B0EVMUL3BoC8-w71RC50Kf_SUYiWk

Day 2 of Nagoya basho, no surprises both yokozuna undefeated. I was curious how Sokokurai would do. He was kicked out during the match-fixing scandal, but sued and has been reinstated. So far, not so good, he's 0-2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSpXqIsdG-g

Day 5, no major surprises, Hakuho still undefeated, Harumafuji has one loss. Watch the match that starts at about 1 minute, as the saying goes, "That's REALLY gotta hurt!!": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4MZ73MzBY


Update:"Perhaps a torn thigh muscle. He no longer will be able to compete this basho."