In my last column, I discussed the "hasso tobi" (eight-boat leap) executed by a small wrestler. This is a sleight-of-hand technique in the jump-off, and one that should not be overly praised. However, it can be said to be one example of a technique that, when cleanly executed, is showered with cheers from the joy of surprise.
What if a large wrestler, or a yokozuna or ozeki, did such a feint in the jump-off? Simply put, it would be a turnoff, and some would surely criticize it as "cowardly." Wakanohana III, the elder brother in the Waka-Taka sibling tandem that took the sumo world by storm in the 1990s, rose up the ranks to yokozuna despite his relatively small physique of 1.80 meters and 130 kilograms.
Wakanohana was also one who often dodged a charging opponent in the jump-off. Spectators at the Kokugikan Arena, without actually booing, reacted quite negatively, and I can fondly remember Wakanohana, surrounded by reporters after the bout, pursing his lips and firing back, "Is it unacceptable if a yokozuna changes?"
In principle, a yokozuna should squarely face the opponent's charge in a dignified manner. However, having to face massive opponents such as Hawaiian wrestlers Akebono and Musashimaru would surely wear him down significantly over a 15-day tournament. It is also true that quite a few fans sympathized with him, saying that it should not be held against him for using the jump-off dodge in one or two bouts to conserve energy.
How about yokozuna Hakuho's "kachiage"? Kachiage is an effective form of attack in which the wrestler raises the opponent's upper body with a powerful bent-elbow thrust to the chest on the jump-off. However, in Hakuho's case, it becomes a rough technique in which he slams the opponent's chin or face with his elbow, instead of pushing the chest. Some defend the move, pointing out it is not prohibited by the rules of the Japan Sumo Association, but the yokozuna probably cannot avoid criticism.
Then there are some die-hard fans like Hideshige Moriya, a 79-year-old Chiba University professor emeritus and former chairman of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, who takes a dispassionate view.
"Hakuho's power has diminished and it's just that he has become unable to win without that technique," said Moriya, an orthopedic surgeon by profession.
Sumo is not made up of rules alone. A sumo wrestler's way of thinking and whether he respects his opponent can be seen in the way he fights his bouts. That does not escape the fans.
-- Miki is a sumo expert.
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