LAS VEGAS (AP) — He has been called everything from a bully to Genghis Khan. Some might also see sumo champion Asashoryu as a 317-pound, showboating troublemaker who doesn’t always honor the staid rituals of his sport.
But that’s in Japan. In this city, where flamboyance is a revered tradition, he should find plenty of approval.
For the first time in two decades, a Grand Sumo tournament will be held in the United States, running Oct. 7-9 at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.
A champion will be determined each day, and a Grand Champion will be crowned on the final day of the competition. Gambling on the bouts will not be permitted.
The tour, which is being staged by the Japan Sumo Association, will feature most of the sport’s top wrestlers. But the biggest draw is sure to be the baby-faced, Monogolian-born Asashoryu, who became Grand Champion in 2003 and last month won sumo’s top prize, the Emperor’s Cup, for the 11th time.
Asashoryu is a yokozuna or Sumo Grand Champion. He consistently beats competitors, relying on power and technique. At 6-foot, he is shorter than most rivals, but he’s the master of the dohyo, the hand-crafted ring made out of clay and sand.
The title of yokozuna is a mark of honor, its champions held to high standards. Asashoryu sparked a national scandal two years ago when he was disqualified for taking down an opponent by pulling his hair.
He was unavailable for questions Wednesday, failing to show for a scheduled interview during a three-city tour to promote the fall competition.
Uragoro Takasago, the Las Vegas event’s director, said spectators should not expect to see a blood sport. It is not kickboxing or boxing.
Each man is dressed in only a sumo belt, with his hair in a top knot like a samurai. The object is to shove the opponent down or out of the ring.
The 1,500-year-old sport traces its roots to ancient Shinto religious ritual and has deep significance in Japanese society. The wrestlers follow a strict communal training regimen, dress in traditional kimono and have a disciple-master relationship with coaches.
Sumo wrestlers observe a high level of discipline in the ring, which is considered sacred ground. They bow to each other before and after each bout and toss fistfuls of salt onto the ring in a purification ritual before they compete.
Mandalay officials expect the 12,000-seat venue to be sold out all three days. If the event is successful, Takasago said sumo could return to the United States in three to five years. A Grand Sumo tournament was last held in the country in New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1985.
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