The Japan Sumo Association’s Board of Directors made several key announcements on Thursday, including the approval of a succession plan for the Ohtake stable and the release of the list of wrestlers who will be absent from the upcoming summer regional tour. In a separate matter earlier in the month, a former top-division wrestler was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of robbery and sexual assault.
The board approved a plan that will see Kumagatani-oyakata, the 42-year-old former Maegashira Tamaasuka, inherit the Ohtake elder name and take over as stablemaster. The move is scheduled for September 29th, following the retirement of the current Ohtake-oyakata, the 64-year-old former Juryo wrestler Dairyu. The outgoing master will remain with the stable as a coach under the re-employment system, adopting the Kumagatani name in a direct swap with his successor. Ohtake stable, which descends from the historic stable founded by the legendary Yokozuna Taiho, is currently home to ten wrestlers, including Taiho’s grandson, Ōhō.
The association also announced a list of twelve wrestlers who will be absent from the start of the August summer tour. The most prominent name on the list is Yokozuna Hōshōryū, who is nursing an injury to his left big toe following his withdrawal from the Nagoya tournament. He is expected to join the tour midway through its schedule. Other notable absentees include Sekiwake Daieishō and Maegashira wrestlers Endō, Takerufuji, Tobizaru, Ura, and Meisei. Jūryō wrestlers Hakuyōzan and Kagayaki will participate in their place.
In other news, Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested the former Maegashira Amūru, a 41-year-old Russian national whose real name is Nikolai Ivanov, on July 14th. The arrest was made on suspicion of robbery and non-consensual sexual intercourse in relation to an incident that allegedly took place at a karaoke establishment in Shibuya on April 5th. Amūru reached the highest rank of East Maegashira #5 during his career, which began in 2002 and ended with his retirement in 2018.
Sources:
The Chanko Pot 
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