Japan Sumo Association

Beginnings of organizations The association has its origins in a Shinto ritual (or festival) that has been held since ancient times to pray for a bountiful harvest. This primary form of sumo was called . During the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga made sumo a popular sport, aided by the emergence of large cities (like Edo, Osaka, Sendai and Nagoya), which soon began to compete with Kyoto's cultural monopoly, as it was Japan's only metropolis at the time. These new cultural centres saw the emergence of wrestling groups, from both the commoners and the warrior classes, who took part in festivities at shrines. During the Edo period, sumo bouts, called , were often held to raise funds to develop provinces (new construction or repair of bridges, temples, shrines and other public buildings) or for entertainment purposes. in Edo, during a tournament (1842) After the Sengoku period, during the period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced an unprecedented period of vagrancy for many samurai who had lost their social standing (called ). These masterless samurai, began to be organized in two extremes that coexisted side by side. On the one hand, certain powerful clans formed suites of wrestlers organized into veritable royal households called , and elevated them to the status of vassals. On the other hand, a number of had no choice but to put their martial skills to good use in street sumo tournaments, called , for the entertainment of passers-by. Similarly, a number of street entertainment wrestling groups formed and began touring, sometimes with the support of shrines that occasionally recruited them as part of religious festivities and to help priests raising money for the construction of buildings. Eventually, this mix of professional wrestlers and disgraced , along with the commoners who took part in the contests of strength of the street tournaments, created conflicts over money. Tense brawls, even deaths, sometimes occurred. Public order became so disturbed that in 1648 the Edo authorities issued an edict banning street sumo and matches organized to raise funds during festivities. Over the next two decades or so, the wrestlers, now without any income, decided to petition the authorities to lift the bans, forming informal associations that resembled coalitions of interests to protect themselves from any violent repression of their movement. In 1684, these movements bore fruit and a by the name of obtained permission to hold a tournament after proposing a new etiquette associated with tournaments. The organization of tournaments began to depend more on groups following new standards designed to satisfy the authorities of the towns hosting them. These associations gradually came to depend on the influence of retired former wrestlers who began to organize tournaments. At that time, the Edo-based association (although composed of elders as today) was organized in such a way as to be dominated by a duo of executives, the , the director, and the , his second. The composition of the and its hierarchy was primarily their decision, and conflicts of interest were common. In addition, the profits from the tournaments were first divided among them before a portion was given to the other elders, who in turn distributed the money to their disciples. Because of the filtering of high-ranking managers, little money reached the bottom of the ladder, and this system was only tolerated because the patronage of local lords also added extra salaries for high-ranking wrestlers. The foundations of the current association Wrestlers who took part in these authorised tournaments without the patronage of lords did not yet have samurai status or a salary and their finances depended largely on donations they could receive from the organisers of charity tournaments or admirers. The organisers also ensured that they were fed and housed for the duration of the tournament. In those days the promotion system was decided by the tournament organisers, who then distributed the profits to the elders who then redistributed funds to their wrestlers, with the wrestlers under the protection of the lords receiving bonuses and having financial security and the others being kept in a situation of poverty. In 1757, during the Hōreki era, the beginnings of the Japan Sumo Associations were formally established as , later called . In 1869, the was founded. Each associations had their own history and changes. For example, from 1888 to 1895 the , led by wrestlers Ōnaruto and Shingari, broke off from Osaka-sumo. In 1897, these movements led to reforms in the Osaka-based association, which became the . The internal reforms carried out at the time included the election of directors, the creation of a fixed income for wrestlers and a change in refereeing decisions from to . During the same year, the Tokyo Ōzumō began to think about a project to install an arena at Hibiya Park to hold its bouts indoors, but the project was abandoned for lack of funds. In 1909, the association founded its first arena by inaugurating the first Ryōgoku Kokugikan, in order to avoid having to depend on the weather for tournaments held at the Ekō-in temple. Social movements in sumo did not cease, however, and in 1911 a strike called the organized by low-ranking wrestlers asked for a new wage reform, securing a bonus (made up of payment in cash and a deposit in a pension fund) distributed to all wrestlers who were not or . In 1923, another strike known as the demanded better pensions for wrestlers and was led by Ōnishiki, without success. In the same year, the first Kokugikan was ravaged by fire following the Great Kantō earthquake and most of the association's archives were lost. Gradually, the Tokyo-based sumo association became dominant. In April 1925, Prince-Regent Hirohito invited the Tokyo Sumo Association to hold a tournament at the Imperial Palace, with the implied aim of also featuring wrestlers from the Osaka-based association. During the tournament, the Emperor's Cup (then the Prince-Regent's Cup) was awarded for the first time. Under the impetus of this tournament, a joint competition plan with a common was proposed, concluding talks that had been taking place since the early 1920s to merge the two rival associations. To establish a ranking according to the wrestlers' skills, qualifying tournaments were organized in November 1925 and in March and October 1926. The March 1926 tournament was officially recognised as the first modern (professional sumo championship tournament). During the same period, on 28 December 1925, an organization now recognised as the first incarnation of today's association. Merger and final recognition As a result of the qualifying tournaments, the Osaka-based association lost many top-ranked wrestlers who found themselves demoted in the rankings, although Miyagiyama (the top ranked wrestler in Osaka) was able to retain his position. During tournaments, Osaka's wrestlers were regularly outclassed by their Tokyo counterparts, with some wrestlers ranked as or in Osaka even struggling against Tokyo's or . Later in 1925, the first chairman of the association, Lieutenant-General , was named. In January 1927, the Osaka-based sumo association officially merged with the All Japan Sumo Association after a long decline. It saved face in the first tournament after the merger of the two associations, as the championship was won by Miyagiyama. The association formally acquired the status of nonprofit organization, and was placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, since in Japan this type of organization requires registration with a government institution. In 1932, the last major wrestlers' strike broke out with the Shunjuen Incident, calling for fundamental reform of the Sumo Association and leading to a mass resignation of wrestlers the likes of which professional sumo had never seen before. From 1933 to 1937, the All Japan Sumo Association briefly experienced a secession leading to the foundation of the by members of the Dewanoumi . The secessionist association later dissolved, but never had the association been so close to destruction. In 1944, the first successor from the sumo world was chosen and Dewanoumi (the former Tsunenohana) became chairman of the association. After the war, the association was further modernized, in particular to maintain the sport in the context of the " ban" (a ban enforced on the practice of combat training disguised as martial arts gatherings by the authoritarian government) applied by the Allied forces. Thanks to the efforts of Musashigawa (the former Dewanohana) and Kasagiyama Katsuichi (a wrestler who spoke a little English), the association succeeded in convincing the Americans of the tournaments' good faith, and the first to be held after the war was in November 1945. Since the tournaments were later expropriated from the original Kokugikan for use by soldiers as "Memorial Hall", the association moved its headquarters to the Meiji Shrine in June 1947. In 1950, following a scandal involving the withdrawal from competition of the three of the time (Azumafuji, Terukuni and Haguroyama) the association considered demoting the highest-ranking sumo wrestlers in the event of a poor score or consecutive absence from two tournaments, but decided to back down following pressure from traditionalists and purists. Common ground was found and the Yokozuna Deliberation Council was created, definitively detaching the association from the House of Yoshida, and declaring that the appointment of would henceforth be based on recommendations from the board of directors and the new committee. In those days, the reservation system was mainly based on private teahouses, which gave patrons privileged access to tournaments. The scandal erupted when it was revealed that the wife and daughter of the then chairman, Dewanoumi, were running two of the biggest houses. The Diet also considered the association's missions, based on the testimonies of former Tenryū Saburō (former leader of the Shunjuen Incident) and (former director of the association under the name Sadogatake). Since he was personally blamed for the management problems, Dewanoumi tried to commit suicide by . He was replaced by Tokitsukaze (former Futabayama) who began a series of reforms. Under his chairmanship, the teahouse system was reformed, with 40% of places now reserved for direct purchase, and the system placed under a commercial company directly dependent on the association. In 1958, the association took its definitive name by being renamed "Japan Sumo Association". Modern times In March 1968, the association's statutes were amended to restrict board membership to , high-ranking wrestlers and . The number of directors was also limited to ten elders after negotiations between the five . The New York Times subsequently quoted Konishiki as saying, "If I were Japanese, I would be already". The association demanded an apology and Konishiki held a press conference during which he tearfully denied making the remarks. He insisted that The Nihon Keizai Shimbun had misinterpreted his remark, and that he had not spoken to The New York Times, and instead a Hawaiian apprentice Koryū had impersonated him on the telephone. In 1993, Akebono, a student of Azumazeki (former Takamiyama), became the first foreign-born in the history of the sport. Scandals prompting a reform era Between 2007 and 2008, two scandals hit the association (the Tokitsukaze stable hazing scandal and the cannabis use scandal) leading to the resignation of chairman Kitanoumi in September 2008 and the appointment of Musashigawa (the former Mienoumi). In a move to increase transparency, the MEXT (under Vice-minister Kenshiro Matsunami) demanded the opening of the Sumo Association's board of directors to external auditors, introducing non- personalities into the decision-making system for the first time in 63 years. At the time, the association's statutes clearly stated that only former wrestlers could sit on the board of directors but Vice-minister Matsunami insisted that the scandal was "the biggest disgrace in the history of sumo". The new members of the Board were three auditors: Itō Shigeru (Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo), (lawyer and former Prosecutor General of the Tokyo Prosecutors' Office) and Jun Yoshino (former Police Commissioner). The scandal came to light in January when Kotomitsuki was reported in a Shūkan Shinchō article on 19 January as having participated in gambling circles run by . In order to satisfy requests for internal investigations and changes, the association dissolved its Life Guidance Committee, appointing a new committee made up of young elders between 30 and 45 years of age, headed by Michinoku (the former Kirishima). Chairman Musashigawa also resigned from his position in July, and was succeeded at the head of the association by Murayama Hiroyoshi, a lawyer who had previously been appointed auditor of the association in 2008, and who held the position of acting chairman until the beginning of August. At one point, the revelation of collusion between wrestlers and was such that MEXT threatened to dissolve the association's public non-profit institution act and confiscate the JSA's properties, including the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The crisis, described as the most serious in sumo history, was such that several comments emerged on the fact that the damage could well threaten sumo's recognized position as Japan's national sport. Despite the scandal, Hanaregoma succeeded in bringing negotiations on the status of the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation to a successful conclusion. Having reached the age limit of 65, Hanaregoma promptly resigned his post and Kitanoumi was elected for a second time to the head of the association, becoming the first chairman to return to this level of responsibility in the association's history. Despite the criticism, Hanaregoma's commitment during the crisis was hailed for running the association as a man of integrity, respected under the nickname . In January 2014, the association shifted to a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation and officially changed its name to . The change, effectively implemented from March to coincide with new board of directors elections, had been delayed for a year following complicated negotiations over the status of and the composition of the board. In order to bring the statutes of the association into line with the stipulations of the incorporated foundations was introduced the , responsible for monitoring the shared interests of the ministry and the association. During the same month, the board of directors appointed Hakkaku as chairman of the association, a position he had already held on an interim basis since Kitanoumi's death. Kitanoumi's sudden death launched an election in March 2016, described as "fierce" by the press. After negotiations for the positions of director and chairman, Hakkaku was elected head of the association, ahead of his main rival Takanohana. The incident generated intense media coverage, prompted by the previous scandals and the change in the association's nature to an incorporated non-profit foundation. The association's reaction was also heavily criticized, with some newspapers condemning a discourse that made excuses for the aggressor. The incident triggered criticism from the public and from the Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment, Seiko Noda, forcing the association to publicly apologize. 2020s The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan forced the March 2020 tournament in Osaka to be held behind closed doors. The last time this occurred was in the June 1945 tournament, when only injured Pacific War veterans were invited to attend. This was followed by the cancellation of the May tournament. As a result, the association in 2021 had a deficit of 6.3 billion yen, the biggest in its history. The association's finances recovered by March 2024, with a surplus of 300 million yen. In 2022, for the first time in its history, the association signed a partnership agreement with a local government, Sumida Ward, to revitalize the district by encouraging sumo wrestlers to visit schools, and promote sport and tourism. In December 2023, the sent the association a rare demand letter for unpaid overtime owed to its administrative staff. Between June and October 2023, the association had also been the subject of five investigations, a rare number for a public interest incorporated foundation. In addition, the association was criticized for managerial problems and cases of moral harassment leading to the suspension of three administrative executives in September, without the situation changing according to the daily Nikkan Sports. The event was held on 7 October, with the entire tournament being a tribute to sumo held during the Heian period, with all participants wearing costumes from that era. Among the tournament's unique features were matches, intended to ward off evil spirits and honor Buddha by ending in draws. A special demonstration match was also held with Hōshōryū wrestling against five other lower-ranked wrestlers (Gōnoyama, Hiradoumi, Ura, Rōga, Meisei). The wrestlers were introduced following the ceremony, usually reserved for tournaments attended by the emperor or crown prince. Finally, a performed by the two (Ōnosato and Hōshōryū) was held, a first since 2017. ==Organization==

The Japan Sumo Association is a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation since 2014. Therefore, its functioning is of a non-profit organization and its activities are regulated through a top-down system of government supervision, as well as adherence to strict establishment conditions in exchange of preferential treatments under the Japanese tax system. In practice, this means that the association is exempt from taxes, with the exception of consumption, business and property taxes. Although the association is a foundation, it has borrowed particularities from the statutes of corporations. The association's operations are authorized and defined by the administrative agency of the Act on Authorization of Public Interest Incorporated Associations and Public Interest Incorporated Foundation (Act No. 49 of 2006). Professor Mark D. West defined the organization of the Association as a "complex" balance of legal rules and informal social norms, referring to both the respect for the law as well as the rules nominally approved by the Ministry of Education, as sumo's supervising agency; and the traditional constraints not enforceable by law, inherited from the long history of sumo as a sport and the history of the association. The association's choice to apply rules or to defect to norms is based on efficiency. In addition to this balance, the association maintains a culture of discretion and secrecy in its management of professional sumo. According to West, the reasons for this secrecy are mainly to control the flow of information, whether negative (scandal) or positive (promotion of a popular wrestler). Such control maintains the positive image of the sport and the mystical culture built up by sumo, linked to its religious roots. The system The Japan Sumo Association relations between its members are primarily shaped by rules and norms related to the ownership and transfer of "elder stocks", or shares, held by the association elders. Of all the employees of the association only they can manage the organization. Each share is associated with a particular name, and in the sumo world the former wrestler will be known by that name, usually with the suffix . The members are also often called elders in English. Former wrestlers gain the right to participate in the management of the association by inheriting a share (called a ), of which there are 105. The value of these shares was extremely high and rules only permits former sumo wrestlers who either reached at least a rank ( or higher) or been ranked for a significant number of tournaments as a to inherit them. Japanese citizenship is also a prerequisite. Retired wrestlers may own several shares at the same time and exchange or loan them, often in order to inherit a name that affiliates them with a particular stable or tradition. The association delegates the selection of the wrestlers who can inherits these shares to former shareholders who, by tradition, retain the power to choose their successors. It however have a say in the transmission, mainly to ensure that eligibility requirements are met, ensuring that only the best wrestlers can in turn become coaches. The association also manages the shares of deceased or definitively-retired former members that have not been reallocated after a five-year period. Before the association became a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, the elder shares were to be purchased and there was a highly speculative market, which prevented many wrestlers from remaining in the association because the price of a share was too high. At the end of the 90s, this value was around 100 to 400 million yen. Since the introduction of the Japan Sumo Association as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, the shares are technically no longer purchasable, but rather managed by the Association. Normally, if money is exchanged as part of the inheritance of a share, the appointment of the new holder may be invalidated and the offender subjected to disciplinary measures, up to and including expulsion from the association. However, the monetization of the shares' inheritance still seems to be tolerated by the association. ) addresses the public at the beginning of the last day of the 2008 September tournament. An exception to the normal acquisition is made for the most successful , with era-defining being offered a "single generation" or "lifetime" elder stock, called . This process allows the wrestler to stay as an elder without having to use a traditional share in the association, and enter his retirement duties with his ring name. This exception system has been offered to three former wrestlers : Taihō, Kitanoumi and Takanohana. A fourth, Chiyonofuji, was offered this status but preferred a normal share and became known as Kokonoe. These four all achieved more than twenty tournament championships in their active careers. In October 2021, Hakuhō, the Emperor's Cup number record holder, was however denied the and Masayuki Yamauchi (a Yokozuna Deliberation Council member) declared to a press conference that "no such system exists" under the new Public Interest Incorporated Foundation statutes of the association, implying that the system would no longer be used. The elders of the Association receive a salary that depends on their rank within the association. They are expected to assist in the running of both their stable, called in Japanese (but changed to as a suffix) and the association. They do this by performing a diversity of tasks, from selling tickets and security work at the most junior level, to taking charge of one of the Association departments as a director. These members are also the only persons given the authority to train new sumo wrestlers. They do this by opening or taking over stable, which will take the same name as the founder's elder name. Thus someone known as Dewanoumi is the owner of Dewanoumi stable. A few coaches have their own stable, while the rest are required to be affiliated with one and assist the principal owner. It is common for the most senior members of the Association to concentrate on their Association responsibilities and pass the day-to-day management of a stable to another. If a senior coach wishes to do this, the two may elect to swap names so that the stable can keep the more prestigious name. Examples include, when the Association's chairman Dewanoumi (former Sadanoyama), swapped names with Sakaigawa (former Washūyama) who took over the running of Dewanoumi stable in 1996, or the transfer of the elder share "Kokonoe" from former Kitanofuji to former Chiyonofuji in exchange for the title "Jinmaku", allowing Chiyonofuji to inherit Kokonoe stable in 1992. All members are required to retire when they reach the age of sixty-five (with a possible five-year extension if approved by the board of directors), after which they can pass their name to another, provided that person meets the association's eligibility requirements. In the case of a lifetime share mentioned above, the name merely lapses. Other personnel The association employs a certain number of other personnel, mainly to assist in the running of tournaments. Therefore, auxiliary personnel such as (referees), (ushers) and (hairdressers) are all employees of the association. In contrast to wrestlers, all members employed in these roles may generally stay in the association until retirement age. The association provides their training, usually conducted by seniors in their field of activity, and ranks them. Before the association's transition to the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, the two highest-ranking (called ) were on the association's board along with the . In addition, a limited number of positions do exist for retired wrestlers who did not fulfill the requirements for inheriting a , and would otherwise have to leave the sumo world upon their retirement from active competition. These former wrestlers are kept within the association as contract employees, customarily retaining their old as their professional name, and are employed to handle various tasks. They are separated into two distinct roles: • Up to eight , or "youth leaders", serving as officials of the association. They typically work at their former stables or within the associated . are tasked with arranging matches and supervising young sumo wrestlers from makushita and below. They also appear in public next to the during the closing ceremony, receiving the trophies given to the tournament winner to return them backstage. • Up to thirteen , or "caretakers", work as transportation and storage managers, handling association equipment used for tournaments and . In addition they deal with miscellaneous, primarily physical tasks, as instructed by the master of the stable they belong to, or other association members (including ). ==Missions==

The JSA is more than just a sports organization. Its status as an Incorporated Foundation makes it an organization of cultural purpose. The association is also responsible for the recruitment, instruction and training of wrestlers via the system or the Sumo School. Although not all wrestlers are salaried (only ranked wrestlers are), the association provides a small allowance to all of them. Depending on the wrestler's performance during tournaments, the association is also responsible of the wrestlers ranking. As wrestlers are not the only employees of the association, it also oversees the recruitment of , and to maintain the traditional settings of Sumo. Non-traditional occupations are also the responsibility of the association, in particular to maintain the operation of businesses linked to the association (such as the Kokugikan sales department, the restaurant or the skewer factory). Bearing the responsibility of the sport's long history, the association oversees the preservation and utilization of sumo archives. It also collects various types of objects linked to sumo wrestlers (such as , or belts) which are stored and exhibited in the Sumo Museum. ==Departments==

Association organization The association is ruled by a series of departments and committees into which the are divided when they enter their new career as coaches. The association's departments are organised as follows: Advisory body To this organization adds an advisory body called the Yokozuna Deliberation Council. ==Elections==

The possession of a is essential for the functioning of association as elders, assembled in a board of trustees called , votes for the board of the association. Elections are held in even-numbered years or every two years, usually in January or February. The election process is heavily influenced by the stables regroupments to which coaches are distributed in. Each stable belong to an , or clan. There are currently five , each bearing the name of its leading stable: Dewanoumi, Isegahama, Nishonoseki, Takasago and Tokitsukaze. The serves as quasi-political groupings, each clan nominating candidates for the ten positions or so that are available on the association's board each election cycle. Each vote is normally along the interests of the , which explain why the bigger clans more often holds the association's chairmanship. Stables aren't equally divided among the . As of July 2024, Nishonoseki has the most stables with 17, but Dewanoumi has the most affiliated (elders) with 37. As in the political world intrigue, subterfuge, splits and new coalitions are ordinary. The have a lot of leeway and can decide many things on their own. In fact, some elders change stables, move their stable to different or break off from their clan. For example, the Kokonoe stable was founded in 1967 after Chiyonoyama failed to gain control of the Dewanoumi stable. The break off that ensued saw the stable leaving the Dewanoumi to join the Takasago . Also, in 2010, Takanohana stable (run under the "lifetime share" system by the eponymous) broke off from the Nishonoseki (with Ōnomatsu stable, Ōtake stable and Magaki stable) as he wanted to present himself to the board's election and his clan would not permit it. He became the leader of its own group, which was then formally recognized as an (called Takanohana ) in 2014. The was however short lived and was disbanded in 2018 after the Takanoiwa affair. Until 2018, there have been non-aligned stables, or loose coalitions that weren't formal , but in 2018 the association ruled that all stables had to belong to one of the current . ==Board of the Association==

The Japan Sumo Association's board is composed of a board of directors, under which several deputy directors and special executives operate, namely three vice-directors and a . The board of directors elects a chairman, called , from among themselves. Directors other than the chairman serve as department heads. Among them, the role of Operations director is considered to be the association's number 2. Each board member serves a two-year term. One of the three, , also served as acting chairman for the July 2010 tournament while the then head, Musashigawa (former Mienoumi), was suspended. A counselor committee was introduced in 2014 to facilitate dialogue between the ministry and the association. This committee, called , is made up equally of retired wrestlers (with no re-employment) elected within the association and personalities appointed by the ministry. Their rank equals that of a director to the association's board. Elders on the committee are not allowed to concurrently serve as because of the committee authority that allows them to have a say in the appointment and dismissal of directors. ==List of ==

In the decade from 2007 to 2017, the association had to deal with a number of affairs like the Tokitsukaze stable disciple assault death case (2007), the case of foreign sumo wrestlers possessing and smoking cannabis (2008), the baseball gambling and match-fixing scandal (2010-2011), Harumafuji's assault incident (2017) and the ban on women. While the association had always benefited from leniency on a certain number of its practices, the evolutions of Japanese society and the ever more frequent media coverage of the scandals surrounding the association contributed to the reaction of the latter and to the establishment of reforms in this world yet governed by immutable rules. Links with criminals In 2010, the Japan Sumo Association announced its decision to dismiss Kotomitsuki and Ōtake (former Takatōriki), for betting on baseball games in a gambling ring run by the . At the same time, two stable masters were demoted and an unprecedented 18 wrestlers banned from the July 2010 tournament. Sumo Association chairman Hanaregoma declared in August 2010 that "violent groups or antisocial forces" were being banned from accessing tournament venues, training stables and other facilities. The association issued a statement on the matter, stating "the Japan Sumo Association are aware of their social responsibility and declare that they will work to eliminate anti-social forces such as organized crime groups". Since then, members of organized crime groups are not allowed in sumo venues (such as the Ryōgoku Kokugikan), stables, supporters' associations and celebrations. The inequality of treatment between wrestlers also drove suspicion of racism within the institution. The controversy arose when The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Samoan-born Konishiki had alleged racial discrimination was the reason for him being denied promotion to sumo's top rank of . The Japan Sumo Association demanded an apology. Konishiki held a press conference during which he made his apology and tearfully denied making the remarks. More recently, during the retirement of era defining Hakuhō, the "Experts' Meeting on the Succession and Development of Grand Sumo" (directed by Yamauchi Masayuki, a member of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council), which the Japan Sumo Association consulted on how sumo should be in response to the new era, suddenly came up with a proposal for "the abolition of the ." The reason mentioned was that "there is no provision in the articles of incorporation of the association that serves as a basis." The association faced severe criticism in particular on the basis of previous suspicions of racism. However it is assumed the decision was taken to prevent the rise of another Takanohana controversy by giving a wrestler too much prestige. In May 2009, Yamamoto was sentenced to six years in jail. Violence affairs also came up to light in 2017, when Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon reported that Harumafuji had assaulted fellow Mongolian wrestler Takanoiwa during a regional sumo tour in Tottori in late October. According to the report and other sources, Harumafuji was drinking with other sumo wrestlers (including Hakuhō, Kakuryū and Terunofuji) and was admonishing Takanoiwa over his behavior. Angered that Takanoiwa was looking at his cell phone at the time, Harumafuji struck him in the head with a beer bottle and punched him 20 to 30 times. Harumafuji was then questioned by the Sumo Association's crisis management panel, where he admitted to assaulting Takanoiwa. On October 25, 2018, the association issued a statement introducing external experts involved in training, operation of procedures, and other measures to prevent the recurrence of violence. However, this did not stop the violence scandals, and, on December 26, 2022, Isegahama announced his resignation as director after a case of violence, where two junior wrestlers in his stable acted violently against younger wrestlers, with the victims beaten with wooden beams and burned with hot water poured on their backs. In May 2023, Michinoku stable's senior wrestler, Kirinofuji, assaulted another young wrestler, Yasunishi, who had to take the matter to the press to trigger a response. Stablemaster Michinoku was accused of having covered these facts of violence by contributing directly to the fact that the aggressor can remain within the stable then letting him retire with dignity and without any charges brought against him. Hanakago, the director of the Compliance Department, is also criticized for having let the aggressor go unpunished, despite having been informed late and by the victim. In March 2023 a former lower-ranked wrestler in Sadogatake stable, Daisuke Yanagihara, sued the Japan Sumo Association and his former stablemaster (ex-Kotonowaka) on allegations that he was forced to quit the sport. Yanagihara claimed that his human rights were violated and that, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Sumo Association instituted health protocols, he was denied his request to sit out of the January 2021 tournament over fears of contracting the virus following cardiac surgery. In the lawsuit, Yanagihara also alleged mistreatment of lower-ranked wrestlers in his former stable, such as being served meals containing meat that was years beyond its expiration date. As of July 2023 the Sumo Association has not commented on the allegations. ==General communication==

Logo The Japan Sumo Association, like most institutions, owns a . The design is based on cherry blossom, which is the national flower of Japan. Around the flower, two stylized characters for 'big' or 'great' (), extracted from the kanjis of professional sumo, called , can be seen. The logo was created in 1909 for the opening of the first Ryōgoku Kokugikan. This symbol can be found in various places when the association holds celebration. It can be mainly seen on the 's (suspended roof above the dohyō) curtains, called . The wrestler who performs the (bow-twirling ceremony) also wears a decorated with this emblem. Sumo's boost in popularity In the early 2020s, professional sumo experienced a popularity boost, launched, according to Nishiiwa (former Wakanosato), by Hakuhō's period of dominance and the rise in visibility of foreign fans and , female fans commonly known as , displaying their passion for sumo and wrestlers on social networks. After the period of scandal, the association also set about restoring a positive public image by launching various measures. These included strengthening the JSA's presence on social networks and developing merchandising. To develop the international market, the association also undertook to translate all its publications into English. Finally, the JSA created an official fan club in order to develop its fan base, offering them in return easier access to tournament tickets and inviting them to various festivals held at the Kokugikan. He collaborated on the official . His portraits of wrestlers are sold at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. Mascots In August 2009, the Japan Sumo Association unveiled a group of official mascots under the title . Designed to get more children interested in the sport, the characters are chickens (, which can be read as とり, in Japanese) as chicken are considered good luck in sumo. A chicken walks on two legs, not four; similarly, a sumo wrestler loses the match if he is knocked off his feet and touches the ground with his hands or any part of his body. The characters compete in sumo and are centered around main character , a pun on (ぴよ) meaning chick, and his rival . Mascot development included manga publishing and the installation of sticker dispensers at the Kokugikan. Plush toys were also created to popularize the mascots. ==Online presence==

YouTube channels The Japan Sumo Association launched its first YouTube channel in November 2018, with content all in Japanese language. The channel offers light-hearted and humoristic videos, such as a golf competition between former Hakuhō, Kisenosato and Kakuryū or receipes with small skits featuring low-ranking wrestlers. It also provides more serious contents with insights on ceremonies held in the Kokugikan, such as the consecration of the before each tournaments or (hair cutting ceremony). Old tournaments are also regularly reruned on the channel. In August 2022, the association launched an English-language YouTube channel called Sumo Prime Time in hopes of drawing a larger international audience to the sport. This new channel, presented by former NHK sumo sportscaster Hiroshi Morita, provides basic sumo explanations such as routine or training and kimarite moves. It also provides exclusive interviews of and , generally the winner of the previous tournament. The general tone of the channel is light-hearted. Smartphone application In 2019, the association launched its official mobile app, named "", in partnership with Dwango. The app broadcasts matches from the ranks with commentary from celebrities. Viewing changes depending on whether you're a paying member (unlimited content) or accessing free content (limited to one match viewed per day). Rankings and results by tournament day are also available. ==See also==