Asashoryu wrapped up his 24th career sumo championship today, further strengthening his claim as one of the greatest rikishi ever. Asa’s victory only ties him for third on the all-time list with Kitanoumi, and it is unlikely that he will challenge Chiyonofuji (31) and Taiho (32) due to injuries and the emergence of Hakuho as a legitimate title threat every tournament. Nonetheless, a strong case can be made for Asashoryu's place among the elite.
For starters, in 2005 he became the only wrestler in history to sweep all six tourneys in a calendar year since sumo moved to this format in 1958--a symbol of dominance that is equivalent to winning the elusive grand slam in tennis or golf. In fact, he was so dominant in the period from 2004 to 2007, not a single wrestler was able to achieve his rank of yokozuna.
When one considers that Asa arrived on the scene as a lighter wrestler under 300 pounds when 500 pounders like Akebono and Musashimaru were finishing their runs as yokozuna, his achievement seems even more impressive. One of Asa’s key strengths has been his consistent ability to make up for his relative lack of size with a dizzying array of techniques that put wrestlers like career ozeki Chiyotaikai with his predictable “oshidashi or die” approach to shame.
A quick look at the sumo stats on The Grand Sumo home page [Edit: Link removed--site no longet available] only underscore the point. In the last year, six of the top seven ranked wrestlers relied on two to three techniques in 65% of their victories. Asashoryu is the one exception in this group with six different techniques deployed in 65% of his victories. Curiously, only his fellow Mongolian wrestlers, Hakuho and Harumafuji, rival him for total number of techniques used in the last year.
As significant as the “Sumo Slam” and his knowledge of techniques are, Asa’s true legacy can be credited to the mental toughness he displays when he is at his best. During Asashoryu’s pre-bout belt slapping ritual, if he is radiating confidence, victory is practically assured. Throughout his career, he has invariably succeeded with the tournament on the line. He has also been noticeably susceptible to losing in meaningless matches on those rare times when he was already eliminated from a tournament, or when he had it wrapped up before the final day. That he lost to Hakuho in his first match today before winning the tiebreaker is yet another example of his uncanny ability to win with the tourney on the line.
Despite his internal drive to be a champion and absolutely dominate his sport, Asashoryu has never been fully embraced by a healthy percentage of sumo fans due to misleading tabloid coverage and a series of minor scandals, ranging from an unfortunate hair-pulling incident to a laughable complaint that he accepts prize money with his left hand when tradition dictates that it be accepted with the right (he is left-handed). Regardless, Asashoryu has generally sustained a high level performance on the dohyo despite these distractions and the propensity of sumo officials to try make an example of him every opportunity they get.
The most glaring example of this poor treatment occurred during the 2002 Nagoya Basho when he fought an inconclusive match against Takanonami. Replays showed that Asashoryu was likely the winner, and at least deserved a rematch. Instead, the judges ruled in his opponent’s favour. At the time he was 9-0, and well positioned for a yusho. It is not hard to believe that officials were concerned with his record-breaking rise to the top of the sumo world. Asa’s two basho suspension in 2007 also was twice as long as necessary considering that his sin was participating in a charity soccer tournament after skipping a sumo exhibition due to professed injury. When it seems like every time he steps onto the dohyo he is battling his opponent AND sumo officials, his accomplishments shine all the more. So here’s to Asa’s eighth straight year with at least one yusho, and the hope that he can conclude his career in such a way that more sumo fans are willing to celebrate his decade of dominance.
For starters, in 2005 he became the only wrestler in history to sweep all six tourneys in a calendar year since sumo moved to this format in 1958--a symbol of dominance that is equivalent to winning the elusive grand slam in tennis or golf. In fact, he was so dominant in the period from 2004 to 2007, not a single wrestler was able to achieve his rank of yokozuna.
When one considers that Asa arrived on the scene as a lighter wrestler under 300 pounds when 500 pounders like Akebono and Musashimaru were finishing their runs as yokozuna, his achievement seems even more impressive. One of Asa’s key strengths has been his consistent ability to make up for his relative lack of size with a dizzying array of techniques that put wrestlers like career ozeki Chiyotaikai with his predictable “oshidashi or die” approach to shame.
A quick look at the sumo stats on The Grand Sumo home page [Edit: Link removed--site no longet available] only underscore the point. In the last year, six of the top seven ranked wrestlers relied on two to three techniques in 65% of their victories. Asashoryu is the one exception in this group with six different techniques deployed in 65% of his victories. Curiously, only his fellow Mongolian wrestlers, Hakuho and Harumafuji, rival him for total number of techniques used in the last year.
As significant as the “Sumo Slam” and his knowledge of techniques are, Asa’s true legacy can be credited to the mental toughness he displays when he is at his best. During Asashoryu’s pre-bout belt slapping ritual, if he is radiating confidence, victory is practically assured. Throughout his career, he has invariably succeeded with the tournament on the line. He has also been noticeably susceptible to losing in meaningless matches on those rare times when he was already eliminated from a tournament, or when he had it wrapped up before the final day. That he lost to Hakuho in his first match today before winning the tiebreaker is yet another example of his uncanny ability to win with the tourney on the line.
Despite his internal drive to be a champion and absolutely dominate his sport, Asashoryu has never been fully embraced by a healthy percentage of sumo fans due to misleading tabloid coverage and a series of minor scandals, ranging from an unfortunate hair-pulling incident to a laughable complaint that he accepts prize money with his left hand when tradition dictates that it be accepted with the right (he is left-handed). Regardless, Asashoryu has generally sustained a high level performance on the dohyo despite these distractions and the propensity of sumo officials to try make an example of him every opportunity they get.
The most glaring example of this poor treatment occurred during the 2002 Nagoya Basho when he fought an inconclusive match against Takanonami. Replays showed that Asashoryu was likely the winner, and at least deserved a rematch. Instead, the judges ruled in his opponent’s favour. At the time he was 9-0, and well positioned for a yusho. It is not hard to believe that officials were concerned with his record-breaking rise to the top of the sumo world. Asa’s two basho suspension in 2007 also was twice as long as necessary considering that his sin was participating in a charity soccer tournament after skipping a sumo exhibition due to professed injury. When it seems like every time he steps onto the dohyo he is battling his opponent AND sumo officials, his accomplishments shine all the more. So here’s to Asa’s eighth straight year with at least one yusho, and the hope that he can conclude his career in such a way that more sumo fans are willing to celebrate his decade of dominance.
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