A feud between sumo siblings is taking on the proportions of a royal scandal in Japan.
Retired grand champions Wakanohana and Takanohana stood side-by-side at their father's funeral service on Thursday, but there was little brotherly love between the two former wrestlers.
The passing of sumo elder Futagoyama has done little to resolve a cold war that exists between his two famous sons, who have long held philosophical differences over Japan's ancient sport and their place in it.
On Friday, Japan's sports newspapers and afternoon talk shows treated the spat as if it were a political scandal of utmost importance. Everyone from former sumo greats to famous actors weighed in on the "Waka-Taka" rift.
"At a time like this I wish they were making efforts to get along," actor Hayato Tani, who attended Thursday's service, told reporters.
In their prime, the two brothers were the darlings of Japan when they rose to the top of the sumo world in the 1990s and sparked a renaissance in a sport that was struggling at the gate.
Their careers took vastly different paths when they retired from sumo.
The younger Takanohana, whose real name is Koji Hanada, is considered one of the greatest wrestlers in sumo history, winning 22 Emperor's Cups in the elite division, fourth on the all-time list.
When Takanohana retired in 2003, he became a sumo elder and sought to recapture the past glories of the stable he took over from his father, who rose to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki a decade earlier.
Wakanohana, who had a less-successful career as a grand champion, also became a sumo elder after his retirement but has since left the sport and has taken up a career as a TV commentator.
"We're not on speaking terms these days," Takanohana said after his father's funeral. "People want us to get along but I'm afraid that's impossible."
Takanohana considered he should be the chief mourner at his father's funeral because Wakanohana had officially severed ties with sumo.
But that honor went to the older Wakanohana, who made an emotional speech while his younger brother stood by with a stern look on his face.
"I would like him to realize what his public position is," Takanohana told reporters. "He has quit sumo circles and it is not a polite thing to do for the sumo elders attending the service."
Japanese badminton star Chiharu Shida on Tuesday told Chinese fans to “stop stalking” her, adding that she was “very scared” by the unwanted attention. Shida, who won women’s doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics last year, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture. The 27-year-old, currently competing at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, has been dubbed the “Badminton Goddess” by fans and media. She hit out at some supporters on Tuesday, accusing them in an Instagram post of taking their fandom too far. “Every time we compete in China we always experience the harm
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
A potential European league could be a gold mine for the NBA as the top-flight North American league looks to muscle its way into a deep pool of talent across the Atlantic Ocean. The NBA is exploring the launch of a European league with world basketball governing body FIBA as a partner, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week, with an eye toward a 16-team format made up of 12 permanent clubs and four qualifiers. The continent’s longstanding Euroleague quickly signaled its readiness to enter into talks with the NBA, even as it has balked at the idea of another league in
Tadej Pogacar on Sunday won an epic see-saw showdown at the Tour of Flanders, soloing home from 15km, with Mads Pedersen edging Mathieu van der Poel to second at the line a minute later with Wout van Aert fourth. The duel between the Slovenian and defending champion Van der Poel played out across the 17 hills in bright sunshine before Pogacar broke away. World champion Pogacar, who won the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France last year, collected his eighth one-day Monument, moving ahead of one-day specialist Van der Poel on seven. “The goal was to win, but at
RSS