Sumo Scandal Deals a Blow to International Exchange
NISHIKAWA Megumi / Journalist on International Affairs
July 21, 2010
The latest "baseball gambling" scandal has deeply scarred the authority and image of Sumo. It is particularly damaging in view of the significant contribution Sumo has made in cultivating goodwill and cultural exchange between Japan and other countries over the years.
Sumo is a traditional sport that has become far more globalized than imagined by most Japanese. According to the Japan Sumo Association(JSA), as of April this year 56 foreign wrestlers from 11 countries were active in the competition. Mongolia tops the list with 33 wrestlers, followed by seven from China, three each from Russia and Georgia, and two each from South Korea, Bulgaria and Brazil. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Kazakhstan are also represented by one wrestler each.
Together with retired wrestlers, a total of 169 foreigners from 21 countries and regions have participated in the sport over the years. They include 50 Mongolians, 30 Americans, 16 Brazilians, 12 Koreans, Chinese and Taiwanese, respectively, and eight Tongans. There were also British and Canadian wrestlers, too. Africa is about the only region not represented in the list so far.
In Mongolia, which boasts the greatest number of Sumo wrestlers, over 70% of the people have said they feel an affinity with Japan. Japan is also No.1 on the list of countries Mongolia should build friendly relations with. Such pro-Japanese sentiments have no doubt been nurtured by the success enjoyed by Mongolian Sumo wrestlers in Japan.
As Japan's traditional sport, Sumo has contributed to the development of goodwill and cultural exchange with other countries. Sumo wrestlers are called "naked goodwill ambassadors," and a total of 28 overseas venues and tours have taken place since the first venue was held in Hawaii in 1962, up to the latest venue in Mongolia in 2008 (the London venue scheduled for last year was canceled due to the global financial crisis.) Satellite broadcasts of the Grand Sumo Tournament also offer a valuable opportunity for Japanese immigrants and their children to reconfirm their bonds with Japan.
As many as eight countries award friendship trophies to the Grand Champion as of this year's May Grand Tournament. At the closing of the Senshuraku, or the final day of the Tournament, foreign ambassadors to Japan climb onto the sumo ring to read the certificate of merit in their broken Japanese and present the trophy. This familiar scene broadcast on national NHK television has been an opportune moment for each country to demonstrate their amicable relationship with Japan.
Let me share a story I heard from a French Ambassador several years ago. Immediately before his departure to Japan, the Ambassador was summoned by then President Jacques Chirac, who gave his instructions on strengthening relations with Japan, one of which was to cultivate connections with the JSA.
President Chirac was a Sumo aficionado who succeeded in holding the Paris Tournament during his tenure as Mayor of Paris. Even after he became president, he had the daily results sent to him by his ambassador to Japan every day during a tournament. He made sure his visits to Japan coincided with the Grand Tournament whenever possible, never forgot to send telegrams to congratulate wrestlers on the Senshuraku or on their wedding day, and even founded the Cup of the President of the French Republic in 2000.
The President's Cup, which was widely known as the "Jacques Chirac Cup," was abolished upon Chirac's retirement from the presidency in 2007. However, it made a comeback as the Japan-France Friendship Cup the very next year. This was based on the strong advice of a French diplomat who understood the role Sumo had played over the years in the bilateral relationship. The cup was revived with the aim of making it a symbol of friendship between the peoples of Japan and France.
Such hopes held by all those involved were betrayed by the scandal surrounding illegal betting on baseball games within the Sumo world. It will be some time until Sumo recovers its luster as the symbol of Japan’s friendly relations and cultural exchange with foreign countries.
The writer is Expert Senior Writer on the Foreign News Desk at the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
Sumo is a traditional sport that has become far more globalized than imagined by most Japanese. According to the Japan Sumo Association(JSA), as of April this year 56 foreign wrestlers from 11 countries were active in the competition. Mongolia tops the list with 33 wrestlers, followed by seven from China, three each from Russia and Georgia, and two each from South Korea, Bulgaria and Brazil. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Kazakhstan are also represented by one wrestler each.
Together with retired wrestlers, a total of 169 foreigners from 21 countries and regions have participated in the sport over the years. They include 50 Mongolians, 30 Americans, 16 Brazilians, 12 Koreans, Chinese and Taiwanese, respectively, and eight Tongans. There were also British and Canadian wrestlers, too. Africa is about the only region not represented in the list so far.
In Mongolia, which boasts the greatest number of Sumo wrestlers, over 70% of the people have said they feel an affinity with Japan. Japan is also No.1 on the list of countries Mongolia should build friendly relations with. Such pro-Japanese sentiments have no doubt been nurtured by the success enjoyed by Mongolian Sumo wrestlers in Japan.
As Japan's traditional sport, Sumo has contributed to the development of goodwill and cultural exchange with other countries. Sumo wrestlers are called "naked goodwill ambassadors," and a total of 28 overseas venues and tours have taken place since the first venue was held in Hawaii in 1962, up to the latest venue in Mongolia in 2008 (the London venue scheduled for last year was canceled due to the global financial crisis.) Satellite broadcasts of the Grand Sumo Tournament also offer a valuable opportunity for Japanese immigrants and their children to reconfirm their bonds with Japan.
As many as eight countries award friendship trophies to the Grand Champion as of this year's May Grand Tournament. At the closing of the Senshuraku, or the final day of the Tournament, foreign ambassadors to Japan climb onto the sumo ring to read the certificate of merit in their broken Japanese and present the trophy. This familiar scene broadcast on national NHK television has been an opportune moment for each country to demonstrate their amicable relationship with Japan.
Let me share a story I heard from a French Ambassador several years ago. Immediately before his departure to Japan, the Ambassador was summoned by then President Jacques Chirac, who gave his instructions on strengthening relations with Japan, one of which was to cultivate connections with the JSA.
President Chirac was a Sumo aficionado who succeeded in holding the Paris Tournament during his tenure as Mayor of Paris. Even after he became president, he had the daily results sent to him by his ambassador to Japan every day during a tournament. He made sure his visits to Japan coincided with the Grand Tournament whenever possible, never forgot to send telegrams to congratulate wrestlers on the Senshuraku or on their wedding day, and even founded the Cup of the President of the French Republic in 2000.
The President's Cup, which was widely known as the "Jacques Chirac Cup," was abolished upon Chirac's retirement from the presidency in 2007. However, it made a comeback as the Japan-France Friendship Cup the very next year. This was based on the strong advice of a French diplomat who understood the role Sumo had played over the years in the bilateral relationship. The cup was revived with the aim of making it a symbol of friendship between the peoples of Japan and France.
Such hopes held by all those involved were betrayed by the scandal surrounding illegal betting on baseball games within the Sumo world. It will be some time until Sumo recovers its luster as the symbol of Japan’s friendly relations and cultural exchange with foreign countries.
The writer is Expert Senior Writer on the Foreign News Desk at the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
大相撲が国際交流に与えたダメージ
西川 恵 / ジャーナリスト
2010年 7月 21日
野球賭博問題で大相撲はその権威とイメージを大きく傷つけた。外国との友好親善や国際文化交流にも寄与してきたことを考えれば、その与えたダメージは大きい。
大相撲は日本人が考えている以上にグローバル化した伝統文化である。現役の外国人力士は11カ国56人。モンゴルの33人をトップに、中国７人、ロシア・グルジア各３人、韓国・ブルガリア・ブラジル各２人。チェコ、エストニア、ハンガリー、カザフスタンも各１人いる（相撲協会、今年４月現在）。
既に辞めた力士を含め、歴代外国人力士は、モンゴル（50人）を筆頭に、米国（30人）、ブラジル（16人）、韓国・中国・台湾（各12人）、トンガ（８人）など計21カ国・地域１６９人。英国、カナダ人もいる。見当たらない地域はアフリカぐらいだ。
最多の力士がいるモンゴルでは「日本に親しみを感じる」人は70％を超え、「最も親しくすべき国」も日本が１位。モンゴル勢の活躍が親日感情を醸成しているのは間違いないだろう。
大相撲は伝統文化として外国との親善友好、文化交流にも寄与してきた。力士は「裸の親善大使」と呼ばれ、海外公演・巡業は１９６２年の米ハワイから08年のモンゴルまで計28回もたれた（昨年予定されたロンドン公演は金融危機で中止された）。ちなみに日系移民とその子孫たちにとっても、大相撲の衛星テレビ中継は、日本との絆を再確認する貴重な機会になっている。
優勝力士に外国が贈る友好杯は、５月場所で８カ国に上る。千秋楽で駐日大使が土俵に上って、たどたどしい日本語で表彰状を読み上げ、友好杯を贈呈する。ＮＨＫテレビ中継でもおなじみの場面は、各国にとって日本との友好をアピールする格好の場である。
数年前、駐日フランス大使に聞いた話である。日本に赴任直前、シラク大統領（当時）に呼ばれて日本との関係強化でなすべきことを幾つか指示されたが、その一つに「相撲協会との人脈作り」があったという。
同大統領は大の相撲ファンで、パリ市長時代にパリ場所を実現した。大統領になってからも、場所中は駐日大使館から毎日星取表をエリゼ宮に送らせていた。来日の時はなるべく本場所開催中に合わせ、千秋楽や力士の結婚式では祝電を欠かさず、00年には「フランス共和国大統領杯」を設けた。
07年、同大統領の引退とともに、大統領個人の色彩が強かった「大統領杯」は廃止されたが、翌年、「日仏友好杯」として復活した。相撲が長年、日仏交流に果たしてきた役割を知るフランス外交官の強い助言だった。「友好杯を日仏両国民の友好を祝すシンボルとする」との狙いがそこには込められた。
野球賭博問題は大相撲に対するこうした関係者の期待を裏切った。外国との友好親善、文化交流のシンボルとしての輝きは、しばらく取り戻せないだろう。
（筆者は毎日新聞 専門編集委員。）
大相撲は日本人が考えている以上にグローバル化した伝統文化である。現役の外国人力士は11カ国56人。モンゴルの33人をトップに、中国７人、ロシア・グルジア各３人、韓国・ブルガリア・ブラジル各２人。チェコ、エストニア、ハンガリー、カザフスタンも各１人いる（相撲協会、今年４月現在）。
既に辞めた力士を含め、歴代外国人力士は、モンゴル（50人）を筆頭に、米国（30人）、ブラジル（16人）、韓国・中国・台湾（各12人）、トンガ（８人）など計21カ国・地域１６９人。英国、カナダ人もいる。見当たらない地域はアフリカぐらいだ。
最多の力士がいるモンゴルでは「日本に親しみを感じる」人は70％を超え、「最も親しくすべき国」も日本が１位。モンゴル勢の活躍が親日感情を醸成しているのは間違いないだろう。
大相撲は伝統文化として外国との親善友好、文化交流にも寄与してきた。力士は「裸の親善大使」と呼ばれ、海外公演・巡業は１９６２年の米ハワイから08年のモンゴルまで計28回もたれた（昨年予定されたロンドン公演は金融危機で中止された）。ちなみに日系移民とその子孫たちにとっても、大相撲の衛星テレビ中継は、日本との絆を再確認する貴重な機会になっている。
優勝力士に外国が贈る友好杯は、５月場所で８カ国に上る。千秋楽で駐日大使が土俵に上って、たどたどしい日本語で表彰状を読み上げ、友好杯を贈呈する。ＮＨＫテレビ中継でもおなじみの場面は、各国にとって日本との友好をアピールする格好の場である。
数年前、駐日フランス大使に聞いた話である。日本に赴任直前、シラク大統領（当時）に呼ばれて日本との関係強化でなすべきことを幾つか指示されたが、その一つに「相撲協会との人脈作り」があったという。
同大統領は大の相撲ファンで、パリ市長時代にパリ場所を実現した。大統領になってからも、場所中は駐日大使館から毎日星取表をエリゼ宮に送らせていた。来日の時はなるべく本場所開催中に合わせ、千秋楽や力士の結婚式では祝電を欠かさず、00年には「フランス共和国大統領杯」を設けた。
07年、同大統領の引退とともに、大統領個人の色彩が強かった「大統領杯」は廃止されたが、翌年、「日仏友好杯」として復活した。相撲が長年、日仏交流に果たしてきた役割を知るフランス外交官の強い助言だった。「友好杯を日仏両国民の友好を祝すシンボルとする」との狙いがそこには込められた。
野球賭博問題は大相撲に対するこうした関係者の期待を裏切った。外国との友好親善、文化交流のシンボルとしての輝きは、しばらく取り戻せないだろう。
（筆者は毎日新聞 専門編集委員。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟