Salon.com > Gabrielle Kennedy http://www.salon.com Mon, 28 May 2012 16:08:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Sumo’s setting sun http://www.salon.com/2001/05/09/sumo_2/ http://www.salon.com/2001/05/09/sumo_2/#comments Wed, 09 May 2001 08:00:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2001/05/09/sumo For 1,500 years, sumo enthralled Japan. Then, after a spate of high-profile retirements around 1985, something changed, and the ancient and sacrosanct tradition was marginalized. Grand finals were sidelined by sports more popular in the youth culture. Michael Jordan held more clout in the eyes of teenagers than those burly men in G-strings. Stadiums were half empty and television ratings plummeted to single digits. Then came Wakanohana.

He was Japan's 66th yokozuna -- sumo's top rank -- and he was an instant success. The fizzling sport suddenly had a media darling, popular and sexy. The tabloids obsessed over his antics, family fallouts spawned gossip frenzies and women went wild for his upbeat image and leaner figure. There was also the younger brother, Takanohana, equally celebrated, possibly more talented. Together they ignited the "Waka-Taka Boom." It was understood that they would salvage sumo from creeping obscurity and reestablish it as a sport for the 21st century.

The Waka-Taka Boom was going to be the JSA's revival. The plan was for the duo to generate just the right momentum to release sumo from the doldrums of irrelevance. Their image was popular among young people but didn't offend the older constituents. Japan's national sport was in the clear.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2001/05/09/sumo_2/feed/ 0