Bout Fixing

This section is dedicated to analysis and discussion of bout fixing in sumo wrestling. Sumotalk provides in-depth coverage and commentary on this controversial topic within the sport.

Understanding Bout Fixing

Bout fixing, or match rigging, refers to the practice of predetermined match outcomes in sumo wrestling. This topic has been a subject of discussion and investigation within the sumo community for many years.

Historical Context

The sumo world has faced various allegations and investigations regarding bout fixing throughout its history. These discussions often involve complex analysis of match patterns, wrestler behavior, and tournament outcomes.

Analysis and Commentary

Sumotalk provides expert analysis and commentary on this sensitive topic, examining patterns, historical cases, and the ongoing discussions within the sumo community. Our contributors bring years of experience and deep knowledge of the sport to their analysis.

Editorial Perspective

As with all topics covered on Sumotalk, our approach to bout fixing reflects our commitment to honest, direct commentary. We examine the evidence, discuss the implications, and provide our readers with informed perspectives on this complex issue.

Links to Past Bout Fixing Scandals

Itai's Yaocho Allegations (2000)

In early 2000, former komusubi Keisuke Itai told a packed press conference, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan and the weekly Shukan Gendai that up to 80 percent of top-division bouts in his day were fixed, and he named active wrestlers, including yokozuna Akebono. The Sumo Association denied the claims.

The Miyagino Oyakata Tape (2007–2010)

In May 2007, Shukan Gendai reported that it had a secretly recorded tape of Miyagino oyakata (former juryo wrestler Kanechika), Hakuho's stablemaster, telling his former lover that he had paid wrestlers to lose to Hakuho at the 2006 Nagoya basho — reportedly ¥3 million to Asashoryu and ¥2 million each to Kotooshu, Kaio and Chiyotaikai. Miyagino later admitted the voice was his but said he was "talking nonsense." In December 2010 the Sumo Association demoted him and made him swap elder names with Kumagatani oyakata, ending his time as head of Miyagino stable. He was fired by the Association in 2015 after being charged with assaulting his assistant.

The 2011 Text-Message Scandal

In early 2011, text messages found on wrestlers' phones that police had confiscated during the 2010 illegal baseball-gambling probe showed bouts being arranged, sometimes for cash. After three wrestlers admitted fixing bouts, the Japan Sumo Association cancelled the March 2011 Haru basho in Osaka, the first cancellation of a grand tournament since 1946. On April 1, 2011 the Association punished 23 wrestlers and elders, including six makuuchi wrestlers. Nineteen wrestlers were advised to retire, and the Daily Yomiuri said the punishments effectively amounted to expulsion. The May tournament went ahead as a free "Technical Examination Tournament" with no TV coverage.