This is bad for sumo and really bad if true-Nikkan Sports reports there is another investigation of violence among wrestlers within a sumo stable…and if this one is true, open the floodgates because it involves…Isegahama Beya. The current stablemaster, fka Yokozuna Terunofuji, is being investigated for violent acts against one of his wrestlers-Hakunofuji, who will be ranked Maegashira 7 in the March Tournament. The report indicates there may be witnesses as fellow Isegahama wrestler Nishikifuji was also interviewed about this.
This could be an uncomfortable full-circle moment for the sumo powers-this kind of incident ultimately led to the former Yokozuna Hakuho being forced out of the Japan Sumo Association and Miyagino Beya being taken over by Isegahama-and the former Isegahama, just forced to retire last year (reaching age 65, the mandatory retirement age in sumo), currently has that elder stock for up to 5 years as a former Yokozuna although, if Enho can get promoted back to Juryo again, he will be eligible for elder stock which is hope. Nonetheless, with more details and potential punishment to be announced in the near future, what goes around may have just come around. Best-case punishment? Equal to a slap on the wrist. Worst-case? If recent history is an indication, he could be kicked out of the Association and his career & stablemaster time would be over. There was such a situation more recently with Kise Beya but that was wrestler-on-wrestler violence/bullying, however Kise was punished stiffly with the equivalent of demotion in the stablemaster hierarchy and perhaps hopes of running for an executive position soon being dashed.
Nikkan Sports also reports Hakunofuji is currently not with the rest of the stable for pre-Tournament training camp in Osaka and Terunofuji was absent from a press conference the other day with Atamifuji after the January playoff loser was promoted to Komusubi, becoming the first rikishi from Shizuoka Prefecture to reach Sanyaku since 1930. And in worst-case it could take down the most powerful & influential stable in sumo (and the biggest too).
More as it becomes available.