To millions of Japanese sumo fans it was as if a black hole had suddenly opened where the brightest star in the sporting firmament had previously burned.
After years of injuries and comebacks Takanohana, one of the greatest wrestlers in the 300-year history of sumo, finally hung up his loincloth this week, throwing the national sport into an uncertain, foreign-dominated future.
The retirement of the last Japanese yokozuna (grand champion) brought tributes from the country’s Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, misty-eyed reflections by former rivals and soul-searching by sumo elders already struggling to reverse the sport’s declining popularity.
Some fans saw it as little short of apocalyptic. ‘I’m heartbroken,†said Haruko Watanabe. ‘The retirement of Takanohana will bring the end of sumo as a Japanese traditional art.â€
As the sport reeled from bout-rigging allegations, drug rumours, falling attendance and a lack of domestic talent, fans saw Takanohana as a wrestler whose blood and bearing linked him to sumo’s past as an art form, a religious ritual and a way of life.
He was born into a sumo dynasty: an uncle was one of the greatest yokozuna of all time, his father a skilful wrestler who became master of the most successful stable.
From boyhood Takanohana and his brother Wakanohana were expected to become grand champions and their progress was watched every step, push and throw of the way.
They entered the top ranks just as the first big wave of foreign wrestlers entered the sport. The spectacle of handsome Japanese thoroughbreds pitting their skill and guile against the slaps and bellycharges of far bulkier Hawaiians and Samoans drew millions of new young fans to tournaments and nightly sumo specials on television.
Takanohana became the dominant force in sumo for more than a decade. Despite perhaps the most intense competition in the sport’s history he won 22 championships and almost 800 bouts: the fourth-best score on record.
Outside the ring his every move was scrutinised. His engagement to the actress Rie Miyazawa in 1993 almost overshadowed the royal wedding that year.
It became even bigger news when it was suddenly called off, reportedly because his mother thought the actress lacked the qualities needed to be a wife in the conservative and hierarchical sumo world.
True to sumo’s stoic ideals Takano-hana’s public expression barely changed, whether he was celebrating a victory or fending off questions about an alleged rift with his brother or his dependence on new-age gurus.
In a world where wrestlers are known as ‘male geisha†because of the status and entertainment they bring to parties he played his social role almost as well as his sporting one.
It has been clear for more than two years that he is past his peak. A brief and spectacular comeback last year could not mask his failure to cope with a generation of young foreign wrestlers led by the 22-year-old Mongolian Asashoryu, who is tipped to become the next yokozuna.
‘I did hesitate a bit, but I have no regrets,†he said when he announced his retirement.
The Sumo Association and its supporters say his loss is merely part of the sport’s cyclical nature. ‘The immediate prognosis is grim, but this shall pass,” said David Shapiro, a sumo commentator.
But the fans and the media have not been impressed by the candidates for successor. At the last sumo tournament only 90% of the seats were filled, even on the most popular days. —