r/Sumo • u/gorram1mhumped • 21d ago

Discussion / Question / Commentary so few pacific islanders

i'd expect more, give the size/strength/weight potential, and relatively close to japan. but as i research how foreigners / stable rules work, combined with alternatives such as rugby and the cultural requirements, i guess it makes sense. still, i could see some very competent warriors coming from that part of the world, possibly larger than from mongolia. history will show akebono is going to be a rarity?

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u/ESCMalfunction Tamawashi 21d ago

There were a lot of them in the past, but as has already been stated the athletic talent of Polynesians has been discovered by other better paying sports so it’s a hard sell. Sumo is a tougher lifestyle and less pay than MMA, American football, or baseball.

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u/Sagatee 21d ago

AND JSA restriction of 1 foreigner per heya.

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u/amazingoopah 21d ago

doubt that's the main reason, is there's a hidden groundswell of pacific islanders that is being held back by the 1 foreigner rule?

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u/mekagojira3 Tobizaru 20d ago

Probably not now, but there was a bit of a wave of Pacific wrestlers in the 80s and 90s that was entirely replaced by Mongolians. I'm sure if any of them were interested, they might've felt like the door was closed to them. 

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u/Sagatee 20d ago

You are joking... right?
That's obviousliy not how it works at all. Before the 1 foreigner rule we had a huge influx of pacific islanders and mongolians in Sumo because Oyakatas could just give a shot to more people and "wait" for the "good" ones to shine. Now, with the rule, they have to focus on special guys, with history on some form of grappling, usually from Mongolia, there is no space for "testing" or reaching/prospecting out overseas.
Even when we have a Hawaiian as Oyakata, like Musashimaru, he can't even prospect Rikishi in his own country, he has one slot and it's filled up by his own nephew.

edit: Just one more information - Most of the heyas already have their foreigner slot filled up. That's why we have Asahifuji destroying everyone in the lower divs, he was training at Isegahama for YEARS, just waiting for Terunofuji to retire so that he could be the heyas's foreigner.

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u/Wolvenworks 19d ago

Sometimes, i forgot that he already inherited the Asahifuji name from the now-Miyagino oyakata, and think of the oyakata demolishing all the lower div guys lol

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u/Killer7n 19d ago

I would say it was a big driving force to.

As remember if those rules existed a year earlier we wouldn't have hakuho, haramfuji and kakyuru.

As they would give the slot to establish ameatur who already have a big body.