Hakuho and Asashoryu: Mongolian Grand Champions heat for top
Cultural News, April 2008
Hakuho, the yokozuna (Grand Champion) of the East slot from Mongolia
Ashashoryu, the yokozuna (Grand Champion) of the West slot from Mongolia
By Jim “Yukikaze” Lowerre
At this point in their careers, the Mongolian Grand Champions (yokozuna) Asashoryu and Hakuho have probably learned one very important lesson: whichever one makes the first mistake in a tournament will more than likely lose that tournament.
At the First Grand Tournament in January, it was Asashoryu who lost to a maegashira-rank in the early going: Hakuho went on to win. But at the Spring Grand Tournament in March in Osaka, it was Hakuho’s turn to fall, handing a “gold star” to maegashira #2-East Aminishiki.
Meanwhile Asashoryu, fighting from the yokozuna-West slot, remained focused and won his first 11 matches. On day 12 of the Spring Grand Tournament, Hakuho was bested by ozeki #2-West Chiyotaikai. This could have all but clinched the Emperor’s Cup for Asashoryu, except he was ‘knocked off’ in the subsequent match by sekiwake-West Kotoshogiku.
He then lost the following day to ozeki #1-West Kotomitsuki. Since Hakuho had won his match, the two yokozuna went into the final day of the tournament tied at 12-2.
This time it was Asashoryu who got the win, as he used an arm-lock throw to twist the younger man onto his back. This was Asashoryu’s 22nd championship in his 31st appearance as a yokozuna. It places him in a tie with former grand champion Takanohana II (65 years old) on the list of sumo’s legendary champions.
Jim “Yukikaze” Lowerre first put on the mawashi in 1997 as a charter member of the Southern California Sumo Kyokai. Later that year, the “Dohyo of Dreams” – as of now the only permanent working sumo facility in the USA – was built in his backyard.
The current United States Grand Masters’ heavyweight champion, Jim serves the amateur sumo community as editor-in-chief of the Sumo Shimpo newsletter and as Board Secretary of the United States Sumo Federation, of which he is a Life Member. He and his soulmate Lorinda live in Garden Grove, California.