Bulgarian Sumo Wrestler, Kotoōshū Katsunori is featured on CNN's Talk Asia Program which aired in Japan in 2006.
In this segment, he talks about the transformation from a Bulgarian teenager to a sumo wrestler in Japan. Initially, the idea to become a sumo wrestler in Bulgaria was as a joke but was chosen because in Sumo you can eat as much as you want but in Wrestling, you have to control your diet to stay within your weight category. Then, he explains how difficult it was when he first arrived in Japan and how he had to adapt to the environment. He then talks about the devotion of Japanese fans, setting goals and how achieving the second tier in four years was not by luck but part of his goal. He also discusses his win against the Grand Champion in Fukuoka which guaranteed his right to become a member of the second tier.
Sumo, a religious right of the Japanese Shinto tradition became a spectator's sport in the 1700s. Japanese war lords of the era kept a stable of sumo wrestlers as a symbol of power and prestige. The rules for Sumo are simple. Two men face off and the first person to throw the other out of the ring or topple his opponent is the winner. Members of the Sumo world must follow a strict code of conduct deep in tradition dating back to the samurai era. Hierarchy is paramount. Members of the Sumo world are separated into two groups, the higher level and the lower level. Basically, the group that serves the other. The differences in Sumo and Wrestling in Bulgaria was extreme as in Bulgaria, members of the amateur national team had proper rehabilitation, doctors, masseurs, etc. But in Japan, Sumo, a professional sport, had none of these things and had to serve the higher level. In Sumo, you are motivated by either being the one that serves or the one who gets served. In Sumo, you prove yourself to the others by hard work and every two months showcase your hard work by winning as many matches as you can in the tournament.
This clip concludes by discussing what the Sumo wrestlers eat. They eat out of a big pot of stew and eat two big meals a day. The size of a Sumo wrestler alone is not enough to win. Quickness and speed is also important. Kotoōshū could run 100m in 11 seconds at the time that he entered Sumo in Japan.
Sumo is currently in the doldrums as a sport in Japan and many believe that until a homegrown Sumo wrestler becomes the Grand Champion, it will stay this way. At the time of this recording, Asashoryu was the one and only Grand Champion (you can have more than one Grand Champion in Sumo) hails from Mongolia. His flawless Japanese is a credit to first coming to Japan as a high school student.
Hawaiians were the first Sumo wrestlers to achieve success in the world of Sumo.
The first foreigner to enter the Sumo world was Jesse Kuhaulua known in the Sumo world as Takamiyama. Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e followed and was not welcomed as a Grand Champion due to traditionalist claiming he lacked dignity. He is better known as Konishiki. Chad Rowan was the first foreigner to win the Grand Championship, Yokozuna. Rowan, better known as Akebono, has a bronze statue of himself in his hometown in the Aloha State. Japanese tourist frequent this statue to this very day. Kotoōshū, the first European Sumo wrestler to achieve success gives Asashoryu a run for his money at the time of this recording.
Kotoōshū discusses the adaptation of Sumo from Wrestling. He later is asked about his celebrity status in Japan and the lack of free time and not being able to go out into public due to his current status. The Japanese American interviewer comments that he is the "David Beckham" of Sumo. Kotoōshū later discusses the future of Sumo by explaining that part of the Sumo world wants to open the sport to the world and make it an Olympic sport whereas the traditionalist want to keep the sport as it currently is. He concludes his interview by giving his advice on how to reach the top of the Sumo world.
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