Sumo Grand Champion Passed Away at 62: Kitanoumi

The former French President Jacques René Chirac was one and Jerry Chih-Yuan Yang of Yahoo was another. Both loved Sumo, Japan's traditional subtly ritual art of wrestling.

President Chirac flew from Paris a dozen times just to be among the spectators of Grand Sumo Tournaments and Yang named his Yahoo workstation after the Hawaii-born Grand Champion  "Akebono" and Filo's computer after another Hawaii-born Champion Konishiki.

The world of Sumo has just lost one of the outstanding grand champions in history- Kitanoumi. He died of multiple organ failure on November 20 at age 62. Since his retirement in 1985, Kitanoumi was elected director of the Japan Sumo Association.

Kitanoumi was a sorrowful champion. Unlike another legendary Grand Champion Taiho who was convincingly strong and loved for his strength, Kitanoumi was equally strong but was rarely loved for his might. Rather, he was often booed for battles he had won. It was unfortunate for him, really, because he was tough, if not invincible, and overpowering not only in physical strength but in mental punch.

Put in another way, he often gave that one last extra push too many, unaware of himself, just to nail down his win. The Japanese have in common an inborn sensitivity that one shouldn't overdo things. His one extra push cost him unpopularity.

Yet, Kitanoumi was definitely an unbeatable foe for most of his contemporaries, notably to Chiyonofuji, another grand champion who won only 6 of 18 matches against Kitanoumi. Chiyonofuji, now head of Kokonoe Stable, comments:

"It was because he was there tough and mighty I was able to stay there willing to fight. He was as much a goal for me to target as a great big wall to challenge".

Sumo is of late dominated by Mongolians. Some lament that the early departure of Kitanoumi might symbolize the sunset of Sumo itself.