TOKYO—An underdog wrestler won Japan’s summer sumo tournament, but it was a new trophy presented after the final match that stole the show.
President Trump on Sunday became the first American president to personally award a sumo wrestler with a prize, handing the 4 1/2-foot-high “President’s Cup” to 25-year-old victor Asanoyama before a crowd of 11,500. The arena erupted into cheers and applause when the white draping around the trophy was removed, revealing an eagle on top.
The event, part of Mr. Trump’s four-day visit to Japan’s capital to meet the country’s newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito, jolted the tradition-bound world of sumo, which is already facing an identity crisis. Foreign wrestlers have dominated the sport in recent years and matches are drawing more curious tourists, to the chagrin of some die-hard local fans.
Mr. Trump’s presence, itself a novelty, brought with it other novelties. The president didn’t watch the match sitting cross-legged on a zabuton floor cushion, as is the custom. Instead, he and first lady Melania Trump were offered chairs in a VIP box not far from the ring.
When it was time for prizes, stadium officials set up a staircase next to the raised sumo ring, which Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used to climb into the ring. Normally dignitaries have to scramble up unaided.
Mr. Trump did observe tradition by wearing slippers in the ring. As in a typical Japanese home, shoes are forbidden. The first ladies of the U.S. and Japan stayed in their seats, since women are barred from the ring.
The President’s Cup bore the inscription “Presented by Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America to The Sumo Grand Champion.”
The prize, weighing more than 60 pounds, was so large that Mr. Trump needed help to lift it.
Asanoyama, the victor, who at 390 pounds wasn’t nearly the largest among Sunday’s wrestlers, said, “I was more overjoyed than I can express in words” about receiving the trophy from the president.
Asanoyama had locked up a victory in the 15-day tournament on Saturday, defeating higher-ranked wrestlers. Mr. Trump and his entourage arrived as Asanoyama was getting ready for his final match. The Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium came to a standstill, with spectators raising their phones to snap photos and video of the U.S. president. Asanoyama and his opponent lingered along the edge of the ring waiting for the crowd to settle down.
Speaking to reporters immediately after the match, Mr. Trump hailed “an incredible evening at sumo.”
“We bought that beautiful trophy,” he said, “which you’ll have hopefully for many hundreds of years.”
Mr. Trump isn’t the first Western dignitary to watch a sumo match. Prince Charles and Princess Diana attended a match in 1986, while former French President Jacques Chirac, an avid fan who had a dog named Sumo, presented a trophy to the sumo champion in 2000. He continued the tradition every year until he left office in 2007.
Sumo’s origins go back at least 1,500 years, making it one of the world’s oldest organized sports. The word sumo literally translates to mean “striking one other.”
The Japanese national sport, known for its ancient rituals and discipline among its plump practitioners, has also been mired in a series of scandals in recent years, ranging from gambling—which is illegal in Japan—to drunken and stoned athletes. In one high-profile case in 2010, a hairdresser by the single name of Tokoike, who styled sumo wrestlers’ samurai-style topknots, was the alleged middleman in a gambling operation that rocked the sport.
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Mr. Trump has a long history with wrestling back in the U.S. In 1988, he struck a deal with the then-World Wrestling Federation to host WrestleMania IV at the Trump Plaza hotel in Atlantic City. Almost two decades later, he became part of the spectacle, trading a few “punches” with wrestling executive Vince McMahon before shaving Mr. McMahon’s head, with the help of a few bulky wrestlers who restrained Mr. McMahon to a barber’s chair on stage.
Mr. McMahon’s wife and business partner, Linda McMahon, served in Mr. Trump’s cabinet as administrator of the Small Business Administration until March, when she stepped down.
Another spectacle at Sunday’s tournament was the additional security. Vending machines were shut down and the area around the stadium was sealed off to non-ticket holders.
Write to Vivian Salama at vivian.salama@wsj.com
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-brings-his-own-prize-to-japans-sumo-wrestling-championship-11558837740
2019-05-26 11:15:00Z
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