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Agence France-Presse

A Japanese sumo wrestler has died after landing on his head during a bout last month in a horrifying injury that caused shock waves and calls for reform in the sport.
Hibikiryu, a lower-tier wrestler whose real name was Mitsuki Amano, died of acute respiratory failure on Wednesday at a Tokyo hospital, the Japan Sumo Association said in a statement.
“May his soul rest in peace, and we express our heartfelt gratitude towards his contribution” to the sport, the statement said.
The 28-year-old was thrown by his opponent during a March 26 bout, and video widely shared at the time showed him lying virtually motionless but apparently conscious.

Sumo association officials reportedly said he did not receive medical attention from trained professionals for several minutes. The images of him lying prone without assistance caused widespread shock.
He was also turned over by officials, something experts pointed out should only have been done by trained medics, given the possibility of a spinal injury.
Hibikiryu was conscious when he was brought to an ambulance and could talk during his hospitalisation, according to the Sankei daily.
“A causal link between the wrestler’s death and his injury is not clear at this point,” a sumo association spokeswoman said. “As to how to improve emergency medical systems, we will announce something when we formally decide it.”
While doctors are on site during bouts, they are not ringside and it is customary to wait for wrestlers to get up by themselves.
Several local sports dailies said the sumo association was discussing changes, including stationing doctors ringside as is the case in professional boxing.


Hibikiryu’s death prompted criticism online and in local media of the association’s rules.
“Why is the sumo association allowed to treat life and health so lightly?” wrote one Japanese Twitter user.
“This is what I feared,” added Mikito Chinen, a doctor and novelist, in another tweet.
How to make chanko nabe, the Japanese stew loved by sumo wrestlers
“I couldn’t believe my eyes as the wrestler, who obviously had a high chance of a spinal injury … was left untreated for several minutes while they prioritised announcing who had won.”
A reporter for the Nikkan Sports newspaper said in a commentary it seemed “abnormal” that the wrestler had been left unattended for so long.
“I couldn’t help but think they could have dealt with the accident more quickly,” the reporter said.


The risk of serious head injuries has become an issue in a range of sports in recent years.
World Rugby is facing legal action from nine former professional players who say they suffer neurological conditions caused by injuries during their careers, and has introduced new rules intended to try to reduce dangerous injuries.
The Premier League is trialling permanent concussion substitutes and has faced calls to do more to prevent footballers continuing to play after injuries.
Hibikiryu is the first active wrestler to die since last May, when another lower-tier wrestler Shobushi died of multiple organ failure after he became infected with the coronavirus and developed pneumonia, Kyodo News reported.
Sumo has faced a spate of bad publicity in recent years and has been pressed for reform, including over rules on admitting women into the sumo ring.
In 2018, the Japan Sumo Association was forced to apologise after women who rushed to the aid of an official who had collapsed in a ring were repeatedly told to leave.
Sumo’s dirt rings, known as dohyo, are viewed as sacred in the Japanese Shinto faith and women – considered to be ritually unclean – are not allowed to enter for fear of desecrating the hallowed soil.


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Japan

Japanese sumo wrestler Hibikiryu dies after suffering head injury during bout, shocking the sport

Hibikiryu, a lower-tier wrestler whose real name was Mitsuki Amano, died on Wednesday. Photo: Twitter

Hibikiryu was thrown by his opponent during a March 26 bout. Photo: Handout

How to make chanko nabe, the Japanese stew loved by sumo wrestlers

Susan Jung’s chanko nabe, a hearty hotpot enjoyed by sumo wrestlers. Photography: Jonathan Wong. Styling: Nellie Ming Lee

Japanese dish Chanko Nabe by Susan Jung, cooked in Hong Kong on January 16, 2020. 16JAN20 [02FEBRUARY2020 FOOD SHOOT POST MAGAZINE] CREDIT: JONATHAN WONG

TO GO WITH Japan-sumo-society-JPN,FEATURE by Shigemi SatoThis photo taken on February 14, 2013 shows sumo wrestler Osunaarashi of Egypt (L) serving a "chankonabe" breakfast to stablemaster Tadahiro Otake (R) after a training session at their sumo stable in Tokyo. Most of the 610 wrestlers who come under the aegis of the venerable Japan Sumo Association are lodged in stables like this one; living, eating and sleeping together in facilities that allow for little personal space. Osunaarashi, who's real name is Abdelrahman Ahmed Shaalan, is the highest ranked wrestler amongst Otake's eight wrestlers, who needs to climb 23 ranks to crack into the second division.    AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA        (Photo credit should read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)

A Japanese sumo-wrestling champion walks into a Tamil film. Hilarity ensues

Sumo is set to be released in India on January 15, 2020. Photo: Handout

Tashiro with his family. Photo: Instagram

Filmmaker Hosimin with wrestler Tashiro. Photo: Handout

A still from the film. Photo: Handout

US President Donald Trump’s supersized sumo trophy gets permanent display at Japan sporting museum

US President Donald Trump presents the President's Cup to wrestler Asanoyama. Photo: Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presents the Prime Minister's Cup to wrestler Asanoyama, the winner of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan May 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Japanese Emperor Naruhito (2nd from R) and U.S. President Donald Trump (3rd from R) attend a banquet the emperor and Empress Masako (L) hosted for the president and his wife Melania (R) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on May 27, 2019. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Sumo grand champion steps down after brutal attack on rival

Mongolian-born yokozuna, or grand champion, Harumafuji (right) and his stable master Isegahama bow during a press conference to announce Harumafuji's retirement in Dazaifu, Fukuoka prefecture. Photo: AFP

CORRECTS YEAR - Mongolian grand champion Hakuho celebrates with audience after winning the Kyushu Grand Sumo tournament championship in Fukuoka, southern Japan Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017. Hakuho clinched the 40th title of his career on Saturday. (Takumi Sato/Kyodo News via AP)

Mongolian grand champion Harumafuji speaks during a press conference to announce his retirement, in Dazaifu, southwestern Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017. Harumafuji decided to retire from sumo after allegations that he assaulted lower-ranked wrestler Takanoiwa and tarnished the image of Japan's national sport. His stablemaster Isegahama said that Harumafuji "has caused great trouble to the association and the public" and that the grand champion bears responsibility. (Chika Oshima/Kyodo News via AP)

Half-Filipino sumo wrestler takes centre stage in Japan – and on the tiny Philippines island where his grandparents live

Half-Filipino sumo fighter Takayasu trains in Nagakute, central Japan. Photo: Kyodo

Yokozuna Kisenosato (L) and newly promoted ozeki Takayasu train in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on June 27, 2017, ahead of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament scheduled to start on July 9 for a 15-day run. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Newly promoted ozeki Takayasu attends a press conference in Nagakute, near Nagoya, on June 26, 2017, after the Japan Sumo Association released the "banzuke" rankings list for the July 9-23 Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Maximo (L) and Susana Camacho are interviewed by Kyodo News on the tiny Philippine island of Jandayan on July 7, 2017. They are the grandparents of sumo wrestler Takayasu, who has been promoted to the ancient sport's second-highest rank of ozeki for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament beginning July 9. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Newly promoted ozeki Takayasu trains at his Tagonoura stable in Tokyo on June 5, 2017. The Japan Sumo Association has released the "banzuke" rankings list for the July 9-23 Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, with the spotlight set to be cast on Takayasu. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Newly promoted ozeki Takayasu shows the "banzuke" rankings list for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on June 26, 2017. The spotlight for the July 9-23 meet is set to be cast on Takayasu, the first new ozeki since Mongolian Terunofuji was promoted for the Nagoya meet in 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Hibikiryu was conscious when he was brought to an ambulance and could talk during his time in hospital
His death from acute respiratory failure has prompted calls for reform and more stringent safety measures



His death from acute respiratory failure has prompted calls for reform and more stringent safety measures.


Death and grieving