The Japan Times and Mail, Sunday 22nd January 1939 (Page 3)

FUTABAYAMA DEFEATED AGAIN, THIS TIME BY TAMANOUMI

    Grand Champion Futabayama's two victories on Wednesday and Thursday after his three successive defeats on the preceding three days had given the Sumo world an impression that he had come back into form, but apparently there is something wrong with him. For he was defeated again Friday in the ninth day's bouts of the 13-day Spring tournament at the Kokugikan bowl at Ryogoku.
    The winner was Tamanoumi, ace pupil of the late Grand Champion Tamanishiki, and it was a scintillating victory Friday as was the 49th day since Tamanishiki's death, which according to Buddhists marks the final date before a human's entrance into the beyond. Firth thing Tamanoumi did after the bout was to return to the Nishogaseki training house, which was headed by Tamanishiki and which he now supervises, to report his victory to the tablet, symbolical of his late teacher's soul. Present at the rites were the widow and daughter of the late Tamanishiki.

FUTABAYAMA GOOD SPORT

    Grand Champion Futabayama showed himself a good sport by being the first to congratulate Tamanoumi. They met later in the evening at a restaurant where a celebration party was being held for Tamanoumi and engaged in friendly conversations.
    The bout itself was all Tamanoumi's. No sooner had they stood up than they grasped each other's girdle to be on even terms but Tamanoumi took the offensive by starting a drive. He forced Futabayama to the edge of the ring. Futabayama put up a strong defense but he was finally shoved out.
    Among the interested spectators was His Imperial Highness Lieutenant-General Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, member of the Supreme War Council, who received Shimadagawa, Sumo man now back home after being wounded on the China front, at the Imperial Box. The Prince inquired after the former wrestler's health. The latter, overwhelmed with honor given him, showed the Prince a picture in which he is with His Imperial Highness Lieutenant-General Prince Higashikuni on the China front when received on the occasion.
    Admiral Osami Nagano, former Navy Minister and Commander of the Combined Fleet, was an ardent spectator.
    The best match of the day was that between Haguroyama, a stable-mate of Futabayama and a candidate for Champion ranking, and Champion Mayedayama. Haguroyama, who has the most powerfully built shoulders of them all, proved too strong for Mayedayama and after a torrid scrimmage, lifter the latter into the air and deposited him outside of the ring for victory.

MINANOGAWA WINS

    Grand Champion Minanogawa continued to be a candidate for the championship honors by defeating Champion Kagamiiwa without much trouble. One shove with his powerful arms and down went the veteran Kagamiiwa sprawling on to the sand. He has lost only one bout to date, to Tamanoumi.
    Dewaminato registered his ninth straight victory by disposing of the lanky Fujigatake to be the only undefeated wrestling among the first ranking wrestlers. But he was expected to have a difficult time of it today against the strong Haguroyama.
    Hishuzan kept running neck and neck with Minanogawa for highest honors by forcing out Kojimagawa.
    Kagamiiwa, as a second, protested against the referee's decision in favor of Nayoroiwa, over Kasagiyama, but the judges disallowed it. It seemed as if they had fallen together on to the sand after a furious bout.

The results of the principal bouts after the intermission follow:

Ichiwatari defeated Takanobori
Dewaminato defeated Fujigatake
Tomoyegata defeated Fujinosato
Hatasegawa defeated Jinmuyama
Dewanohana defeated Kaikozan
Kaneminato defeated Ayawaka
Taikyuzan defeated Katsuragawa
Aobayama defeated Wakashima
Tsurugamine defeated Yamatonishiki
Itsutsushima defeated Toshuzan
Hishuzan defeated Kojimagawa
Ryuozan defeated Onami
Shachinosato defeated Komanosato
Akinoumi defeated Ohshio
Kashimanada defeated Asahigawa
Tatekabuto defeated Ayanobori
Nayoroiwa defeated Kasagiyama
Haguroyama defeated Mayedayama
Minanogawa defeated Kagamiiwa
Tamanoumi defeated Futabayama


THEY HAVE THEIR UPS AND DOWNS
    In the Sumo ring Grand Champion Minanogawa is seen performing one of the ceremonies, while in the other picture spectators are seen enjoying a bout. Wrestling nets the Sumo lads a neat income, but it's hard to keep track of.
 
 

SUMO WRESTLING IS PROFITABLE BUT INCOME HAS MANY ANGLES (Page 4)

Champions Have to Be Mathematicians To Figure Out Their Yearly Earnings

    A Sumo wrestler is a delightful chap who does a year's work in 20 days, so goes an old Japanese saying. Though the 20 days is now to be revised to 26 days under the current Sumo tournament system, since Japanese professional wrestlers have to appear on the ring 13 days each in the “Spring” and “Summer” tournaments, the actual work they have to do in these two main events of the year is remarkably less than that of men of other professions or occupations. So much the more do they really require painstaking effort to perform their work creditably, to maintain their popularity, for such is truly the nature of their profession.
    Perhaps nothing speaks more forcibly, in Japanese Sumo matches than a ring-fighter's actual strength and ability. But once their reputation is securely established, their income is more than comfortably assured. A certain Sumo champion, for instance, is reported to have gained in a single day tips offered to him by his patrons for his striking victory on the ring, amounting to ¥15,000.

INCOME EXPLAINED

    How much income do Sumo wrestlers receive? This is a question rather hard to answer briefly, in view of the complexity of their pay system due to the long history of Sumo games and the consequent complexity of usages. But, roughly divided, Sumo's income is of the following five kinds: regular pay, that is, a salary: “bukatakin” (a kind of profit dividend); “zoyo” (literally, “for miscellaneous uses,” i.e. General expenses given by the Sumo Society, including food and hairdressing expenses); earnings obtained during provincial exhibition tours; and, lastly, tips given by patrons.
    Firstly, about regular pay or a salary. This is decided by the results achieved by a wrestler in one tournament season. The calculation basis for salary promotion is an increase of 25 sen for every first “net” victory won out of the total of 13 matches in one season and an increase of 50 sen for every second, third, fourth and any other “net” victory won out of the same total. (By “Net” victory is meant a victory or a result obtained as the result of offsetting the total victories and defeats in one season of 13 days).
    This means to say that, to take the instance of Wrestler Mayedayama, who in the last “Summer” tournament scored 8 victories and 5 defeats, he won 3 “net victories.” Thus, in point of salary promotion, Mayedayama, with one 25-sen increase and two 50-sen increases gained, may be said to have earned in total a ¥1.25 increase in salary, which is of course a monthly payment. With “net victories” thus won in every tournament season, wrestlers are assured an unfalling promotion in their salaries, which actually more often than not brings them a goodly increase. Then how much does a champion wrestler received on an average as his monthly regular pay? It is reliably said that ¥140 is the average amount received by this class of wrestler.

PROFIT DIVIDEND GOOD

    But the ¥140 is only a very inconsiderable sumo to be received by a champion wrestler of established renown. We now turn to the second item of a wrestler's income, i.e. “bukatakin,” though this again does not necessarily make much more of a question for a champion wrestler. This “bukatakin” is a kind of profit dividend, and some percent of the total Sumo exhibition receipts is given to a wrestler as his income under his name. The amount of this “bukatakin” given to wrestlers varies considerably according to their rank.
    The calculating basis to decide the amount, which is rather complex, is stipulated in a certain covenant of the Sumo Society. With the “Mayegashira” class of wrestlers taken as the standard., if one tournament season brings to the Sumo Society the total receipts of from 120 to 130 thousand yen, this class of wrestlers receive, on an average, a profit dividend of about ¥300 each. In the case of “Sanyaku” wrestlers, that is, the first three ranking wrestlers on the list next to “Yokozuna” or Grand Champion, the amount will be doubled or trebled, according to their actual official capacity, say, to ¥600 or ¥900. A Yokozuna or Grand Champion will received four times as much as the aforesaid basic “Mayegashira” due, that is” ¥1,200. But remember that all this is not still the whole income first-class wrestlers are to receive.
    Thirdly, there is what they call “zoyo” or general expenses which those wrestlers can rightfully claim. “Zoyo” expenses are the allowances given to wrestlers by the Sumo Society to buy daily necessaries, in which are of course included the expenses for food and hairdressing. But this third item of income is at most only ¥200 even in the case of a Grand Champion.
    Next come the earnings during provincial Sumo exhibition tours, which are usually made twice a year between the intervals of the regular Sumo tournaments. In this case, to take the instance of a popular wrestler such as Grand Champion Futabayama, it is said that he can usually realize forty-fold profit as against his actual expenditures, only by two exhibition tours. It is thus estimated by well informed circles that Futabayama yearly gets a regular income amounting to not less than ¥10,000.
    Lastly, about tips given by Sumo patrons or fans. This is an essentially the biggest part of all the Sumo income. Every class of wrestlers usually receive tips amounting to two or three times as much as their regular income. In the case of Futabayama, who is estimated to receive a regular income of not less than ¥12,000 a year, therefore, how enormous will be the the amount of tips he is to receive during one whole year my be easily imagined. There is told a story of that Grand Champion Tochigiyama, who is now in retirement, having gained tips amounting to ¥12,000 only in a single day when he defeated the other Grand Champion wrestler Tachiyama.