Sumo stablemaster Matsugane rented a building in the city of Osaka from a business executive with alleged close ties to the Yamaguchi-gumi underworld syndicate and used it for training and lodging wrestlers in March, sources said Wednesday.
The revelation is another blow to the ancient sport as it grapples with the scandal over illegal gambling involving wrestlers, stablemasters and the yakuza.
Matsugane, 53, who was at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya as a judge for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, was summoned to Tokyo over the matter by the Japan Sumo Association's special investigation panel.