From Day 1 at the recent Nagoya Basho the vultures were circling. Some went after the admittedly pathetically low attendances on the first few days of the basho as a sign that all is not well with the public's perception of sumo in the wake of the yaocho bout-buying scandal. Two of the first three days had attendances under half of the 8,000 capacity of the prefectural gymnasium, and the other day — a Sunday- peaked at 5,500. Unfortunately the same low attendances that affected the first few days persisted throughout. But for any long-term follower of sumo, the poor attendance at Nagoya Basho should come as no surprise.
Perhaps this is due in part to the notorious stifling heat of Aichi Prefecture at the height of summer. Or perhaps the scandals over the past three or four years really have — or are proving to be — the straw that has broken sumo's back. Whatever the reason for the disappointing numbers attending — and in reality each of the aforementioned possibilities can likely be factored in — times are still looking tough for the sport, and the reasons for the tourney to keep returning to Nagoya year in, year out are looking less and less viable. Hopefully therefore, the powers that be in the Sumo Association will take more seriously the idea of the Nagoya Basho "going on the road" each year from 2012.
One potential silver lining of the basho for the naysayers bored with the recent dominance of Hakuho though was seen in the shape of his fellow Mongolian Harumafuji, who walked away with his second yusho to date after a brilliant 14-1 finish. Baruto, the other ozeki predicted to come though in Nagoya, also performed admirably — finishing 11-4 — although he had a well-known recurring leg injury.