Former ozeki Kotomitsuki, who was expelled from the world of sumo for betting on baseball games in 2010, had his hair-cutting ceremony on Saturday.
Kotomitsuki, whose real name is Keiji Tamiya, was banished in July 2010 and sued the Japan Sumo Association in a failed bid for reinstatement. He was feted by roughly 350 well-wishers, including the yokozuna trio of Hakuho, Harumafuji and Kakuryu, as well as former yokozuna Takanohana and active ozeki Kotoshogiku, his colleague at the Sadogatake stable.
A former amateur yokozuna at Nihon University, Tamiya currently operates a barbeque restaurant in Nagoya. He landed in hot water with authorities a little over a year ago for knowingly hiring foreigners who lacked proper visas.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.