Gaijin can sumo

Many of the top contenders in Sumo are recruited from abroad.At one time there was no restriction on the number of foreign Sumo wrestlers in professional sumo. In 1992, one Sumo stable recruited 6 Mongolians at the same time sending the league into a gaijin panic. The Sumo Association announced it was considering limiting the numbers of foreigners per stable. The stables responded with a 6 year self imposed moratorium on recruiting foreigners.

Today, the Sumo Association strictly limits the number of foreign wrestlers defined as born outside Japan to one per stable. Despite this, there are still 15 20 foreigners in the two top divisions at any one time.Theres an unspoken rule that foreigner wrestlers must speak Japanese and be well versed in Japanese culture.