Originally Posted by
jfkcotter
Just out of curiosity, given that the title (it's not a rank) of Yokozuna is permanent and cannot be revoked, just how would they go about 'stripping him of his rank' as you suggest.
They can't. In the case of grieviously bad behavior, they could force him into retirement, but that's it. That's what happened with Yokozuna Futahaguro. He had a rocky relationship with his oyakata, struck the oyakata's wife (and broke some property, IIRC). The oyakata submitted retirement papers and the Sumo Kyokai accepted them. And Futahaguro was gone.
Nothing Asashoryu has done would justify such an action, though. The closest he's come was the soccer incident, for which he was pretty heavily punished.
Josh Reyer
Swa sceal man don, žonne he ęt guše gengan ženceš longsumne lof, na ymb his lif cearaš. - The Beowulf Poet