It was a good thing they played Japan's national anthem and made announcements in Japanese at the Grand Sumo Tournament in Hawai'i, lest somebody forget just whose national sport sumo is.

Hakuho won the Sakura Cup, symbolic of the overall championship of the two-day tournament, forcing fellow Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu out of the ring yesterday as Mongolian flags were waved and some cheers shouted in that language from the Blaisdell Arena stands.

"I was happy to win in front of my family," Hakuho said after thanking the crowd of 4,400 with a prepared statement in English and Hawaiian that put an international exclamation point on the event.

Hakuho got to the final by beating another countryman, Ama, for the Governor's Cup in a single-elimination format where all four semifinalists were from outside Japan and six of the eight quarterfinalists, including natives of Mongolia, Bulgaria, Russia and Georgia, were non-Japanese. Hakuho's run to the Sakura Cup took six matches — not one of them against a native of Japan.

When the Mayor's Cup (Saturday championship), Governor's Cup (Sunday title) and Sakura Cup were on the line, the only Japan-born figure in the ring was the referee.

In that local fans saw just how much the face of the sumo has changed in the 14 years since the sport of emperors last lumbered up Ward Avenue

Including this past weekend, which was an exhibition, Mongolians have won nine consecutive tournaments and 21 of the last 24. The Japanese sumotori who won two of them, Tochiazuma, retired last month.

"The tide has changed," observed Saleva'a Atisanoe, a Nanakuli native who competed for 20 years as Konishiki. "I guess a lot of young Japanese are doing other sports now, like soccer."

Oshima, head of the tour for the Japan Sumo Kyokai, which runs the sport, expressed disappointment in the attendance, announced as a two-day turnout of 8,450 that left the arena about half-filled. He noted it was packed the last time sumo came here largely due to the presence of three Hawai'i-bred sumotori — Akebono, Konishiki and Musashimaru.

There are no current competitors from Hawai'i. The JSA has limited its 53 stables to no more than one foreigner each and Oshima said Hawai'i could still be recruited, but said 51 stables already have a foreigner.

The 6-foot-4, 341-pound Hakuho said a highlight of the trip was swimming in the ocean and said his performance in his debut as a yokozuna, sumo's most exalted rank, was a "good experience" and gives him confidence for next month's tournament in Nagoya.

In sumo, they refer to the "burden of the tsuna" — the wire-stiffened, cotton-wrapped white rope that signifies the rank — for the weight of the responsibility that comes with the position of yokozuna. But the 22-year-old Hakuho's heaviest burden appeared to come in carrying all the spoils — trophies and prizes — that came with yesterday's championship sweep.

Asked, at a post-tournament press gathering, if he was tired, Hakuho wiped away beads of sweat, buckled his knees in a mock collapse, and smiled.

Holding up the honor of Japan's national sport apparently can wear a guy out.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS

Preliminary round
Dejima def. Kasuganishiki.
Miyabiyama def. Tochinohana.
Asasekiryu def. Hochiyama.
Ryuo def. Otsukasa.
Roho def. Iwakiyama.
Kyokutenho def. Futeno.
First round
Asashoryu def. Aminishiki.
Kokkai def. Dejima.
Kasugao def. Tokitenku.
Ama def. Miyabiyama.
Chiyotaikai def. Tochinonada.
Kotoshogiku def. Hokutoriki.
Kisenosato def. Asasekiryu.
Kotooshu def. Tokitsuumi.
Kaio def. Takekaze.
Tochiozan def. Satoyama.
Takamisakari def. Homansho.
Ryuo def. Toyonoshima.
Wakanosato def. Kotomitsuki.
Roho def. Tamanoshima.
Kyokutenho def. Tamakasuga.
Hakuho def. Kakuryu.
Second round
Kokkai def. Asashoryu.
Ama def. Kasugao.
Kotoshogiku def. Chiyotaikai.
Kotoshuu def. Kisenosato.
Kaio def. Tochiozon.
Ryuo def. Takamisakari.
Roho def. Wakanosato.
Hakuho def. Kyokutenho.
Quarterfinals
Ama def. Kokkai.
Kotooshu def. Kotoshogiku.
Ryuo def. Kaio.
Hakuho def. Roho.
Semifinals
Ama def. Kotooshu.
Hakuho def. Ryuo.
Governor’s Cup final
Hakuho def. Ama.
Sakura Cup final
Hakuho (Governor’s Cup winner) def. Asashoryu (Mayor’s Cup winner).

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.