The Japanese word kawaigari means “doting,” but in the grueling world of sumo it is an ironic euphemism for pushing a wrestler to the very limits of his physical and mental endurance.

It can include beatings with bamboo sticks and choking with sand or salt — and in one infamous case led to the death of a teenage recruit who had tried to flee the privations of his sumo stable.

Harumafuji, who last month won Japan’s major tournament