© 2010 Gold
Title: Beyond: A Tribute
Part Twelve
Author: Gold
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is created by Konomi Takeshi. This work is a piece of fanfiction and no part of it is attributed to Konomi-san or any other entity holding any legal right associated with and arising out of Prince of Tennis . It was written purely out of fanservice and it is not to be used for profit or any false association with Konomi-san or aforesaid entities.
Author's Notes:
1. "Puremia" is pronounced Pooh-ree-me-ah. I derived it from the word "premier".
2. I pinched an oft-quoted line from Robert Burns' To A Mouse. Thank you, sir.
3. Mixi and Twitter are kind of similar in purpose. Mixi, however, is limited to people within Japan (you need a Japanese mobile phone on a Japanese network). Twitter is not limited to people within Japan.
4. "Yudan sezu ni ikou." - Tezuka Kunimitsu. There is some debate about the precise translation of these words, taking into consideration factors such as the meaning and placement of the kanji and hiragana used, Tezuka's character, the context of the situations in which Tezuka has said this or some variation of it, etc. Essentially it seems to mean "Onward, and do not be careless!"
Part Twelve
Lest this be forgotten by the wider public, let it be recorded here and now that there were many, who though neither kith nor kin of Tezuka Kunimitsu, stood by him through the entire matter. Their original intentions were very simple; all they wanted was to assure him of their steadfast support, and they wanted to do it with the least possible fanfare and the greatest possible impact. Extreme caution was also necessary, as they did not want their actions to affect him in some way, however unintended. In a way, one might say they had adopted the persona of their idol as their club mantra. Yudan sezu ni ikou.
But the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley, and they were eventually forced by circumstances into a position that left them with little choice but to take certain concrete steps.
This is how it happened.
Immediately following the shocking announcement from the world governing body for men's professional tennis that Tezuka Kunimitsu had tested positive for the banned blood-boosting substance jetoxil (JTX), a vacuum opened up. Tezuka's management was silent; Tezuka himself also seemed to be holding his tongue. It left space for speculation to grow and rumours to spread, as people debated the fall of one of tennis' brightest stars.
Was Tezuka really innocent? After all, how could he have risen to the top rankings in such a short space of time? Of course there had been other precedents before him – he was not the first tennis player to have made such a splash within a few years of his debut on the pro tennis circuits. But it was universally agreed that the test procedure, although not completely foolproof (perfection is not found in mankind) had been conducted both fairly and stringently. Contamination was practically impossible. Was Tezuka really guilty, then?
Tezuka Kunimitsu is probably guilty. A lot of sportsmen later get exposed for taking drugs. His management probably didn't even know. Maybe he got it from someone else in the pro tennis [sic]. Tell Tezuka to give us the truth. But this is just my personal opinion.
Why had Tezuka Kunimitsu held a press conference by himself (and financed from his own pocket, mind you), with only the support of his fellow Japanese professional players? Was he truly to be believed? What evidence did he have, apart from his own word? Furthermore, his management agency had been nowhere in sight. Had Tezuka fallen out so badly with his management agency that they were willing to neglect their professional duties? – Or did his management know something that the rest of the world did not? What was going on?
Does Tezuka Kunimitsu really think that people should believe him? There's no evidence that he's innocent. He's just denying it. Anybody can deny something like that. Maybe his management knows something we don't. But this is just my personal opinion.
The reactions on the pro circuits were fairly predictable. Already some of the players on the tour had made snide comments, whilst others expressed their disbelief at the news. Yet others preferred to sit on the fence, taking the position that they preferred to hear Tezuka's defence of himself – and cautioning at the same time that ATMP's testing procedures stringently adhered to World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines. Media outlets devoted themselves to running a range of editorials that ran the gamut from the supportive to the objective (running plenty of articles about the fall of other gods with feet of clay and the use of banned stimulants in sports) to simply mourning the fall of another much-admired athlete to drugs yet again.
I heard Tezuka Kunimitsu's getting lawyers now. If he's really innocent, he won't need lawyers. But this is just my personal opinion.
There were a lot of people with "personal opinions".
It was true that Tezuka had one of the finest reputations in the sports world, both as a person and an athlete, and the number of people who genuinely believed in Tezuka's innocence vastly outnumbered the naysayers – but it was the naysayers' voices that were the most troubling.
The truth is that when it comes to positive test results for drugs, the practical reality is that the onus remains on the person who tested positive to prove his innocence. In short, one is guilty unless proven innocent. And it had to be admitted that there really was no evidence at hand – at that time – to prove Tezuka's innocence.
So Tezuka, far away in America, was fighting an impossible battle.
But back home in Japan, unbeknownst to him, another confrontation was brewing.
The Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club was based in Japan; membership was only for residents in Japan. It went by the cheerful short form Tez'ka Japan, a moniker that hadn't met much approval when it had first been mooted, but which stuck anyway (which is the way things often happen).
When the scandal erupted, one of the many things that Tez'ka Japan did was to try, repeatedly, to get in touch with their official club contacts at Tezuka's management, Puremia Management Co., Ltd. However, their official liaisons at Puremia – Mr. Sato Naoya, Ms. Nakamura Hitomi and Mr. Tanaka Keisuke – did not respond to the enquiries. Emails to Puremia went unanswered; telephone calls were picked up by an answering machine which perpetually apologised for being full (please try again later). It is fair to say that there were moments when Tez'ka Japan treaded a very fine line between admirable persistence and outright harassment. At any rate, despite all concerted efforts to contact Puremia, Tez'ka Japan found themselves effectively slamming their collective heads against a big, blank wall of silence.
Late on Tuesday night (Tokyo time), all attention was focused on Tezuka's hastily-called press conference. Tezuka delivered his short, terse speech that would be the subject of many an editorial within the next few days; the Japanese tennis professionals sat united in grim silence; and Puremia was starkly conspicuous by its absence from the press conference. All this simply served to ensure that the intensity of online discussions (and the anxiety of Tezuka's worried supporters) rocketed to the extent that it approached borderline hysteria. The executive committee of Tez'ka Japan realized that a personal visit to the office of Puremia could not be avoided, since they hadn't been able to get any replies by other means. The idea met with absolutely overwhelming support on the official discussion forums of Tez'ka Japan:
What time will you be there? I would like to come along.
I want to give my support. I helped to make one hundred and twenty support-Tezuka-Kunimitsu-ribbons this afternoon, but I want to do something else, too.
They can't turn us away when they see so many of us! Let's all go!
I am so worried about Tezuka-san. Can I visit Puremia tomorrow, too?
It's summer holidays now, so I don't have to be in school. My whole family supports Tezuka-san. Can we all come along for the visit tomorrow? There are my grandfather, my parents, my two younger brothers, my pet goldfish…
My grandmother says she would like to go for the visit tomorrow. She's in a wheelchair, but I can push her along.
Eventually, after much frantic discussion, it was agreed that rather than having a small army land on the doorstep of Puremia, the visiting delegation would consist exclusively of the executive committee, who would make the visit on their own and carry the hopes of the supporters with them. In return, everyone would be kept apprised of the developments of the visit in real time on Mixi and Twitter …
Tez'kaJapan:
Exco reporting for duty! Everyone's here. We're going to the Puremia office now.
[Tweeted at 8.45 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Just arrived at Puremia. Office is open for business.
[Tweeted at 9.15 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Spoke to receptionist Hanada Keiko-san. Asked to speak to our official club liaisons at the management.
[Tweeted at 9.22 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
We've just been told that our official liaisons are not working here any longer!
[Tweeted at 9.30 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Sato-san is outstation until the end of next year!
[Tweeted at 9.40 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Nakamura-san is no longer working here! She married?
[Tweeted at 9.42 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Tanaka-san transferred to another office 2 months ago!
[Tweeted at 9.43 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Puremia has not yet assigned new club liaisons. We no longer have any official liaisons at Puremia!
[Tweeted at 10.18 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
We're still waiting – hopefully they'll let us speak to someone who can help us.
[Tweeted at 11.00 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
We've been here two hours. Everyone, let's be patient.
[Tweeted at 11.21 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
They've just told us to leave. Puremia will not be answering any questions about Tezuka-san.
[Tweeted at 11.43 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Puremia says that they cannot say anything because they do not wish to add more confusion to Tezuka-san's matter.
[Tweeted at 11.44 a.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
We just held a quick meeting. We'll wait outside. Maybe we might meet an office staff and then we'll try and ask for help. Misako and Koichi will take the first shift outside Puremia, beginning now.
[Tweeted at 12.01 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
This is Maruyama Koichi, your vice-president. We hope to be able to talk to one of the staff members when they're leaving the office.
[Tweeted at 12.03 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
This is Shimizu Misako, club secretary. We'll keep you updated on our progress. Everyone, let's do our best!
[Tweeted at 12.05 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Online, the real-time updates spread swiftly across the wider Internet community, thanks in large part due to supporters from across the world, who weighed in. Tweets, Mixi updates and forum posts were translated by friendly Tez'ka Japan members into English, German, Mandarin, Korean and several other languages, and quickly passed on to supporters outside Japan. The information ended up almost instantaneously on numerous discussion forums in other countries, which added their own take on it, and was in turn spotted by other forums and media outlets that picked up on the news, and so on down the line.
Meanwhile, the executive committee of Tez'ka Japan posted a full report on the official Tez'ka Japan website. The thread of discussion that was created quickly generated close to a thousand replies, before it was suddenly inaccessible to forum users, within an hour after it had been first put up. Forum users received a "technical error" message when they tried to post replies. Attempts to begin new threads of discussion regarding the matter also faced "technical error" messages. Eventually, a notice was placed on the main page of the official discussion forums:
The server is currently experiencing downtime due to technical errors. We are working to determine the source of the technical errors. We will inform you once the server has been repaired.
Tez'kaJapan:
Everyone, due to events beyond our control, we are shifting our official supporters' discussions to the new website: We Support Tezuka Kunimitsu.
[Tweeted at 4.00 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Official supporters, please sign up for accounts with your official membership details.
[Tweeted at 4.02 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Supporters who are not official members are welcome to sign up. Please indicate non-official member ship when you join.
[Tweeted at 4.03 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
In the meantime, Tez'ka Japan's vice-president Maruyama Koichi and secretary Shimizu Misako reported no success from their stalking mission outside the Puremia office.
Tez'kaJapan:
Everyone, we are holding an online meeting tomorrow morning at We Support Tezuka Kunimitsu.
Time: 9.00 a.m. – 12 noon Tokyo time.
Venues: Chatroom #1 and #2 for Tez'ka Japan members. Chatroom #4, #5, #6 and #7 for non-members.
[Tweeted at 4.30 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Please confirm attendance in the '29 July Meeting' thread, at least 1 hour before the meeting.
Our online meeting rules apply: chatroom access will only be granted to those of you who have confirmed attendance.
[Tweeted at 4.32 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
Tez'kaJapan:
Everyone, tomorrow's meeting in Chatrooms #1 and #2 will be held in Japanese.
Meeting in Chatroom #4 will be held in German.
Meeting in Chatrooms #5 and #6 will be held in English.
Meeting in Chatroom #7 will be held in Mandarin.
[Tweeted at 5.03 p.m., Tokyo time, 28 July 2010]
29 July 2010
12.30 a.m. Cincinnati
1.30 p.m. Tokyo
We Support Tezuka Kunimitsu Forum
Announcement: Videos of Tezuka Kunimitsu's tennis history – spread the word!
We have set up a new section in our website: "Tezuka Kunimitsu's Perfect Tennis". This section contains all the fan videos of Tezuka Kunimitsu playing tennis, taken by supporters over the years. The Seishun Gakuen (International) Tennis Fanclub has kindly provided us with 185 short video clips of Tezuka Kunimitsu playing tennis matches during his junior high school days and senior high school days. You can view the videos in the new section. Downloads are expressly permitted. Please remember to credit the source of the videos accordingly.
Our purpose is to show the world that Tezuka-san's tennis calibre is of the very highest quality, and has been so since he was a child. Anyone who has watched his tennis matches over the years will immediately see that Tezuka Kunimitsu could never have taken illegal performance boosters, firstly because it is not in his character to do such a demeaning thing, and secondly because there is absolutely no need for him to. Perfection needs no more. Please spread the word and spread the videos to as many people as you can. We want the world to know this!
If you have videos of Tezuka Kunimitsu's tennis history and would like to add them to our current collection, please contact the executive committee of Tez'ka Japan.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
2.21 a.m. Cincinnati
3.21 p.m. Tokyo
Unidentified online search engine – Sports Section
News Update
The Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club released a statement early this afternoon, demanding an explanation from Puremia Management Co., Ltd., which manages Tezuka Kunimitsu-san.
In the statement, the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club voiced concern on Puremia's silence on the matter so far and their absence from Tezuka Kunimitsu's press conference. The club also disclosed details of its attempts to reach Tezuka-san's management. It appears that the executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club, having received no response to earlier queries made to Puremia, paid a visit to Puremia's office in Shibuya yesterday. However, they were told that Puremia would not be speaking to anyone on matters relating to Tezuka Kunimitsu. They also received the news, for the first time, that Puremia no longer maintains official liaisons responsible for handling relations with the club.
The Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club has in its statement asked Puremia to break its silence to provide information to the public on the matter, so as to help counter rumours and re-assure Tezuka Kunimitsu's supporters that he is receiving the best assistance possible from Puremia.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
3.15 a.m. Cincinnati
4.15 p.m. Tokyo
Statement released by Puremia Management Co., Ltd.
We are unable to accede to the demand of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club. Any comment on our part will merely add confusion to the matters relating to Tezuka Kunimitsu-san and will not be in the best interests of Tezuka-san.
As an official supporters' club, it should have patience and refrain from muddying the waters further.
29 July 2010
3.43 a.m. Cincinnati
4.43 p.m. Tokyo
We Support Tezuka Kunimitsu Forum
Important Announcement from the Executive Committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club: PLEASE READ IMMEDIATELY
All the members of the executive committee have received official emails from Puremia Management. The emails state that their memberships are terminated with immediate effect. No reason is given, except that "Puremia Management Co., Ltd. reserves the right to refuse access or terminate a membership… at any time, without notification."
Official members, please check your email accounts urgently as this is of utmost importance. We must find out whether this is limited to the executive committee only, or if other memberships have been terminated.
If you have had your official memberships terminated by Puremia, please let us know immediately by replying to this announcement. Please include a copy of the email sent by Puremia.
29 July 2010
7.00 a.m. Cincinnati
8.00 p.m. Tokyo
Pro Sports Japan – Tennis Section
Special Report by Yamada Ryuichirou
The official supporters' club of tennis player Kunimitsu Tezuka has publicly severed all ties with Puremia Management Co., Ltd. and its affiliates. Puremia Management Co., Ltd. is the management company responsible for handling the affairs of Tezuka and many Japanese professional tennis players, including top names such as Ryoma Echizen. Their management of the matter has been called into question in recent days, especially in the wake of the press conference that Tezuka held on Tuesday.
The statement, released earlier this evening by the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club to media outlets, was signed off by the executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club.
"We refer to our statement to Puremia Management Co., Ltd. this afternoon. Puremia has given us their reply. They have terminated with immediate effect the memberships of the entire executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club.
"Enough is enough. The Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club is severing all ties with Puremia with immediate effect. Executive committee members will continue to lead the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club.
"Our purpose is to support Tezuka Kunimitsu. We believe in him and we believe that he is innocent. We will not stand by idly, while Puremia does nothing to support Tezuka Kunimitsu.
"As of this afternoon, the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club has experienced difficulty accessing their own official website. We will not waste time speculating on the reasons behind this. All discussions and club business is officially shifted to the We Support Tezuka Kunimitsu website, which we have set up by ourselves.
"We would like to make it clear that this is our response to Puremia's actions against the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club and Puremia's lack of assistance towards Tezuka Kunimitsu. We strongly feel that Tezuka Kunimitsu would be better off with a new management. He deserves much better than this management, which does nothing but hides its head in the sand."
Apart from this sudden breakaway, the supporters of Tezuka Kunimitsu have also started a second campaign via the Internet. Supporters have provided several hundred hours of video footage of Tezuka's matches, some of them going as far back as the time when he was a child. The video clips show parts of the matches he played in primary school, junior high school and senior high school, when he was the captain of the boys' tennis teams of Seishun Gakuen (Junior High Division and Senior High Division). The website now boasts almost 400 video clips. Many of these clips have been widely re-posted online, and can be seen on Mixi, weblogs, discussion forums and other websites.
Maruyama Koichi, the vice-president of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club whose membership was terminated by Puremia, explained seriously: "We definitely did not foresee this happening. We have been very cautious because this is a very sensitive issue and we thought that Tezuka-san was in the hands of professional management. However, we have had no choice because of Puremia's actions.
"It is not just the supporters in Japan who are disappointed and angry with Puremia. Tezuka-san is extremely popular abroad and many of his supporters all over the world have come forward to support our actions and they are extremely upset with what has been happening - or not, as the case may be. It's quite clear that Puremia sacked the executive committee simply because we have been doing our job and they have not.
"Please note that all our decisions have been taken without Tezuka-san's input or knowledge. We want to make that very clear so that there is no misunderstanding. Puremia has not been fair to Tezuka Kunimitsu. We support Tezuka-san and it's time we speak out and stand up for him. That's all that we can do for him."
In response, Puremia Management Co., Ltd. spokesman Ito Kyousuke said: "This is an attack without any justification. Tezuka-san should tell his supporters to stop such actions, which do not have his interests at heart. The former executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club does not have any authority and members should not listen to them. The members don't understand the real facts of the matter. Furthermore, they do not have experience in such matters and will only make things worse. Many libellous things have been said about Puremia Management Co., Ltd. We will take all necessary action, including legal action, against those responsible."
29 July 2010
8.00 a.m. Cincinnati
9.00 p.m. Tokyo
Unidentified search engine online
News – Tennis Section – Official Supporters of Kunimitsu Tezuka Mount Coup d'état
12 minutes ago
In what amounts to a coup d'état, the official supporters' club of tennis player Kunimitsu Tezuka has publicly severed all ties with Puremia Management Co., Ltd. and its affiliates. Puremia Management Co., Ltd. is the management company responsible for handling the affairs of Tezuka and many Japanese professional tennis players, including top names such as Ryoma Echizen. Their management of the matter has been called into question in recent days, especially in the wake of the press conference that Tezuka held on Tuesday.
A statement, released early this morning by the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club, was signed off by the executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club.
"Puremia has … terminated with immediate effect the memberships of the entire executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club. Enough is enough.
"The Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club is severing all ties with Puremia with immediate effect. Executive committee members will continue to lead the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club."
Puremia has threatened to take legal action in response.
Coup d'état?
Ha!
Puremia had removed the executive committee of the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club by the simple expedient of terminating their membership. It was a master stroke, since it was the only way that they could remove the executive committee.
As a gesture, it was petty by nature, but hugely significant in meaning.
The executive committee had been created nearly two years ago, with very specific functions in mind. They existed to organise events and maintain harmony within Tez'ka Japan, acted as the bridge of communication and concern between Tezuka Kunimitsu and Tez'ka Japan, and served as the conduit between Puremia and Tez'ka Japan.
By sacking the executive committee of Tez'ka Japan, Puremia had destroyed the links between themselves as the management, Tezuka Kunimitsu and Tezuka's supporters.
Coup d'état?
Yes, there had been one.
And the Tezuka Kunimitsu Official Supporters' Club would have been damned if they had let Puremia get away with it.
Yudan sezu ni ikou.