After scandalizing the decorum-dominated world of sumo with hair pulling and out-of-the-ring insults, two of the sport's foreign stars have apparently agreed to end a feud covered in blow-by-blow detail by Japan's sports pages.

　　Acquiescing to the rules of etiquette and hierarchy that define the ritualized sport, sumo veteran Kyokushuzan called upstart grand champion Asashoryu to apologize for brushing up against him and starting a fight, Japanese media reported this week.

　　"I can't wrestle, I've been so concerned about it," Kyokushuzan was quoted as saying by the Mainichi Shimbun, a major daily, on Wednesday. "Everyone around me says it was my fault."

　　Asashoryu withdrew from the current 15-day tournament on Tuesday, citing a sprained neck. Kyokushuzan fell to a miserable 1-10 record.

　　According to local media, the two burly wrestlers' shoulders brushed as they passed one another at the entrance to a public bath after Sunday's bouts.

　　Kyokushuzan, thinking that the bump was deliberate, lashed out, hollering "What do you think you're doing - go back to Mongolia!" according to the tabloid Nikkan Sports.

　　The tension was so high a fellow wrestler had to step between them to prevent an all-out brawl, the tabloid said. Another version had Kyokushuzan suddenly bumping into Asashoryu and shouting insults.

　　Kyokushuzan's coach told his understudy to "grow up" and patch things up. To further the peace, the coach is planning a dinner party for sumo's Mongolian wrestlers after the tournament ends on Sunday.

　　"It's not fair to Japanese and Mongolian fans if we quarrel," Asashoryu was quoted as saying by the Yomiuri Shimbun.