Sumo comes to Okinawa only once a year. Nate and I knew we had to get tickets to witness this historic sport during our last few months in Japan #bucketlist On a beautiful Saturday in December, we went to our friend Hiro's Holiday BBQ party, and then headed to the sumo event!! #excited
It was fascinating watching everything that went into the tournament and learning the traditional meaning behind it (throwing salt, clapping, etc) As well as some fun, weird facts about sumo - read on to learn more :)
What is sumo exactly?
This sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally. It spans many centuries (about 2,000 years) and has preserved many ancient traditions. In the Nara and Heian periods, sumo was an event performed for the emperor at the Imperial Palace. In the 1600s, it became a popular spectator sport when matches were held to raise money for the repair of public works. The ruling government at the time disapproved of the fighting, and issued several orders to have it banned. In response, a strict code was developed by the organizers to govern the practice. The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) currently governs the organization but in recent years has been clouded in scandal and controversy with reports of match-fixing, close ties to the yakuza (kind of like the Japanese mafia), drug use, and the death of a teenage recruit.
Sumo (相撲 (this kanji literally translates to "striking one another") wrestlers are refered to as rikishi, and they attempt to force their opponent outside the dohyō (circular ring made of clay and covered in a layer of sand) or touch the ground with anything other than the soles of their feet. For each bout, the gyōji (referee), will decide and announce the winning move. The JSA recognizes 82 of these kimarite (winning techniques), but only about a dozen or so are used on a regular basis. The most common winning moves are oshidashi – pushing your opponent out of the ring without holding their mawashi, or belt, while maintaining hand contact throughout; yorikiri – pushing your opponent out of the ring backwards while maintaining a constant grip on his belt; and uwatenage – heaving your opponent down to the ground as he turns away. Open slaps to the upper body are allowed, but striking with fists, kicking, and hair-pulling are prohibited. Interestingly, if one of the wrestlers loses his mawashi (belt), the de-clothed wrestler is disqualified. #interesting #nonakedsumo #boo (This rule was adopted after Japan began adopting European attitudes towards nudity). A wrestler being de-clothed is rare, but in May 2000, an unfortunate wrestler, Asanokiri, exposed himself and was disqualified immediately. #themoreyouknow
Sumo wrestlers have a strenous tournament schedule which begins in January every year. A 2 week long tournament is held every other month (Tokyo, Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoaya, Tokyo, Fukuoka). Each wrestlers performs in one match per day except lower ranked wrestlers, who perform in fewer matches. This strict schedules leaves the wrestlers little time to recover from their injuries, which usually means at least 1 or 2 are absent from a match at any given time.
All wrestlers are classified in the banzuke (ranking hierarchy), which is updated after each tournament based on their performance. Rikishi (wrestlers) with positive records (more wins than losses) move up the hierarchy, while those with negative records get demoted. The top division is called "Makuuchi" and the second division is called "Juryo". The highest level a rikishi can achieve in the makuuchi division is yokozuna, or grand champion (they can't be demoted but is expected to retire when their performance gets worse). As of January 2017, there have been 72 yokozunas, with 4 of them active right now.
The Rikishi (wrestlers) show humility by putting on a stoic expression, rarely show any emotion, even when interacting with their fans. But seeing the wrestlers around one another, the forget their stoic faces, and goof around with each other from slapping each other in the stomach, pinching each other on the nipples, and giving one another massages (see below). They seem to have a good time and it was fun watching this side of them compared to on the dohyō.
Life of a Sumo Wrestler
In addition to their strict tournament schedule, life for the rikishi is also highly regimented (governed by the JSA). Sumo wrestlers are recruited around the age of 15 to be trained by oyakata (retired wrestler) in communal sumo training stables known as heya, housing on average about 15 wrestlers.. All aspects of their lives are dictated by strict tradition, from their meals, practice times, and manner of dress.
Rikishi wake up before sunrise, and practice until lunch - which is eaten in order of rank. The lowest ranks is the jonokuchi - basically glorified servants who get up early to do all the cooking and cleaning for the higher ranking wrestlers and attempt to work their way up to the top division makuuchi. #iwantajonokuchi #pleasehelpmewithcleaningandcooking #pleaseandthankyou After lunch, the rikishi nap for a few hours to make sure the 20,000 calories (10,000 calories for each meal) they eat per day (#DAMN!) turns into fat. The rest of the day is spent at the gym, doing housework, or just a few hours of free time after dinner. On top of all this, the younger, inexperienced wrestlers endure systematic hazing and physical punishment in order to toughen them up. This is part and parcel of sumo culture and something that young wrestlers know to expect, but it can sometimes go too far – resulting in injury and very rare cases even in death. Each rikishi must wear the traditional dress (yukata, sandals, and a chonmage (topknot)) at all times. They are expected to stay in the heya until they retire, or get married.
There are no weight restrictions or divisions in sumo tournaments, so each wrestler tries to become as big as possible in order to gain an advantage in the ring. Wrestlers can easily find themselves matched with someone many times their size, so it's important for them to gain lots of weight. This is done by packing on the pounds with multiple servings of rice, beer, and chankonabe (type of stew that containes quartered chicken, fired fish, tofu, and veggies (BTW Nate and I tried this while we were in Tokyo - quite delicious, although we didn't attempt to eat 20,000 calories worth!)). This weight gain leads to an array of health problems, #youdontsay, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks and arthritis. And the life expectancy of a wrestler is 10-20 years shorter than the average Japanese male :( This also might explain one of the questions I have, which is where the heck are all the sumo wrestlers?? Walking around Japan, I have never seen a retired sumo guy (or anyone even close to that size) - where are they all hiding? Do they have a secret retirement retreat in the mountains? #curious #wheredotheygoafterretirement?
So what happens during a match?
First, the gyōji (referee) sings out the rikishi (wrestlers) names. The rikishi (wrestlers) begin by stamping to squash away bad spirits. The east rikishi stands under the red tassel and the west rikishi under the white tassel. They turn their backs to the ring and clap once. Then they raise their right leg, stamp, and then their left, and stamp once more. Next, the receive "strength water" to rinse their mouths and clear their body, finishing by wiping their mouths with "strength paper". They then fling a handful of salt into the dohyō . Why? Salt is believed to own purifying powers, so both wrestlers throw salt in the air to prepare for their round and clearing the dohyō as a sacred place.
Then both rikishi (wrestlers) perform the Chirichozu (ceremony before the fight) to show each other that they're unarmed and ready to fight fair. They face each other in the dohyō, welcoming each other by sitting crouched down, looking each other dead in the eye. They rub their hands together, and clap one time (A Shinto ritual). In clapping their hands together, they are asking for the attention of the gods in order not to go to battle alone. Next, they move their arms slowly out to their sides, first facing their palms up and then turning them facing down. (These movements are a purfiication and show they're unarmed, symbolizing the sport and honesty of sumo). And finally they put their hands on their knees, still not breaking eye contact. These rituals are then repeated (starting with the throwing of salt, crouching, etc) until the prefight time is up #saltcrouchstamprepeat To intimidate each other, the rikishi may throw the salt higher in the air, or stamp their legs higher and bigger to psych the other rikishi out. This whole pre-match ritual usually lasts longer than the fight itself since each movement is carefully performed to honor sumo's core values: integrity, dignity, discipline, and strength, intertwined with the country's Shinto religion.
After the greeting ceremony, the beginning of the match begins. First both wrestlers put their fists on the ground. Hakkeyoi!! (This phrase is yelled out by the referee). Next, follows the Tachiai, the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers. This is a key moment in the match since 70% of the fight is decided in this moment. Fights or matches can last from several seconds to up to a few minutes. Once the match is over, the loser bows to the winner and leaves the ring. The winner crouches again. Victory is announced by the referee saying either "winner east" or "winner west". After the result is announced, the winner shows his respect to the loser by making a closing arm movement, both wrestlers are not to show emotions, only respect.
Watch this performance below:
Watch a slo-mo video of the winning move below:
Some more fun facts about sumo:
The gyoji also carries a tanto (sword) of about 6 to 12 inches in length, showing that the gyoji understands the seriousness of the decisions he has to make – and is prepared to commit seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) if he makes a bad decision! #shit #talkaboutconsequences #nopressure But nowadays, thankfully, the gyoji usually just submits his resignation papers instead as a gesture of contrition and in most the erring gyoji’s resignation is very rarely accepted.
Hopefully if you visit Japan, you can catch a sumo match! (And now you're nice and educated on the matter)
Here are ways to view sumo while in Japan:
Megan Bond - AUTHOR
Just a girl raised in California and loved exploring Southeast Asia with my husband! We're back in the States but still exploring the world as much as we can!