The ancient art of Sumo has without doubt been the most impressive sporting entertainment I have seen in Japan. I love watching the tournaments on Television and I have been so surprised how exciting it is. For those who are unfamiliar with the discipline it’s a Japanese combat sport which involves two Rikishi (Wrestlers) fighting in a fifteen foot ring. The objective is to force your opponent to the ground or out of the ring. As a result of the brute strength involved in Sumo, many of the combatants (although not all) are very big men who are trained from childhood to carry tremendous bulk, whilst remaining flexible and strong.
Like most westerners I guess I had regarded Sumo Wrestlers as overweight non-athletes but since watching the sport I have been impressed not only with the Rikishi’s explosive strength but their balance, speed on their feet and ability to deftly use their opponents momentum against him. Due to my newfound interest in Sumo (pronounced 'S’mo') I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to go to one of the six tournaments held on the annual Japanese circuit. Last week my friends and I went to the ‘Kyushu Basho Tournament’ in Fukuoka which began November 13th and continues for fifteen days. We went on the fourth day of bouts, and, as the wrestlers fight every day of the competition I was able to see all of the top Rikishi in action. This tournament had added interest for Sumo fans for two reasons. Firstly Yokozuna (Grand Champion) ‘Assashoryo’, if victorious would be the first person to win all six tournaments in a calendar year. Secondly, the popular 22 year old Bulgarian ‘Kotooshu’ would achieve the fastest ever promotion to Sumo’s Champion rank (Ozeki), and become the first European to reach this class if he won at least ten of his fifteen bouts
I was expecting an exciting day, but what I hadn’t anticipated was the wealth of tradition and ritual involved in the event, which for a foreigner like me was nearly as entertaining as the bouts themselves. The setting itself is significant. The bouts are fought indoors on a clay Dohyo (ring), and above this is a large square roof suspended from the ceiling which resembles a Shinto Shrine. On each corner of this roof is a coloured tassel designed to represent the four seasons. The bouts increase in intensity and skill throughout the day as the different ranks compete. The day begins with the low ranked Jonokuchi fights and climaxes with the Yokozuna’s bout at around 6pm. We arrived in early afternoon to see the top two divisions; Makunuchi (1st division) and Juryo (2nd division) in action.
Before the fighting begins the twenty Rikishi in each level are introduced in an entrance ceremony called the Dohyo Iri. The wrestlers are divided into two teams symbolically representing the East and West. Each man is dressed from the waist down in a colourful Kesho-Mawashi (ceremonial apron), these are decorated with richly embroidered designs. The men stand in a circle around the Dohyo and together carry out a brief ritual involving clapping and different hand gestures. After the top Makunuchi wrestlers have performed the Yokozuna comes out to present his own spectacular ceremony to appease the Gods. He is attended by two senior Rikishi, one bearing a sword. Over his Kesho-Mawashi he wears a thick braided rope weighing up to fifteen kilograms around his waist. At the front of the rope hang numerous strips of zigzagging paper which is a common religious symbol for the Japanese. The rite begins when the Yokozuna claps his hands to get the attention of the Gods, then he upturns his palms to show he is unarmed. He slowly lifts each leg high in the air and stomps them down hard on the clay ring to drive away evil spirits. Then the matches can begin.
The wrestlers are introduced immediately before the bout by an announcer dressed in traditional attire. He sings in a traditional slow, haunting, Asian style proclaiming each fighter’s name and team. The other official on the Dohyo at this point is the Tate Gyoji (referee) who wears a very colourful Kimono (traditional robe) from the ancient Kamakura Period and holds a fan to direct proceedings.
Once the Rikishi are in the ring the posturing begins. Both wrestlers go through symbolic movements including rinsing their mouths out with ladled water and wiping down their bodies with paper towels to cleanse themselves. Salt is thrown around the ring to ward off bad luck and the fighters then face each other raising their legs high (often above their heads) and stomping. All of these motions are performed in unison, which creates a striking symmetry of movement.
Finally the two will face each other in a full squat, leaning forward on their fists. This is known as the Shikiri, and during this time there’s a lot of eyeballing and intimidation between the two parties. The whole process is repeated several times in the four minutes allowed, to maximise the psychological confrontation and the audience’s anticipation of the bout. When the Rikishi are ready the match begins, often with a tremendous first impact during the initial charge. The fights are action packed and fast; generally not lasting as long as twenty seconds. And believe me, that’s more than enough time to get the adrenaline of the spectators well and truly pumping.
The day we went the tournament was very exciting. There was drama early on, when a wrestler from the top division was body-slammed after an epic struggle and unfortunately had to be carried out of the arena on a stretcher. I found out later he had injured his leg and was unable to compete in the remaining days of competition. The two Rikishi I especially wanted to see were Bulgarian ‘Kotooshu’ and the seemingly unbeatable Yokozuna ‘Assashoryu’. They both won their bouts but had tough and exciting matches. ‘Kotooshu’ was nearly forced out by his opponent ‘Miyabiyahama’ before he gained ascendency and powerfully drove the other wrestler over the ropes and onto his back to the roar of the crowd. In the final bout of the day ‘Assashoryu’ was locked in a fierce struggle with ‘Dejima’ for what seemed an eternity before he produced a powerful arm-lock to force his determined adversary out. After the match the day was brought to a close when a senior Rikishi stepped onto the Dohyo to perform the Yumitori Shiki or “Dance of the Bow”. The extremely skilled wrestler performed a dazzling twirling longbow routine which has been a traditional closing ceremony since the Edo period (approximately 300 years ago) at which time victorious Rikishi were given the weapons as prizes and carried out a dance to express their joy.
Sumo is so ingrained in Japan’s culture that the very origin of the Japanese race is said to have depended on the outcome of a Sumo match when the God ‘Takemikazuchi’ won a bout against a rival tribe’s God for control of the country. It has been a sacred and extremely popular discipline in Japan for 1500 years and it still encompasses many of its ancient traditions. People say Sumo’s popularity is waning amongst the youth, many of whom apparently think it’s not as glamorous as other activities, or that it’s an old person’s sport; out of place in modern Japan. But I think Sumo is a rare sport today, being exciting and contested with both fierce determination and a high degree of dignity. I sincerely hope this great sport maintains the integrity of its traditions and that its best days are ahead.
Like most westerners I guess I had regarded Sumo Wrestlers as overweight non-athletes but since watching the sport I have been impressed not only with the Rikishi’s explosive strength but their balance, speed on their feet and ability to deftly use their opponents momentum against him. Due to my newfound interest in Sumo (pronounced 'S’mo') I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to go to one of the six tournaments held on the annual Japanese circuit. Last week my friends and I went to the ‘Kyushu Basho Tournament’ in Fukuoka which began November 13th and continues for fifteen days. We went on the fourth day of bouts, and, as the wrestlers fight every day of the competition I was able to see all of the top Rikishi in action. This tournament had added interest for Sumo fans for two reasons. Firstly Yokozuna (Grand Champion) ‘Assashoryo’, if victorious would be the first person to win all six tournaments in a calendar year. Secondly, the popular 22 year old Bulgarian ‘Kotooshu’ would achieve the fastest ever promotion to Sumo’s Champion rank (Ozeki), and become the first European to reach this class if he won at least ten of his fifteen bouts
I was expecting an exciting day, but what I hadn’t anticipated was the wealth of tradition and ritual involved in the event, which for a foreigner like me was nearly as entertaining as the bouts themselves. The setting itself is significant. The bouts are fought indoors on a clay Dohyo (ring), and above this is a large square roof suspended from the ceiling which resembles a Shinto Shrine. On each corner of this roof is a coloured tassel designed to represent the four seasons. The bouts increase in intensity and skill throughout the day as the different ranks compete. The day begins with the low ranked Jonokuchi fights and climaxes with the Yokozuna’s bout at around 6pm. We arrived in early afternoon to see the top two divisions; Makunuchi (1st division) and Juryo (2nd division) in action.
Before the fighting begins the twenty Rikishi in each level are introduced in an entrance ceremony called the Dohyo Iri. The wrestlers are divided into two teams symbolically representing the East and West. Each man is dressed from the waist down in a colourful Kesho-Mawashi (ceremonial apron), these are decorated with richly embroidered designs. The men stand in a circle around the Dohyo and together carry out a brief ritual involving clapping and different hand gestures. After the top Makunuchi wrestlers have performed the Yokozuna comes out to present his own spectacular ceremony to appease the Gods. He is attended by two senior Rikishi, one bearing a sword. Over his Kesho-Mawashi he wears a thick braided rope weighing up to fifteen kilograms around his waist. At the front of the rope hang numerous strips of zigzagging paper which is a common religious symbol for the Japanese. The rite begins when the Yokozuna claps his hands to get the attention of the Gods, then he upturns his palms to show he is unarmed. He slowly lifts each leg high in the air and stomps them down hard on the clay ring to drive away evil spirits. Then the matches can begin.
The wrestlers are introduced immediately before the bout by an announcer dressed in traditional attire. He sings in a traditional slow, haunting, Asian style proclaiming each fighter’s name and team. The other official on the Dohyo at this point is the Tate Gyoji (referee) who wears a very colourful Kimono (traditional robe) from the ancient Kamakura Period and holds a fan to direct proceedings.
Once the Rikishi are in the ring the posturing begins. Both wrestlers go through symbolic movements including rinsing their mouths out with ladled water and wiping down their bodies with paper towels to cleanse themselves. Salt is thrown around the ring to ward off bad luck and the fighters then face each other raising their legs high (often above their heads) and stomping. All of these motions are performed in unison, which creates a striking symmetry of movement.
Finally the two will face each other in a full squat, leaning forward on their fists. This is known as the Shikiri, and during this time there’s a lot of eyeballing and intimidation between the two parties. The whole process is repeated several times in the four minutes allowed, to maximise the psychological confrontation and the audience’s anticipation of the bout. When the Rikishi are ready the match begins, often with a tremendous first impact during the initial charge. The fights are action packed and fast; generally not lasting as long as twenty seconds. And believe me, that’s more than enough time to get the adrenaline of the spectators well and truly pumping.
The day we went the tournament was very exciting. There was drama early on, when a wrestler from the top division was body-slammed after an epic struggle and unfortunately had to be carried out of the arena on a stretcher. I found out later he had injured his leg and was unable to compete in the remaining days of competition. The two Rikishi I especially wanted to see were Bulgarian ‘Kotooshu’ and the seemingly unbeatable Yokozuna ‘Assashoryu’. They both won their bouts but had tough and exciting matches. ‘Kotooshu’ was nearly forced out by his opponent ‘Miyabiyahama’ before he gained ascendency and powerfully drove the other wrestler over the ropes and onto his back to the roar of the crowd. In the final bout of the day ‘Assashoryu’ was locked in a fierce struggle with ‘Dejima’ for what seemed an eternity before he produced a powerful arm-lock to force his determined adversary out. After the match the day was brought to a close when a senior Rikishi stepped onto the Dohyo to perform the Yumitori Shiki or “Dance of the Bow”. The extremely skilled wrestler performed a dazzling twirling longbow routine which has been a traditional closing ceremony since the Edo period (approximately 300 years ago) at which time victorious Rikishi were given the weapons as prizes and carried out a dance to express their joy.
Sumo is so ingrained in Japan’s culture that the very origin of the Japanese race is said to have depended on the outcome of a Sumo match when the God ‘Takemikazuchi’ won a bout against a rival tribe’s God for control of the country. It has been a sacred and extremely popular discipline in Japan for 1500 years and it still encompasses many of its ancient traditions. People say Sumo’s popularity is waning amongst the youth, many of whom apparently think it’s not as glamorous as other activities, or that it’s an old person’s sport; out of place in modern Japan. But I think Sumo is a rare sport today, being exciting and contested with both fierce determination and a high degree of dignity. I sincerely hope this great sport maintains the integrity of its traditions and that its best days are ahead.
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