Japanese Sumo Wrestling is one of the oldest
martial arts in Japan. In contrast to some of the
traditional Japanese arts, sumo wrestling is
enjoying a rising popularity - comparable to
basketball in North America or soccer in
Europe.
During the last two
decades the art of
sumo wrestling
could establish
itself even outside
of Japan. Akebono,
an American born
in Hawaii, became
the first American
champion to reach
the highest rank.
Sumo has its roots in the Shinto religion.
The matches were dedicated to the gods in
prayers for a good harvest. The oldest
written records date back to the 15th
century.
In the later feudal periods, it was
occasionally used as a method of resolving
political disputes by sending sumo
wrestlers to decide the issue; rather similar
to the feudalistic European practice of
using champions to decide the right of an
issue by might.
In the Edo period, sumo became a popular
feature of urban culture among the
merchant class, and it emerged as a
professional sport with rules and
ceremonies which are closely related to
today's.
A sumo wrestling match is accompanied by
a lot of traditional ceremony. The
marching-in of the wrestlers is a sequence
of formal rituals. The wrestlers are
accompanied by two assistants - one
walking in front and one behind him.
The referee is clad in a luxurious kimono
and wears a strange hat. After performing
a series of opening rituals, the contest
begins.
The wrestling match is all about pushing or
throwing the opponent out of the doyo - the
ring - or to bring the other guy down on the
floor.
Sumo combines some of the most public
forms of Shinto ritual with the sight of
wrestlers weighing up to 680 pounds
apiece slamming into each other. At first
glance, foreigners are frequently repulsed,
but many morph into fanatics.
There are 70 ways of beating an opponent
listed by the Sumo Association, including
such common ones as uwatenag (overarm
throw) and shitatenage (underarm throw),
but a few methods of attack are banned.
Wrestlers may trip or slap with an open
hand, but eye-gouging, hair-pulling, and
hitting with a closed fist are not permitted,
and will result in forfeiting the bout.
The wrestling ring is a raised clay platform
with bales of straw half buried in the clay to
outline the circular ring. Wrestlers wear
only a thick belt which can be grasped by
the opponent and used to lever the wearer
out of the ring.
Sumo does not know any weight
categories. There are a few basic
techniques - from pulling the opponents
legs, to grabbing his belt and trying to
throw or carry the opponent out of the ring.
The basic rules of sumo are simple: The
wrestler who either first touches the floor
with something else other than the soles of
his feet, or leaves the ring before his
opponent, loses. The fights themselves
usually last only a few seconds, and in rare
cases, up to one minute or longer.
Six tournaments are held every year, each
one lasting 15 days. Three of the
tournaments are held in Tokyo (January,
May, September), and one each in Osaka
(March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka
(November).
Only wrestlers in the top two divisions
(Makuuchi and Juryo) are paid a monthly
salary, so the income of a wrestler is not
assured until a consistent winning record
propels him up the ranks.
Potential wrestlers come to the world of
sumo as young as13. Many recruits are
from rural areas where people are said to
be better accustomed to the physical
hardships which sumo demands.
Training is rough and includes the beating with
sticks to drive home the fine points of wrestling
(this is quickly becoming a thing of the past). In
recent years, the level of physical abuse has
eased, which, together with the popularity of the
sport, has attracted larger numbers of youngsters
to try out.
At the top of the sumo wrestlers' hierarchy
(banzuke) stands the yokozuna (grand
champion). At the time this presentation
was made, there was only one yokozuna,
Asashoryu from Mongolia. Once a
wrestler reaches the rank of yokozuna, he
cannot lose it anymore. However, he is
expected to retire as soon as his results
are starting to worsen.
Those who are successful, enter a
stable of wrestlers which is owned
and trained by a retired successful
wrestler called an Oyakata; there are
around 30 stables.
Junior wrestlers not only have to train and attend
school, they must do the dirty work of the stable,
including attending to the whims of the senior
wrestlers who are constantly requiring massages,
snacks or drinks.
The most elite wrestlers are highly trained
athletes and between 20 to 35 years old.
Besides working out, the wrestlers eat
large amounts of food, and go to bed right
after eating in order to gain mass. The
wrestlers are living in special sumo stables
where the rules are very strict, especially
for lower ranked wrestlers.
The organization and values of this sport
are fundamentally feudal, and are often
criticized for patterns of behavior which
are outdated and undemocratic.