Japan's Oldest Sport

 

Traditional Sports of Japan - sumo   相撲

         

SUMO

 

Sumo began many centuries ago and developed into its present form in the Edo period (1603-1867). Sumo wrestlers wear their hair in a topknot, which was a normal hairstyle in the Edo period. The referee, meanwhile, wears the same kind of clothes as a samurai of 600 years ago. Many aspects of Japan's traditional culture remain in sumo. For example, wrestlers throw salt into the ring to purify it before they begin their match, as the dohyo is considered a sacred place. Sumo has a long history, and it has been called Japan's national sport.

 

·         Rikishi (力士): professional sumo wrestler

·         Dohyō (土俵): ring

·         Yokozuna (横綱): the highest rank in sumo

·         Mawashi (廻し): loincloth used by wrestlers

·         Gyōji (行司): referee in professional sumo

 

One of the most famous and well-known of the Japanese sports is sumo. Sumo is essentially a wrestling sport, but the rules are a bit different from western style wrestling. Usually the match begins when both wrestlers put both hands on the ground, and ends when one player is pushed out of the ring or any part of their body other than the soles of their feet touches the ground. The match also will end if any sumo wrestler loses the loincloth around their body, mawashi, as the wrestler becomes disqualified when that happens. Although many people tend to look at sumo as fascinating but comical, there is actually a very serious element to sumo wrestling, and it is highly esteemed and respected.

Where can I see Sumo?

You can only see Sumo six times per year. Yes, the professional sumo tournaments only take place six times each year! So if you intend to see one of these great sumo wrestlers in action, you either watch NHK World Japan during Grand Sumo Highlights like me, or you have to plan your next trip to Japan accordingly.

Luckily, each tournament takes place during a specific month, and in a specific city so this might help you plan the best time for your visit.

The six annual tournaments of professional sumo wrestlers are:

·         January’s Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo

·         March’s Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka

·         May’s Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo

·         July’s Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya

·         September‘s Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo

·         November‘s Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka

·         How to get tickets

·         Tickets go on sale three weeks before the start of the tournament and often sell out. They can be bought at the stadium in advance or from the Japan Sumo Wrestling’s official website. Alternatively, a limited number of balcony tickets are sold on the day of the tournament.

stadium

The Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo is centrally located (take the JR Sōbu Line to Ryōgoku station). As well as the arena, with seating for 13,000 spectators, it also houses a small museum with portraits of grand champions through the ages, as well as stalls offering food, drinks and souvenirs.The stadium is split into three sections, the ringside and box seats have traditional Japanese seating (cushions on the floor), and the balcony seats farther back have chairs. The ringside seats really are ringside — during particularly heated matches wrestlers can fall out of the ring and on to the spectators.

The matches

During the pre-match rituals, the wrestlers attempt to intimidate their opponents and play up to the crowd. The matches themselves are just a few seconds of circling, locking bodies and twisting; they’re intense and fast paced. The wrestler who steps out of the ring first or touches the ground with anything other than his feet loses.There are no weight classes in sumo, so weight gain is an important part of training. There’s often a big difference in weight between the opponents, but it’s not always the biggest wrestler who’ll win.

 

The wrestlers

Sumo wrestlers live in heya (training stables) where they follow strict traditions that dictate their daily lives, from what they wear to what they eat. The top sumo wrestlers are celebrities in Japan; they earn thousands of dollars a month, have fan clubs and retain their prestigious titles for life. On tournament days, they’re welcomed to the stadium by cheering fans asking for autographs and photos.

Tournament days

The tickets give entry to the stadium for the whole day (8am-6pm), but the mornings are for the juniors’ competition and much quieter. The stadium will fill up later in the afternoon when there’s a much better atmosphere.The big-name sumo wrestlers start arriving from around 2pm. The second division (Juryo) matches start at 2:20pm and top division (Makuuchi) matches at 4:20pm, which are the very best sumo wrestlers in Japan. The highest-ranked wrestlers are always the last to compete.

·         There’s a short ceremony before each of these sets. The wrestlers, dressed in colorful ceremonial aprons, walk around the ring and then clap before exiting again, a symbolic gesture of getting attention from the Shinto gods.

And this is when the atmosphere starts building, and the crowd gets excited, with people cheering on their favorite wrestlers, and sometimes even throwing their cushions into the ring at the end of the last match of the day.