Sumo

I really wanted to see two Japanese cultural events while I’m here in Japan. Sumo and Kabuki. And I got the chance the other day to go to a Sumo event. This is actually harder than I had initially thought it would be, as there are only three Sumo festivals per year and then each of the festivals only have 15 days of Sumo.

I was very fortunate for the spring event to be being held while I am here in Tokyo and then to have a group that I met be going so I wasn’t completely clueless about where to go and what was going on.

A friend of a couchsurfer I met had a group of friends going together to the Sumo competition, and she asked if I’d like to come along.

It’s not cheap, as the highest seats in the special Sumo stadium are like $40, while the front row seats are about $120. But it’s well worth the money for the opportunity to see this old, respected and uniquely Japanese sport.

There are matches going on from like noon until 6pm, but very few people watch the initial fourteen matches as they are by unknown but upcoming wrestlers. As the day goes on, the stadium fills up around the time the top ranking matches begin.

The Match

There is a bit of ritual an showmanship about each match. While the actual action of the match lasts only 2 to 30 seconds, the leadup is about 6 minutes.

The wrestlers each begin with ritual mouth cleaning similar to what is done at temples, then the famous high legged stomps to frighten away spirits, before entering the ring (called the dohyo) they throw salt to purify the ring and ward against injury. Then they face each other at the sides of the ring, squat into a pose and do some ritual hand movements that show their hands are weaponless.

Now begins the actual match. They don’t initially begin, but engage in intimidation and psyching up techniques whereby they face off and almost get ready to battle, but then back off and step out of the ring sometimes slapping themselves or yelling. Back to their corners, grab some salt again again to the face off.

They do this a number of times during the 4 minutes they have to engage. The final time out of the ring, they wipe their body off with a paper towel and the audience knows it will be on this time and begins to yell.

This time the huge men clash together and following the rules of Sumo, try to either make any part of their opponents body besides the feet touch inside the ring, or make him touch outside the ring.

Some matches are extremely quick whereby the winner quickly catches his opponent off balance and pushes him to the ground. Others can last longer when they enter a grapple where they both have ahold of the loincloth they wear called a mawashi. Then they begin to either work to push their opponent out of the circle or lift and throw him to the ground.

There are plenty of interesting bits I am leaving out, like the special rules and actions of the referees, the rankings, the processions, the Yokozuna ceremony, and more. It’s a fascinating sport and can be very exciting too for a few seconds of each match.

I’m really happy that I was able to see it in person.

Another interesting part that is very different from an American perspective is that these highly respected and adored athletes then walk through the streets in their Kimonos and are waved to or occasionally approached and bowed to, but never surrounded and accosted like celebrities can be in the US.