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| Tournament ceremony, Tokyo * |
How it's played
Two rikishi (力士) battle to push their opponent out. A rikishi is out if he steps from the ring (dohyou 土俵) or touches the ground with anything other than the soles of his feet.
At the start of the bout, both wrestlers crouch and touch the floor with their fists (the only time they can touch the floor with hands). They must then both simultaneously launch into the fight. If it is not simultaneous, the referee will restart the match. Bouts themselves tend to be very short - sometimes just a few seconds. The referee and judges decide the winner.
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| Frieze from my visit to Sumo HQ (ryougoku kokugikan) in Tokyo. Tickets to an actual event are very expensive! |
Kit
Two mawashi 廻し (belt / apron things). An ornate one for the tournament opening ceremony; a plain one for fighting. Mawashi colour and ornateness reflect rank. On entry to the stadium, the very top wrestlers can be distinguished by a thick rope around their waists. Tournaments
There are six professional Grand Sumo championships (honbasho 本場所) held in Japan each year - in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Each event lasts for 15 days, where senior fighters will compete daily, lower ranks less.
There is a lot of money in Sumo, but despite heavy modern commercialism and sponsorship, ancient practices are still upheld. Before fights, opponents are kept in separate East / West rooms and observe a number of rituals. When entering the dohyou, stomping is used to drive out bad spirits, and sacred salt is tossed into the ring.
The 'cede' list for a tournament is called a banzuke 番付 and is written using a specific kind of calligraphy. Even today a dohyou and platform are contructed fresh for each event, by special craftsmen using traditional materials - clay, straw bales, sand.
Stablemates and brothers are not allowed to fight each other at tournament.
Stable
Typically, wrestlers join a 'stable' where they have to observe a strict way of life. If they break rules, they can be banned from wrestling, and bring shame to the stablemaster.
Demands include growing their hair long, always wearing traditional Japanese dress (reflecting their rank) in public, a ban on driving and other aspects. They are allowed wives. Fighters are divided by rank in accordance solely with their performance. Senior fighters might be allowed to have their own apartments etc - but this could all go if they fail during one tournament.
Wrestlers will train, bathe and eat in accordance with rank. The pay for the more senior fighters can be extremely good, but by all accounts stable life can be very tough and pressurised, with all ranks subject to immediate change depending on performance. Lower ranks don't get a good deal. As recently as 2007 a young sumo trainee died after brutal bullying from his seniors.
Foreign rikishi can join a professional stable in Japan.
Women are not allowed to compete professionally, or even touch the 'pure' dohyou during tournament season!
Click on this link to see a sumo fight in action:
* Image courtesy of Konnichiwa blog.
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