What is Sumo wrestling?

Sumo wrestling was introduced in the year 1500 to entertain the deities to ensure good harvest. It is the oldest of Japan’s range of martial arts but it too is the most ritualistic and unique of the lot. The symbolisms and rituals in this sport are anchored on the Shinto religion.

The competitors are called the sumotori or a rikishi who usually weigh between 250 and 500 pounds. A competitor’s goal is to knock his opponent out of the circle or manoeuvre him so that any part of his body touches the ground. This is achieved by using any or a combination of 70 Sumo acceptable moves. Pushing, slapping, heaving, tripping, pinning or hoisting are only some of which that are allowed. Hair pulling, punching with the fists, gouging around the eyes and kicking vital areas are strictly prohibited. Often a match lasts mere seconds before the more powerful or agile opponent executes a deft move or in some other way disqualifies his rival.

Mawashi, a sumo’s basic garment, is worn for both training and for official bouts. The mawashi measures about 30 feet when unwrapped, it is a loincloth to which, sagari, is attached during official bouts. The Sagari consists of a fringe of twisted string, tucked into the front of the belt. These attachments symbolise the sacred ropes that hang in front of Shinto shrines. It consists of an odd number of strings varying between 17 and 21 in accordance to Shinto beliefs that these numbers are lucky.

Dohyo is where sumo matches are held. This is a platform constructed with clay and sand and is blessed by a Shinto priest prior to the matches. A 14 foot 10 inch circle is delineated on the dohyo using half buried straw bales. Suspended above the ring is a wooden structure that resembles the roof of Shinto shrines.

Steeped in ancient traditions, it is not surprising for sumo to begin and end with ritual pomp and pageantry. There are different ceremonies that each person in the tournament must go through. Men clad in colourful and intricately designed attires perform each ceremony as it had been centuries ago. The first to enter the ring are the grand champions to perform the doyho-iri. Luxurious aprons adorn their waists and lower extremities they form a circle and then clap their hands, perform lengthy and ritualistic prayers. As they exit, the lower ranked sumotori enters and goes through the same rite.

Unlike in other contact sports, sumo wrestling has no weight divisions or classification. Therefore, it is not unusual when some opponents seem mismatched. Stripped down to their loincloths, the opponents perform the chiri-chozu. Both men squat at opposite ends of the ring, extend their arms then clap their hands once. The wrestlers then proceeds to perform the shiko, an exaggerated foot stamping ritual after which each man reaches into a basket of unrefined salt and tosses it to purify the ring.

Each man then strides to a marked white line, crouches down, clenches his fists and glares at his opponent to intimidate him. This procedure could be done several times by the wrestlers but it is timed and it should not be stretched beyond four minutes. At any given time during the four minute or less glaring, one or both of the rikishi may lunge and begin the bout.

A Sumo wrestler’s ultimate goal is to win the Emperor’s Cup and have his name engraved on the trophy of the said tournament and his life-size portrait displayed for all of Japan to see. Ranking has no elaborate rating system. It solely depends on the number of wins, which should outnumber the losses record. A grand champion may drop from the top ranks if, during the course of these tournaments, his losses outnumber his wins. Chiyonofuji, one of Japan’s popular sumo wrestlers, has won the Emperor’s Cup no less than 27 times.