Sumo

       

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        Sumo, Japan's national sport, originated during ancient times as a way to entertain Shinto deities around 2000 years ago, but did not become popular as a spectator sport until the early 1600s. The rules and traditions surrounding the sport symbolically display aspects of the Shinto religion. For instance, sumo matches take place on a dohyo, an elevated ring made of clay and covered in sand which represents purity. The yakata, or canopy, above the ring is made in a similar style to the roof of a Shinto shrine. Also, each of the four tassels on the yakata represent each of the four seasons, green is for spring, red for summer, white for autumn, and black for winter. Even the referee (gyoji) wears a traditional robe resembling a Shinto priest. The first ceremony that takes place is called the ring ceremony where the sumo are separated into two groups, east and west. The sumo then enter from lowest-ranked to highest-ranked and perform a series of movements as they make their way around the ring. This tradition dates back to samurai times and allows each sumo to show the others that he is unarmed. Then, two sumo enter the ring and the match is ready to begin!

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        Once the two contestants are in the ring, they spend several minutes lifting their legs in the air and stomping them on the ground, a ritual which is said to scare away demons. The actual competitions typically last only a few seconds, ending when one of the wrestlers touches the outside of the ring with any part of his body and loses. Ringside viewers sometimes witness these losses up close, and can be at risk of injury as wrestlers fly into the spectators. In sumo, there are no weight classes or restrictions, so you can easily find yourself up against a wrestler many times your size, causing weight gain to be an essential part of the sport. Wrestlers are classified in a ranking hierarchy based on their performance which is updated after every tournament. A wrestler will be promoted and move up the hierarchy if they have more wins than losses, and move down if they have more losses than wins. At the very top of the hierarchy is the yokozuna, or grand champion, who cannot be demoted but is expected to retire when his performance worsens. Today, a wrestler must win two tournaments in a row to achieve the title. To put the difficulty of this task into perspective, only 70 sumo in the entire history of the sport have ever become yokozuna. 

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        The strict hierarchy of sumo wrestling extends to the daily practice sessions which typically occur just before and after major tournaments. Practices begin with stretches followed by practice matches. Once a match ends, all the sumo at the session are expected to rush to the winner hoping to be chosen as his next opponent and the winner stays in the ring until he is defeated. Unlike other organized sports, there is no teaching of strategies or maneuvers, as the sumo are meant to learn from watching others and practice. Lower-ranking sumo must arrive early in the morning to begin training, and once those of higher ranks begin to arrive, their role is to prepare the first meal of the day. This meal is eaten around 11:00 am with the high ranking sumo eating first and usually consists of a high-calorie stew containing fish, seaweed, different meats, and noodles. This is often eaten with rice and beer. After this meal, there are no more duties for the sumo to complete and they all take an afternoon nap.

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Works cited:

http://www.sumotalk.com/history.htm

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2080.html

Finley, Carol. Art of Japan. Lerner Publications Company. 1998.