Sumo was one thing I really wanted to experience when I came to Japan – only on at spectator level though. While baseball is undoubtedly popular in Japan, sumo should not be overlooked as one of Japan’s most important national sports. Its history goes back some 1500 years.In this ancient form of grappling, rules are few and simple. Shoving, slapping and tripping are employed, but punching is strictly prohibited. The bouts are usually over in less than a minute; it's the foot-stamping and salt-tossing rituals that precede them that take up most of the time!
There are six major tournaments a year – three in Tokyo and one in each of Hakata, Osaka and Nagoya. Some ALT friends and I managed to attend the penultimate day of the recent tournament in Tokyo.
Each tournament runs for 14 days and the wrestler with the best record is crowned champion. Each day’s action begins around mid-morning. Thanks to a tip-off, we arrived at the kokugikan (sumo arena) before lunch. By doing so we were able to spread ourselves out over the cushioned boxes (which cost a pretty yen or two). Their rightful owners don’t occupy them until much later in the day. The arena is almost empty in the morning as the lower-ranking wrestlers battle it out. Still, as a novice sumo spectator, it was tremendously exciting to have a front-row seat.
This is a raw, one on one clash. No gloves, boots, helmets or bats, just an explosion of immense human power. It’s tough to appreciate the power of this sport. Imagine two 20-stone men getting a yards start before running straight into one another. Fortunately, each competitor is padded with a layer of fatty flesh, which absorbs the impact. Flabby they may be, but there is vast muscle underneath to power forward during a bout. Smaller wrestlers use their superior speed to launch an onslaught of slaps, disorienting larger opponents. The resulting bouts are a fascinating battle of strength and wit. Youth and speed win more often that you might expect, but the bigger wrestlers are sometimes just as quick and have sheer mass to back it up.
After the crash of the initial contact, the referee, in ceremonial dress, shouts "nokotta, nokotta" ("keep going, keep going"). A combination of pushing, slapping, pulling and lifting ensue. It happens so fast that you resort to reviewing it in memory and checking with fellow spectators about what happened.
At around 4pm, the top division wrestlers step into the arena, first for a parade in full ceremonial garb – heavily embroidered apron-like attire, each costing up to £50,000. Popular designs are fierce animals and sacred mountains – anything that depicts an unstoppable force of nature.
The final bouts begin. People cheers for their local hero. Unfortunately, the Niigata representative, Shimotori from Arai, lost in a keenly fought battle. The top wrestlers are bigger and ooze superiority. They take their time. Sumo is closely linked with Shinto and the ceremony and ritual is carried out to the full for the main contenders. Salt is thrown, hands are clapped and each wrestler squares up to his adversary. Eyes meet while they are in the couching position and then both men rise, faces giving nothing away. Back at their corners they flex their muscles and then spray the ring with more purifying salt, every movement adding tension, which the crowd laps up. Applause breaks out. You make your choice - blue-belt or red? Prospects are judged from the pre-match posturing.Bouts are over in a flash. A clever or unexpected throw or a locomotive-like barrage of power forcing an opponent backwards out of the ring. Other bouts rely on finely placed slaps to the throat, more than enough to disorientate an opponent for long enough to manoeuvre him either down onto the clay or out of the ring.
Few rise to the rank of Yokozuna, but those who do become legends and their images are displayed around the arena for all to see.
