Sumo Wrestling in Tokyo

So, one of the coolest things we have done so far since being in Japan is taking a trip down to Tokyo for a Sumo Tournament. Tokyo is about an 8 hour drive south from Misawa, so we rented a van and made the trip with several other couples from the squadron.

Here is Wikipedia's definition of Sumo wrestling:

Sumo (相撲, sumō) is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring (dohyō) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally. The Japanese consider sumo a gendai budō (a modern Japanese martial art), though the sport has a history spanning many centuries. The sumo tradition is very ancient, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt for purification, from the days sumo was used in the Shinto religion. Life as a rikishi is highly regimented, with rules laid down by the Sumo Association. Professional sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal "sumo training stables" known in Japanese as heya where all aspects of their daily lives—from meals to their manner of dress—are dictated by strict tradition.

The rituals and practices of the sport were unreal- it was amazing how much time it took from start to finish once the wrestler's entered the ring. First, the announcer "sang" or chanted the wrestlers names and were they were from. Then, there were specific stretches and stances performed by the wrestlers. Next, the wrestlers were given a drink of water from a traditional Japanese ladle, followed by throwing salt into the ring to "purify" it. The wrestlers would get into position several times to "fight" before actually charging, because lots of rearranging and re-positioning occurred. The longer the build-up, the more hype for the match, and sometimes it took anywhere between five and ten minutes for the guys to actually go at it. All of these steps were seen in the professional matches, which were the big events of the day.

The majority of our pictures are from the amateur matches, which were held earlier in the day. We were able to sit up close and see the action from only a few feet away. Following the amateur round was the semi-professional round followed by professional round, where we had to sit in our nose-bleed seats up on the top level. With each bump up in grade, more and more tradition and customs were added the the event.

We took a lunch break to head out to a traditional sumo meal, chankonabe which consists of a simmering stew cooked at table which contains various fish, meat, and vegetables. It was pretty tasty, but not exactly the type of diet I would want to live by! The owner of the restaurant where we ate was the owner of a sumo stable, or heya (部屋) (Japanese for "room"), which literally translates into "stable." The stables are where the wrestlers train and live. All wrestlers must belong to a stable, which they join around the age of 15 or 16, and remain there until the end of their career. Tokyo is the traditional heartland of sumo wrestlting, so the majority of the stables are located in and around the city. We were able to enter a stable and look around. It consisted of a dirt sumo ring, which we were not allowed to enter. There was also exercise equipment, shrines, and other symbolic elements to the space. It was super cool to see first-hand.

All in all, Sumo was a really cool experience. After the initail shock of fat men in tiny thongs, it was incredibly interesting and 100% worth seeing again! Check out some more pictures in the photo album to the left.