Week 7 (15-21.06.2015) SUMO

http://www.judo-jiujitsu.com/index.php?id=90&nr_strony=15

            Sumo(相撲) is a Japanese style of wrestling that originated in Edo period around 1684. At the beginning sumo was made to entertain the Shinto deities. Originally rikishi(Japanese wrestlers) were samurais. If you had had an opportunity to see any of the fights, you should have seen the famous ritual of purification of the ring with salt. Japanese people are very religious and this ritual came from Shinto tradition as well.

            Rules in this sport are very simple,  the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground loses. Dohyo is a big ring which is made of clay and sand. Matches are very fast and most of the time they last no longer than a few seconds. Longer matches are rare because competitors exhaust very fast. They should, right? Most of them weigh over 160 kg. In Sumo championships you can fight with an opponent 100 kg heavier than you. There are no weight restrictions. As sumo is a part of the Japanese tradition, women can’t fight, they can only assist outside of the ring. Tournaments take place only in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya. 

http://www.travelience.com/blog/sumo-tournament-schedule-on-2013-2014/

            Sumo wrestlers are heavy. Most Yokozuna(grand champion) are over 180 kg. It’s hard to believe but current champions are foreigners. Last Japanese Yokozuna was in 2003. A funny thing is that in sumo you can have more than one grand champion at a time. They are categorized and first one is from west and second one is from east. You can watch highlights from 2012 championships in Tokyo here.

Yokozuna http://galleryhip.com/yokozuna-sumo.html

            How to be a sumo wrestler? First of all eat a lot. Second of all you have to be tall. One of the current champs is 193 cm tall. Third of all, find a good stable, yes a stable. Sumo trainers are called stable masters. A typical sumo wrestler eats around 18 to 20 k kcalories per day. Compare it to around 2,5k that a  typical male should eat every day. Wow, 20k kcalories is a lot. Wrestlers don’t eat breakfast, but they eat almost 10k kcalories for lunch… I know it’s hard to believe, but they really do. The main dish that wrestlers eat is chankonabe that’s made from fish, meat, tofu and vegetables and a lot of noodles. You can’t miss the main ingredient, around ten bowls of rice and even more beer.

Chankonabe from http://www.essential-japan-guide.com/chankonabe/

            You can read more about their daily routine and food at https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/want-see-current-world-sumo-wrestling-champion-eats-130244686.html .

https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/want-see-current-world-sumo-wrestling-champion-eats-130244686.html

            If you are curious I encourage you to read about controversies around sumo. Recently one could hear about  match-fixing in sumo. When I read about it, I couldn’t believe it because Japanese people really respect rules and are very humble. Yakuza was probably involved in it. A lot of wrestlers and stable masters were suspended and officially expelled from JSA(Japan Sumo Association). You can read more here : http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/04/sumo-threatened-by-scandal-and-crime