Sumo Mania

Last weekend our family headed to the Tokyo Sumo Tournament. What a blast. The stadium was packed to the rafters. Everyone and their mother was there. Tournaments are held six times a year, three being in Tokyo. Here are some flags promoting different sumo wrestlers.




According to Japanese legend the very origin of the Japanese race depended on the outcome of a sumo match. The supremacy of the Japanese people on the islands of Japan was supposedly established when the god, Takemikazuchi, won a sumo bout with the leader of a rival tribe. The sport dates back some 1500 years.

Sumo wrestlers are called rikishi. A sumo tournament lasts 15 days, each rikishi fighting once every day with a different opponent. The rikishi with the best record of wins over losses is awarded the Emperor's Cup on the final day.

This is the hallway entering the stadium. Each sumo wrestler has a booth here with various items for sale: cookies with their picture emblazoned upon them, towels, tea, figurines, fans, you name it!

The sumo ring is called the dohyo. A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or "throwing" him in the dohyo. The rikishi who touches the ground with any part of his body, his knee, tip of his finger or his top-knotted hair, loses the match.

During the match the rikishi are naked except for a silken loincloth called the mawashi. This cloth is about 30 feet long and 2 feet wide. The wrestlers grip each other's mawashi to maneuver each other. The wrestlers are not allowed to punch, pull hair, gouge eyes, choke or kick each other. I did see a lot of slap-action going on. The highlight of the tournament was seeing the current champion win his bout. Mia was riveted by the whole scene. We made bets on each bout and she was right most of the time. Even baby Rhett watched on in awe. Aaron & I cannot wait to go to the next tournament...