What is Sumo?
Sumo (also Osumo/Ozumo or "Grand Sumo") is the national wrestling sport of
Japan,
and the six major sumo tournaments, called Basho, or Hon-basho,
held
each year attract great national attention, while international
interest
is also growing due to the influence of sattellite and cable TV. According
to legend, the origin of sumo can be traced back as far as 23 BC, but
the
sport is generally thought to have achieved prominence during the early
1600s through the influence of the samurai. A sumo ring (Dohyo)
is
4.55 m. in diameter and made of sand and clay. The object is either to
throw
the opponent to the ground with any part of his body other than the
soles
of his feet, or to force the opponent out of the rope-bordered Dohyo.
Sumo has no weight classes, and many top division wrestlers,
most of which are less than 185 cm tall, weigh 150 kg or more. The
large
stomachs of the combatants assure them of a low Center of gravity, a
necessity
in the sport because without it the quick and concussive opening charge
can send one of the wrestlers hurtling out of the ring in a matter of
seconds.
Each sumo match is preceded by a quasi-religious ceremony in
which the competitors clap their hands to awaken the gods, throw salt
in
the ring to signify the purification of the ground, and stamp their
feet
to crush all that is evil. At the command of the Gyoji
(referee)
the Sumotori, dressed only in Mawashi (tightly wound
silken
loincloths of considerable length), crouch and prepare for the opening
charge,
called Tachi-ai; both hands are out in front of them,
knuckle-down
on the ground.
A sumo match may last everything from a few seconds to
several
minutes, but usually they are over before you know it. In these few
seconds,
however, many good Rikishi manage to unleash a stunning
combination
of awesome power and sophisticated technique. Especially the latter
should
not be underestimated, as people who do not follow Sumo on a regular
basis
have a tendency of doing. In Sumo there are no less than 85 winning
techniques,
or Kimarite.
In professional sumo, there are about 650 Rikishi, belonging
to approximately 50 Heya, (also Beya) or stables. They are
devided
in several leagues, ranging from the lowly Jonokuchi via Jonidan,
Sandanme , Makushita and Juryo to the Makuuchi
division. This top division itself consists of 42 rikishi which
currently,
in ascending order, are: 33 Maegashira, 2 Komusubi, 3 Sekiwake, 2 Ozeki and 2 Yokozuna.
Promotion or demotion to a particular rank on the Banzuke
(ranking), which comes out before each Basho, depends on the
performance
of a Rikishi during the tournament. When he has won more matches than
he
has lost (this is called achieving Kachikoshi) he is usually
promoted
to a higher rank for the next Basho, whereas a negative record (Makekoshi)
will mean demotion to a lower rank. In the Makuuchi division,
where Basho last for 15 days, Kachikoshi means a record of 8-7 or
better
and Makekoshi 7-8 or worse. As a general rule of thumb you can say that
a Komusubi needs a record of 9-6 in a Basho to become Sekiwake
(although
8-7 may also suffice if the rikishi who were ranked at Sekiwake had a
losing record), and a Sekiwake a three basho record of 33-12 to
become
Ozeki. In the high ranks of Sumo a Makekoshi result almost
automatically
means demotion to a lower rank. The only two exceptions being Yokozuna
and
Ozeki. A Yokozuna can never be demoted but will be asked to retire if
he
starts performing badly, and an Ozeki will only lose his rank when he
has
two makekoshi results in a row.
The highest rank in all of sumo is Yokozuna, or grand
champion,
a revered title that is conferred on only a few competitors, and which,
as stated above, is the only rank from which you can never be demoted.
This
rank is so difficult to obtain that in recorded Sumo history (last 3-4
centuries)
only 73 Rikishi have been promoted to Yokozuna. Currently two rikishi
holds
this title: Hakuho and Terunofuji, both from Mongolia. For
a Rikishi to become
Yokozuna, he
must first become Ozeki and then win two consecutive tournaments while
holding
that rank or have a record deemed to be of equal value as two
consecutive tournament wins (like 2 basho with a 14-1 record, one as a
tournament winner and one as the runner-up). But even then there is no
certainty that the title of
Yokozuna
will be awarded. A special Yokozuna committee, which also looks at such
things
as technique and attitude, has the final say.