Super Sumo!

No visit to Japan is complete without a visit to a Sumo Tournament, especially since there are only 3 grand tournaments a year in Tokyo.  Each one lasts for 15 days.  Sumo has a rich history in Japan...in fact, legend has it that the Japanese race depended on a sumo tournament.  According to this legend, Japan was made when the god, Takemikazuchi won a match against a rival tribe.  Whether you believe the legend or not, sumo dates back more than 1500 years.  I travelled to Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo to witness the ancient sport myself.  Here I am against a mural heading into the arena.  

This was my first match of the day.  The tournament actually started at 8am, but I didn't get there until afternoon.  The day starts with the lowest ranking wrestlers, Jo No Kuchi, and proceeds up to the highest ranking wrestler, the Yokozuna.  So, even though I wasn't there for the beginning, I got about 5 hours of sumo wrestling in that day.  I started with the Juryo division and stayed until the Yokozuna wrestled.  The ring below is made from a special kind of hard clay and covered with a thin layer of sand.  It's considered sacred, so commoners aren't allowed to touch it.  Notice the circle...a wrestler wins a match by either pushing an opponent outside of it, or throwing him down inside.  If any part of your body touches the ground inside or out, you lose.  Now enough about the rules...check out how high this big boy can lift his leg!

These seats are the "box" seats.  They advertise that there are four seats, but not enough room for four people...even Japanese people.  After seeing these, I couldn't stop thinking about the differences between box seats in the US and box seats in Japan.  Here, you sit on a cushion on the floor smooshed between four bars, like a livestock stall.  The seats are tiered, so you can see over the people in front of you.  Notice how empty this area is early in the day and compare to my photos later.  

The wrestlers spread their arms to show each other that neither have weapons.  After they spread their arms, they clap their hands together.  This is a sign of fair-play and happens before the match begins.  There is a series of symbolic movements that happen before the opponents engage.  

This is called the Sonkyo or toeing of the mark.  There are white lines on the floor where the wrestlers line up.  Once they line up, they stare each other down, and play mental games trying to psych each other out.  The Japanese call it "cold warfare". The interesting thing about these matches is that there is no whistle or flag to start...they just sense each other both charge each other when they are ready.  They are very fair, so if one charges and the other isn't ready, they start over.  The routine to begin varies among the ranks, with the beginners starting immediately and those in the upper ranks able to take 3 minutes to psych themselves and the audience up.  

Every time the rounds of one division end, there is a parade of sorts for the next division.  This is the parade of Juryo wrestlers entering the dohyo (sumo ring).  They are wearing ceremonial aprons called kesho-mawashi.  They are made from silk and are embroidered, sometimes with gold thread.  These aprons can cost 400,000 to 500,000 Yen or based on today's exchange rate, $5191.00 to $6489.00.  

The sumo wrestlers or rikishi come into the area two at a time, so there are always three.  Two are waiting and one is wrestling from each side.  This hot hunk of man was waiting for his turn, and I just couldn't keep my eyes off him.  He happens to be sitting near one of the five judges.  

Here is a great example of the cold war going on between wrestlers.  Notice the guy in the pink silk robe.  He is the Gyoji or referee.  He is joined by five judges, seated all around the ring, wearing black robes.  You can tell how experienced and respected the gyoji are by the color of the tassel on their fans and their feet. If they are barefoot, then they are lower ranking, but with split toed socks and straw sandals come higher ranking referees.  The gyoji have many jobs, including shouting out the competitor's names, signaling when they are allowed to begin (even though they actually choose when to attack), watching their movements closely, and shouting words of encouragement.   

I was lucky enough to get a good action shot of their first engagement.  This is called the tachi-ai, or initial clash.  They don't hold back here...usually they go for the throat.  The rules only state that wrestlers cannot strike with closed fists, pull hair, gouge eyes, choke, or kick in the head or stomach.  Oh, and it's also against the rules to seize the part of the band covering the family jewels and vital organs...otherwise, get to it and get dirty!  

All over the stadium were these weirdo birds that looked like sumo wrestlers.  I couldn't resist getting my picture taken with this one.  

Well, I also tried to imitate the angry birds with my "teacher face"...some of you might recognize it.  I think I fit right in.

Here is a statue outside the train station.  I thought it was cute.  

The roads leading up to the entrance of the arena are lined with these colorful banners.  On them are the names of individual wrestlers.  I didn't learn that until after I took pictures...they could have been advertising batteries for all I knew at the time...I just thought they were beautiful.  

This was the 2nd entering the ring ceremony that I saw.  This one was for the higher ranking group, the Maku-uchi.  I noticed immediately that they were much bigger than the men in the first group.  

First, they all face the audience.  Then, they turn around finish the ceremony before exiting the ring and going back to prepare for the matches.  Honestly, I just thought you'd like to see their bottoms!

As the day progressed, the number of people in the arena multiplied and the media showed up to document the upper level matches.  I was seated, purely by coincidence, next to the media section.  I sure thought I had pretty great seats.

After the other maku-uchi wrestlers leave their entering ceremony, the Yokozuna enters and has a ceremony of his own.  He is accompanied by a senior gyoji, a sword bearer, and an attendant.  Over his silk apron, he wears a twisted rope with zig zags that can weigh up to 35 pounds.  The zig zags are a religious symbol here, used in Shinto shrines.  

I was surprised that this little sumo man was in the upper rankings...he was so small compared to the others.  This was a weird pose too...he kind of looked like a delicate swan.  The loincloth that the men wear are called mawashi.  They are usually 10 yards long and 2 feet wide.  There are 70 winning moves to sumo, and most of them involve gripping it to maneuver your opponent.  The strings that you see are silk that are sometimes stiffened with glue.  They are purely ornamental and can sometimes be ripped off during the match.  

This is a good shot of one of the rituals before each match.  To cleanse the mind and body, the wrestler takes a drink of water, the source of purity, and wipes his body with a towel.  After that, they raise their arms, stamp their feet, and throw salt around to purify the ring.  Like I said before, this lasts awhile...even longer with the upper level wrestlers.  After four hours of sumo, I learned to predict which ones would win based on their "psych out with salt" technique.  

Here's a great shot of a match in progress.  Usually they were over in seconds...rarely did they last minutes.  The more experienced wrestlers had techniques that were noticeable though, so they took a bit longer.  It was really interesting to notice patterns in technique.  

Look at how they are grabbing each other's mawashi.  Lots of them got thrown out of the ring using this method, but I enjoyed when one of them just backed up really quickly so the other would stumble forward and fall. 

This is part of the ritual before each match of the clapping and stomping, and throwing salt...it got really old.  However, I'm still amazed at how high they kick their legs...one theory is that the wrestler with the highest leg kick is going to lose.  Possibly, because he was more interested in showing off than mentally psyching out his opponent.  And, who can really focus when lifting a leg that high into the air?

And, if I'd lifted my leg that high while wearing a loin cloth, I'd have to pick it out of my butt too.  This man, in fact, picked it out about 8 times.  Always after his really high kick too...talk about predictable...stop kicking so high, stupid.  

On your mark...get set...go!

Look at all his stiff, silk sticks!

Who could resist a shot like this one?  Getting a little salt...

Getting set...notice how they aren't ready yet.  Also, the referee hasn't turned to face them both yet, so they can't go, even if they were both ready. 

Here's a guy with a sword as the grand finale after the Yokozuna's match.  There have only been 69 Yokozunas in the past 300 years?  They have to be men of character worthy of the position...not many of those around...hence, the low number.