weight

There are six Grand Sumo tournaments every year, three of which are held in Tokyo. It was just our luck that one of them started the day we landed in Tokyo. Not knowing what to expect, we arrived at Ryogoku, the stadium, at 7:30am so that we would be sure to get tickets. The first bout started at 8, and the last was over around 7. You better believe that we stayed the entire time! 11 hours of pure entertainment.

The roof over the clay ring is designed after a Shinto shrine, Shinto being a spiritual practice in Japan.


These guys are gigantic, and one of the many interesting things about this tournament was that there is not a weight class. They divide the wrestlers into classification by experience. This meant that there were many bouts where there was at least a 100 pound weight difference between the opponents. We quickly learned that the winner of the ring was not always the biggest, and often it seemed like the bigger guy was at a disadvantage because he couldn't control his body movements.

Sumo wrestlers are very well respected and are almost regarded as royalty in Japan. This man turned and flashed a smile for us before his bout.


Having never seen a Sumo match, but knowing that they were a big (haha) deal, watching the ceremony and rituals for the first time was amazing. The wrestlers in the same class sit around the ring to wait for their turn to wrestle. Before the wrestler steps onto the ring, the referee (dressed in a traditional Samurai uniform) announces the wrestler by chanting his name. Each wrestler then steps onto the ring to begin his ritual. There is a box of salt in both wrestler's corner. They stretch, stomp their feet, slap their legs, and throw handfuls of salt into the ring in order to purify the ring and prepare for their bout. This ritual lasts anywhere from 15 seconds to 4 mintues (getting longer as the classes get more advanced). Finally, they stand on their designated marks and give each other the stink eye before they collide. A wrestler loses the bout by letting any of his body touch the clay mound on which they fight, whether it's his finger or his entire body or by stepping outside of the rope around the ring.

These are some of the top dogs. Their silk wraps they are wearing cost up to $6,000.

Here's where I was going to post a video that portrays some of the things I've tried to explain, but it's been uploading for about 7 hours now and still not complete. Maybe I'll try posting it on another day...

After the exciting day at the Sumo bouts, we walked out of the stadium to realize that it was raining, and we were without rain gear. We searched the perimeters for something that would work, and we finally found a man to help us (after a great sign language performance from Mom). With his help, we found some trash bags, tore holes in the top of them for our heads, and set out on our journey home in the fashion city of the world. We got quite a few looks and giggles. Actually on the way back to our hostel, we stopped at a McDonalds and ate a Texas burger! Do they even have those in Texas?


I think I fit right in with those Sumos.