|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
IHG ANA HOTELS in Japan. Check it out.
Here,we introduce hot sightseeing spots and cultural information from the areas
close to IHG ANA HOTELS in Japan. Check it out! |
|
 |
|
 |
 Sumo
is a form of wrestling with Japanese origin where two rikishi (professional sumo
wrestlers) fight on a dohyo (sumo ring made of clay and sand). The sport has a
long history dating back around 1500 years where the first sumo matches were considered
a ritual dedicated to the gods and lacked standard rules. With the gradual implementation
of rules and an increase in popularity of the sport among commoners, the professional
sumo groups organized during the Edo Period became the basis for the present day
national sport.
An elaborate ceremonial ritual precedes each sumo bout but the sumo match itself
lasts only a few seconds or sometimes minutes. The basic rules are that a wrestler
wins the sumo bout when the opponent touches the dohyo with any part of his body
other than the soles of his feet or touches the ground outside the straw bales
marking the circle.
Today, the Japan Sumo Association is at the heart of professional sumo. Only oyakata
or members of the association who were former wrestlers are permitted to train
new wrestlers. All rikishi are members of a heya (training stable) run by an oyakata.
The banzuke system, developed during the Edo period, lists these rikishi two weeks
prior to each sumo tournament based on sporting merit from highest to lowest in
rank. Those who have reached makuuchi and juryo are called sekitori and receive
a salary, and makushita, sandanme, jonidan, and jonokuchi are considered deshi
(trainees). Rikishi enter the world of sumo from the jonokuchi division and receive
training while performing various chores for their heya in return. Once a rikishi
reaches the makuuchi division, those not ranked in sanyaku (titleholder ranks)
are ranked as maegashira. The sanyaku start from komusubi, sekiwake, ozeki, and
ending with yokozuna at the top.
Foreign-born rikishi began to change the face of the sumo world starting in the
late 1980s with Konishiki, a Hawaii-born Samoan sumo wrestler who became the first
foreign-born ozeki. Then came Akebono, who is also a Hawaii-born wrestler became
the first to become yokozuna. The second foreign-born sumo wrestler to reach the
rank of yokozuna was Musashimaru, again from Hawaii. Currently, Asashoryu from
Mongolia holds the title of yokozuna and Bulgarian Kotooshu is the first European
ozeki. There are also a number of young athletes from Mongolia, Europe, and the
former Soviet Union who are anxious to follow in their footsteps.
If you are interested in watching a tournament, you can find tickets for the six
Grand Sumo tournaments, which are held every other month where three are in Tokyo
and one each in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. Each tournament runs for fifteen days
beginning and ending on a Sunday. One can directly call a box office and purchase
box seating that have traditional Japanese-style seating for four people on the
floor or arena seats, which are more reasonably priced. To enhance the experience,
visit the Sumo Museum at Ryogoku Kokugikan where the tournaments are held in Tokyo
and buy Japanese style box lunches and sumo souvenirs at stands throughout the
arena. |
 |
 |
|
|
