Two men are pitted against each other in a clay ring. The first to step out of the circular boundary or touch the ring floor with any part of his body except his feet has lost the match. Few rules and restrictions govern match. However, the paucity of rules is balanced by the number of rituals and ceremonies and the traditional etiquette that is present in sumo. Sumo truly is a national symbol for the Japanese of the bygone days of samurai honor.
Amateur sumo is important in Japan, and interest is growing worldwide.
Over 500,000 Japanese participate in amateur sumo on elementary school, junior high, high school, semi-professional, and corporate teams. Thirty-three countries participated in the 1993 World Championships, and the goal of sumo amateurs is for sumo to be an event in the 2020 Olympics. The pageantry of the sport itself, coupled with the Japanese deep sense of nationalism, ensures its popularity. 200 B.C. It has endured through thousands of years, surviving modernization for television broadcasting and the competition with baseball and soccer. The current challenge facing the world of sumo is the emergence of so many non-Japanese to its highest ranks.