The Rich History of Sumo Wrestling
By: Kenji Farré
Tags: Sports, History, Tradition, Culture, Japan

The Rich History of Sumo Wrestling

An inside look at Japan’s national sport

Sumo Wrestlers grappling. Photo by Bob Fisher on Unsplash

You may think it’s a bizarre sport featuring nothing more than large men grappling, but Sumo wrestling is the crown jewel of Japanese sport. Wrestlers lead highly disciplined lifestyles, having everything regulated from their meals to their manner of dress. They spend every minute together, training, eating, and sleeping together in stables.

The history

Ancient drawing of Sumo wrestlers. Photo by the Japan Sumo Association

Originating over 1,000 years ago, Sumo incorporates elements of Shinto — the native religion of Japan. Back in ancient Japan, Sumo was performed as a ritual dedicated to the gods as a prayer for good harvests.

In the Edo period (1603–1868), Sumo became regulated, with tournaments being held to fund shrines and temples. In the process, the sport’s audiences transitioned from the elite to the masses, commercializing the sport and creating professional sumo wrestlers.

Today, many traditions are still preserved such as wrestlers clapping their hands to attract the attention of the gods, tossing sacred salt to appease the gods, and stomping their feet to drive evil spirits away from the ring.

The rules

Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo. Photo by author

Taking place in a clay ring (Dohyo), matches are contested between two wrestlers, with the first to knock down or push out the opponent winning. There is no time limit, although most matches last less than one minute.

Inside the ring, wrestlers can pretty much do anything, from slapping to tripping, to defeat the opponent. However, they can’t punch, poke sensitive areas, or pull hair. Additionally, if a wrestler’s loincloth (Mawashi) comes off, it leads to immediate disqualification.

Though it sounds simple, there are actually eighty-two winning techniques (Kimarite) which a wrestler deploys to win the match, such as a leg tripping, throwing, and pushing out.

Unlike most other professional combat sports, Sumo has no weight or height classes, occasionally creating mismatches of over 100kg (220lbs). The current average weight of first-division wrestlers is around 160kg (353lbs), with the all-time heaviest sumo wrestler, Anatoly Mikhakhanov, weighing a whopping 288kg (635lbs).

Fortunately for the mere mortals, it’s not just about size. Factors such as experience, speed, and agility play an equal part in the sport.

Rankings

There are six tournaments held in a year. Each tournament is fifteen days long, with wrestlers competing in one match per day.

Based on their win-loss record at the end of the tournament, wrestlers are promoted or demoted ranks.

Sumo’s highest rank is the Yokozuna (Grand Champion), which is considered a god-like figure in Japan, being publicly recognized and earning upwards of one million USD annually. To earn a promotion to the highest rank, a wrestler has to win two consecutive tournaments. To illustrate its difficulty, there have only been seventy-two Yokozuna in the history of the sport, out of the thousands of challengers who have set foot on a clay ring. Currently, there are 702 professional sumo wrestlers.

Once a wrestler reaches the Yokozuna rank, he can never be demoted — though he is expected to retire if he cannot uphold the rank’s standards.

Lifestyle

Sumo wrestlers training at a stable. Photo by author

Sumo wrestlers lead highly regimented lifestyles. Since the age of fifteen, they live in a stable, where they train, eat, and live alongside other wrestlers. Prize money earned by the wrestlers is then split between them and the stable, thereby aligning their interests.

Their diet mainly consists of Chanko Nave, a stew with a mix of proteins, vegetables, and broth. The actual ingredients vary by personal preference but typically include fish, meat, and lettuce. For those looking to put on some weight, Chanko Nave is also available in restaurants across Japan for regular citizens.

Given the enormous size of the wrestlers, most people believe they sit around eating all day. However, the reality is that they only eat two meals a day — lunch and dinner. As they typically train in the morning, they don’t tend to have breakfast, since grappling on a full-stomach is probably not the best idea.

Following lunch, the sumo wrestlers take a long nap before they eat again for dinner.

Controversies

Though the sport is still immensely popular in Japan, a long list of controversies has resulted in fewer Japanese youngsters aspiring to become professionals. The scandals include:

1. Match-fixing

Given the fifteen-match tournaments, the last match becomes the decider for those with a seven to seven win-loss record. However, some opponents are already guaranteed a promotion (eight to six record for example) meaning they have less of an incentive to win. In these scenarios, it’s easy to picture the Japanese mafia (Yakuza) getting involved in match-fixing, as has unfortunately been the case all too often.

2. Training regime

As much as sumo wrestlers are expected to be tough, stables have been known to cross a line during training. Among the most notable cases was that of Takashi Saito, a teenage sumo wrestler who died after receiving a beating at his stable. Triggered by the tragic event, a further investigation into training regimes revealed that over 90% of stables had used baseball bats on their wrestlers at some point.

3. Yokozuna Harumafuji’s Aggression

In 2017, Yokozuna Harumafuji was charged with assault after attacking junior wrestler Takanoiwa during a night out. Though not entirely clear, the incident was allegedly triggered by Takanoiwa not paying enough respects to Harumafuji. Given the public upheaval of the incident, the sport’s reputation was tarnished, especially as a Yokozuna is expected to act as an exemplary citizen.

With its strengths and shortcomings, Sumo is undoubtedly a unique sport deeply entrenched in tradition, that still resists the pressures of an increasingly globalized world.