“O-zumo”: How to enjoy The Grand Sumo Tournament

A lot of foreigners enjoy the grand sumo tournament nowadays. They go to the stadium of the grand sumo tournament, and enjoy watching every sumo-match by two sumo-wrestlers, “rikishi”. The ring formed by circled-ropes, which are set in the ground, “dohyo”, on the square soil-mound, is the sacred stage where sumo-wrestlers try to win a match. The big roof, which is made according to the Japanese ancient Shinto style with black, green, red and white bunches, hangs from the ceiling of the stadium. And the traditionally stylish movements before-and-after a match by two sumo-wrestlers and a judge, “gyoji”. These will bring an emotion to the foreigners without using words in a unique atmosphere.

The current revival of the popularity of the grand sumo tournament

Currently, the grand sumo tournament has gained great popularity. The fifteen days of one grand sumo tournament is fulfilled by spectators. The current momentum underlying the popularity is made by foreigners and Japanese women. However approximately ten years ago the grand sumo tournament had struggled beneath an unpopular situation. At that time all Japanese sumo-wrestlers weren’t strong, and Mongolian sumo-wrestlers defeated Japanese sumo-wrestlers and had gained a lot of championships. Till that time more than half of the supporters of the grand sumo tournament were Japanese men. They were imprinted by the idea of dualism, a strong man is good but a weak man is bad, made by the high developing Japanese economy. In addition, a couple of scandalous events happened, and broadcasting companies criticized the association of the grand sumo tournament. Actually the world of the grand sumo tournament was closed and it had special customs which were different from the common rules in the normal Japanese society. Then many supporters lost interest in the grand sumo tournament. It is an unbelievable thing that the halls of the tournaments were not full and the air of emptiness descended on the halls even if sumo-wrestlers endeavored to put on a good match. In such a distressful situation, many foreign sumo-wrestlers including Mongolian have sustained the grand sumo tournament. Therefore, they are the most valuable contributors for the association of the grand sumo tournament.

However, many Japanese women became interested in it. They had a different view-point from old Japanese men to the grand sumo tournament. The symbol of their concerns was Kisenosato. He obtained the top-post Yokozuna as the result of his hardship and suffering, but in sadness, he was injured badly during the first tournament as the yokozuna.

The wonder of the popularity for Kisenosato

Among Japanese sumo-wrestlers at the time when Mongolian Yokozuna Asasyoryu had no rival, the fear of him occupied them all. Nonetheless, only one Japanese wrestler, Kesenosato, fought against him in the matches of the grand sumo tournament and in practice training matches. Asasyoryu said that only Kisenosato charged him. And Kisenosato said that he fought against Asasyoryu again and again. He thought that it was the unavoidable way to be strong but, of course, it included fear.


He was strong regarding his body but he was weak regarding his mind. So that on the condition which he (was a maegashira wrestler of the lower level) was thought that he couldn’t win a match against the strong Yokozuna, Asasyoryu or Hakuho, he often got a miracle win. Spectators became wild with enthusiasm and a countless number of zabuton, Japanese seating mats, were thrown onto the dohyo.

In the situation where he had a chance to win a championship trophy even to win an important match he always lost the match. Spectators were deeply disappointed but it let all Japanese people recognize again that he had a crystal heart which was easily broken. The supporting stance of Japanese people for Kisenosato was divided. Old men who were imprinted by dualism criticized him because of his weakness, but other Japanese people loved him because of his dedicated eagerness with which he never gave up during matches, and they supported him for his potential.




The unrealistic unique world


If you think about it, the world of the grand sumo tournament is unique. Sumo-wrestlers are almost nude only with a rolling band, “mawashi”, and they tie their hair into “mage”. Regardless of the weight or the size of sumo-wrestlers they fight each other without handicap. And on usual days they wear kimono with Japanese fragrance. They are completely different from normal people and in a town they are noticed easily.


Young men after graduation of high school, often university or often junior high school enter such a unique world with hope to be an executive sumo-wrestler with a salary. It means plunging to the bottom of the great hierarchy with the top being a few Yokozuna. Moreover they can’t live as a sumo-wrestler out of the world of the grand sumo tournament. Accordingly, they aren’t anybody but a sumo-wrestler around the clock. They have to climb the hierarchy by their competency in the world where they can’t escape and there is no assurance, and for the sake of gaining their competency they eagerly have to train themselves through severe sumo practice. So they have the backbone to fight naturally. In addition they have to be polite and to restrain from showing their own mind, fun, anger or disappointment, to spectators. So their behaviors equal the grace.

It might be that Japanese women see the true honesty and the single-minded eagerness in their minds, or it might be that they see something cute, “kawaii” in the Japanese language, in sumo-wrestler’s round figures.

Moreover, it might be that they look at the traditional beauty and grace on the traditional ritualistic rules of the grand sumo tournament in place of the heterogeneity on the same traditional ritualistic rules. For example one heterogeneity is that women are prohibited to get on the “dohyo”. The other heterogeneity is that the grand sumo tournament isn’t sports but a ritual.