The Wo rld of B y A lic
ia
Sum oW res tlin g
Table of Contents: Introduction - Page 1
Acknowledgement to Mrs. Gover
History/origin - Page 2 Rules of Play - Page 3 Materials Needed - Page 5 SUMO REFEREES - Page 8 Famous Sumo Wrestlers - Page 9 Evolution of Sumo - Page 13 Goodbye + Sources - Page 14 Glossary - Page 15
Intro Sumo wrestling is such a popular, loved and professional sport in Japan, and it is incredible. You better turn these pages to ďŹ nd out what happened in the origin of sumo wrestling, rules of this pro sport, materials needed and more!
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Origin + History Sumo wrestling started as a performance for the Shinto gods in an important ritual, and came from Japan. It was known for ďŹ ghting spirits and was performed at Shinto ceremonies. But, unfortunately, the original sumo wrestling had no rules whatsoever, so deaths were very common and the prize for the winner was money. That was why these people fought very long and hard, just to make the other person lose and for this cash prize! Now, our sumo wrestling is more civilized and now very sacred, or religious (think of a church) in Japan.
2
Rules of Play Sumo wrestling rules are quite strict. The basic rules are that you can push, slap and trip, but that's about it. Be careful of gouging, hair-pulling and grabbing the belt near the - pardon my language - groin (I'll just say, the butt area). And this is the most shocking rule of all - women cannot be allowed near the area where the tournament is taking place, not even allowed to be touching the ring! But that's just the way sumo wrestling works unfortunately. The good thing about sumo is that it doesn't matter how much you weigh! 3
Most sumo wrestlers enjoy being overweight so they have the ability to stand up for a long period of time. Anyway, here are some special fun facts and how you can win: - You will win by making your opponent step outside of the wrestling ring - Try to knock them over! Then, if any part of their body other than their feet touches the ground, you win!!
FUN FACTS - In the beginning of the match, both wrestlers will throw salt in the air for a sacred blessing, then stomp the ring to squish the bad spirits, and ďŹ nally drink water to clear their bodies. - They also sprinkle salt over themselves to bless their own bodies. - A match doesn't begin until both wrestlers place their hands on the ground at the same time - The champion of the match will win $600!
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Materials Needed Okay, reader. Please do not think that all you need is "two sumo wrestlers and a clear area" because it is a lot more complicated than that. I could type up two whole pages of sumo wrestling materials if you don't get bored so easily. But anyway, let's start. Simply, the only needed thing needed for a sumo wrestler is a "mawashi" belt, which is made out of heavy fabric to represent a sumo wrestler. Also, sumo wrestlers are expected to grow their hair long and wear it in a topknot.
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This tomato is like someone's topknot, like a bun on top of their head. Okay, here's a better picture. But honestly, isn't the tomato so awesome...?
Now, here are some objects needed for sumo: A dohyo, or straw-made competition ring made out of hay bales are used for a match. It is an important sumo wrestler ring, so traditionally you would construct a new one before each competition. You will also need a brush and some sand because the sand must be spread outside of the dohyo and smoothly brushed out so the judges can ďŹ nd out if a quick sumo wrestler briskly stepped outside of the ring and then jumped back in - you'll see the footprints made in the sand. Here's something extra if you want to be a great sumo wrestler - use wrestling mats for practice. These mats are not used in professional matches but used to prevent injury. 6
Here's a little bit more about what the sumo wrestlers must wear - HA! No, they can't wear anything but a mawashi belt. Although they don't wear any clothes in matches, they must wear formal dress in public, such as kimonos. OďŹƒcials have also mentioned that long nails, beards, tattoos are prohibited. Even the Japan Sumo Association says that "The sumo ring is sacred and it is important that spectators don't say anything unsightly."
I know this is a little kid, but this could be an accurate example of a lady's kimono. 7
SUMO REFEREES Here's the super-important part about wrestling - you must need a referee so no one gets hurt. But okay, let's move on - referees must wear a formal Japanese dress of some sort called a kimono. They almost look like robes! These robes are usually blue, green, red, or earthy colored. This part's a little scary, so watch out. Okay, so sumo referees carry... a knife in their belt! How exotic is that! They carry these sword-like knives to tell people how serious the sport is. If you want to sumo wrestle, be prepared for the seriousness of this sport.
Fun Fact:
In the beginning of a match, the referee yells the words, "hakki-yoi", which means, "Put some spirit into it!"
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Famous Sumo Wrestlers A little bit about some sumo wrestlers: The sumo wrestlers that I am putting down right here are THE BEST. Read on about how awesome these people are...
as s A
u
ry o h
ri o in k A
The people include: #1: Asashoryu Akinori
#2: Kaio Hiroyuki THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WRESTLER
Asashoryu Akinori
#3: Hakuho Sho Kaio Hiroyuki
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Hakuho Sho
Height: 6'0" Age: 39 Description: Asashoryu Akinori is the first Mongolian wrestler to achieve the yokozuna status, which is the highest ranking and has a semi-god status. He is the 68th yokozuna in the history of wrestling and achieved this ranking in January 2003. 10
Ka
io H
iro yu ki!
Height: Extreme height of 6'4" Age: 34 Description: This awesome wrestler is an extreme height of 6'4"! He has 40 sumo titles and held the record of most career championships. He was born in Mongolia and became the second native of Mongolia at the age of 22.
Hakuho Sho
FIRST DEBUT AS A SUMO WRESTLER! Height: 6'1" Age: 47
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Description: This yokozuna is a 1,047-WIN wrestler. He was born in Hawaii (which is not related to Japan) and was the rst nonJapanese-born wrestler to become this status of a yokozuna. He reached the yokozuna rank in 1993 and had his rst appearance as a famous sumo wrestler.
FOURTH NON-JAPANESE WRESTLER TO BECOME YOKOZUNA 12
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Evolution of Sumo
Sadly, this book is at its last chapter. But, I want this to be a good ending, so let's talk a little bit about the evolution of this wrestling. It started about 2,000 years ago, when sumo wrestling was an important ritual. It was connected with prayers and religion for a sacred dance to the Shinto gods. This was because the gods were very special to their lives. But somehow, it gradually involved into an interestingbut-simple sport and became professional in the Edo period (16001868). The "sumo wrestling" was known as a dance to the Shinto gods before it became a special sport. The sport still remains as a dance to the gods too, though!
Goodbye, dear I am reader! very disappointed that our story
had to come to an end. But where were some of the places I got the very special info? Look at below to find these very important sources that I must thank.
Sources that were very helpful include:
Ancient History Encyclopedia SportsRec and Google!
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Glossary: Civilized (adjective) - Polite and well mannered Gouging (verb) - Make a hole or indention Groin (noun) - the area between the thigh and, well, booty (also known as abdomen) Prohibited (adjective) forbidden or banned Ritual (noun) - an important, religious ceremony Topknot (noun) - a knot/hairstyle on the top of the head
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Author's Note: This is super-short, but I just gotta say - after reading my own book, I thought of sumo wrestling much higher, from "Sumo wrestling? No offense, but this is such a strange sport" to "Honestly, this is one of the coolest sports ever invented." Just going to say, this is the best book written because its about sumo wrestling. Or at least, I think so... :P