Sport

So you want to be a sumo wrestler?

With foreigners dominating the ring these days, it’s not impossible. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Benjamin Boas looks at how Japan’s oldest sport has changed, and how you can prepare for a life of sumo

Sumo’s origins lie in the Japanese Shinto to traditional Chinese shuai jiao wrestling religion and date back a couple of as well as Mongolian wrestling. The latter is thousand years. Originally performed particularly telling, since it’s Mongolians who during religious festivals and later used for have had the most success recently: all three military training, the sport’s purpose continued of the current yokozuna (the highest ranked to change over the years, according to the needs wrestlers) are from Mongolia, with one of them, of whoever was in power at the time. The warlord Hakuho, recently breaking the all-time record for Oda Nobunaga, who ruled in the 16th century, championship wins. is credited for holding the first tournament with Other successful foreign rikishi have included a defined area marked by a ring. Later, during Estonian wrestler Baruto and Bulgarian the Edo period, some of the first Kotooshu. Part of the reason for their professional sumo wrestlers were success is simply because they tower masterless samurai (ronin) who over their local contemporaries – a needed a source of income. story that’s also often heard in other With six major tournaments a year, each lasting 15 days and broadcast on national television, sumo remains Current champions Japanese sports such as baseball and the ekiden (long-distance relay race). However, this is only part of popular in Japan, even though in recent years it’s been tainted with controversy (bar fights, match fixing, are all Mongolian the story. Some sumo commentators also point to the innovations, such as new moves, that foreign fighters have xenophobic name-calling, that sort of brought to the sport. thing) and dominated by foreign fighters. Despite Will the trend of foreign champions continue? strict regulations that allow only one foreigner Many say yes, citing Japan’s decreasing per stable, the last time a Japanese rikishi population and the fact that Japanese boys (wrestler) won a grand sumo tournament was these days are more eager to try their hand at in 2006. Western sports such as baseball. As sumo writer

This may seem surprising, since traditional John Gunning told ‘The New York Times’: ‘There’s Japanese disciplines tend to be difficult for a lot more competition from “cooler” sports [and] non-Japanese to enter. However, there’s been sumo is seen as old-fashioned.’ more outside influence on sumo than many Want to take the plunge? Read on for our top people think. It bears significant resemblance tips on becoming a sumo wrestler…

WATCH IT WHEN: The last three tournaments for this year are: July 12-26 in Nagoya, September 13-27 in Tokyo, and November 8-22 in Fukuoka. WHERE: In Tokyo, the tournament is held at Ryogoku Kokugikan. 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida. tinyurl.com/TOTryogoku-kokugikan. HOW TO BUY TICKETS: The easiest option is to reserve seats online at sumo. pia.jp/en. Reserved seats start at ¥3,800 and boxed seats range from ¥9,500 up to ¥14,800 for a ringside seat. Sameday general admission tickets are also available for ¥2,200 (show up early for these). If you can speak Japanese, you can book by calling Ryogoku Kokugikan’s ticket office directly on 03 3622 3300, 10am to 6pm.

Six tips to get you started

1Embrace the man bun! Luckily, topknots are hot right now. As a rikishi, you will be required to wear your hair in the traditional samurai chonmage style. Rise far enough in the ranks and you’ll be expected to wear the oicho topknot, so named because the hair is shaped to resemble a ginkgo (icho) leaf.

3Make friends with pain Training in a sumo beya (stable) is gruelling. Expect to get up at 5am and attend sessions in a mud-floored room for seven hours a day. Daily exercises include slapping your hands against wooden pillars and being thrown onto the floor. If discomfort isn’t your thing, you might want to try flower arrangement instead.

Try the sumo workout at tinyurl. com/TOTsumoworkout

5Know the rules Sumo takes place in a ring on a block of clay called a dohyo. The straw rope around the edge is the tawara. The aim is to make your opponent touch the ground with any part of his body besides his foot, or leave the ring. Even a pinkie outside the tawara will end the match. The most colourful figure is the referee (gyoji), due to his fancy outfit and shouting voice, but true decision power lies with the five judges (shinpan). 2 Learn a few key moves There are 82 officially recognised kimarite (winning techniques). Oshidashi, pushing the opponent out of the ring with both hands, is often regarded as the most aesthetically correct way to win. Throws, including the ipponzeoi (one-armed shoulder throw) and kotenage (armlock throw) are also common. Illegal moves include hitting with a closed fist, hair-pulling, kicking, and strikes to the throat, eyes and groin.

4Be male Sorry, but there’s no way around this one. Japanese sumo may have opened itself to foreigners, but it’s a long way from being gender neutral. You can always head to America, where the US Sumo Open has both male and female divisions.

6Eat, eat, and eat some more There’s a reason the sumo beya training facility is often called ‘sumo farm’: the wrestlers are expected to eat. A lot. You’ll be bulking up by scoffing hefty portions of chanko-nabe, a sumostyle stew made with everything and anything that happens to be in the kitchen. Served with rice, natch. Want to sample it before committing? There are plenty of chanko-nabe restaurants around Tokyo.