The fourth Mongolian was awarded the highest hierarchical title of great sumo champion. More about sumo Composition of the panel of judges
Sumatori (sumo wrestlers) fights take place on a doha: a special adobe platform covered with fine sand. In the center of a square (7.27 x 7.27 m) platform there is a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m. The sumo wrestler must either push the opponent out of this circle or force him to touch the surface of the circle with any part of the body - except the feet. Wrestlers are prohibited from striking each other with their fists, with the ribs of their palms and legs, strangling each other, or pulling hair - from the outside, sumo wrestling looks like persistent “pushing” each other. At the same time, sumo fights are extremely short-lived: they usually last one to two minutes; fights lasting more than five minutes are very rare.
The course of the fight is monitored by 4 side judges, the chief referee and a referee on the platform.
For sumatori, its own weight is important. Modern sumo wrestlers are large people. And since the technical arsenal of this type of wrestling does not include painful techniques and aggressive attacking actions, the bulk of the body mass of sumo wrestlers is not muscles, but fat deposits, which gives the fights a unique uniqueness: in fact, huge fat men perform in front of the audience, most of whom do not have an athletic physique . Along with physical strength, a sumo wrestler must also have a good reaction and a sense of balance, which is very difficult to maintain during the fight, given the large weight of the opponents.
The equipment of sumo wrestlers includes only special belts - mawashi, which are tied through the groin at the waist. The absence of any clothing on sumo wrestlers is not accidental; this emphasizes the “pure” nature of this noble, by Japanese standards, wrestling: opponents do not have the opportunity to hide weapons in the folds, for example, of the kimono in which judokas perform. The opponent's mawashi is often used by a sumo wrestler when making grabs and throws, since it is simply impossible to grab onto most parts of the body of an athlete burdened with a large fat mass. It is prohibited to deliberately tear a belt from an opponent, and the loss of a belt through the fault of the wrestler himself leads to his disqualification (although this happens extremely rarely).
Sumo seems simple and unpretentious only to the uninitiated viewer. It is not easy to throw a giant sumo wrestler onto the platform or push him outside the circle. This is hampered by the gigantic weight of the wrestlers. In addition, in sumo, as in any other form of wrestling, there is a set of techniques that allow the athlete to attack and defend technically competently. In modern Japanese sumo there are 82 basic techniques. The most common techniques include such techniques as “yorikiri” - a mutual grab in which the athlete, whose back is to the edge of the circle, is forced out by the opponent (on average, about 30% of victories in modern sumo are achieved with this technique), and “kakezori” – throwing an opponent over the hip. One of the most difficult and, at the same time, the most beautiful and spectacular techniques is “ipponzoi”, grabbing one of the opponent’s hands with both hands and then throwing him over the back (from 1990 to 2001, this most difficult technique brought victory to only one sumo wrestler - Kayo, who with his own weight of 170 kg, he managed to throw the 220-kg Musashimaru).
Unlike international sumo tournaments, where fights are held according to weight categories, in classic Japanese sumo wrestlers participate in fights regardless of their weight. This gives it exceptional entertainment - and clearly demonstrates that in sumo not only weight is important, but also the technique of the athlete.
The duel is like a ritual.
Japanese sumo, being a national sport with a long history, is extremely conservative in its essence. The fight is held according to traditions established centuries ago. Its ritual side is of no small importance.
Before the start of the fight, athletes are required to perform the traditional ceremony of shaking off the mortal dust from their hands: they fold their palms in front of them and then spread them to the sides, thereby showing their intention to fight “cleanly”. Then the wrestlers do half squats, resting their hands on their bent knees and looking into each other's eyes (the so-called sonke position). Nowadays, such movements are nothing more than a tribute to tradition, but in ancient times it was a kind of psychological duel between fighters who tried to suppress their opponent morally with a stern look and a menacing pose. Such a “psychological confrontation” lasts, as a rule, several minutes – 3-4 times longer than the fight itself. The wrestlers sit down opposite each other 2-3 times, and then straighten up and move apart, thereby increasing the tension in the hall. These ceremonial preparatory actions are accompanied by throwing salt: the participants in the fight throw handfuls of it in front of them on the platform, which is a symbol of expelling demonic spirits from the sports field. Only after such a rather lengthy ceremony do the wrestlers sit down for the last time, rest their fists on the platform and, at the judge’s signal, rush at each other.
At the end of the fight, the winner again takes the sonke position - awaiting the official decision of the judges. After it is announced, the wrestler moves his right hand to the side, palm down, and only then leaves the platform.
Professional Japanese sumo.
Competitions.
In modern Japan, professional sumo tournaments (or as it is called “ozumo” - literally “big sumo”) largely determine the national calendar, setting the cyclical rhythm of life throughout the country. The regularity of tournaments gives the Japanese confidence in the inviolability of ancient traditions and the stability of their own existence. Tournaments are held 6 times a year (on odd-numbered months, starting in January). Their locations are also constant: in January, May and September - in Tokyo, in March - in Osaka, in July - in Nagoya, in November - in Fukuoka. The duration of one tournament is 15 days. The first and last day of tournaments is always Sunday. Fights are held in six “rating” categories with a total of almost a thousand athletes participating. The highest category - makuuchi - currently includes 40 sumatori, who fight one fight per day, wrestlers of lower “divisions” fight once every 2 days. The winner of the tournament is the wrestler who achieves the greatest number of victories in fights (maximum 15). If two or more wrestlers have the same number of victories during the competition, additional fights are held between them to determine the strongest. The fights of the recognized leaders of sumo - "ozeki" (2nd rank wrestlers) and "yokozuna" (1st or higher rank wrestlers) usually begin at 16.30 and end at 18.00, when the traditional evening news broadcast of the NHK television company airs , which has owned the exclusive right to television broadcast sumo tournaments for many years.
The disadvantage of these competitions has long been considered the fact that representatives of the same sumo schools (or “rooms” - Japanese heya) cannot fight each other in them. According to tradition, representatives of one or another “room” (now there are more than 50 of them) must compete only against wrestlers from other schools, but not against their own comrades. The only exceptions are additional matches in the finals of the tournament.
In addition to six official tournaments, professional sumo wrestlers take part in demonstration performances throughout the year in various cities in Japan and abroad.
Yokozuna.
The title "yokozuna" (literally, great champion) is awarded for excellent athletic results that a wrestler achieves over a long period of time (at least 3-5 years), as well as for outstanding achievements in the field of sumo. The title is awarded by a special commission that carefully and meticulously studies each candidate. Unlike ozeki, yokozuna is a lifelong title. It is awarded infrequently: over the past 300 years, only about 70 sumo wrestlers have been awarded it.
According to the rules, no more than five yokozuna can participate in one sports season. At the same time, there are seasons when there is not a single yokozuna among the tournament participants.
If an active yokozuna begins to lose ground, he must leave sumo.
Sumo is the sport of fat people.
It is believed that the “exterior” of sumo wrestlers corresponds to Japanese ideas about the male ideal. Like the ancient Russian heroes, Japanese sumo wrestlers personify the greatness of powerful flesh and the good spirit clothed in this flesh.
It should be noted that the weight of sumo wrestlers has become truly gigantic only in recent decades. Moreover: until 1910, Japanese who weighed more than 52 kg were not allowed to participate in sumo. In 1926, those whose weight did not exceed 64 kg were allowed to compete in tournaments, and in 1957 the minimum allowable weight of a sumo wrestler was officially introduced - 66.5 kg; the Japanese Sumo Association (formed in 1927) refused the maximum limit.
Currently, sumo schools accept teenagers with a height of at least 173 cm and a weight of at least 75 kg. The average weight of a modern professional wrestler ranges from 120–140 kg, although the recent history of sumo knows both unique giants (for example, the Hawaiian Konishiki weighed from 270 to 310 kg in different years of his sports career) and lively “kids” (one of few sumo wrestlers with higher education Mainoumi weighed less than 95 kg).
The basis of sumo wrestlers' nutrition is, as a rule, fatty hot soups with meat and vegetables, which wrestlers eat twice a day, up to 3 kg in one sitting, washed down with beer.
As practice shows, after finishing their sports career, most sumo wrestlers lose weight: their weight drops to 85–90 kg.
Historical reference.
Initially, sumo was hand-to-hand combat between warrior-wrestlers, identical to those that existed in the Tatar-Mongol armies. Its historical roots have not yet been precisely determined, but most researchers are inclined to believe that the chronology of sumo goes back at least 2000 years, and it came to Japan from Mongolia in the 6th–7th centuries. (There is also a “Japanese” version of the origin of sumo, according to which the Shinto god Takamikazuchi won a hand-to-hand fight with a barbarian deity, after which heaven allowed the Japanese to settle on Honshu, the main island of the Japanese archipelago.) The first mention of sumo in Japanese historical documents dates back to 642 year.
Since the 12th century, there has been a division of sumo into combat and sports. In the XIII–XIV centuries. it acquired the status of Japanese folk wrestling, competitions were held according to the agricultural calendar - in connection with the end of autumn field work, and later for other “economic reasons”. In addition, sumo tournaments began to coincide with certain religious (Shinto) holidays.
The heyday of sumo dates back to the 17th century, when tens of thousands of Japanese became its avid fans, and sumo wrestlers became public favorites. Competitions were held on the occasion of national and local holidays. It was in the 17th century that the basic principles of sumo as a wrestling sport were fully formed, and the rules for holding tournaments were clearly regulated, which are observed to this day.
For a long time, Japanese sumo remained a sport exclusively “for its own people.” Until the end of the 60s. In the 20th century, non-Japanese were not allowed there: rare exceptions were naturalized foreigners - the Chinese and Koreans. Since the late 60s. “ordinary” foreigners began to compete in Japanese sumo. Starting from the second half of the 80s, some of them, primarily immigrants from the Hawaiian Islands, began to achieve noticeable success in Doha.
At the end of the 20th century, amateur sumo developed noticeably in different countries. In 1992, the International Sumo Federation (ISF) was created: initially it included 25 countries, in 2002 there were already 82. In the same 1992, the World Sumo Championship debuted. Three years later, the European championship was played for the first time. At first, representatives of other types of martial arts participated in such competitions, having simultaneously mastered the technique of sumo wrestling, but by the end of the 90s, an elite of “pure” sumo masters had formed.
Amateur tournaments are held in four weight categories: light (up to 85 kg), medium (85–115 kg), heavy (over 115 kg) and absolute (athletes participate in fights regardless of their weight). Women sumo wrestlers have the same categories: light (up to 65 kg), medium (65–80 kg), heavy (over 80 kg) and absolute. Amateur competitions are held in both individual and team competitions.
Currently, the strongest sumo wrestlers in the world, besides the Japanese themselves, are considered to be wrestlers from Brazil, Mongolia, Russia, Poland, Germany and the USA.
Sumo is included in the program of the World Games (World Games - competitions in sports disciplines that are not included in the official program of the Olympic Games, have been held since 1980). The issue of assigning it the status of an Olympic sport is being considered. According to the IOC rules, a sport is declared Olympic only if male and female varieties of a given sports discipline are cultivated in different countries of the world. Now women's sumo is actively developing in the USA, Germany, Russia and many other countries - except Japan. There, sumo is still considered a purely male sport. There are some sumo wrestlers in the country, but so far they cannot count on universal recognition and holding their own tournaments. Therefore, the quick recognition of sumo as an Olympic sport is very problematic.
Sumo in Russia.
Initially, a sumo section functioned under the Russian Judo Federation. In 1998, the Russian Sumo Federation was established, which currently holds championships in Moscow and St. Petersburg, a number of other regional competitions, and also plays a national championship.
Our sumo wrestlers successfully perform at international amateur sumo competitions. The Russian team had no equal at the European Championships in 2000 and 2001, as well as at the 2000 World Championships. The most titled Russian sumo wrestlers today are Ayas Mongush and Olesya Kovalenko.
In recognition of the merits of our sumo wrestlers, Russia received the right to host the 2002 European Championships and the 2003 World Championships.
In 2000, 16-year-old Buryat schoolboy Anatoly Mikhakhanov was the first Russian to debut in professional sumo - under the name Asahi Mitsuri. In 2002, he was accompanied by two more immigrants from Russia - brothers Soslan and Batraz Boradzov.
Alexandra Vlasova
Sumo is a type of wrestling in a loincloth (mawashi) on a specially equipped area (dohyo).
The following weight categories are defined in sumo competitions:
- Boys 13-18 years old: up to 75 kg, up to 100 kg, over 100 kg and absolute weight category.
- Men: up to 85 kg, up to 115 kg, over 115 kg and absolute weight category.
- Women: up to 65 kg, up to 80 kg, over 80 kg and absolute weight category.
Cloth
Competitors must wear a loincloth - mawashi. However, in amateur sumo it is allowed to wear swimming trunks or tight black shorts under the mawashi. The width of the mawashi is 40 cm, there is no specific length prescribed, but the length of the mawashi should be sufficient to wrap it around the athlete's torso 4-5 times.
Athletes are prohibited from entering a fight wearing objects that could injure their opponent. This primarily applies to metal jewelry (rings, bracelets, chains, etc.). The wrestler's body must be completely clean and dry, his fingernails and toenails must be cut short. Emblem of the club, federation, number, etc. it is allowed to attach (tie) to the mawashi.
Venue: Dohyo
Sumo competitions are held on a square area with a side of 7.27 m, which is called dohyo.
There are two types of dohyo:
- mori-dohyo - a clay or earthen trapezoid 34-60 cm high;
- hira-dohyo - a flat dohyo, which is used for training and for competitions in the absence of a mori-dohyo.
The bout arena is a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m, the center of which is the intersection of two diagonal lines of the square specified in clause 5.1. The perimeter of the fighting arena is limited by a rope of rice straw - Cebu Dawara.
In the center of the circle on the eastern and western sides of the dohyo, two white starting lines (shikirisen) are applied to the surface at a distance of 70 cm from each other. The length of the shikirisen is 80 cm, width is 6 cm.
The inside of the circle is sprinkled with sand. Sand is also scattered outside the circle, along the sebu dawara, to a width of about 25 cm, to form a “control” strip - janome. In controversial cases, the presence or absence of marks on the jianome helps to correctly determine the outcome of the fight.
Composition of the panel of judges
The panel of judges includes: the chief judge of the competition, the deputy chief judge, the chief secretary, judges, informants and other service personnel.
The Chief Referee is responsible for the implementation of all provisions relating to the general rules of refereeing, including the appointment of referee teams.
Composition of the judging panel
The refereeing panel should consist of 6 people:
- team leader - simpante,
- referee - gyoji,
- 4 side judges - simpans.
Wrestling rules
Except in special situations, the following provisions determine the winner of the bout:
- the wrestler who forces the opponent to touch the dohyo with any part of the body outside the sebu-dawar wins;
- The winner is the wrestler who forces the opponent to touch the dohyo with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet, within the cebu-dawar.
Special situations include the position of shinitai (“dead body”) - a complete loss of balance, inevitably leading to defeat.
The attacker does not lose the fight by touching the dohyo with his hand in order to soften the fall and avoid injury when completing a technical action, as a result of which the opponent ends up in a shinitai position. This situation is called kabaite.
The attacker does not lose the fight by stepping behind the sebu-dawara in order to soften the fall and avoid injury when completing a technical action, as a result of which the opponent ends up in a shinitai position. This situation is called kabaiashi.
The attacker does not lose the fight by standing up for the Sebu-Davara when he, having lifted the enemy, takes him out and lowers him behind the Sebu-Davara. This situation is called okuriashi. However, the attacker loses the fight if, while carrying out this technical action, he goes behind the Sebu-Dawar with his back forward.
The attacker does not lose the fight if, when performing a winning throw, the rise of his leg touches the dohyo.
It is not a failure if the horizontal front part of the mawashi (orikomi) touches the dohyo.
A wrestler may be declared defeated by a decision of the judges in the following cases:
- If he cannot continue the fight due to injury,
- If he performs kinjite (prohibited acts),
- If he ends the fight on his own,
- If he deliberately did not rise from his starting position,
- If he doesn't follow the gyoji's commands,
- If he does not appear in the waiting sector after the second official call,
- If the maebukuro (codpiece) of the mawashi comes untied and falls off during a fight.
If the fight lasts longer than the set time, but the winner is not determined, it is stopped and the fight is repeated.
Prohibited actions (kinjite):
- Punching or finger poking.
- Kicks to the chest or stomach.
- Hair grabs.
- Grab by the throat.
- Grabs the vertical parts of the mawashi.
- Wringing the opponent's fingers.
- Biting.
- Direct blows to the head.
Rituals
Sumo, like other traditional martial arts in Japan, maintains and honors rituals and etiquette.
The rituals consist of ritsu-rei (standing bow), chiritezu (water purification) and shikiri (preparation).
Chiritezu is a unique ritual that originates from the ancient Japanese custom of washing a warrior before battle.
Chiritezu is performed by both wrestlers simultaneously when entering the dohyo. They squat down in a sonoke position, balancing on their toes. The heels are lifted off the floor, the torso and head are held straight, the hands are placed on the knees. The wrestlers lower their hands and nod to each other. Then the athletes bring their outstretched arms together at chest level, spread them to the sides with their palms down and bring them back in front with a clap of their palms, straighten their arms and spread them to the sides parallel to the ground with their palms up, and at the end of the ritual turn them with their palms down.
Sikiri- pre-launch preparatory movements. The wrestlers squat down with their legs spread wide and their torso bent forward. At the same time, the hips and shoulders are held horizontally, and the hands, clenched into fists, rest on the surface of the dohyo along the shikirisen, without touching, which corresponds to the “ready!” position.
The transition from shikiri to tachiai (starting jerk-lift) must be carried out by athletes simultaneously.
Rituals are an integral and important part of sumo and must be performed without haste, with dignity and calm, emphasizing the harmony and greatness of sumo.
Fight
The duration of the fight is:
- for the age group 13-15 years - 3 minutes;
- for the age group 16-17 years - 5 minutes;
- for adults 18 years and older - 5 minutes.
If after the specified time the winner is not determined, a re-fight (torinaoshi) is scheduled.
There is no break between contractions. The next contraction begins immediately after the end of the previous one.
Calling participants
Competitors enter the dohyo-damari in the following order:
- in team competitions, the two teams to compete next must enter and position themselves in the dohyo-damari until the end of the previous match;
- in individual competitions, the wrestler must be in doha-damari 2 grabs before his own.
While on dohyo and dohyo-damari, competition participants must behave with dignity and avoid rude expressions so as not to hurt the feelings of others.
Wrestlers are invited to the dokhio by the judge-informant via a microphone in a loud and clear voice 2 times. If after the second official challenge the participant does not enter the dohyo, he is considered a failure.
Presentation of participants
Wrestlers take part in the competition under the numbers they received in the draw. The informant judge introduces all wrestlers in each weight category at the beginning of the competition by name. Before the start of each fight, the participants are introduced by name, indicating their data (age, height, weight), titles and ranks.
The beginning of the fight
The fight begins at the command of the gyoji after performing the necessary rituals.
Stopping the fight
Gyoji may stop the bout one or more times due to injury, improper clothing (mawashi), or any other reason beyond the participant's wishes.
The time spent on breaks per wrestler may be established by the Competition Regulations.
End of the fight
The fight ends when the gyoji, having determined the outcome of the fight, announces: “Sebu atta!” - and pointing with his hand in the direction of the dohyo (East or West), from which the winner began the fight. The wrestlers on this team must stop wrestling.
Announcement of the winner (katinanori)
After the end of the fight and the announcement of “Cebu atta!” gyoji and wrestlers return to their original positions.
The loser bows (rei) and leaves the dohyo. The winner assumes the sonkyo pose and, after the gyoji, pointing at him with his hand, announces: “Higashi no kachi!” (“Victory of the East!”) or “Nishi no Kati!” (“Victory of the West!”), extends his right hand to the side and down.
If the bout is terminated due to the use of a prohibited technique by one of the wrestlers, the winner is declared in the prescribed manner.
If it is impossible for one of the wrestlers to continue the fight due to injury, his opponent assumes the sonkyo position, and the gyoji, in the established order, declares him the winner.
If one of the wrestlers fails to appear, the wrestler who comes out in doha assumes the sonkyo position, and the gyoji, in the prescribed manner, declares him the winner.
Sumo is an ancient Japanese sport that is wildly popular in this country. Every sumo wrestler in Japan has his own army of fans, and sometimes the love of fans grows into a real cult. Sumo is also known outside the country, but serious professional tournaments are held only in Japan.
Betting on sumo is still a novelty for most bettors, but every year more and more bookmakers are adding this type to the line. The spread of betting on sumo is hampered by the fact that the Japanese in general are not gambling, and there are few large tournaments in this sport.
A little history
Sumo was cultivated in Japan 1300 years ago. Sumo performances at that time were more of a ritual nature. Only in the Middle Ages did the emergence of sumo as a combat sport take place.
The first international sumo tournament was held in 1980, but it was at an amateur level. With the creation of the International Sumo Federation in 1992, international tournaments began to have official status. Every year the federation holds a world championship in various weight categories, and since 1997 a similar tournament has been held among women.
Sumo tournaments are held in Japan 6 times a year. Each of these times, for 15 days, sumo wrestlers fight with each other. Wrestlers from the elite divisions have 15 fights per tournament, and those from the lower divisions have 7 fights. At the end of the tournament, a winner is declared in each division, and the sumo wrestler who has the best win/loss record becomes the winner. If two or more sumo wrestlers have the same performance, then a super final is held between them to determine the winner. What is noteworthy is that wrestlers from the same school can only meet each other in the super final.
Bookmakers for betting on sumo:, And .
Useful resources
- japan-sumo.ru - Russian resource about sumo. News, latest results, statistics, sumo interviews, descriptions of leading wrestlers, analytical blog and active forum.
- sumoforum.net is a very large English-language forum about sumo.
- sumo.or.jp - English section of the official website of the Japanese Sumo Association.
Basic rates
- Victory in the fight. Draws have not been practiced in sumo for almost 100 years.
- To win the tournament. To do this, you need to win more victories in the tournament than other competitors.
- On the sumo wrestler's total victories. You need to predict how many bouts in the tournament the wrestler will win.
- On kimboshi in the tournament. This term refers to the victory of a low-ranking sumo wrestler over a yokozuna. This doesn't happen often.
- Promotion/demotion of a sumo wrestler in rank. After the tournament, some sumo wrestlers move up the rank, while others, on the contrary, go down. This is affected by the win/loss ratio. Typically, the lower the rank, the easier it is to rise higher.
- To the super final. A bet that several sumo wrestlers will have the same number of victories in a tournament.
Analysis
Japanese resources have very detailed statistics on the performance of sumo wrestlers. You need to look not only at the number of wins/losses, but also at the level of your opponents. Also, be sure to find information about personal meetings between rivals, it will tell you a lot.
Many people naively believe that when a sumo wrestler is promoted to a lower rank, he will defeat everyone there. In fact, the difference in the general level of athletes of adjacent ranks is not so high, so history knows many examples when, when promoted to rank, a sumo wrestler showed stunning results, and there are also many opposite examples.
After injuries, sumo wrestlers usually perform a little worse, but disqualification is often beneficial. During the period of disqualification, a sumo wrestler can master certain wrestling techniques. At the same time, he sees how his opponents perform and knows what to expect from them.
The judges may award one of the sumo wrestlers an incentive prize after the tournament. Take a special look at those fighters who received a prize for their will to win in recent tournaments. Such sumo wrestlers usually progress even more in further tournaments.
In sumo, the role of the coach is almost as important as the skill of the sumo wrestler. There are about 50 schools in Japan whose athletes act as one team. If there is a strong sumo wrestler at school, then other athletes will definitely catch up to his level, since constant training with a superior opponent is beneficial.
The motivation of sumo wrestlers is always on top, but if by the end of the tournament the athlete really aspires to increase in rank, this will further stimulate him to win.
Features of betting on sumo
If you add up the length of all tournaments held in a year, you get exactly 3 months. For the remaining 9 months, bettors are deprived of the opportunity to place bets on sumo. However, you should not be pessimistic; tournaments are held in such a way that there are no breaks in sumo for more than 1.5 months.
There is no need to start betting on sumo without fully studying all the terminology of this sport, the structure of tournaments, wrestling styles and other important information. Outside of Japan, not many people understand sumo, so there is a chance to get into a niche that will bring a stable income.
They wear loincloths, exercise for three hours every morning, eat 8,000 calories a day and sleep with oxygen masks.
Sumo (相撲) is a type of martial arts in which two wrestlers determine the strongest on a round platform.
The birthplace of this sport is Japan.
The Japanese consider sumo to be a martial art. The tradition of sumo has been going on since ancient times, so each fight is accompanied by numerous rituals. Japan is a recognized sumo center and the only country where professional rikishi competitions are held. In the rest of the world there is only amateur sumo. Modern professional sumo combines elements of sport, martial arts, show, traditions and business.
According to the legend given there, 2500 years ago the gods Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata fought in a sumo match for the right to own the Japanese islands.
According to legend, Takemikazuchi won the first fight. It is from this ancient hero that the Emperor of Japan traces his ancestry.
In addition to its main purpose, sumo was associated with the ritual of the Shinto religion. To this day, in some monasteries you can see the ritual fight between man and God.
Sumo was an important ritual of the imperial court. Representatives from all provinces were required to compete at court. The role of sumo in combat training is also known: sumo training made it possible to develop the ability to stand firmly on one’s feet in battle. The rules of sumo developed during the Heian era (794-1185). It was forbidden to grab each other by the hair, kick or hit each other in the head.
It is believed that the modern sumo platform, the dohyo, appeared around the 16th century, but the shape and size of the dohyo changed over time. So, often the usual shape was a square.
It is known that since at least the 18th century, professional sumo wrestlers began to organize the likes of traveling circuses, making tours of provinces and cities, and showing their art for money. Traces of this practice remain, for example, the tournament lists of wrestlers still contain the phrase about temple permission to perform, and tours of the provinces are still practiced in the intervals between the main tournaments of the year.
The self-organization of wrestlers, coaches and judges gave rise to fighting associations that competed with each other and ran their own tournaments and ratings. By the second half of the 20th century, after a series of splits and mergers, only one association remained, the Tokyo one, which began to be considered all-Japanese.
There were various wrestling games, similar to sumo, in the gay quarters, such as women's fights (often with obscene wrestling names), women's and blind men's fights, comic wrestling and the like.
Street sumo was repeatedly banned because street fights sometimes escalated into mass brawls and city riots.
Women's sumo was also subject to restrictions and practically disappeared by the beginning of the 20th century, surviving only as a rare temple ritual and at the amateur level.
The dohyo is made from a special type of compacted clay and is covered with a thin layer of sand. The fight takes place in a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m (15 shaku), the boundaries of which are laid out with special braids made of rice straw (the so-called “tawara”). In the center of the dohyo there are two white stripes indicating the starting positions of the wrestlers.
The sand around the circle (“snake eye”) is carefully leveled with brooms before the start of each bout, so that from the tracks in the sand it can be determined whether one of the opponents has touched the ground outside the circle. On the sides of the dohyo, steps are made in clay in several places so that wrestlers and gyoji (judges) can climb onto it.
The site itself and many objects surrounding it are full of Shinto symbols: the sand that covers the clay dohyo symbolizes purity; throwing salt symbolizes purification, expulsion of evil spirits; The canopy over the dohyo (yakata) is designed in the style of the roof of a Shinto shrine.
The purple flags around the roof symbolize the drift of the clouds and the changing of the seasons. The judge (gyoji), among other duties, plays the role of a Shinto priest.
The only clothing a wrestler wears during a fight is a special belt called a “mawashi”.
This is a dense wide fabric ribbon 9 meters long and 80 cm wide. Mawashi is usually wrapped in 5 turns around the naked body and between the legs, the end of the belt is secured behind the back with a knot.
An unwound mawashi will lead to the wrestler's disqualification.
High-level wrestlers have silk mawashi. Hanging ornaments called “sagari” are hung from the belt and do not perform any function other than purely decorative.
At the tournament, wrestlers in the lower divisions always have gray mawashi, while senior wrestlers have dark shades, although senior wrestlers sometimes do not follow this tradition.
The wrestlers of the two highest divisions have another, special, kesho-mawashi belt (化粧回し, 化粧廻し kesho:mawashi), which looks like an apron decorated with sewing, each in its own way, which is used only during rituals.
Holders of the highest rank of yokozuna wear a specially woven rope (tsuna or shimenawa) during rituals.
In amateur sumo, mawashi is sometimes worn over swimming trunks or shorts. The clothing and hairstyle of wrestlers is strictly regulated outside of competition.
The hair is collected in a special traditional bun at the top of the head; in the two highest divisions the hairstyle is much more complex. In addition to beauty, this hairstyle has the property of softening the blow to the crown of the head, which is possible, for example, when falling head down.
The prescriptions depend very much on the level of the wrestler. As a rule, the clothing and hairstyle prescribed for wrestlers in everyday life are very archaic. Hair styling requires a special art, almost forgotten outside of sumo and traditional theater.
Gyoji wear archaic courtly style clothing from the Muromachi era. There are strict and minute regulations governing the dress and footwear of a judge depending on his level, which allows an experienced eye to very accurately determine the rank by the appearance and colors of the details.
So, in the minor leagues the referees are barefoot and simply dressed. In contrast, socks and later sandals are only allowed to the highest-ranking gyoji.
A mandatory attribute of gyoji is a fan - gumbai.
In sumo it is forbidden to hit with anything other than an open palm, as well as in the eyes and genital area. It is forbidden to grab the hair, ears, fingers and the part of the mawashi covering the genitals. Chokeholds are not allowed.
Everything else is allowed, so the wrestlers’ arsenal includes slaps (“harite”), pushes, grabs by any permitted parts of the body and especially belts, thrusting the edge of the palm into the throat (“nodova”), as well as throws, various kinds of trips and sweeps.
The fight begins with a simultaneous rush of the wrestlers towards each other, followed by a collision (“tatiai”). Offensive fighting is considered good form, as well as a more successful tactic.
Tricks based on subterfuge (for example, such as "tachiai-henka", avoiding contact at the beginning of a fight), although acceptable, are not considered beautiful.
Due to the wide variety of techniques, rarely does anyone have a full arsenal of them, so there are wrestlers who are more prone to either grappling and belt wrestling (for example, ozeki Kayo), or, on the contrary, to fighting with pushes from a distance (for example, Chiyotakai).
1. - the first person to touch the ground with any part of the body other than the feet is considered a loser.
2. - the first person to touch the ground outside the circle is considered a loser
The rules stipulate special cases when the winner is declared to be the one who touches the ground first.
This is possible if at that moment the opponent was already in a obviously losing, hopeless position and could not do anything in response: he was torn off the ground and carried (or thrown) outside the circle, or another technique had already been carried out against him, the result of which was the point is completely obvious.
The clause is known as the "dead body principle". The principle makes it possible to reduce the risk of injury to attacking wrestlers, in particular, by giving them the opportunity to insure themselves when they fall.
In addition, victory is immediately awarded to the one against whom a prohibited technique was performed, for example, grabbing the hair.
Immediately after the end of the bout, the judge on the dohyo (gyoji) points to the winner, turning his fan in the direction of the dohyo from which the wrestler began the match.
Gyoji is obliged to do this always and without delay, even if the result is not obvious.
The judge's decision can be challenged by the general council of four circuit judges ("shimpan") and the chief judge ("shimpantyo"), sitting around the dohyo and interfering with the actions of the gyoji if, in their opinion, he has overlooked or made a mistake.
A video replay may be available to the side judges for the proceedings. If the winner cannot be determined after the meeting, a re-fight (torinaoshi) is scheduled. Until 1928, in such a situation a draw (azukari) was recorded.
Often the match lasts only a few seconds, as one of the wrestlers is quickly pushed out of the circle by the other, or knocked down by a throw or sweep. In rare cases, a fight can last several minutes. Particularly long matches may be paused so that the wrestlers can take a breather or tighten weakened belts.
In this case, the position and grip are clearly recorded by the gyoji, in order to accurately restore the relative position of the wrestlers on the dohyo after a timeout.
Students are accepted into sumo rooms after graduating from high school. In addition, sumo is replenished with amateurs, as a rule, after they graduate from university, if they have been able to prove themselves.
Amateurs who show good results begin their performances immediately from the third division (makushita). The upper age limit is 23 years for debutants and 25 for amateurs from student sumo.
The formation of a wrestler’s body occurs exclusively during training due to muscle gain and weight gain. The daily routine itself is dedicated to this goal. Getting up with the first rays of sun, morning toilet, then a grueling five-hour workout begins on an empty stomach, requiring full effort and utmost concentration.
After training, wrestlers take a hot bath and be sure to eat heavily, usually without restrictions, and also indulge in alcohol. After eating - a three-hour sleep, then a short workout and a light dinner.
According to a December 2013 study of 70 wrestlers in the two top divisions, the proportion of body fat ranged from 23% to 39%. However, the average fat level for sumotori across all leagues is only 14%. For comparison, among Japanese adults this figure is 15-19%.
A fighter's access to life's benefits is determined by his success. The level achieved by the wrestler determines what clothes and shoes can be worn, whether it is possible to use a mobile phone, the Internet, sleep in a common ward, in one’s own room, or even live outside the hei, etc.
The same level determines the type and volume of household responsibilities - for example, junior wrestlers get up before everyone else, clean and prepare food. They serve the elders in the bathhouse and at meals.
It is believed that this way of life creates a serious incentive: if you want to increase your status and not do menial work, train better and perform stronger.
The first World Sumo Championship, held under the auspices of the IFS, attracted a total of 73 participants from 25 different countries.
The tournament has become an annual event, and the number of participating countries continues to grow. The World Championship is held in individual and team competitions. Athletes are divided into four weight categories: light, medium, heavy and absolute weight.
In 1995, five continental amateur sumo federations were created, which hold qualifying tournaments for the right to participate in the world championship. Currently, the IFS has 84 member countries.
In 1997, the first World Sumo Championships for women were held. The Federation actively promotes women's sumo.
One of the popular national sports in Japan is sumo wrestling. Japan is the only country where sumo competitions are held at a professional level. In other countries, such as Korea, sumo is also a popular sport, but only at the amateur level.
Sumo originated in ancient times during the Yayoi era, which falls between 300 BC and 250 AD. At that time, sumo was a Shinto ritual ceremony (Shinto is the traditional religion of the Japanese people), which gradually developed into a combat match. Then, for the pleasure of the nobility of those times, sharpened bamboo piles began to be dug around the place where the duel took place. And then, the losing wrestler, falling out of the circle, was pierced by these piles, which led to indescribable delight of the audience.
During the formation of the samurai class, sumo wrestling became its privilege. In the combat training of the samurai, sumo played a significant role, as it contributed to the skill of standing firmly on one’s feet.
Sumo includes a certain ritual of preparing and conducting a fight. Before the fight began, the participants prayed for victory, sprinkled salt on the arena to drive away evil spirits underground, and then clapped their hands to attract the attention of the deity in whose honor the competition was held, this ritual is still carried out today.
In the 16th century, professional sumo tournaments began to take place. The rules of fighting changed over time and were finally developed in the 17th century and have not changed since then.
The platform for sumo is a hill of 40-60 cm, on which there is a circle called dohyo, compacted with clay and sprinkled with sand. In the center dohyo two white lines ( shikiri-sen) are the starting positions of sumo wrestlers. Finely sifted sand called "snake's eye" is poured around the arena. Using sand, you can determine whether the contact was made by a wrestler outside the arena. The diameter of the wrestling circle is 4.55 meters.
Sumo wrestlers dressed in mawashi- This is a special belt made of thick fabric, usually dark colors. This wide ribbon is wrapped around the naked body and between the legs several times and tied in a knot at the back. On mawashi there is a fringe - sagari, which is only a decoration and does not carry any semantic meaning. If the mawashi unwinds during a match, this automatically leads to the disqualification of the wrestler.
Sumo wrestlers' hair is greased and styled in a large bun at the top of the head. The referee is watching the fight ( gyoji) competitions. He is dressed in ancient ritual clothing and gives commands using a fan during the fight.
The rules of wrestling include a number of prohibitions, these are: you cannot grab an opponent by the hair, fingers, ears, you cannot use choking techniques, you cannot grab the mawashi in the genital area, you can only hit with an open palm, but you cannot hit in the eye area and genitals. All other techniques are permitted.
In the following cases, the defeat of the sumo wrestler is counted:
- the wrestler touched the ground with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet
- the wrestler was pushed out of the circle
- the wrestler performed a move prohibited for wrestling
- mawashi looked unsightly
- wrestler is announced blue-tai(by a corpse). This happens extremely rarely when the wrestler is in a position that is impossible to fight.
The fight does not last long and can last from a few seconds to several minutes. The weight of the wrestler plays a decisive, but not the main, role in victory, because the greater the weight, the easier it is to push the opponent out of the circle. Therefore, immediately before competitions, wrestlers drink large quantities of water - up to 10 liters per day and eat huge quantities of fatty foods, increasing their mass. Sumo wrestlers weigh from 125 kg to 235 kg. But the technique of conducting a duel still plays the main role and therefore one can observe how a noticeably smaller wrestler wins the duel.
Sumo wrestling has a strict hierarchy; it depends on the skill of the wrestler. The hierarchy was established in the Edo era and exists today. Each wrestler receives a pseudonym from the instructor. After each match, wrestlers are either promoted or demoted in the circle depending on the number of appearances and their victories. Considering that the status of a wrestler depends on the number of victories, sumo wrestlers try to take part in all competitions, regardless of the fact that they have not yet recovered from injuries after previous competitions. And sumo is a rather traumatic sport. Often at competitions you can see a wrestler with bandages on his hands and knees.
There are six categories in sumo: makuuchi, juryo, makushita, sandamme, jonidan, jenokuchi.
A sumo wrestler's career begins from the lowest rank - jenokuchi, and in order to reach the highest circle - makuuchi, you need to put in a lot of strength and develop fighting skills. This requires a lot of time and physical exertion from the wrestler.
At the top of the qualification is the grand champion - yokozuna(great champion). If a wrestler reaches the yokozuna title, then, unlike other (lower) ranks, he is no longer subject to demotion even if he loses the match. But usually a yokozuna leaves the sport and does not take part in competitions if he sees that his time has passed and he does not live up to the standard of a champion.
The winner of each competition receives the Emperor's Cup and a large cash prize. Professional sumo wrestlers receive a monthly salary of $10,000 from the Japan Sumo Association, plus they receive an additional bonus for each battle won, plus there is a system of corresponding bonuses.
Sumo wrestling requires great strength and health, and huge weight also adversely affects the general condition of the wrestler, therefore, at the age of 35, sumo wrestlers retire and live quite prosperously from the funds accumulated during their professional activities, in addition, depending on their qualification level, they receive a decent pension - 5-6 thousand dollars.
Japan hosts six sumo tournaments every year. Three in Tokyo - January, May and September and one each in Osaka - in March, in Nagoya - in July and in Fukuoka - in November. Each tournament lasts 15 days, during which each wrestler competes in one match per day (excluding inferior matches if they have already been won). During the period of tournaments, the hierarchy ranking based on the results of the competition is updated daily. Wrestlers who have more victories than defeats move up the hierarchy; those who have more defeats in their arsenal are demoted in rank.
The best way to see sumo is to take part in a tournament; tickets are sold for all 15-day tours in specialized organizations, in mini-markets, at stadiums (the cheapest tickets are purchased on the day of the performance, at the stadium, special places are reserved for these tickets).
There are three types of places available for sumo lovers. These are ringside seats that are located right next to the arena (circle) in which the competition takes place. These are the most expensive places and tickets are difficult to get there. Spectators sit on cushions, on the floor and are at risk of injury when a wrestler is thrown outside the circle.
Boh seats are seats on the ground floor of the stadium, in the form of a box, divided among themselves, in which there are 4 seats - pillows on the floor. These seats are sold in 4 tickets at a time, regardless of whether there will be four people there or two. It is prohibited to wear shoes in these places.
And the third type of seating is Western-style balconies. The ticket price depends on the distance from the arena. Children under 3 years old, together with their parents, attend competitions for free, but in distant places, without being provided with a separate seat.
Tickets for competitions, as a rule, are purchased in advance, otherwise there is a chance of not getting to your favorite show.