Introduction to SUMO

Fork

Sumo
@Gold
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Messages
19,876
Reaction score
1,830
9lqi2gz.png

Yokozuna Hitachiyama during a tour of the West in the early 1900's

I've been making SUMO threads in the Grappling Forum for each tournament for a while now, and wanted to make a thread that would be an introduction to the sport for people who are interested in it. SUMO seems like it's a hard sport to get into, and a hard sport to follow for someone outside of Japan, and hopefully I can help.

Origins of Sumo: There is a lot of mythology associated with the early history of sumo. Supposedly the Japanese race was able to control the islands of Japan because of a victory of one of their gods in a sumo match (this also demonstrates the strong connection between nationalism and sumo). However, historically sumo has been around for over 1500 years, though not necessarily in the form seen today. Early sumo was more of a ritual performance than a sport, although through much of its history up to today sumo has been a fusion of the two. During the 8th century sumo was introduced as a ritual ceremony in the imperial court, with representatives from each province coming to the court to fight each other. In fact, at this point sumo probably had rules (or lacked rules) similar to MMA, with elements of striking and wrestling included and few, if any, holds barred. Eventually stricter rules came to the sport and it evolved into something similar to what we see today. For a long time sumo was used as a useful form of combat for men in the military, but sumo really started to take off as a sport in its own right when the country was united under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Edo Period beginning in the 17th century. The current format of the "modern era" of sumo, having six tournaments per-year, started in 1958.

-----------------

Sumo Divisions and Rankings: This is a useful picture, showing all of the different divisions and ranks -

banzuke2.gif

Divisions (in order from lowest to highest): Jonokuchi, Jonidan, Sandanme, Makushita, Juryo, Makuuchi. divisions below Makushita are pretty unimportant I'd say and unless you're really into sumo, there isn't much you need to know about them. Juryo is fairly important because the guys who do well at the top of the second highest division usually get put into the highest division Makuuchi in the next tournament. Makuuchi is of course the most important, it's the division everyone focuses on, the division with the top sumo wrestlers, and the division that the tournament broadcasts show. Although the pyramid above might be slightly confusing, the entire top section of the pyramid is the Makuuchi division. Another visualization of the ranks of sumo can be found HERE.

Ranks (in the Makuuchi division): Each rank generally has an "East" and "West" member, so there will an East Maegashira 13 (m13) and a West Maegashira 13, with the East ranked rikishi being ranked higher. As you move up in ranks you also get a higher salary. Promotion is a big part of sumo, and it's almost entirely based on how many wins and losses you get in a tournament. In the Maegashira ranks, if you get 8 wins you get promoted. Since there are 15 matches in a tournament, 8 wins and 7 losses is the division between a winning record and a losing record.

  • Maegashira - The number of Maegashira can vary, but it usually goes from around rank 1 (the highest ranked Maegashira) to around 15 or 16 which is the lowest rank of the Makuuchi division. If a rikishi ranked at the bottom of the Maegashira ranks gets a losing tournament they are in danger of being demoted down to the Juryo division.
  • Komosubi - The rank above Maegashira 1. There are only two Komosubi, an East and a West. Komosubi is seen as a very difficult rank, as you get put up against all of the highest ranked guys. Although in the Maegashira ranks you only need a winning record to get promoted, moving up in ranks begins to get more difficult the higher you get, and to get promoted from Komosubi you probably need double-digit wins.
  • Sekiwake - Third highest rank. As far as I remember there have always been two Sekiwake, but I don't think that's written in stone and there can be 3 or whatever. To get promoted from here to the next highest rank, you need to have several very good tournaments in a row. the rule generally is you need 33 or more wins total in three tournaments.
  • Ozeki - Second highest rank, under Yokozuna. They are sort of seen as having the responsibility to challenge the Yokozuna (a role which they aren't really filling these days). Being demoted from Ozeki happens if an Ozeki has two losing tournaments in a row. After the first losing tournament (7 wins or less) the Ozeki will be "kadoban", and if they lose the next tournament they fall back down to Sekiwake where they can begin to try to get promoted again. I believe that if they have a good tournament right after being dropped down (generally 11 wins), they get promoted immediately back up to Ozeki (instead of needing the 33 wins) but I could be mistaken.
  • Yokozuna - Highest rank. Promotion to Yokozuna isn't based on a set number of wins, but rather is judged by a group called the "Yokozuna Deliberation Council". If a rikishi wins a few tournaments at Ozeki, and the members of this council like what they see the rikishi will be promoted. Once you're a Yokozuna you can't drop down in rank, no matter how many losses you get. However, if you can't keep up you'll get pressured into retiring.

-----------------

Sumo Terms:

Ozumo - The sport of sumo.

Rikishi - A sumo wrestler. (Also sekitori for sumo wrestlers in the Juryo division or above, and sumotori for sumo wrestlers at the top ranks of the upper division.)

Dohyo - The sumo ring.

Mawashi - The belt that rikishi wear.

Honbasho or Basho - The six tournaments held throughout the year. honbasho is technically correct, but basho is used more often.

Kachi-koshi - A winning tournament. When a rikishi has a tournament with more wins than losses (at least 8-7) he has a kachi-koshi.

Make-koshi - A losing tournament. When a rikishi has more losses than wins (at least 7-8 ).

Yusho - The championship for a basho. Whoever in the top division has more wins than everyone else gets the yusho. (In the event of a tie on the final day the two tied rikishi have a match against each other referred to as a "playoff" which doesn't count towards their records).

Zensho yusho - A flawless tournament. When a rikishi has all wins and no losses and wins the yusho it's called a zensho yusho.

Heya - A sumo stable. Where many of the rikishi train, eat, sleep, and live. When referring to a specific heya, you would say Miyagino beya with a "b".

Gyoji - Referee for a sumo match. Dressed in bright robes, and a Shinto priest's hat, and holding a gumbai which he points towards the winner. The gyoji also carries a knife so that he can disembowel himself if he gets a call wrong. Obviously they don't actually do this, but that's the mentality they have. As with everything in sumo, there are ranks of referees, and only a top ranked gyoji can officiate a bout involving Yokozuna.


-----------------

Important (Highest Ranked) Sumo Wrestlers Today: (Click their name to see one of their matches)

  • Hakuho - Mongolian Yokozuna. For a long time the only Yokozuna competing after his rival Asashoryu retired. At one time built up an amazing winning streak, going 63 matches in a row without losing (winning 86 matches that year and only losing 4). Head and shoulders above everyone else for a long time, but his dominance in the sport has begun to recede.
  • Kakuryu - Mongolian Yokozuna. Struggling as a Yokozuna due to injuries and the pressure of the position, some felt he was promoted too quickly.
  • Takayasu - Japanese and Filipino Ozeki. Strong wrestler, prefers to use pushing and thrusting techniques rather than throws from the mawashi.
  • Goeido - Japanese Ozeki. Inconsistent wrestler who can have fantastic performances but struggles to impress more often than not.
  • Takakeisho - Japanese Ozeki. Earned promotion to the rank in March, 2019, the youngest wrestler in the top division at the time at 22 years old. Shorter wrestler with excellent pushing-thrusting attack.

kokugikan.jpg

The Ryogoku Kokugikan, the sumo arena in Tokyo.
 
Last edited:
Sumo Websites:

Sumo Reference - Sumo's version of fightfinder.
Nihon Sumo Kyokai - Japan Sumo Association website.
Tachiai.org - Good blog for sumo news and daily recaps from tournaments.
SumoTalk.com - Good site for recaps of each day of a tournament, and news about the sport.
SumoForum.Net - Good forum for sumo, a good place for news, pictures, and discussion.

Sumo Videos:

Sumo Confidential



This video shows the good and bad of sumo, illustrating how difficult it is for the younger wrestlers, and how rigid their training and lives are. It also follows Estonian former Ozeki Baruto, who may be familiar to fans of RIZIN, and because it was shot a while ago he hasn't even been promoted to his Ozeki rank yet in the video.

Sumo is in crisis. The grueling training and relentless discipline can be too much to take for young trainees. We follow the daily routine of two wrestlers and wonder if the ancient sport can survive.
A young sumo is pushed off the ring and made to get up again and again. We are inside a training stable. It's like going to boot camp 365 days a year says this commentator, They're the dirt on the floor and they've just got to work their way up. Cooking, cleaning and endless training, Shoheis life is typical of a junior sumo. If you are the youngest disciple you have to do twice the duties compared with your seniors, says popular Estonian wrestler Baruto. Sumo increasingly relies on ambitious foreign imports like him. For Shohei however, the discipline proves too much and he absconds - a disgrace for his stable. Although the stable owner is concerned about the future, the age-old training wont change: I have never thought I have pushed them too far. I feel I am still spoiling them.

Made by Foreign Correspondent, ABC Australia

--------------

Sumo: Fighting with Heart



Focuses on Egyptian wrestler Osunaarashi. Again it shows the hard life of an up-and-coming sumo wrestler, particularly a Muslim having difficulty adapting to Japanese culture.

Egyptian Muslim Osunaarashi Kintaro, a Muslim, has made his debut as the first African rikishi. We follow his efforts to train hard in a different culture under the keen guidance of his stablemaster.

--------------

Samurai Spirit: Sumo


(Part 2/3/4/5)

Part of a series presented by K-1 fighter Nicholas Pettas, with this episode focusing on sumo. This show demonstrates a lot of sumo techniques as well as looking at the traditional and ritual side of the sport. It shows quite a bit of sumo training and gives a good feel for how hard these guys work.

Pettas has a brief blog post about the experience HERE

---------------

National Art of Sumo: 2007 - 2010



Looks at highlight matches from 2007 to 2010, and important promotions. This is part of a huge series following the sport of sumo from 1936 to 2010. You can find the playlist HERE (not in order by date) and they're pretty much all good. Great to see how the sport has changed through the years.

---------------

Hawaii's Sumo Boom From A to Z



Looks at the rise of Hawaiian sumo wrestlers and their rise to dominance in the 90's.

-----------------

Takanoyama Highlight



Highlight video of Czech wrestler Takanoyama, made by Araibira (Sherdog user p^2). Takanoyama was a huge fan favorite, and with stuff like this it's easy to see why. A great example of why smaller guys in sumo can attract a lot of fans.

-----------------

Hopefully this is a decent introduction, and I'll make threads for sumo tournaments here in the Grappling Forum to see if anyone new wants to follow them.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I'll try to answer.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for all this work. I will take the time to read it all thoroughly later.

I just finished reading David Benjamin's excellent book on Sumo and am looking forward to watching some more of it.
 
I used to watch Sumo before I went to school a few years ago but they stopped showing it. They had like a little avatar/character for each 'Rikishi'. Thanks for this TS.
 
thanks, glad you guys liked it, and hopefully it's useful for anyone interested in sumo. i keep thinking of things i could add, but i think this is a good start.
 
Good thread man, thank you for taking the time to make it.
 
does the color of the belt mean anything? i saw a few different colors in the vids.
 
Nice and informative. I think sumo lacks appeal to many countries outside of Japan and suffers from a comical image of fat people wearing diapers/g-strings.

Yet, top sumo athletes (yes - athletes) are highly regarded and enjoy almost rock-star status in Japan. They have no shortage of willing groupies either...

Underneath the layers of fat, there is real strength and cardiovascular endurance. The elite training sessions are murderous!
 
How is it Machida has training in Sumo, he isn't nearly fat enough.


He doesn't need to be fat to train in Sumo when he's using it in MMA.

That said, I think it's an exaggeration, he doesn't train as much sumo as traditional wrestling/judo.

If someone more knowledgeable than me would post on this subject it'd be appreciated.
 
He doesn't need to be fat to train in Sumo when he's using it in MMA.

That said, I think it's an exaggeration, he doesn't train as much sumo as traditional wrestling/judo.

If someone more knowledgeable than me would post on this subject it'd be appreciated.

If I'm not wrong, Machida used to weigh about 115 kg back when he competed.

Sumo is a very interesting sport, but it looks somewhat alien and hard to follow. Very interesting thread, and good explanation!
 
My uncle is Japanese, whenever I used to go to his house when I was a small kid he would wake up at strange hours and watch live sumo matches from Japan. He'd scream, shout cheer etc at the screen.

Shows the passion that the Japanese have i guess..
 
I've always thought sumo was pretty rad, probably because of E.Honda on street fighter.

This is kind of a silly question, but.. Do the rules make it beneficial to be fat in any specific way, or is it just tradition?
 
How is it Machida has training in Sumo, he isn't nearly fat enough.

i really have no idea how big he was when he actually did train in sumo, but you'll often see that the guys who are just starting out aren't necessarily that big. pretty much everybody starts out much smaller than they end up when they're in the higher divisions.

kiyoshi tamura also used to do sumo, and there was a cool documentary about his sumo days on youtube but it got taken down a while ago. but from what i can remember he wasn't very big when he did it.

does the color of the belt mean anything? i saw a few different colors in the vids.

at the lowest ranks the wrestlers do have to wear a certain belt color, but at the upper divisions the belt color is just a personal choice and rikishi will change their belt color at certain points. sometimes they'll change the belt color if they get promoted. when harumafuji was promoted to ozeki he changed his name from ama to harumafuji, and changed his belt color from black to silver. they'll also change their mawashi color to change their luck or something.

yokozuna hakuho recently changed from a dark brown belt to a bright gold belt which is very rare. hakuho decided to change to a gold belt because when he won that tournament on day 13 he had tied the number of championships won by former yokozuna wajima (14 championships) who used to wear a gold mawashi, so on the next day hakuho came out with gold as a kind of tribute to him.

tumblr_l2xee5MDdw1qa82gwo1_500.jpg


This is kind of a silly question, but.. Do the rules make it beneficial to be fat in any specific way, or is it just tradition?

definitely, it helps a lot to have a low center of gravity, and having a lot of weight moving you forward or keeping you down when someone is trying to throw you is very important. but there's an important balance between fat, muscle, flexibility, and all kinds of stuff. and they mention this in one of the videos i posted, but the average wrestler used to be quite a bit smaller than they are today.

but there are lighter/smaller guys with great technique like the legendary mainoumi:


 
Back
Top