Introduction to SUMO

[Fork]

thought i would bump this up once again.

because a lot of the videos i posted on the first page of the thread have been taken down, i thought i'd add some more:

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 Baruto, who was recently demoted from his Ozeki rank, and because it was shot a while ago he hasn't even been promoted to that 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

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Sumo: Wrestling with Heart and Soul



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.

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Sports Japan: November 2012 Sumo Tournament



Co-hosted by weirdo Demon Kakka. Doesn't give much background on the sumo lifestyle, but this video focuses on a specific tournament. It looks at the first tournament after Harumafuji was promoted to Yokozuna, at the end of 2012. It's not a great video, but it gives some highlights of a recent tournament.

SPORTS JAPAN showcases hot sports and athletes from Japan.Today: We look at the November Sumo Tournament and also meet the winners of the technique, fighting spirit and outstanding performance prizes.

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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.

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Takanoyama Highlight



Highlight video of Czech wrestler Takanoyama, made by Araibira (Sherdog user p^2). Takanoyama is a huge fan favorite, and with stuff like this it's easy to see why.

 

[Fork]

bumping again for the start of a new tournament on March 10th. i'll get a thread going for the tournament as we get closer to then.

edit: damn, nhk is quick at taking down these videos.

 

[Fork]

bumping again, a new tournament will be starting on May 12th.

 

[Linthec]

Over the last 2 years I've become a pretty big sumo fan thanks to your threads!

Question: How can I get National Art of Ozumo on DVD?

 

[ShanghaiBJJ]

Sumo is wonderful. The tradition, the athleticism, the spirit.

Watching one of the tournaments live in Japan one day is on my bucket list!

Thanks for the good work here GFY!

 

[100%Jiu-Jitsu]

Sumo is wonderful. The tradition, the athleticism, the spirit.

Watching one of the tournaments live in Japan one day is on my bucket list!

Thanks for the good work here GFY!

I enjoy these videos. The tradition is not very appealing to me, but I love seeing the basic principles of grappling (using leverage, creating frames, etc.) being applied under a unique ruleset. And the explosiveness and size of the competitors is certainly enthralling.

Ever since I was a kid and saw that terrible Keanu Reaves movie, The Replacements, I've wondered about the parallels between the skills necessary to be a sumo wrestler vs. an offensive lineman in football. I'm embarrassed to ask such a dumb question... but have any former football lineman ever actually tried sumo? :redface:

 

[Linthec]

I enjoy these videos. The tradition is not very appealing to me, but I love seeing the basic principles of grappling (using leverage, creating frames, etc.) being applied under a unique ruleset. And the explosiveness and size of the competitors is certainly enthralling.

Ever since I was a kid and saw that terrible Keanu Reaves movie, The Replacements, I've wondered about the parallels between the skills necessary to be a sumo wrestler vs. an offensive lineman in football. I'm embarrassed to ask such a dumb question... but have any former football lineman ever actually tried sumo? :redface:

You know, professional sumo is so insular that I couldn't imagine any would want to. You have to speak Japanese and act Japanese and live Japanese, you pretty much have to become Japanese and not just that but be abused. Unless you are poor, why bother? And the amateur circuits seems to strike me as unskilled undisciplined fat guys saying "hey look my kind of sport!!!"

I could be wrong though. GoForkYourself is the expert here so feel free to correct my assessment.

That said, Sumo is quickly becoming my favorite sport to watch. Guys like Hakuho are really a phenomenal athlete and grappler.

Could you imagine fighting a rikishi, like, in real life? I feel as though I would quickly be ran over furniture, curbs, railing, stuffed into a corner and just be defeated. They are real martial artists and would kick serious ass in a realistic confrontation.

 

[Fork]

Over the last 2 years I've become a pretty big sumo fan thanks to your threads!

Question: How can I get National Art of Ozumo on DVD?

great to hear!

i'm not sure how to get that series on DVD. i expect it's probably only available in japan, but i don't see it on the japanese amazon site.

it's available through torrents (or was anyway), and p^2's youtube channel, so i think the only way would be to rip the videos and burn them to DVD's yourself.

Sumo is wonderful. The tradition, the athleticism, the spirit.

Watching one of the tournaments live in Japan one day is on my bucket list!

Thanks for the good work here GFY!

absolutely, i hope to be able to watch sumo live one day as well.

You know, professional sumo is so insular that I couldn't imagine any would want to. You have to speak Japanese and act Japanese and live Japanese, you pretty much have to become Japanese and not just that but be abused. Unless you are poor, why bother? And the amateur circuits seems to strike me as unskilled undisciplined fat guys saying "hey look my kind of sport!!!"

I could be wrong though. GoForkYourself is the expert here so feel free to correct my assessment.

yeah, in terms of going from sumo to football, i don't think that has ever happened and i doubt it would. as you mentioned, going from sumo to any other sport is pretty rare because of the nature of the sumo community, but when it does happen it's generally to things like pro-wrestling or kickboxing/mma "freakshow" fights.

going the other way, from football to sumo, however is a bit more common. a lot of the hawaiian rikishi competed in football before being scouted by sumo guys and brought over to japan.

Yokozuna Musashimaru played football, as did Sentoryuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentoryū_Henri in high school, as did the amazing Takamiyama (first foreigner to win a tournament, first foreigner to open a sumo stable, most consecutive top-division appearances). and Akebono actually came from basketball.

so, i don't know about well-established offensive linemen competing in sumo, but the transition from football to sumo is a fairly common one for american sumo wrestlers. of course, a lot of them had experience with wrestling as well.

 

[Fork]

Could you imagine fighting a rikishi, like, in real life? I feel as though I would quickly be ran over furniture, curbs, railing, stuffed into a corner and just be defeated. They are real martial artists and would kick serious ass in a realistic confrontation.

there's a great story about the legendary Futabayama (longest win streak in sumo history) defending a cult leader from a bunch of cops who came to arrest her.

1947 January 16
FORMER SUMO CHAMPION MAKES ODD PROPHECIES
Futabayama Becomes Fanatical Devotee of Sun Goddess

Former Grand Champion Futabayama, idol of millions of ardent sumo fans throughout the country, lately has been acting extremely queerly, leading his close associates to entertain serious anxiety over his mental and spiritual state of mind.

Asahi's "Blue Pencil" columnist said that ever since Futabayama's retirement from the ring last year following an unprecedented record of victories the former Grand Champion has become a fanatical devotee of "Jiko-sama", sun goddess diety.

A few days ago, Futaba was reported to have appeared suddenly in Tokyo from Kanazawa, where he has been closely attached to a Jiko-sama temple there, and to have startled his close friends with strange mystical prophecies.

Announcing himself as an emissary of Jiko-sama, Futaba said that he had rushed to Tokyo on a mission to save humanity. To astonished associates, he blurted out that the time for materialization of the goddess' divine mission of reforming the souls of humanity and the heavenly and earthly order had already arrived.

The former Grand Champion, who since accepting the worship of the sun goddess diety has assumed the name of Motohiro Futaba, furthermore, declared that the spirit of Lenin recently had entered into his being.

When his friends refused to believe his prophecies, Futaba is reported to have angrily declared that those who could not understand him were "hopeless creatures".

After hurriedly spreading his gospel and warning, Futaba rushed back again to Kanazawa to continue his communion with his saint, the columnist said.


1947 January 23
Ex-Sumo Champ Beats Up Police But Fails to Save 'Sun Goddess'

Several policemen were seriously injured Tuesday night when Futabayama, former Grand Champion of the Sumo World, attempted to prevent the local police from taking Yoshiko Nagaoka 45, the self styled "sun goddess" into custody for questioning.

Futabayama was said to have fought off the police as if he were crazed, swinging chairs or throwing whatever articles he could grab hold of with the mighty strength of a sumo wrestlers.

The incident started around 8 p.m. when the local police received information that the self styled "sun goddess" was secretly preparing to leave the city in fear of arrest.

A squad of some 30 police surrounded the home of 'jiko-san" for the purpose of taking her into custody for questioning. Immediately, Futabayama created a one man riot in an attempt to prevent his "sun goddess" from the police.

After a 30 minute fight with Futabayama, the police finally succeeded in arresting the "Jiko-san" along with Futabayama and several other followers.

The "sun goddess", the Yomiuri reports, refused to appear at the Kanazawa Tamagawa police station Tuesday morning for questioning. Instead, she sent the emissaries. They were her finance minister and two maiden acolytes.

At the police station, they were questioned by a psychiatrist and a whole battery of police chiefs. The verdict was "definitely mentally unbalanced." So after two hours of interrogation, during which the two acolytes slid into a trance, the three emissaries were released.

The physchiatrist said he believes that the "sun goddess" herself may be a mental case.

one of the weirder events in sumo history, and involving such a pillar of the sport as Futabayama. it makes me like him even more.

 

[DREAM17]

haha oh wow. Those articles are filled with golden material.

Gettin' psyched for the May basho. Let's do thiiiiiis.

 

[Broculis]

I swear I don

 

[Linthec]

I swear I don

 

[Broculis]

It's really strange to me when people fail to see the fighting applicability of sumo.

We're grapplers here, right? Sumo is grappling. To be specific, it's pushing, driving, and throwing. To be truly great at the first 2 you really have to be massive. And let me tell you, the ability to push and drive can be devastating in a real fight where there is little room to maneuver.

Pushing, driving, and throwing is basic to every grappling art. I don

 

[Linthec]

Pushing, driving, and throwing is basic to every grappling art. I don

 

[TGR74]

This is an awesome thread. Thanks for posting all the videos and info. I just happened to wander into the forum today and see it.

 

[Big Nasty Edison]

Pushing, driving, and throwing is basic to every grappling art. I don

 

[Fork]

I swear I don

 

[Broculis]

this is a typical long-winded sumo response from me, but bear with me.

those are all reasonable questions.

i guess i'd say that these are questions that could be asked of many athletes. every sport takes years to learn, and many have no real-world applicability. many non-combat sports are essentially meaningless in terms of applying the skills used to real-world situations.

combat sports often do have real fighting applicability, as you describe, but i don't think people become professional athletes in these sports because of it. surely, it brings many people into these sports, but i believe they stay for the competition. and to be clear, i do think that sumo skills can be applied to real fighting.

and in terms of sumo being bad for your health, again, i'd say that a number of sports can be detrimental to long-term health. it's true though, the weight gain isn't good for joints later in life, and sumotori certainly can develop health problems related to their weight. it is important to understand that they aren't just big, fat guys, as linthec said. sumo wrestlers have a lot of muscle, and have consistent, arduous training sessions.

as for why people would take up sumo, i think again the answer is similar to why people take up any sport. one reason is probably money. when you get into the paid ranks you can make a fair amount of money with your salary, and potential prize money. on the other hand, the lower ranked guys don't get a lot of money, but at least get room and board for free at their stable (although they have to do plenty of chores). as linthec said though, for poorer kids, they can get somewhere to live, plenty of food to eat, a small allowance, and a chance at moving up the ranks and getting a good deal of money in the paid ranks.

there are also probably cultural and traditional reasons to want to join sumo. the sport is deeply rooted in japanese history and culture and i imagine some athletes (maybe idealistic ones) would take a fair amount of pride in being a part of the sport. and the sumo wrestler was viewed as a kind of masculine ideal in japan, big and powerful, and the sort of quintessential "strong, silent type". we generally don't have that same aesthetic appreciation here, but sumotori have plenty of female fans.

on the other hand, i think these last cultural and traditional reasons for joining sumo are fading away. ideas of male attractiveness are probably shifting away from sumotori, and the appeal of such a conservative and traditional sub-culture as sumo is fading. japanese kids know how rough the life of an up-and-coming sumo wrestler is and don't want to go through the hassle, and find other sports more appealing (or at least easier).

so i mean, the basic question of "why become a sumo wrestler?" is an important one for the sport, especially lately.

OK. I agree with everything you said.

I guess I personally would not take any sport with those characteristics.

That is why I do Jiu Jitsu...I don

 

[Fork]

OK. I agree with everything you said.

I guess I personally would not take any sport with those characteristics.

absolutely, i love sumo but i wouldn't want to be one.

 

[Linthec]

I just found a really awesome documentary I'd like to share. I may be wrong but I haven't seen it posted yet.

A karateka and K1 guy, Nicholas Pettas, tries sumo. He's enthusiasic, respectful, and legit about the whole thing. It's a great informative watch, here's part 1 of 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIRG0simtDE