The world of Sumo is a captivating and intriguing form of culture for not only Japanese people, but also for people around the world. This unique sport comes with many interesting facts and makes for an impressive experience if you’re lucky enough to watch any Sumo during your time in Japan. We have created this page to provide you with an overview about this amazing sport and culture, and we hope it intrigues any curious travellers!
The History of Sumo
Sumo is a traditional Japanese wrestling sport that holds a deep and long historical and cultural significance for Japan. It actually originated as a Shinto ritual rather than the sport we see today. Shinto is an indigenous religion of Japan, and its origins predates the arrival of Buddhism into Japan in the 6th Century. The religion is centred on Kami or sprits, believed to be natural elements, ancestors and sacred places. Sumo would take part in rituals where they would dance and perform grand movements believed to entertain and appease the Kami. These rituals would be performed during festivals and involved early forms of the Sumo ring and salt throwing to purify the ritual space which are all still included as part of the sport today, holding on to those Shinto origins and practice. Today, you will notice that many Sumo Stables and arenas still have Shinto Shrines present where the wrestlers will pray for protection and success.
From the Edo period (1603 - 1868), Sumo starts to become the competitive and professional sport we all know today. Matches would be held in special Dohyō - a circular ring where the Sumo must fight one another. Today, the sport is governed and regulated by the Japan Sumo Association who run the popular tournaments across Japan.
Sumo Culture and Life
Sumo has a complex and fascinating culture that closely follows and honours its roots from Shinto, as well as an important hierarchical ranking system that the wrestlers obey to show respect and order. This hierarchy is called ‘Rikishi’ where each Sumo has a special ranking based off age and skill. This rank will determine their status, earnings and privileges. The system is also based on win-loss records from performances in professional tournaments where Sumo Wrestlers are either promoted or demoted. To be in for a chance of promotion and to climb the rankings, a Sumo must have a winning record of 8+ matches in a 15 match tournament. If they have a losing record of 7 or more, then this results in a demotion.
There are 6 divisions of professional Sumo ; Makuuchi (top division), Jūryo ( second tier division), Makushita (third division), Sandanme (fourth division), Jonidan (fifth division), and finally Jonokuchi where new wrestlers begin their careers. The top and highest ranking Sumo are called ‘Yokozuna’ who come under the rank of Makuuchi. The Yokozuna are Grand Champions and are the best in the Sumo world. They will always enter the Sumo ring first, performing a Shinto inspired ritual first by lifting their arms and stamping their feet to ward off evil spirits.
Sumo Wrestlers need to maintain their large body mass whilst also staying strong and agile. Their diet is designed to maximise their calorie intake whilst also supporting muscle growth. The staple dish of a Sumo diet is Chanko Nabe. It is a protein and nutrient rich hotpot filled with meat, tofu, vegetables and noodles. The Sumo will eat this in large portions multiple times a day to ensure they gain the weight and muscle required. However, wrestlers tend to skip breakfast and train on empty stomachs for their morning sessions. This way, they increase their appetite for later and can consume large quantities for lunch and dinner. In fact, the average Sumo will consume a whopping 10,000+ calories a day! Sumo also enjoy consuming large amounts of beer and rice to also increase their calories.
To ensure extra luck, Sumo will often visit Shrines for blessings before training and tournaments, seeking divine protection and good fortune. Some Sumo will even receive purification rites from Shinto Priests for additional safety and protection. Day to day life of a Sumo deeply embedded in ritual and tradition. Their daily lives involve training, a strict diet, and rituals that have remained unchanged for centuries. A Sumo’s peak is usually in their 20’s to 30’s, and most wrestlers will retire from their mid 30’s due to injury. When Sumo retire known as ‘Intai’, a ceremony is held at their Sumo Stable to thank them for their loyalty and hard work, where family, friends, Sumo and Masters come to pay their respects. The Sumo’s top knot is then cut, and given to the Wrestler as a momento of their career. Most retired Sumo go on to become coaches, Sumo commentators, or Stablemasters.
Sumo Tournaments and How to Watch Sumo
Grand Sumo Tournaments are held throughout the year across different venues in Japan. Tokyo holds three Grand Sumo Tournaments yearly, with them being held in January, May and September for two weeks per tournament. During this time, you cannot go and see Sumo training at their Stable as their main focus is the tournament. Tokyo itself has a very large and famous Sumo stadium used to host these tournaments in an area of the city called Ryogoku.
Tournaments are extremely exciting and fun to attend, but tickets can be difficult to secure as they are extremely popular and in demand. Therefore, it is best to plan way in advance of your trip if you know you already want to watch Sumo. You can check the official Sumo Association website for all upcoming tournament dates and listings.
During the tournaments, the Sumo wear silk ‘Mawashi’ (traditional loincloth) in various colours which are often chosen based on their Stable tradition. For example, purple Mawashi are only worn by the Yokozuna during their training and tournaments to show their elite status. The tournaments allow the Sumo to hit one another, but only using open palm strikes in the face. If the Sumo are found to use punches and closed fists, this is an automatic foul.
Sumo Stables and Training Sessions
Sumo are scouted from a young age usually around 14 - 16 from Sumo clubs at school and local amateur tournaments where they are sent to a Sumo Stable to begin their career. Some Sumo also come from Sumo families and therefore inherit their skills and interest. However, some Sumo do start later. Sumo live and train together the Stable under the guidance of the Stablemaster who is usually a retired Sumo Wrestler. The Sumo not only train, but they also have the responsibility of cooking and cleaning during their time in the Stable. The lower ranking Sumo are often those who are given the most work or the harder chores.
During morning training sessions, the Sumo will focus on their strength, flexibility and endurance. To improve all these areas, they will practice specific exercises to ensure they get stronger and more skilled. The Sumo will practice Shiko (stomping exercises) to improve balance and leg strength, Teppo (striking a large wooden post) to build upper body strength, and they will also take part in sparring and throwing drills with their fellow Sumo to enhance agility and wrestling skills needed in the tournaments.
During training, Sumo will wear their ‘Mawashi’ ( traditional loincloths). You will often see black and white Mawashi being worn. This is to represent the rank and experience of the Sumo wrestlers. Black Mawashi are worn by the lower ranking Sumo. These Sumo are still working their way up the ranks and therefore have fewer privileges. White Mawashi are therefore worn by the higher ranking Sumo who are fully professional with good win records and therefore earn more money.
Best Sumo Experiences in Tokyo
There are a number of ways you can enjoy Sumo during your trip to Japan. If you’re looking to enjoy something Sumo related in Tokyo, we would highly recommend trying to watch a Grand Sumo Tournament during the months of January, May or September in Ryogoku. However, when the Grand Tournament is not being held, Ryogoku Stadium has a small Sumo Museum that fans can visit for a small taste of Sumo history and memorabilia.
Just across from the Ryogoku Stadium is NOREN, a restaurant complex designed in traditional Edo period architecture. Here, visitors can try Chanko Nabe and takes photos with a replica Sumo ring! For those still wanting to see Sumo outside of the Grand Tournament schedules, you can book an experience with a Sumo Stable via many of the online travel agents such as Tripadvisor and Viator where you can go inside a Stable and watch morning training sessions.
We at Snow Monkey Resorts provide a popular tour that includes a morning stop off at a Sumo Stable where you can watch the training from outside through large viewing windows. This is a great experience to see the Sumo practice and be impressed by their skills! Please note that all Sumo Stable and their schedules are subject to change and therefore it isn’t always possible to see the Sumo train. If you’re interested in this tour, please click the tour card below to book.
