Watching Sumo

The Japan Sumo Association (日本相撲協会, Nihon Sumō Kyōkai) held the last event of the 2016 Summer Tour on Sunday, August 28 at the atrium of JP Tower’s Kitte in Marunouchi, Tokyo. Dubbed as ‘Hakkeyoi Kitte,’ the last day of the month-long tour filled the shopping mall galleries to the rafters.

The sumo wrestlers were big! This I saw with my own eyes for the first time. Even from a distance, from the fourth floor gallery, watching the naked men grapple, push and pull, lift, throw, slap, trip each other, the mawashi-clad men were massive – both in size and in strength.

I have always wanted to see a live sumo match or an exhibition. I follow the martial art (and sport) on television but I’ve never seen the wrestlers in the flesh – until the other day.

Advertised as free, I decided to go to the event. Finally, I saw yokozuna (grand champion) Hakuhō Shō (白鵬 翔). Perched on the top gallery, like a tombi hawk, I watched him and tried to film every movement he made. As soon as he stepped into the sacred ring to perform the tsuna-shime (putting on the four-meter ceremonial tsuna hemp belt) assisted by five rikishi, the crowd hushed into silence. All eyes were on the men on the dohyo.

Other ceremonies performed were Dohyo-iri (ring entering ceremony) and Yumitori-shiki (bow twirling ceremony). There were 19 bouts – each of them exhibiting a particular waza (technique).

It was a very educational event for a sumo beginner like my person. Since it was an exhibition, the tension and excitement of a real match were absent. Therefore, in the 2016 September Grand Sumo Tournament which will commence on Sunday, the 11^th of September at Ryogoku Kokugikan (sumo stadium) in Tokyo, I promised to treat myself to a day of sumo.