Sumo Wrestling
Sumo wrestling, the most Japanese of the national sports, weaves together ceremony, ritual and sheer excitement. Though the wrestlers weigh in at around 135kg, they follow a special programme of exercise to strengthen the back, leg and stomach muscles, and are surprisingly agile.
The rules of sumo are essentially simple, but the fighting techniques (combinations of pushes, grabs, and pulls) can be complex. The wrestlers position themselves on either side of the raised clay platform, or dohyo, and scatter handfuls of salt into the ring - an ancient ritual of purification that dramatically reflects the mood of the combatants. The opponents then crouch down and size each other up, carefully choosing the best moment to launch their assault.
Once it begins, the action is dramatic and usually over in just a few seconds. Whoever is thrown or pushed out of the ring or hits the ground with any part of the body except feet is declared the loser.
Traditionally a Japanese-only sport, sumo is gradually opening up to non-Japanese, and Hawaiian, Georginan, Bulgarian, and Samoan wrestlers have ranked highly in the sport, with the Mongolian-born Asashoryu and recently promoted Hakuho currently holding the highest sumo title of yokozuna.
Six grand sumo tournaments, or basho, are held yearly. The week-long tournaments are held in Tokyo in January, May and September and in Osaka in March, Nagoya in mid-July and Fukuoka in November. Into Japan is happy to arrange sumo tickets during these tournaments as part of your trip to Japan.