GRAND TRIO > SUMO

Sumo, (Japanese wrestling), Yakyu (baseball), Kyujutsu (archery) Judo and Kendo (Japanese fencing) are all considered Japanese national sports, but none of them is designated formally as a national sport by the government in Japan. The beginning of Sumo history is not clear, but we know that the sport became a profession 500 years ago. The first impression you may get from Sumo is "big". The wrestlers weigh 300 lbs. or more, but they are amazingly strong and quick. Whoever wants to be a wrestler has to start as an apprentice right after graduating from junior high school. Then, in order to become a professional Sumo wrestler, he has to pass both the mental and physical examination to be a Sumo student. The hard training begins here, and his win-or-lose game will be decided just in seconds and very often in three seconds! The ring is only 15feet in diameter and to lose the bout one has to be either pushed out of the ring, forced to touch the ground or felled by Sumo techniques.

The Sumo Champion is the top star in Japan. He is much more popular than champions of Judo or Kendo, because Sumo is a very traditional sport while Judo or Kendo are considered modern sports. It is very interesting to know that though one bout of Sumo can last only a few seconds, there are about 340 bouts in a contest nine hours long, starting at 9:00 in the morning and finishing at 6:00 in the evening. There is only one organization that sponsors Sumo contests. There are [YOU FORGOT A NUMBER!] seasons a year, beginning in January, one every other month. The season is called Basho, which consists of a tournament of fifteen consecutive days, beginning on Sundays.

Sumo wrestlers are big and strong, but they usually have to retire in their early 30’s. There are only a few successful wrestlers in the Sumo community, while most wrestlers have to look for other jobs to make their living. One such job is to work in a “Chanko Nabe” restaurant, which serves a very special type of “Shabu Shabu” hot pot food. The waiters from these restaurants are all retired “Osumousan” (wrestlers).