Hello, I am Yoshi, from NILS Japanese language school. Today, we would like to talk about one of the traditional martial arts, “sumo (相撲).”

Sumo is the oldest sport in Japan and was originally practiced as a part of Shinto rituals for agricultural fertility in ancient times. Professional wrestlers appeared in the Edo Period, and bouts were performed to raise funds to build temples and shrines. In 1909, sumo was designated the national sport of Japan.
In sumo match, two wrestlers wearing only loincloths wrestle in a 4.5-meter diamiter ring until one of them is pushed out or touches the ground with any part of his body other than the soles of his feet.
Six great championships are held in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka every year. The tournament lasts for 15 days and each wrestler must win more than 8 times to maintain or to raise his ranking. The highest ranking wrestler is called “Yokozuna (横綱)” or “grand champion.”
Sumo has a history of more than 1,400 years. As well as the sumo matches themselves, you can also see some of the traditional rituals and ceremonies on TV that are conducted between bouts of sumo, for example, there is a ceremony of entering the ring before matches, throwing salt to purify the ring and many others. The world of sumo, which is very conservative, is now experiencing globalization. Recently, many sumo stables include wrestlers from foreign countries.

Feb. 27th News, from NILS Japanese language school.