The Traditional Japanese Art of Sumo is Coming!
-June 7,8 at Los Angeles Sports Arena-

As I continuation of our last edition, I would like to write about sumo. Again, two naked sumo wrestlers wearing belts collide against each other to push, strike, or throw each other out of the ring. The wrestler who defeats or push the other out of the ring wins. The game is sumo is rather simple. I believe many have seen the game on TV but don't really understand the essence of the game.
The game of sumo started several thousand years ago, in the edo period (1603-1868). Wrestlers sport the chonmage (the typical hairstyle in the edo period), and the sumo referee wears the same clothing that was worn by samurai warriors approximately 600 years ago. Sumo wresting is the national sport of Japan, known for it’s traditional customs. Today, professional baseball and soccer is popular in Japan, but sumo wrestling is the most traditional national sport of Japan.
Back then, sumo was only enjoyed by the aristocrats, made popular through performances to gather funds for building shrines, temples, and building bridges. Mainoumi, former rikishi and commentator said, “Sumo is one of the oldest and most traditional martial art of Japan. Its history goes back approximately 1400 years, and no formal rules existed in the beginning. However, the dohyo (sumo ring) was made and the rules were made which exists today. Sumo is considered a sport today, but it is actually a national cultural art. Many practices are observed today, such as not showing joy when you win a match. It is important to show consideration and respect to the defeated party, and you simply 'bow' at the end of a match. When you're competing, you collide against them with great force, as if you're going to kill them. But once the match ends, you're not supposed to be arrogant because you win. Instead, you show each other respect regardless of your win or loss. This is one very important custom of sumo."
 As Mainoumi said, the world of sumo has numerous customs still practiced today. I want to introduce the practice of the “Room System” that is distinctive of sumo. This system is practiced in no other professional sport. The Room System in sumo is a system where the wrestlers live together centered around the oyakata, or the room leader. Wrestlers live there and practice sumo techniques and learn to live with others as a team member. The rikishi also learn the customs of the sumo industry, to become strong rikishis and people. Until they marry, rikishis are usually expected to live with the team, even as a sekitori ( Rank upper than juryo. The names of the upper division rikishi, the maku-uchi. The maku-uchi group includes the five top ranks: Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi, and Maegashira The juryo is a low rank than a maku-uchi). Once a rikishi becomes a sekitori, he is given his own room, but makushita (rikishis ranking lower than sekitori) all live together. (One cannot compete as a sumo wrestler without belonging to one of the Room Systems). The sumo customs passed on from the oyakata to his disciples is largely due to the Room System.
The original Room System was developed in the late Edo period. The current Sumo Room has approximately 53 rooms, and each of these rooms are classified under one of the five main rooms. The 53 rooms houses approximately 730 rikishis. Each of these locations is near the Kokugikan area in Ryogoku, Tokyo. Previous sumo rooms were made in traditional Japanese architectural form, like one floor or two floors, but more recently, buildings are becoming the norm. The Kasugano-beya is constructed as a eight floor building, while Tokitsukaze-beya is 10 floors to give you an example. The first three floors are used as training rooms, while the rest is used as a condominium. Each sumo room has a dohyo and room to practice, while others offer training rooms and libraries. The purpose of these rooms is to train rikishis, and is taken seriously.
Sumo is a world of Japanese customs and traditions, but lately, many from around the world are overcoming the language and cultural barriers to enter the world of sumo, and are performing marvelously. Of the 730 rikishis today, there are 59 rikishis from twelve different countries. The Maku-uchi rank of strong rikishis have 42 rikishis, of whom 13 of them are foreign nationals making up 30% of the rank. Of the 13 foreign nationals of the Maku-uchi rank, Mongolians are the largest in number, in eight members. While the Mongolian sumo is very different from Japanese sumo, the Mongolian sumo is very popular in its native land as well, which could be influenced by Japanese sumo. The power of foreign rikishis is well documented. In Japan, only one in 308 rikishis become yokozunas, a difficult and coveted position. However, of the 155 rikishis of foreign nationals, 4 have become yokozunas. This is a success rate of 1 in 39 rikishis, six times that of Japanese rikishis. In the future, our top rikishis might consist of foreign rikishis only.
Now retired, Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru are American rikishis from Hawaii, who were champions in 1992, which restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the world of sumo. Afterwards, foreign nationals entering sumo became limited, following the drop in popularity of sumo and the entrance of Japanese nationals into the sumo world. This was when foreign nationals were once again permitted to enter the world of sumo.
In 2002, the entry of foreign nationals into the sumo room was restricted to “one in each room,” aside from rooms that already housed numerous foreign nationals. Of the 53 Sumo Rooms, there are only two rooms today that is not housing a foreign national.
 Sumo tournaments can be viewed live in Los Angeles!
Sumo tournaments takes place in Tokyo in January, Osaka in March, Tokyo in May, Nagoya in July, and Tokyo in September, and in Fukuoka in November; totaling six major tournaments a year by touring throughout Japan. In between these months, tournaments are scheduled in various other regions in an effort to widen sumo fans. This tour will return to Los Angeles since their last visit 28 years ago. Known as the “naked goodwill ambassadors,” their tours were held a total of 13 times outside of Japan, and have contributed greatly to strengthening international friendships and international efforts of cultural exchange.
From Japan, the stable master and rikishi totaling 300 members will come to Los Angeles. Not only the sumo, but the shokkiri (initial explanations only seen during tours, when two rikishi jokingly explain the kinjite, or prohibited strategies), children’s’ sumo (a crowd of children challenge a rikishi at the same time, which produces a relaxing atmosphere at the tournament site), and sumojinku performed by rikishi with beautiful singing voices can be seen. Taiko performances by yobidashi (the MC who presents the names of sumo wrestlers prior to their matches) can also be seen, a rare glimpse into the exotic aspects of the world of sumo.
Why not enjoy a sumo tournament up close, and experience the 400-year history and the thrills of sumo? For more information on the Los Angeles tour, please visit www.sumotour.com.

(*1) 32 Mongolians, 6 Russians, 6 Chinese, 6 Georgians, 3 Brazilians, 2 Koreans, 2 Tongans, 1 Czechoslovakian, 1 Bulgarian, 1 Kazakhstanian, 1 Estonian, 1 Hungarian.

**All photo by Executive Committee of Los Angeles Grand Sumo Tournament 2008**