Sumo is one event where, when it comes to front row seats, buyer beware. The dohyo (ring) is two feet high and only 15 feet in diameter. Unlike boxing, no ropes separate spectators from a piece of the action. In this case, it’s a very large piece.
These guys embody human wrecking balls; sitting ringside seems about as safe as picnicking at a construction site. Averaging between 350-400 lbs., rikishi (competitors) can’t stop on a dime when being forced out of the ring. Sometimes an unlucky kimono-clad gyogi (referee) gets tangled up in the takedown, drawing “ohhs” from the crowd.
For three hours I marveled at the head-on collisions unfolding before me, but from the safety of the cheap seats. Before the belly-bashing begins, however, rituals dating to the 8th century are observed. The chiri-chozu ceremony (hand-clapping while squatting on the toes) attracts the attention of the gods. Sumo originated as a religious ceremony to pray for bountiful harvests. The thigh-slapping and buttocks-smacking must have evolved later on as warm-up scare tactics. Fleshy echoes resonated up to the portraits of past champions hanging in the rafters. Unlike women’s tennis, grunting didn't seem en vogue. My favorite ritual was the shiko (foot-stomping), which at 1.0 on the Richter scale was more than enough to drive evil spirits back underground. Yet, just to be sure, wrestlers scatter 100 lbs. of purification salt into the sand and clay ring over the course of each day.
To see stills from the big guys in battle, click here.
3 comments:
If anyone is interested, I'm the fourth sumo to the right wearing red.
I thought I recognized you!
Pretty cool event you attended Jeff. Did they have sushi and sake vendors walking up and down the stadium?
Concessions were American-style hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, popcorn, and beer (but Asahi, not Budweiser). Although I think there was a cafe downstairs selling rice ball stuff. No hawkers vending foodstuffs in the arena - it might break sumo concentration through temptation.
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