ceremony or sport?

::: we used to think that sumo wrestling was not a sport...just some really huge guys doing what most guys like to do anyway: wrestle, push, throw, and slap each other around...

...boy were we wrong...yesterday, as we witnessed day 13 of the 15-day grand sumo tournament held in downtown osaka (there are 6 grand tourneys per year throughout japan), we were just blown away by the sumos' combination of strength, speed, and skill...

...sumo: ceremony or sport?...without question, sumo is both and soooo fun...

...exhibit a: check out yesterday's final bout between chiyotaikai (who had a respectable 8-4 record coming into yesterday's action) and asashoryu, who is a yokozuna (grand champion) who won all 6 tournaments last year (first time ever)...chiyotaikai is the one with his back facing the camera...




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...once heard about NFL offensive/defensive line coaches going to japan and trying to convince a sumo or two to trade in his silk loin cloth for a helmet and pads...now i know why...in the arena lobby area before the top-level sumos started wrestling, claire and i saw a few of the lower level sumos walking around (they had completed their matches for the day), and dang, they were HUGE!...i mean seriously...i went to ucla and saw a few linemen in my classes...these lower-level sumos were more dense and defined than them...

...we went to the sumo tournament with (left to right) yasuko, laura, and the takamotos (owen, eric and sue)...it was a blast...

...watch out sumos, present and future!...here comes the next great sumo champion...

...owen, uncle bobby and auntie claire love you~! (but we miss you too, annie!)

...if you're interested, here are some more sumo pictures...

...the sumo matches take place in a sumo-ring called the dohyo with an overhanging piece that resembles a shinto shrine...

...i tried to do the green-sumo's move when i got home...it's harder than you think...

...as mentioned above, sumo is both ceremony and sport...the next few pictures capture the "entering the ring" (dohyo-iri) ceremony...here's the big boys (the top tier sumos called ozekis and yokozunas) marching into the ring, much to the crowd's delight...

...the big boys form a wa-circle facing the crowd...

...then they face each other and get pumped up...

...then the biggest sumo -- yokozuna Asasyoryu -- comes out and finishes the "entering in" ceremony with a series of moves with his sword-bearer and attendant at his sides...

...then it's on...the battles are often brief but full of technique...eric explained the difference between sumos that are grapplers (they use the belt and excel at wrestling) and those that are slappers (they use their hands defensively and use their feet to outmaneuver their foes)...it's interesting when a grappler faces a slapper...the yokozuna above is excellent at both approaches...that's why he's the su-man...

...here's two grapplers going at it...

...without scrolling down, take a guess: who do you think won?...

...if you went for the red-belt sumo, you're right (he did a classic misdirection and push-out of bounds)...

...better luck next time, mr. blue sumo guy...the loser walks out of the arena...the winner stays and gives a ladle of water to the next sumo...after seeing the expression on his face, i was really feelin' for the fella...he was really dejected as he walked off...

...oh, and um, by the way, if you don't like commercials, you're gonna be a bit disappointed at your next sumo tourney...with certain matches involving big names or intriguing matchups, corporate sponsors sweeten the prize money in exchange for the opportunity to advertise their products around the ring before the match begins (banners below accompanied by a blurb from the arena announcer)...

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::: sumo, both ceremony and sport...and distinctively japanese :::