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At first glance, Japanese sumo wrestling looks strange: overweight men, dressed in huge bikinis, push each other in a small circle, and...

By Masterweb

21.04.2018 06:00

At first glance, Japanese sumo wrestling looks strange: overweight men dressed in huge bikinis jostling in a small circle, and the preliminary ceremony is usually longer than the fight itself. However, digging a little deeper reveals a unique and technical sport steeped in history and wrestlers whose rigorous training regimen and dedication cannot fail to impress.

Sumo is a type of wrestling that has long been the national sport in Japan. Its origin dates back to the Yayei period (circa 300 BC - 300 AD). It includes many elements of the Shinto religion in the form of various rituals and ceremonies that usually last much longer than the duel itself. Until now, competitions in this sport are considered a sacred event, and the pavilion in which fights take place is equated to a Shinto shrine.

Origin and development

The origins of sumo wrestling are lost in the mists of time, but it is believed to have first been practiced during the Yayoi period as part of a Shinto ritual when "kami" or spirits were called to fight.

Traditionally, the very first wrestler is considered to be Nomi no Sukune, who was ordered by the emperor Suyinin (29 BC - 70 AD) to fight Tagima no Kehai. Nomi no Sukune won, albeit naturally, as he was a descendant of Amenohohi, the son of the sun goddess Amaterasu.

Figures of sumo wrestlers surrounded the most ancient Japanese burials, and clay toys of the Kofun period depicting them have also been found.

Sumo wrestling competitions in Japan became an important ritual in the 8th century. n. e. Fights known as tsuji-zumo were fought by samurai. They did not differ in a large number of rules, often ended in death, and the prize was cash. Another type of fighting was kanjin zumo, which was held in temples to raise money for their upkeep.

After the 12th century, this struggle almost disappeared as the decline of the power of the Imperial Court and the emergence of the samurai class led to political instability. The last official sumo seti was held in 1174. Under the shoguns, public matches were banned, but martial arts were encouraged among the samurai. There are several pictures of people doing this type of wrestling in full gear outside the doha area.

It is believed that the circle separating the wrestlers from the spectators appeared in the 16th century. at a tournament organized by the chief military leader of Japan, Oda Nobunaga. Back then sumo wrestlers wore loose loincloths rather than the much stiffer modern mawashi. During the Edo period, wrestlers wore edged kese-mawashi during the fight, but today they are worn only during the pre-tournament rituals. Most of the rest of the uniforms currently in use came from the same era.

The modern history of the rules and techniques of sumo wrestling began at the Tomioka Hachimangu Shinto shrine in Tokyo. Regular fights have been organized here since 1684. In particular, the former samurai Ikazuchi Gondai created the rules and arena that are still used today. Sumo wrestlers, popularly called "rikishi", later became professional athletes, and wrestling itself became a national sport. As before, it continues to be considered sacred.

Shinto rituals

The explosive physical strike in sumo wrestling is preceded by a long series of rituals and postures that originate from ancient fights and the Shinto religion. One of these rituals involves the competitor raising one leg and slamming it hard on the ground several times. It comes from the archaic practice of warriors making such movements before battle to frighten the enemy, which is called "shiko". The same ritual was performed by the goddess Amaterasu when she faced the rebellious brother Susanoo in Shinto mythology.

Wrestlers also clap their hands before the fight. This is another Shinto tradition where the worshiper clap to mark the beginning and end of the prayer.

Another ritual is that athletes periodically scatter salt. It is an act of purification practiced at Shinto shrines to drive away evil spirits.

Finally, the judge of a sumo match is a striking sight in itself, as he wears a robe similar to those worn in medieval times in the imperial court of Japan and worn by Shinto priests today.

Playground for wrestling

The two wrestlers face each other as they stand on a raised square platform of hard-packed clay covered with a layer of sand. The sumo wrestling area measures exactly 5.7 m wide on each side and 34–60 cm high. The ring or doha is a perfect circle with a diameter of 4.57 m, marked with braids of rice straw. After each competition, the site is dismantled. A canopy with colored tassels hanging from its 4 corners is raised high above the platform, and the whole ensemble has the status of a sacred Shinto shrine, which it closely resembles.

The winner of the bout must either push his opponent out of the straw circle or force him down. If any part of the wrestler's body other than his feet touches the clay floor, he loses. Athletes with hair tied in elaborate knots in imitation of medieval samurai wear a "mawashi" or large belt that an opponent can grab onto to wrestle or lift the wearer, pushing them out of the circle or knocking them down. In the fastest fights, this task may take only a few seconds to complete, but the difficulty lies in the sheer size of the wrestlers. Many sumo wrestlers weigh 150 kg, but the mass of individual giants can exceed 200 kg.

Organization

Some sumo wrestlers in Japan are superstars, especially tournament winners who have received the prestigious title of "yokozuna" or grand champion. Participation in the sport is not limited to the Japanese, however, as some yokozuna were born in Mongolia and Hawaii. Even lesser-known sumo wrestlers are popular, as they are often invited to private homes at the end of winter to rid the home of bad spirits or "oni" in a ceremony known as "setsubun" ("second day, second month"). The sumo wrestler throws the beans and repeatedly yells the phrase "oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi" which means "demons away, good luck come".

Sumo wrestlers are called "rikishi" in Japanese. The two hieroglyphs that form this word mean "strength" and "warrior". In 6 leagues - maku-uchi, zure, makushita, sandanme, zonidan, zonokuchi - there are about 650 rikishi.

Maku-uchi (includes the top 42 athletes) naturally receives the most media attention. At the top is the yokozuna, the great champion. This position is usually taken by winning two hon-bashes (major tournaments that determine the ranking) in a row. There are 6 hon-bashes every year (in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka), one in every odd month, and they last 15 days. By 2018, there were only 72 yokozuna in the history of the sport, which should give an idea of how difficult it is to achieve this title. Rikishi from the top two divisions (known as "sekitori") compete in every major tournament.

preliminary ritual

The uniqueness of Japanese sumo wrestling lies in the fact that the spectacular pre-match ceremony is as exciting as the fight itself. The day before each major tournament, the doha clay platform with a 4.55 m diameter circle in which the duel takes place is “cleansed” with a prayer for the safety of the rikishi. It involves placing salt, peeled rice, dried chestnuts, dried seaweed, dried cuttlefish and nutmeg berries in a small hole in the center of the ring as an offering to the gods.

The rikishi climb the doha from the east and west, with the east side doing it first. The wrestlers go to the center of the circle and stop exactly behind the shikiri-sen lines, separated by only a few centimeters. They stare into each other's eyes and perform a ritual called "shiko". It consists of the wrestlers clapping their hands and alternately raising and lowering their right and left legs, which is probably the action with which this sport is most associated outside of Japan. But it's more than just warming up the muscles. Clapping serves to attract the attention of the gods, hands raised to the sky demonstrate the absence of weapons, and the famous stamping of the feet is necessary to crush any evil spirit.

At the end of the shiko, the rikishi leave the circle and purify themselves. The first ritual is called "chikara-mizu", which literally means "strong water". Each rikishi receives this water from the last opponent they defeated. Like a cleansing ritual in shrines and temples, each rikishi takes a handful of water, rinses his mouth with it, and washes his body. The wrestlers then take a handful of salt and scatter it over the ring.

Duel

As soon as the shinpan judge gives the signal for the start of the bout, each rikishi squats behind an 80 cm long white line called "shikiri-sen". Since sumo wrestling is designed for two participants, there are two such lines. The duel begins when both rikishi place clenched fists behind their shikiri sen.

Since it is the wrestlers themselves who ultimately decide the start of the fight, these moments can be incredibly tense. Rikishi will often crouch for a few seconds, carefully watching what their opponent will do, before standing up again. They may exit the ring to their corner, but if they do, they must clean the circle again with salt before re-entering. A single fight determines the winner (this is not the best system), and since the first few seconds during which the rikishi collide are often decisive, one can understand why the preliminary actions are often the most intense moments of the fight.

If the referee determines that one of the wrestlers did not put both fists on the ground before the start of the match, or if the opponent decides that he is not quite ready, the bout stops. In this case, the sumo wrestlers must return to their starting position.

The tachi-ai starting spurt is one of the most important stages of the fight. A good start allows the sumo wrestler to fight in the style that suits him best.

Officially, there are 82 techniques, called kimari-te ("decisive hand"), with which a rikishi can win a match (for example, push, throw by the neck, etc.). Once the winner is determined, both rikishi stand on either side of the circle and bow to each other without showing emotion before the loser leaves the sumo wrestling ring and the shinpan officially announces the winner.

General entrance to the ring

Each day of the competition begins with lower rank bouts before jure and maku uchi matches. Each round of fighting is preceded by a special procession called dohe-iri where the rikishi stand outside the dohe circle wearing their mawashi (silk loincloths) and perform an alternate version of the shiko ritual mentioned above. They clap and rub their hands to make sure the gods are watching, symbolically clearing themselves before leaving the ring, waving their mawashi to signify that there are no weapons underneath.

The yokozuna performs her own ritual of entering the circle, which is a more elaborate and longer version of the shiko, which also involves the shinpan and two other rikishi present on the doha.

Fight rules

The basic rule of sumo wrestling is simple: if any part of the body other than the legs touches the ground or the athlete goes out of the circle, the match ends and the opponent is declared the winner. During the match, the following actions are prohibited:

grasping hair;
eye gouging;
punches (spanking with open palms is allowed);
strangulation (although thrusting with open palms into the throat of the opponent is allowed);
capture of a part of the opponent's mawashi in the crotch area.

The wrestler who used the forbidden technique automatically loses, as well as the one who has mawashi untied. Also, the defeat is counted to the one who cannot continue the fight (for example, after an injury). After the announcement of the winner, the judge must report the move that led to the victory.

There are no weight categories. It's not just about size: maneuverability can be important as well, and small rikishi have the advantage that they can back off and slip behind their larger opponent, using his considerable momentum against him.

Participation of foreigners and women

Although the sport has historically been dominated by the Japanese, in recent years foreigners have become more and more common participants in sumo competitions. Rikisi, who has won the biggest tournament victories, is a Mongolian athlete named Hakuho Se (Munkhbatyn Davaajargal). Currently, foreigners (of which most are Mongols) make up about 5% of the total number of sumo wrestlers.

Women cannot participate in professional sumo wrestling. But this prohibition does not apply to amateurs. Brazil is considered the center of women's sumo wrestling.

The longest sumo match lasted 32 minutes, including 2 mizu-iri (short breaks that are announced when the match reaches a stalemate).

The greatest number of victories in a row - 69 - was won by Futabayama Sadaji (1912-1968).

The heaviest sumo wrestler in history was Orara Satoshi, a Russian athlete from the Republic of Buryatia, bordering Mongolia, who weighed 271 kg.

The basic remuneration of a sumo wrestler is determined by his rank. Yokozuna receives about 2.8 million yen a month, and jure wrestlers receive about 1 million.

After a serious car accident involving athlete Mitoizumi, the Sumo Association banned sumo wrestlers from driving a car.

Geji judges, like wrestlers, enter the profession at the age of 16 and remain in it until they retire. Their traditional dress is strictly dependent on rank, and as they grow professionally, they receive honorary titles. The geji of the highest rank takes the name Kimura Senosuke, but unlike the yokozuna, only one can wear it.

Each judge has a short tanto sword 15-30 cm long. With it, he must commit ritual suicide in case of making the wrong decision.

In accordance with the strict rules that govern their lives, sumo wrestlers are forbidden to choose their clothes. They must grow their hair long so that they can be tied into a ten-mage knot, similar to that of the samurai in the Edo period. Such a hairstyle, like traditional clothes, must be worn by sumo wrestlers at all times. At the same time, the clothes of beginner sumo wrestlers must be made of cheap cotton, and they must have wooden geta sandals on their feet, even in winter. As the rank increases, wrestlers are allowed to have more and more expensive clothes and even choose their own.

Describing sumo wrestling, it is impossible not to mention the main diet of sumo wrestlers - chanko-nabe. This is a protein-rich Japanese stew consisting of fish, meat and vegetables in a chicken broth specially formulated to help rikishi gain weight. You don't have to be a wrestler to try it - there are restaurants that specialize in this dish.

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One of the popular national sports in Japan is sumo wrestling. Japan is the only country where sumo competitions are held at a professional level. In other countries, such as Korea, sumo is also a popular sport, but only at an amateur level.

Sumo originated in antiquity, during the Yayoi era, which falls on the period 300 BC - 250 AD. At that time, sumo was a Shinto ritual ceremony (Shinto is the traditional religion of the Japanese people), which gradually developed into a combat duel. Then, for the pleasure of the nobility of those times, pointed bamboo piles were dug around the place where the duel took place. And then, the losing wrestler, falling out of the circle, was pierced by these piles, which led to indescribable delight of the audience.

During the formation of the samurai class, sumo wrestling becomes his privilege. In the combat training of the samurai, sumo played a significant role, as it contributed to the ability to stand firmly on one's feet.

Sumo includes a certain ritual of preparing and conducting a duel. Before the duel began, its participants prayed for victory, sprinkled salt on the arena to drive evil spirits underground, and then clapped their hands to attract the attention of the deity in whose honor the competition was held, this ritual is still performed today.

In the 16th century, professional sumo tournaments began to take place. The rules of wrestling changed over time and were finally developed in the 17th century and have not changed since then.

The platform for sumo is a hill of 40-60 cm, on which there is a circle called dohyo, packed with clay and sprinkled with sand. In the center dohyo two white lines shikiri-sen) are the starting positions of sumo wrestlers. Around the arena, finely sifted sand called "snake's eye" is poured. With the help of sand it is possible to determine whether the touch was by a wrestler outside the arena. The diameter of the wrestling circle is 4.55 meters.

Sumo wrestlers dressed in mawashi- This is a special belt made of dense fabric, usually dark colors. This wide ribbon is wrapped around the naked body and between the legs several times and tied in a knot at the back. On mawashi there is a fringe - sagari, which is only decoration and does not carry any semantic load. If the mawashi is unwound during the fight, then this automatically leads to the disqualification of the wrestler.

Sumo wrestlers' hair is greased and placed in a large bun at the crown. The referee is watching the fight gyoji) competitions. He is dressed in ancient ritual clothes and during the struggle he gives commands with the help of a fan.

The rules of wrestling include a number of prohibitions, these are: you can’t grab an opponent by the hair, fingers, ears, you can’t choke, you can’t grab mawashi in the genital area, you can only hit with an open palm, but you can’t hit in the eye area and genitals. All other tricks are allowed.

In the following cases, the defeat of the sumo wrestler is counted:

the wrestler has touched the ground with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet
the wrestler was forced out of the circle
the wrestler performed a hold prohibited for wrestling
mawashi came in an inappropriate look
wrestler announced blue thai(corpse). This happens extremely rarely when the wrestler is in an impossible position to fight.

The duel does not last long and can be from a few seconds to several minutes. The decisive, but not the main, role in the victory is played by the mass of the wrestler, because the greater the weight, the easier it is to push the opponent out of the circle. Therefore, immediately before the competition, wrestlers consume large amounts of water - up to 10 liters per day and eat fatty foods in large quantities, increasing their mass. Sumo wrestlers weigh from 125 kg to 235 kg. But the technique of waging a duel still plays the main role and therefore one can observe how a noticeably smaller wrestler wins in a duel.

Sumo wrestling has a strict hierarchy, it depends on the skill of the wrestler. The hierarchy was established in the Edo era and exists today. Each wrestler receives a pseudonym from the instructor. The wrestlers after each bout either advance or are relegated in the circle depending on the number of performances and their victories. Considering that the status of a wrestler depends on the number of victories, sumo wrestlers try to take part in all competitions, regardless of the fact that they have not yet recovered from injuries after previous competitions. And sumo is a fairly traumatic sport. Often at competitions you can see a wrestler with bandaged hands and knees.

There are six ranks in sumo: makuuchi, dzyure, makushita, sandamme, jonidan, jonokuchi.

A sumo wrestler's career starts from the lowest rank - jenokuchi, and in order to reach the highest circle - makuuchi, one must exert a lot of strength and develop combat skills. It requires a lot of time and physical effort from the wrestler.

At the top of the qualification is the grand champion - yokozuna(great champion). If a wrestler reaches the title of yokozuna, then unlike other (lower) ranks, he is no longer subject to demotion even if he loses the match. But usually a yokozuna leaves the sport and does not take part in competitions if he sees that his time has passed and he does not meet the standard of a champion.

The winner of each competition receives the Emperor's Cup and a large cash prize. Professional sumo wrestlers receive a monthly fee of 10,000 dollars from the Japan Sumo Association, they receive an additional fee for each battle they win, plus there is a corresponding bonus system.

Sumo wrestling requires great strength and health, and huge weight also adversely affects the general condition of the wrestler, therefore, at the age of 35, sumo wrestlers retire and live quite prosperously from the funds accumulated for their professional activities, in addition, depending on the qualification level, they receive a decent pension - 5-6 thousand dollars.

There are six sumo tournaments in Japan every year. Three in Tokyo in January, May and September, and one each in Osaka in March, Nagoya in July and Fukuoka in November. Each tournament lasts for 15 days, during which each wrestler takes part in one match per day (excluding minor matches if they have already been won). During the tournament period, the rating of the hierarchy based on the results of the competition is updated daily. Wrestlers who have more wins than losses move up the hierarchy, those who have more losses in their arsenal are lowered in rank.

The best way to see sumo is to take part in the tournament, tickets are sold for all 15-day tours in specialized organizations, in mini markets, in stadiums (the cheapest tickets are purchased on the day of the performance, in the stadium, special places are reserved for these tickets).

There are three types of places available for sumo lovers. These are places near the ring, which are located near the arena (circle) in which the competition takes place. These are the most expensive places and it is difficult to get tickets there. Spectators are seated on cushions on the floor and are at risk of injury when a wrestler flies out of the circle.

Vox seats are seats on the first floor of the stadium, in the form of a box divided among themselves, in which there are 4 seats - pillows on the floor. These places are sold immediately for 4 tickets, regardless of whether there will be four people or two. It is forbidden to wear shoes in these places.

And the third type of seating is balconies, Western style. The ticket price depends on the distance from the arena. Children under 3 years old, together with their parents, attend competitions for free, but in distant places, without providing a separate seat.

Tickets for competitions, as a rule, are purchased in advance, otherwise there is a chance not to get to your favorite show.

Sumo is a type of wrestling in a loincloth (mawashi) on a specially equipped platform (dohyo).

In sumo competitions, the following weight categories are defined:

Boys 13-18 years old: up to 75 kg, up to 100 kg, over 100 kg and absolute weight category.
Men: up to 85 kg, up to 115 kg, over 115 kg and absolute weight category.
Women: up to 65 kg, up to 80 kg, over 80 kg and absolute weight category.

Cloth

Competitors must wear a loincloth - mawashi. However, in amateur sumo, it is allowed to wear swimming trunks or tight-fitting black shorts under mawashi. The width of the mawashi is 40 cm, no specific length is prescribed, but the length of the mawashi must be sufficient to allow it to be wrapped around the athlete's torso 4-5 times.

Athletes are not allowed to go to the fight wearing items that can injure the opponent. This primarily applies to metal jewelry (rings, bracelets, chains, etc.). The wrestler's body must be completely clean and dry, fingernails and toenails cut short. The emblem of the club, federation, number, etc. it is allowed to attach (tie) to mawashi.

Competition Venue: Doha

Sumo competitions are held on a square area with a side of 7.27 m, which is called dohyo.

There are two types of dohyo:

mori-dohyo - clay or earthen trapezoid 34-60 cm high;
hira-dohyo - flat dohyo, which is used for training and for competitions in the absence of mori-dohyo.

The arena is a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m, the center of which is the intersection of two diagonal lines of the square specified in paragraph 5.1. The arena of the fight along the perimeter is limited by a bundle of rice straw - cebu-dawara.

In the center of the circle on the east and west sides of the dohyo, two white starting lines (sikirisen) are applied to the surface at a distance of 70 cm from each other. Shikirisen is 80 cm long and 6 cm wide.

Inside the circle is sprinkled with sand. Sand is also scattered outside the circle, along the shobu-dawara, to a width of about 25 cm, so that a “control” strip is formed - janome. In controversial cases, the presence or absence of marks on janome helps to correctly determine the outcome of the fight.

Composition of the panel of judges

The panel of judges includes: chief judge of the competition, deputy chief judge, chief secretary, judges, informants and other service personnel.

The chief referee is responsible for the implementation of all provisions relating to the general rules of refereeing, including the appointment of refereeing teams.

Composition of the judging panel

The refereeing team should consist of 6 people:

brigade leader - simpante,
referee - gyoji,
4 side judges - simpans.

wrestling rules

Except in special situations, the following provisions determine the winner of the bout:

the wrestler who forces the opponent to touch the dohyo with any part of the body outside the shobu-dawar wins;
the wrestler who forces the opponent to touch the dohyo with any part of the body, except for the soles of the feet, within the shobu-dawar, wins.

Special situations include the position of shinitai (“dead body”) - a complete loss of balance, inevitably leading to defeat.

The attacker does not lose the fight by touching the dohyo with his hand in order to soften the fall and avoid injury at the end of the technical action, as a result of which the opponent enters the shinitai position. This situation is called kabaite.

The attacker does not lose the fight, standing up for the shobu-dawara in order to soften the fall and avoid injury at the end of the technical action, as a result of which the opponent falls into the position of shinitai. This situation is called kabaiashi.

The attacker does not lose the fight, standing up for the sebou-dawara, when he, having raised the enemy, takes out and lowers him behind the sebud-dawara. This situation is called okuriashi. However, the attacker loses the fight if, while performing this technical action, he goes behind the Sebu-Dawara backwards.

The attacker does not lose the fight if, when performing a winning throw, the rise of his leg touches the dohyo.

It is not a defeat if the horizontal front of the mawashi (orikomi) touches the dohyo.

A wrestler may be declared defeated by the decision of the judges in the following cases:

If he is unable to continue due to injury,
If he performs kinjite (forbidden actions),
If he ends the fight on his own,
If he deliberately did not rise from his original position,
If he does not follow the commands of the gyoji,
If he did not appear in the holding sector after the second official call,
If maebukuro (codpiece) mawashi is untied and falls off during the fight.

If the bout lasts longer than the set time, but the winner is not determined, it stops and a new bout is held.

Prohibited Actions (Kinjite):

Punching or poking with fingers.
Kicking in the chest or stomach.
Hair grips.
Throat grip.
Grips for the vertical parts of the mawashi.
Twisting opponent's fingers.
Biting.
Direct blows to the head.

rituals

In sumo, as in other traditional martial arts of Japan, rituals and etiquette are preserved and honored.

The rituals consist of ritsu-rei (standing bow), chiritezu (cleansing with water) and shikiri (preparation).

Chiritezu is a unique ritual originating from the ancient Japanese custom of washing a warrior before a battle.

Chiritezu is performed by both wrestlers at the same time when entering the doha. They squat down in a sonoke position, balancing on their toes. The heels are torn off the floor, the torso and head are held straight, the hands are lowered to the knees. The wrestlers put their hands down and nod to each other. Then the athletes bring their outstretched arms at chest level, spread them apart with their palms down and again bring them together in front with a clap of their palms, straighten their arms and spread them to the sides parallel to the ground with their palms up, and at the end of the ritual they turn their palms down.

Shikiri- pre-launch preparatory movements. The wrestlers squat down with their legs wide apart and their torsos bent forward. At the same time, the hips and shoulders are kept horizontally, and the hands, clenched into fists, rest on the surface of the doha along the shikirisen, without touching, which corresponds to the “ready!”

The transition from shikiri to tachiai (starting jerk-up) must be carried out by athletes at the same time.

Rituals are an integral and important part of sumo and should be performed without haste, with dignity and calmness, emphasizing the harmony and grandeur of sumo.

fight

The duration of the fight is:

for the age group of 13-15 years - 3 minutes;
for the age group of 16-17 years - 5 minutes;
for adults 18 years and older - 5 minutes.

If after the specified time the winner is not determined, a second fight (torinaoshi) is appointed.

There is no break between contractions. The next fight begins immediately after the end of the previous one.

Calling participants

Competitors enter the dohyo-damari in the following order:

in team competitions, the two teams that are to compete next must go out and settle down in the dohyo-damari before the end of the previous match;
in individual competitions, the wrestler must be in doha-damari 2 grabs before his own.

While on dohyo and dohyo-damari, competitors must behave with dignity, avoid rude expressions, so as not to infringe on the feelings of others.

The wrestlers are invited to dohyo by the informant judge on the microphone in a loud and intelligible voice 2 times. If, after the second official call, the participant does not enter the doha, he is considered defeated.

Presentation of participants

Wrestlers take part in the competitions under the numbers that they received at the draw. The informing judge introduces all wrestlers in each weight category at the beginning of the competition by name. Before the start of each bout, the participants are presented by name with their data (age, height, weight), titles and ranks.

Start of the fight

The fight begins at the command of the gyōji after the necessary rituals have been performed.

Stopping a fight

Gyoji may stop the bout one or more times due to injury, clothing disorder (mawashi), or any other reason beyond the contestant's will.

The time spent on breaks for one wrestler may be established by the Competition Regulations.

End of the fight

The fight ends when the gyōji, having determined the outcome of the fight, announces: "Cebu atta!" - and pointing with his hand in the direction of the dohyo (East or West), with which the winner started the fight. The wrestlers on this command must stop wrestling.

Announcement of the winner (katinanori)

After the end of the fight and the announcement of "Cebu atta!" the gyoji and wrestlers return to their original positions.

The loser bows (rei) and leaves the doha. The winner takes the sonkyo posture and, after the gyōji, pointing at him with his hand, announces: "Higashi no kachi!" ("Victory of the East!") or "Nishi no kachi!" ("Victory of the West!"), Stretches his right hand to the side and down.

In case of termination of the fight due to the use of a prohibited technique by one of the wrestlers, the announcement of the winner takes place in the prescribed manner.

If it is impossible for one of the wrestlers to continue the fight due to an injury, his opponent assumes the sonkyo position, and the gyoji, in the prescribed manner, declares him the winner.

In the event that one of the wrestlers does not appear, the wrestler who came out on the doha takes the sonkyo pose, and the gyoji, in the prescribed manner, declares him the winner.

SUMO, Japanese national wrestling, one of the oldest varieties of martial arts. Currently, it has become widespread in many countries of the world, including Russia. There are professional and amateur sumo. See also MARTIAL ARTS.

Rules, wrestling technique and equipment in sumo. The fights of sumatori (sumo wrestlers) take place on a doha: a special adobe platform covered with fine sand. In the center of the square (7.27 x 7.27 m) platform there is a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m. The sumo wrestler must either push the opponent out of this circle, or force him to touch the surface of the circle with any part of the body - except for the feet. Wrestlers are forbidden to strike with their fists, ribs of the palms and legs, choke each other, pull the hair - from the outside, the sumo wrestling looks like a persistent “pushing” of each other. At the same time, sumo fights are extremely fleeting: they usually last one or two minutes, fights lasting more than five minutes are very rare.

The course of the fight is monitored by 4 side judges, the chief arbiter and the referee on the platform.

For sumatori, their own weight is important. Modern sumo wrestlers are people of large build. And since the technical arsenal of this type of wrestling does not include painful holds and aggressive attacking actions, the bulk of the body of sumo wrestlers is not muscles, but fat deposits, which gives the fights a unique originality: in fact, huge fat men perform in front of the audience, most of which do not differ in athletic physique . Along with physical strength, a sumo wrestler must also have a good reaction and a sense of balance, which is very difficult to maintain during the fight, given the heavy weight of the opponents.

The equipment of sumo wrestlers includes only special belts - mawashi, which are tied through the groin at the waist. The absence of any clothes on sumo wrestlers is not accidental, this emphasizes the “clean” nature of this noble, by Japanese standards, wrestling: rivals are not able to hide weapons in folds, for example, kimonos, in which judo wrestlers perform. The mawashi of an opponent is often used by a sumo wrestler when carrying out grips and throws, since it is simply impossible to grab hold of most parts of the body of an athlete weighed down with a large fat mass. Deliberately tearing off a belt from an opponent is prohibited, and the loss of a belt through the fault of the wrestler himself leads to his disqualification (although this happens extremely rarely).

A simple and unpretentious sumo seems only to an uninitiated viewer. It is not easy to knock a giant sumo wrestler onto the platform or push him out of the circle. This is hindered by the gigantic weight of the wrestlers. In addition, in sumo, as in any other type of wrestling, there is a set of techniques that allow the athlete to technically competently attack and defend. In modern Japanese sumo, there are 82 basic techniques. Among the most common are such techniques as "yorikiri" - holding a mutual grip, in which the athlete, who turned out to be with his back to the border of the circle, is forced out by the enemy (on average, about 30% of victories in modern sumo are achieved precisely by this technique), and "kakezori" - Throw the opponent through the thigh. One of the most difficult and, at the same time, the most beautiful and spectacular techniques is “ipponzoi”, grabbing one of the opponent’s hands with both hands and then throwing him over the back (for the period from 1990 to 2001, this most difficult technique brought victory to only one sumo wrestler - Kayo, who with its own weight of 170 kg, managed to transfer the 220-kg Musashimaru).

Unlike international sumo tournaments, where fights are held in weight categories, in classic Japanese sumo wrestlers participate in fights, regardless of their weight. This gives it exceptional spectacle - and clearly demonstrates that not only weight is important in sumo, but also the athlete's technique.

The duel is like a ritual. Japanese sumo, being a national sport with a long history, is extremely conservative in nature. The duel is held according to the traditions that have developed centuries ago. Its ceremonial side is of no small importance.

Before the start of the fight, athletes are required to perform the traditional ceremony of shaking off the mortal dust from their hands: they fold their palms in front of them, and then spread them apart, thereby showing their intention to fight “cleanly”. Then the wrestlers do half-squats, resting their hands on half-bent knees and looking into each other's eyes (the so-called sonke position). At present, such movements are nothing more than a tribute to tradition, but in ancient times it was a kind of psychological duel between wrestlers who tried to mentally suppress the opponent with a stern look and formidable posture. Such a "psychological confrontation" lasts, as a rule, several minutes - 3-4 times longer than the duel itself. The wrestlers sit down opposite each other 2-3 times, and then straighten up and move apart, thereby increasing the tension in the hall. These ceremonial preparatory actions are accompanied by the throwing of salt: the participants in the duel throw handfuls of it in front of them on the platform, which is a symbol of the expulsion of demonic spirits from the sports ground. Only after such a rather long ceremony do the wrestlers sit down for the last time, rest their fists on the platform and, at the signal of the judge, rush at each other.

At the end of the fight, the winner again takes the sonke position - waiting for the official decision of the judges. After its announcement, the wrestler moves his right hand aside, palm down, and only then leaves the platform.

Professional Japanese sumo.

Competitions. In modern Japan, professional sumo tournaments (or as it is called “ozumo” - literally “big sumo”) largely determine the national calendar, setting the cyclical rhythm of the life of the whole country. The regularity of the tournaments gives the Japanese confidence in the inviolability of ancient traditions and the stability of their own existence. Tournaments are held 6 times a year (on odd months, starting from January). Their venues are also constant: in January, May and September - in Tokyo, in March - in Osaka, in July - in Nagoya, in November - in Fukuoka. The duration of one tournament is 15 days. Sunday is the first and last day of the tournaments. Fights are held in six "rating" categories with a total of almost a thousand athletes. The highest category - makuuchi - currently includes 40 sumatori, who hold one fight a day, wrestlers of lower "divisions" fight once every 2 days. The winner of the tournament is the wrestler who has achieved the largest number of victories in duels (maximum - 15). If two or more wrestlers have won the same number of victories during the competition, additional fights are held between them to determine the strongest. Fights between the recognized leaders of sumo - "ozeki" (wrestlers of the 2nd rank) and "yokozuna" (wrestlers of the 1st or higher rank) usually begin at 16.30 and end by 18.00, when the traditional NHK evening newscast is aired , which for many years owns the exclusive right to broadcast sumo tournaments on television.

The disadvantage of these competitions has long been considered the fact that representatives of the same sumo schools (or “rooms” - Japanese heya) cannot fight each other in them. According to tradition, representatives of one or another “room” (now there are more than 50 of them) should only oppose wrestlers from other schools, but not their comrades. The only exceptions are additional fights in the final of the tournament.

In addition to six official tournaments, professional sumo wrestlers take part in demonstration performances in various cities of Japan and abroad throughout the year.

Yokozuna. The title of "yokozuna" (lit. great champion) is awarded for excellent sports results that a wrestler achieves over a long period of time (at least 3-5 years), as well as for outstanding achievements in the field of sumo. The title is assigned by a special commission, which long and meticulously studies each candidate. Unlike ozeki, yokozuna is a lifetime title. It is awarded infrequently: over the past 300 years, only about 70 sumo wrestlers have been awarded it.

According to the rules, no more than five yokozuna can participate in one sports season. At the same time, there are seasons when not a single yokozuna is among the participants in the tournaments.

If the current yokozuna begins to "lose ground", he must retire from sumo.

Sumo is a fat man's sport. It is believed that the “exterior” of sumo wrestlers corresponds to the Japanese ideas about the male ideal. Like the ancient Russian heroes, Japanese sumo wrestlers personify the greatness of the mighty flesh and the good spirit clothed in this flesh.

It should be noted that the weight of sumo wrestlers has become truly gigantic only in recent decades. Moreover: until 1910, the Japanese, who weighed more than 52 kg, were not allowed to sumo. In 1926, those whose weight did not exceed 64 kg were allowed to compete in tournaments, and in 1957 the minimum allowable weight of a sumo wrestler was officially introduced - 66.5 kg, the Japanese Sumo Association (former in 1927) refused the maximum limit.

Currently, sumo schools accept teenagers with a height of at least 173 cm and a weight of at least 75 kg. The average weight of a modern professional wrestler ranges from 120–140 kg, although the latest history of sumo knows both unique giants (for example, the Hawaiian Konishiki weighed from 270 to 310 kg in different years of his sports career) and lively “kids” (one of few sumo wrestlers with higher education Mainoumi weighed less than 95 kg).

The basis of sumo wrestlers' nutrition is, as a rule, fatty type-setting hot soups with meat and vegetables, which wrestlers eat twice a day up to 3 kg in one sitting, washed down with beer.

As practice shows, after the end of a sports career, most sumo wrestlers lose weight: their weight drops to 85–90 kg.

Historical reference. Initially, sumo was a hand-to-hand combat of warrior fighters, identical to those that existed in the Tatar-Mongolian troops. Its historical roots are still not precisely defined, but most researchers are inclined to believe that the chronology of sumo is at least 2000 years old, and it came to Japan from Mongolia in the 6th-7th centuries. (There is also a “Japanese” version of the origin of sumo, according to which the Shinto god Takamikazuchi won a hand-to-hand duel with a barbarian deity, after which the heavens allowed the Japanese to settle on Honshu, the main island of the Japanese archipelago.) The first mention of sumo in Japanese historical documents dates back to 642 year.

Since the XII century, there has been a division of sumo into combat and sports. In the XIII-XIV centuries. it acquired the status of Japanese folk wrestling, competitions were held according to the agricultural calendar - in connection with the end of autumn field work, and later on other "economic reasons". In addition, sumo tournaments began to coincide with individual religious (Shinto) holidays.

The heyday of sumo falls on the 17th century, when tens of thousands of Japanese became its avid fans, and sumoists became the favorites of the public. Competitions were held on the occasion of state and local holidays. It was in the 17th century that the basic principles of sumo as a wrestling were fully formed, the rules for holding tournaments were clearly regulated, which are observed to this day.

For a long time, Japanese sumo remained a sport exclusively “for its own”. Until the end of the 60s. In the 20th century, non-Japanese were not allowed there: a rare exception was naturalized foreigners - Chinese and Koreans. From the end of the 60s. “ordinary” foreigners also began to perform in Japanese sumo. Starting from the second half of the 80s, some of them, primarily from the Hawaiian Islands, began to achieve noticeable success on Doha.

At the end of the 20th century, amateur sumo received noticeable development in different countries. In 1992, the International Sumo Federation (ISF) was created: initially it included 25 countries, in 2002 there were already 82 of them. In the same 1992, the world sumo championship also debuted. Three years later, the European championship was played for the first time. At first, representatives of other types of martial arts participated in such competitions, who simultaneously mastered the technique of sumo wrestling, but by the end of the 90s, an elite of “pure” sumo masters had formed.

Amateur tournaments are held in four weight categories: light (up to 85 kg), medium (85-115 kg), heavy (over 115 kg) and absolute (athletes participate in fights regardless of their weight). Women sumo wrestlers have the same categories: light (up to 65 kg), medium (65–80 kg), heavy (over 80 kg) and absolute. Amateur competitions are held both in individual and team competitions.

Currently, the strongest sumo wrestlers in the world, apart from the Japanese themselves, are fighters from Brazil, Mongolia, Russia, Poland, Germany and the USA.

Sumo is included in the program of the World Games (World Games - competitions in sports disciplines that are not included in the official program of the Olympic Games, have been held since 1980). The issue of granting it the status of an Olympic sport is being considered. According to the rules of the IOC, a sport is declared Olympic only if male and female varieties of this sports discipline are cultivated in various countries of the world. Now women's sumo is actively developing in the USA, Germany, Russia and many other countries - except for Japan. There, sumo is still considered a purely male sport. There are individual sumo wrestlers in the country, but so far they cannot count on universal recognition and holding their own tournaments. Therefore, the early recognition of sumo as an Olympic sport is very problematic.

Sumo in Russia. Initially, a sumo section functioned under the Russian Judo Federation. In 1998, the Sumo Federation of Russia was established, which currently holds the championships of Moscow and St. Petersburg, a number of other regional competitions, and also plays a national championship.

Our sumo wrestlers successfully perform at international amateur sumo competitions. The Russian team had no equal at the European Championships of 2000 and 2001, as well as at the 2000 World Championship. The most titled Russian sumo wrestlers today are Ayas Mongush and Olesya Kovalenko.

In recognition of the merits of our sumo wrestlers, Russia received the right to host the 2002 European Championship and the 2003 World Championship.

In 2000, 16-year-old Buryat schoolboy Anatoly Mikhakhanov was the first Russian to make his debut in professional sumo - under the name Asahi Mitsuri. In 2002, two more immigrants from Russia joined him - the brothers Soslan and Batraz Boradzov.

Alexandra Vlasova

The fights of sumatori (sumo wrestlers) take place on a doha: a special adobe platform covered with fine sand. In the center of the square (7.27 x 7.27 m) platform there is a circle with a diameter of 4.55 m. The sumo wrestler must either push the opponent out of this circle, or force him to touch the surface of the circle with any part of the body - except for the feet. Wrestlers are forbidden to strike with their fists, ribs of the palms and legs, choke each other, pull the hair - from the outside, the sumo wrestling looks like a persistent “pushing” of each other. At the same time, sumo fights are extremely fleeting: they usually last one or two minutes, fights lasting more than five minutes are very rare.

The course of the fight is monitored by 4 side judges, the chief arbiter and the referee on the platform.

The duel is like a ritual.

Japanese sumo, being a national sport with a long history, is extremely conservative in nature. The duel is held according to the traditions that have developed centuries ago. Its ceremonial side is of no small importance.

Professional Japanese sumo.

Competitions.

In modern Japan, professional sumo tournaments (or as it is called “ozumo” - literally “big sumo”) largely determine the national calendar, setting the cyclical rhythm of the life of the whole country. The regularity of the tournaments gives the Japanese confidence in the inviolability of ancient traditions and the stability of their own existence. Tournaments are held 6 times a year (on odd months, starting from January). Their venues are also constant: in January, May and September - in Tokyo, in March - in Osaka, in July - in Nagoya, in November - in Fukuoka. The duration of one tournament is 15 days. Sunday is the first and last day of the tournaments. Fights are held in six "rating" categories with a total of almost a thousand athletes. The highest category - makuuchi - currently includes 40 sumatori, who hold one fight a day, wrestlers of lower "divisions" fight once every 2 days. The winner of the tournament is the wrestler who has achieved the largest number of victories in duels (maximum - 15). If two or more wrestlers have won the same number of victories during the competition, additional fights are held between them to determine the strongest. Fights between the recognized leaders of sumo - "ozeki" (wrestlers of the 2nd rank) and "yokozuna" (wrestlers of the 1st or higher rank) usually begin at 16.30 and end by 18.00, when the traditional NHK evening newscast is aired , which for many years owns the exclusive right to broadcast sumo tournaments on television.

In addition to six official tournaments, professional sumo wrestlers take part in demonstration performances in various cities of Japan and abroad throughout the year.

Yokozuna.

The title of "yokozuna" (lit. great champion) is awarded for excellent sports results that a wrestler achieves over a long period of time (at least 3-5 years), as well as for outstanding achievements in the field of sumo. The title is assigned by a special commission, which long and meticulously studies each candidate. Unlike ozeki, yokozuna is a lifetime title. It is awarded infrequently: over the past 300 years, only about 70 sumo wrestlers have been awarded it.

According to the rules, no more than five yokozuna can participate in one sports season. At the same time, there are seasons when not a single yokozuna is among the participants in the tournaments.

If the current yokozuna begins to "lose ground", he must retire from sumo.

Sumo is a fat man's sport.

It is believed that the “exterior” of sumo wrestlers corresponds to the Japanese ideas about the male ideal. Like the ancient Russian heroes, Japanese sumo wrestlers personify the greatness of the mighty flesh and the good spirit clothed in this flesh.

The basis of sumo wrestlers' nutrition is, as a rule, fatty type-setting hot soups with meat and vegetables, which wrestlers eat twice a day up to 3 kg in one sitting, washed down with beer.

As practice shows, after the end of a sports career, most sumo wrestlers lose weight: their weight drops to 85–90 kg.

Historical reference.

Initially, sumo was a hand-to-hand combat of warrior fighters, identical to those that existed in the Tatar-Mongolian troops. Its historical roots are still not precisely defined, but most researchers are inclined to believe that the chronology of sumo is at least 2000 years old, and it came to Japan from Mongolia in the 6th-7th centuries. (There is also a “Japanese” version of the origin of sumo, according to which the Shinto god Takamikazuchi won a hand-to-hand duel with a barbarian deity, after which the heavens allowed the Japanese to settle on Honshu, the main island of the Japanese archipelago.) The first mention of sumo in Japanese historical documents dates back to 642 year.

Currently, the strongest sumo wrestlers in the world, apart from the Japanese themselves, are fighters from Brazil, Mongolia, Russia, Poland, Germany and the USA.

Sumo in Russia.

Initially, a sumo section functioned under the Russian Judo Federation. In 1998, the Sumo Federation of Russia was established, which currently holds the championships of Moscow and St. Petersburg, a number of other regional competitions, and also plays a national championship.

In recognition of the merits of our sumo wrestlers, Russia received the right to host the 2002 European Championship and the 2003 World Championship.

Alexandra Vlasova