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Sumo wrestling is an ancient, intricate sport that requires its contenders to commit their lives to the Japanese martial art. Let’s just say that being a sumo wrestler, or sumotori, takes more than time and money. If they can qualify, aspiring sumotori enter schools called sumobeya at age fifteen, and train rigorously until they are skilled enough to compete in tournaments called basho. Life in a sumobeya looks like this: at the crack of dawn, the lowest ranked wrestlers, called rikishi, arise, practice for a bit, then clean the building and prepare meals for the higher ranking wrestlers known as sekitori. The sekitori are permitted to rise at a decent hour, and then engage in practice for four to five hours. A senior wrestler called the oyakata oversees the younger wrestlers as they train. Every so often, the yokozuna, the master of the basho, visits the training session to make sure that training sessions are up to his high standards. And you thought Pokemon was complicated!

Even meals are taken according to rank; low-ranking rikishi may only eat after they have served their superiors. Eating first and being served offers a good incentive for younger rikishi-especially since sumotori weigh between 285 and 440 pounds! Sumotori achieve this weight by eating a hearty protein-rich stew called chanko nabe. Some sumotori enjoy cooking the particular diet of the wrestlers so much that they go on to open restaurants specializing in this style of food.

The sumotori’s weight allows him to possess a low center of gravity, which provides the wrestler with the ability to throw his opponent out of the sumo ring- which, by the way, is the object of sumo wrestling. A match can also be won if one wrestler forces the other to fall to the floor. Because there are no weight categories in sumo wrestling, the sumotori may wrestle opponents much bigger than him. Therefore, he must develop skills such as flexibility, speed and good technique to best his opponent. Although the Sumo Association of Japan officially recognizes 70 technical moves, the tradition of sumo is based on 48-12 of which are throws, 12 are lifts, 12 are twists, and 12 are throws across the back.

Basically, an attack on an opponent can consist of a sequence of hard slaps that are meant to drive the other wrestler out of the ring. Also common are the techniques whereby one wrestler pushes the opponent out of the ring while stepping aside, or else he can pull his opponent’s legs out from under him as he rushes towards him, otherwise the sumotori can hold his opponent’s legs until he falls over.

Sumo isn’t just about wrestling. On the contrary, sumo wrestling is steeped in religious tradition that precedes written documentation. Granted, the Japanese did not maintain a written history until the 8th century A.D., but legends tell of two Shinto gods who wrestled for possession of the Japanese islands. In prehistoric times, sumo seems to have taken place as a ritual meant to ensure a good harvest. Nowadays, ritual still plays an important part of the sumo tournaments. For example, before the match begins, ceremonies involving the hierarchies of each sumobeya are performed. This includes a purification ceremony during which the sumotori throw salt into the dohyo (the wrestling ring.) Next, the contenders engage in an eye battle-a staring contest-that is designed to shatter each other’s confidence. They then ceremoniously drink water and stomp in an intimidating manner before getting down to the business of wrestling. Recently, sumo wrestling has enjoyed an increase in popularity. Sumo wrestling is not only enjoyed by folks of Japanese decent either; for the first time in 1993, one of the major sumo competitions was held outside of Japan– in Honolulu, Hawaii. Now that you know some of the terms used among sumo aficionados, you can follow the exciting sport on your own.