It’s March, and in Japan that means it time for Sumo. This weekend I went to Osaka for a day of Sumo fun! I went with one of my students, her husband and sister to the tournament. The excitement was evident before we even entered the stadium, as people lined up on the sidewalks awaiting the high level sumo wrestlers on their arrival.
When we got inside, I realized that a box seat (which is where we were seated) has a very different meaning in Japan. The four of us cozied ourselves into a 4’x4’ square of space, separated from other such squares by low metal bars, and sat on small cushions on the floor. There were some areas of regular stadium seating further back, around the outer walls, but apparently the box seats are the place to be for sumo. I definitely enjoyed the experience, except when my legs were falling asleep!
I learned many a thing about the matches themselves from my student and her husband, who are avid followers of the sumo scene. And of course, I took an abundance of pictures as well. I learned that there are surprisingly few sumo wrestlers from Japan nowadays, that most of the high level wrestlers are from Mongolia and several others are from European countries. I also learned that wrestlers are fined 10,000 yen for making a false start in a match. And finally, that there is quite an upset when the Grand Champion is beaten in the final match of the day, especially by a wrestler without an official ranking.
Well, as promised, here is the abundance of photos. Enjoy!
