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Clash of Titans They are ancient warriors in modern times and they are giants in a world of dwarfs. They are sumo wrestlers, each of whom occupies three seats when they sit down.
A 119-member delegation of Japanese sumo wrestlers, referees, ringside judges, ushers and medical staff arrived in Shanghai last Monday after visiting Beijing last week. The visit of the sumo team is a contribution to the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of air links between China and Japan. The delegation includes most of the top-level sumo exponents in Japan, such as Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi and Maegashira. Top-ranked Yokozuna Asashoryu comes to Shanghai after clinching the overall championship in Beijing last Saturday. He captured his third straight Emperor's Cup on May 23, at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka.
The man-mountains who clash at the Shanghai Grand Stage on June 9 and 10, will be watched by thousands of spectators. Admission prices range from 100 to 1,280 yuan (US$12-155). The exotic sport arouses great enthusiasm and zeal in Shanghai. Many young people have been waiting eagerly to watch the sumo contest. "I have only seen sumo on TV. The opportunity to watch them wrestle live is rare so I was determined to see it," said Cheng Yang, a university student.
There are also many Japanese expats in China who have come long distances to watch the contest. The expensive tickets for sumo in Japan have kept them away from stadiums in the past. "I am so excited about watching this sumo contest in Shanghai. I have never seen it in Japan but I can in Shanghai now," said Kayo Iino, a Japanese girl working in Shanghai. Sumo, as Japan's national game, has a long history of 1,500 years. It is noted for its special training requirements and demanding skills. The last time a Japanese sumo team visited China was in 1973, to celebrate the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. "I congratulate the Japanese sumo team for the wonderful success of their Beijing trip, which was considered of great importance by the Chinese government and attracted much attention from Chinese people," said Yu Zaiqing, vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee.
"It is our honour to visit Shanghai again and stage the wrestling in China this June to celebrate the anniversary. We will be glad if we can bring Chinese people an exciting show of the Japanese national sport and the culture involved," said Kitanoumi, Chairman of the Japanese Sumo Association. "It will be great if the exhibition contest promotes cultural exchange between China and Japan," he said. Tough wrestling
The sumo team has staged 12 public performances since its first in the Soviet Union in 1965 as an ambassador of peace and friendship. Sumo originated in ancient times as a religious performance for the Shinto gods. Nowadays, many rituals are still followed. The basic rules of sumo are simple: The wrestler who either first touches the floor with something other than soles of his feet or who leaves the ring before his opponent loses. The fights themselves usually last only a few seconds and in rare cases for 1 minute or more. A sumo player requires strict training, both physically and mentally. The life of a sumo apprentice is demanding and even the most promising youngsters require 5 years or longer to reach the higher ranks and begin to receive a salary as a sekitori (professional). Out of more than 900 wrestlers who are members of a "stable", only about 66 presently qualify for sekitori status. The stable is the only home a young wrestler will know for most of his sumo career. The few who make it to the top ranks can marry and live outside the stable. Most sumo stables are located in the eastern part of Tokyo. Life for the lowest-ranked wrestlers is rigorous. They rise as early as four or five in the morning, put on their mawashi, and begin keiko (practice). They are also obliged to run errands for the higher-ranked wrestlers. The latter enjoy the privilege of sleeping later.
Many sumo are forced to retire due to sickness or injury, and it is rare that a wrestler would compete beyond his early thirties. The diet which builds up their titanic physiques also harms their health in the long term. The training of sumo is different from any other sports in the world. Keiko is characterized by three traditional exercises: shiko, teppo, and matawari. For shiko, the wrestler raises his legs alternately as high as possible. During teppo, opened palms slap continuously against a wooden pillar. Matawari is an exercise in which one sits with legs spread as wide as possible. A daily session of keiko ends around noon, at which time the wrestlers sit down to a brunch consisting of a special stew called chanko-nabe (a high-calorie stew containing various kinds of meat and vegetables), condiments, pickles, and several large bowls of rice, often washed down with 1 or 2 bottles of beer. (Wrestlers' appetites are legendary.) Following this large meal, the next several hours are usually spent napping, which along with the large quantities of food facilitates weight gain. Through this regimen of exercise, diet, and sleep, it is not unusual for some wrestlers to weigh more than 150 kilograms, and a few tip the scales at 200 kilograms and higher. Since the 1960s, young wrestlers from the US, Canada, China, South Korea, Mongolia, Argentina, and the Pacific island of Tonga have come to Japan to take up the sport, and a few of them - after overcoming the language and culture barrier - have excelled. |
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"The brilliant performance of the wrestlers led the Chinese to
appreciate the sport culture of Japan," he said.
