You must have come across giant guys with earth shaking bodies wrestling each other in minimal clothing. No, I am not talking about WWE but something that has existed for centuries dating back to late 17th century. They are the Japanese Sumo wrestlers, also called Rikishi. Sumo is closely associated with Shinto ritual, an important ritual of Japanese culture. Sumo wrestling involves two wrestlers grappling in a ring & their aim is to push the other one out of the ring to score points. Any contact with the ground, other then the wrestler’s feet also leads to points. Sumo wrestling is very closely linked with ancient Japanese culture & Sumo wrestlers still follow traditional living. They are required to live in training stables called Heya & need to follow traditional rules regarding eating, dressing, training & so on.

Sumo matches are usually quick & only last few seconds as one of the wrestlers is brought to ground or pushed out of the ring. Wrestlers wear a traditional belt called mawashi which holds their briefs & sometimes the loss of this belt results in loss of match too. Once a match is over, an off ring referee announces the trick used in the match which lead to the result. Sumo is usually simple with straightforward rules; however, some rarely used rules also exist. They are shini-tai, kinjite or the illegal trick & fusenpai, which is enforced when one wrestler doesn’t turn up for the match.

Another interesting fact about these wrestlers is their names, which are usually decided by their trainers. The names called Shikona are very different from real names & are changed as a wrestler progresses through his career. The Japan Sumo Association, the official Sumo body has divided Sumo into different divisions based on level & number of wrestlers. It starts with makuuchi at the top with 42 wrestlers & goes down to jonokuchi at the base. Other divisions are juryo, makushita, sandanme & jonidan.

Sumo is very strongly linked with traditions & a sumo wrestler is expected to strictly follow all the rules. They usually grow their hair & make a topknot also known as chonmage. Their dressing is also influenced by their ranks as lower ranks wrestlers can only wear yukata which is a thin robe whereas higher division wrestlers from makushita can wear overcoats. The hierarchy rules are also followed in day to day life right from waking up early to doing domestic chores. Senior wrestlers get the preference while juniors are expected to serve their seniors & it applies to most daily works. Its amazing how these wrestlers live a simple life away from hustle of the 21st century & follow their traditions in order to carry them forward.