Picture Update Pt. 5 - SUMO

I have been watching sumo ever since I can remember. My Japanese grandfather moved in with us when I was 5 so we asked Japanese friends to tape the tournaments and send them to us. Since I have grown up watching sumo, I am not at all bothered by the "large men in cloth thongs" as my brother-in-law says. ;)

So perhaps for a small young lady such as myself, it would seem out of place for me to be attending the tournament IN PERSON.

The tournament lasts for 15 days, usually starting on the 2nd Sunday of the month. A wrestler will only fight one bout a day. The lower division bouts are done in the earlier part of the afternoon, while the professional makanuichi division takes place starting around 4 pm. The tournament day ends about 6pm.

Last weekend, I went to Tokyo where my host family had managed to get rare tickets for the tournament. The tournament happens 6 times a year, every other month. The tournament is in Tokyo 3 times a year (January, May, and September) and also takes place in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July), and Fukuoka (November). Sumo is so popular that tickets become sold-out very quickly.

I requested for the Sasahiras to get tickets on the NEXT TO LAST day of the tournament, usually the most popular day to attend other than the last day. We sat in the nosebleeds, but I was thrilled just to BE there in person! I am a faithful, dedicated fan that watches the tournament everyday on TV, but like with most sports, there is nothing like being in the live crowd.


This is Baruto. He is from Estonia and is in the 3rd highest rank of sumo wrestler: sekiwake. Maybe you can't tell in this picture, but he is REALLY tall! I would estimate he is 6'3".



This is Asasekiryu. He is Mongolian and is in the upper Maegashira ranks.



We can't see his face, but this is Kotoshogiku, also in the Maegashira ranks.



And lastly, the famous dojo. Fun fact: No females are allowed to enter the dojo. So what will Japan do if they ever get a female Prime Minister, since the Prime Minister presents the Emperor's Cup to the winner of the tournament?