Sumo Stables

Sumo was originally a prayer ritual for a good harvest. Now, ancient Sumo is a popular sport in Japan. The tournaments last 15 days and are held in a large stadium in Tokyo. We were visiting a few weeks before the tournament, but we had an up-close look at the sport by visiting a sumo stable for an early morning practice.
The stable is a house in a Tokyo neighborhood where the wrestlers live and train. You entered the front door and remove your shoes as if entering someone's living room. We were seated on cushions placed on the hardwood floor, in front of a large living room area used as an arena. The stable that we visited was run by a former grand champion, Mitsuhide Musashsigawa, who is an American Samoan from Hawaii. He was Grand Champion in 2000 and goes by the name Musaashimaru. He has 8 athletes in his stable, and I can attest that these men are athletic.

The morning practice started before 9 a.m. and lasted more than an hour. It consisted of stretching (these men are surprisingly limber), calisthenics, and a series of movement rituals. This was followed by one-on-one bouts in the doyo (ring). Although I did not fully understand the sport, you could tell the ancient rituals in the repetition of the wrestlers. They would throw salt into the ring, bow to one another, take their stance and then begin to wrestle. Unlike American wrestling where you to try to pin your opponent, the object here is to knock the other man out of the circle.

We had an opportunity to speak with the former Grand Champion following the practice. He has been living in Japan for more than 20 years now. He explained that the wrestlers, who were showering and changing clothes after sweeping the dirt floor with an ancient-looking broom, would have a meal and then move on to weight-lifting as part of their training. He encouraged us to return to Tokyo at tournament time and see the full experience.