sumo!

Yesterday we went to a sumo tourney - one of only three held in Tokyo each year, and it was amazing! Amazing and unforgettable; the six of us watched with wonder and amazement - each bout, each ritual, every call, every wrestler, it was all entirely captivating. The stadium was huge, and by the time the top wrestlers took the floor (or the dohyo (the ring), made of clay and sand) the lower, close-to-the-action seats were full of attentive and active fans. Each day of the 15-day tournament starts around 9:00, with the lowest-ranked wrestlers fighting in front of what must be a very sparse crowd. By the time we arrived at 1:30, the stadium/arena was still pretty bare, but was definitely filling up by the time the Maku-uchi group took the stage. This group includes the top five ranks of rikishi (wrestlers): 1. Yokozuna 2. Ozeki 3. Sekiwake 4. Komusubi and 5. Maegashira. To attain the rank of Yokozuna is an extremely special thing - since the title was created 300 years ago, only 69 rikishi have been honoured with the title. To be considered for this distinction, a wrestler must have the rank of Ozeki, win two consecutive tournaments, and be a man worthy of character and spirit; it is only the Yokozuna that can never be demoted, and if, for some reason, his career starts going downhill, he is expected to retire.


Anyways, so we watched some juniors fight, and then the big guns. The ceremony and ritual and traditional etiquette before every fight and in between the divisions was sooooo neat. With the two higher ranked groups, the wrestlers paraded out and around the dohyo in ceremonial aprons (called kesho-mawashi) in an "entering the ring" ceremony before any fights took place. And then, out they came wearing their "loincloths" or mawashis - there was a whole lot of birthday suit visible with these dudes... they were big. BIG. The refs, on the other hand, were small, and wore very ornamental, colourful kimonos; there were four (or five?) refs that sat around the base of the raised ring - ready to be called up in case of a dispute. It happened not once or twice, but several times, that the sumo wrestlers wrestled each other right out of the ring - onto refs and in between spectators... eep. Talk about getting squashed.




And so with these higher ranked wrestler came more pomp and ceremony - there was audible stomping and slapping (belly, legs, face, belly, face), squatting and salt throwing, more stomping and slapping, and then, after a max of four minutes of approach-squat-retreat, came the collision. It was like two freight trains going at each other - with hands and arms, slapping and pushing and shoving. Sometimes the fights lasted for 5 seconds, and sometimes they lasted close to a minute, with of big parts of the fight caught in deadlock, with little motion. All of the encounters were seriously entertaining, but one stands out. The last fights of the day are saved for the highest ranking rikishi, and there were two Yokozuna in this tourney. After a parade of fifteen sponsor-flags made their way around the ring (each totaling 60,000 yen, or $650) - money to be awarded to the winner of that fight - Goeido (with a record of 1-3) entered the ring to take on Asashoryu (a Yokozuna). People were calling out as they leg stomped, and the yelling and calling increased with anticipation as the four minutes wound down. The ref made his signal and then came the clash of big-body and flesh, and the time ticked away towards what looked like an imminent win for the Yokozuna. And then, there was a quick reversal of fortune, and the big guy went down and Goeido won, prompting a flurry of thrown cushions from all across the lower level of the stadium. It was amazing! We weren't sure if it was in support of the underdog or not, but it was a spectacle.



A Yokozuna fight, followed by pillows frisbee-ing around the arena: the underdog, Goeido is on the left, Asashoryu on the right

It was definitely the most Japanese experience we've had living here, though coming a close (or maybe not so close) second was the Ikebana class that Marg and Barb and I took on Tuesday. There were more teachers than there were students, and the thought and analysis that went into creating and critiquing the arrangements was seriously substantial. The woman helping me didn't speak much English, but talked a lot - unfortunately I couldn't pick up much of what she was saying. It was fun though, to create and to watch others create - some of the teachers were obvious experts, and it was neat watching them build - with precision - different arrangements in different styles in different containers. The flowers and leaves and bamboo are now home, in a decanter - the cheapest vase I could find. And that's it! Our week of quintessential Japanese experiences draws to a close....