We usually imagine professional sumo wrestling when asked about sumo. It is broadcast nationwide by NHK (Japan’s public TV station) every two months. The professional wrestlers keep traditional hair style (They have topknots on their heads).
However, sumo is more than that.
Sumo is played widely by amateur players. It has strong ties with Japanese history, culture and society.
The shrine holds the event every year to show its respect to the god. The event is held during the shrine’s autumn festival.
Total 20 sumo wrestlers from Tokyo University of Agriculture joined the event. Some of them are top-level amateur sumo players in Japan. A player is from Mongolia. Unlike professional sumo wrestlers, their hair was short.
They showed us their practices before the matches. They played shiko (a series of motions to raise a leg and to step it down – a practice to strengthen the player’s thigh), teppo (a practice to strengthen their pushing power) and matawari (a stretch practice).
They had a tournament competed by several groups and a tournament by individual players. They also had knockout competitions.Some wrestlers played as many as 20 matches in about an hour and half.
The sounds made by the players (especially mada by the crash of two players at the beginning of the match) were heavy and strong. The impression was quite different from that I usually recieve from the sumo matches shown in the TV.
The sumo ring is made by soil and rice strews. It has connected with agriculture and harvest. Salt is thrown by the wrestlers before the match to clean the ring.
Hundreds of visitors enjoyed the event. I also enjoyed it.
Map: Setagaya Hachiman Shrine
No comments:
Post a Comment