Sumo in Tokyo, the "guide".

Last monday I went for the second time watch Sumo but this time, it took place in Tokyo. Every year there are 6 officials tournaments (Basho). Three in Tokyo and the others in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Only those tournaments can help the wrestlers to upgrade their ranking. The new ranking (called Banzuke in Japanese) is publied after each tournament by the Judges depending on the performance of each figther during the fifteen days of the Basho.
There are mainly 3 groups in the ranking. The maku-uchi (top), the juryo and the makushita (below we have the san-dan me , jo-ni-dan and lastly the jo-no-kuchi). The most followed and interesting is, of course, the maku-uchi which is also divided in 5 ranks:
1. Yokozuna (according to my previous comment... I was totally wrong! It's possible to have several yokozuna in the same time, but he can't lost his rank and then, if he's not good enough, he has to retire.).
2. Ozeki (to hope to be the Yokozuna, a wrestler must first be an ozeki and then win 2 basho in a row, then only he can pretend to be the top wrestler).
3. Sekiwake
4. Komusubi
5. Maegashira
At first sight Sumo doesn't seem that interesting and it's not a really "sexy" sport, but when you get a little bit into it, the rules, the traditions, the fights make it really fascinating.
The following pictures illustrated the main rules of Sumo.

Before each bout the rikishi (wrestlers), is called by the gyoji with a specially trained high-pitched voice. It is the custom for each rikishi to choose a poetic sumo name for himself. Some adopt a ame derived from the name of their sumo master or their place of birh. Most frequently chosen are names ending in -yama (mountain), -gawa (river) or -umi (sea). Rikishi are divided according to where their stable. Nishi (west) or higashi (east).

The ring, called the Dohyo. The outer ring is formed with 20 straw rice bags and measures 4.55 meters in diameter. One bag is set slightly back from the ring at the north, south, east and west sides, a remnant of the days of outdoor matches when it was often necessary to drain off rain water.

After the bouts of "beginners" wrestlers" the upper division rikishi are presented in two ceremonies; one for the easterners combatants and one for the westerners combatants.

There is a special ceremony for the yokozuna. Here Asashoryu from Mongolia, the current yokozuna.

Then each combatant goes through a series of symbolic movements. Here they are raising their arms showing their palms in a sign of respect and fair-play by not possessing any arms.

Their flexibility is quite impressive. Here they strongly stamp the ring with each foot to supposedly squash the bad spirits.

From ancient times, salt has been believed to possess purifying powers. Both wrestlers toss salt in the air as they prepare for their bout, purifying the ring as a sacred place. The salt-throwing is, however, the privilege only of maku-uchi, juryo and maku-shita wrestlers.

Finally, to cleanse his mind and body, the rikishi rinses his mouth with water and wipes his body with a towel. Then the fight can start. Those ritual movements take usually four minutes (juryo rikishi have only three minutes and the lowest ranks must begin at once).

Asashoryu, the yokozuna, wisely waiting for his bout.

The fight. A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or throwing him in the dohyo. To lose the match it's not necessary to fall in the circle or to be pushed completely out. The rikishi who touches the ground with any part of his body, his knee or even the tip of his finger or his topknot, loses the match. Striking with fists, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking and kicking in the stomach or chest are prohibited.

Big hug! As there no weight limits as in boxing or western wrestling it's possible for a rikishi to find himself pitted against an opponent twice his own weight.

In the olds days, before a ring was even used, there were supposedly 48 winning techniques. In 1955 the sumo association released its first official list of 68 techniques, with that increased to 70 in 1960 and 82 in 2001.

Big slap in the face.

Lower ranks figthing during the morning. The public usually come around 3 p.m.

Using one of the 82 techniques to push his opponent out of the circle.

There are few foreigners doing sumo. From Mongolia (Asashoryu the yokozuna, Hakuho who is ozeki (soon yokozuna I think)...), Georgia (we can see the russian Roho waiting for his turn on the photo...), Bulgaria (Kotooshu who is ozeki...), Russia (Kokkai...), Estonia (Baruto...), Brazil and maybe some more counties.

Close to a defeat...

Rikishi jumping to be sure to touch the ground after his opponant and win the match.

A tournament last 15 days, so 15 matches for each wrestlers (only 7 fights for the lower ranks). The rikishi can pretend to increase his grade if his total of victories is positive (more than 8 wins).

The right fighter lost as he touches the ground with his hands.

About to push the button.

It's usual to see rikishi walking around during a basho.
That's it! Source text: Ryogoku Kokugikan hand book 2006, published by Nihon Sumo Kyokai.