Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Sumo Is Not Just Fat Men Hitting Each Other

When we first came to Japan so many years ago I started to watch sumo. I always thought sumo was just a bunch of fat guys hitting each other and then I realized that I was completely wrong. It is more about technique then anything else and the weight is to help them become more stable while underneath the fat is a wealth of muscle. I started watching when the first foreign wrestlers (from the United States) were trying to become Grand Champions. It was a tough road and finally Akebono became Grand Champion after winning a few tournaments. Another foreign wrestler, Musashimaru, followed Akebono and became Grand Champion. The thing about a Grand Champion is that they cannot be demoted and if they start to lose significantly, then they have to retire. After coming back to Japan we have been lucky enough to watch the greatest Grand Champion of all time, Hakuho who has a quest to reach 40 championships which is unheard of here.

This video is a promotional video from the stable (yes, they call them stables here) where Musashimaru is the stable master after he retired. If you watch the whole thing then each wrestler is introducing themselves and what technique they like the most. 



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