[sumo] Article - Toronto Star

[Barbara]

 From the Toronto Star, http://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/281058

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Sizing up the competition

`Stables' prepare young sumos for rigours of combat
Dec 09, 2007 04:30 AM

Tokyo, Japan–It's 8 a.m. on a hot Friday morning in a steamy room where 
men in loincloths stamp their feet, slap their hefty thighs and square 
off against each other in the centre of a dirt ring.

This is Arashio, one of 54 sumo stables in Japan; living and training 
quarters where professional and wannabe wrestlers work, exercise, eat 
and relax together.

They are focused on the rigours of sumo life – consuming calories, 
sleeping, training and eating some more. Sumo began in ancient times as 
a religious ritual to pray for bountiful harvests and has evolved over 
1,500 years into a performance martial art that is now the country's 
national sport. There are a half-dozen annual grand tournaments, lasting 
15 days, during which you can watch sumo "from morning to evening," says 
Tokyo tour guide Eriko Katsuo.

In Japan, sumo wrestlers – some tipping the scales at more than 150 
kilograms – are national heroes. And it's a sport steeped in ritual and 
tradition.

"It's important not to break the concentration of the sumo wrestler," 
said Katsuo, as she outlines the rules before we enter the building. 
"Pay respect to the wrestlers at all times. No talking, smoking, 
drinking, eating or chewing gum. Sitting cross-legged is okay, but don't 
stretch your legs out. And take your shoes off at the doorway."

It's not a large room – especially considering the size of the 
occupants. The performance centres on the ring, around which 10 
wrestlers line the walls, wiping the pouring sweat with towels, watching 
the action and waiting their turn.

The stable master, oyakata, silently leads the group through practice. 
There's a lot of grunting, foot-stamping (to build strength and crush 
evil spirits), skin being thwacked and heavy breathing.

The wrestlers waiting in the wings stretch, do deep knee-deeps, lift 
weights and slap at a wooden log the size of a telephone pole planted 
upright in the corner. For 90 minutes each morning, they concentrate on 
the repetition of basic sumo moves.

They train, eat and follow a strict set of guidelines. The traditional 
loincloth (mawashi), looks skimpy, but it's actually a piece of fabric 
about three metres long, folded and wrapped around the wrestlers' 
substantial girth. And it's a key part of match strategy since most of 
the winning manoeuvres begin with a pit bull-like grip on this cloth. 
Hair-pulling, choking, kicking and eye-gouging cross the etiquette line.

Two glistening, dirt-streaked wrestlers crouch on opposite sides of the 
ring and glare at each other in preparation for combat.

When the oyakata gives the signal to start there's a lot of pushing and 
grabbing – all with regulation, time-honoured moves. The match is over 
in seconds when one wrestler is forced from the ring or touches the 
ground with something other than the sole of his foot.

The dohyo, or wrestling ring, is a sacred place where the sumo wrestlers 
dedicate their lives.

The kitchen upstairs is where they dedicate their appetites. After the 
morning workout session, young trainees prepare the traditional boiled 
chanko-nabe, a protein-rich hot-pot soup of chicken, vegetables and 
rice. Meals are communal to reinforce the unity of the stable.

"My job is not just to have them grow bigger," says the oyakata. "My job 
is to teach them the techniques. I look for someone who takes my advice. 
He trains very hard, even if the master is not looking, and he speaks 
the truth to everything."

The highly-ranked stable master looks for the right height, weight, 
personality, good balance, body structure, flexibility and, of course, 
the potential to balloon to giant proportions. It's a big job in a world 
steeped in ritual, and it takes a big man to do it right.