Trivia you’ll want to share once you know it! A quiz collection of surprising, little-known facts about sumo

opening performance

The fun and easy-to-understand way to show sumo’s prohibited moves is “Hatsukiri.” This is a short performance held before a bout begins that introduces winning techniques and things you must not do, with a touch of humor. Said to date back to the Edo period, it is cherished as a device that helps even first-time viewers enjoy sumo.

Shimane Prefecture

Shimane Prefecture is said to be the birthplace of sumo. The Kojiki contains stories of gods testing their strength. There is also a tradition that, in ancient imperial times, Nomi no Sukune of Izumo and Taima no Kehaya wrestled. Because of these accounts, Shimane Prefecture is cherished as the birthplace of sumo.

sweet red bean paste

In sumo, very large and heavy wrestlers are sometimes called “anko.” This has nothing to do with sweet red bean paste; the term comes from their round, anglerfish-like body shape. Conversely, thin and slender wrestlers are called “soppu,” a word for “soup,” said to liken them to chicken bones after the broth has been made. Sumo includes these kinds of interesting expressions.

The mawashi came off.

The term “fujō-make” refers to a rule where, if a wrestler’s mawashi comes off and his groin is exposed, he immediately loses by foul. A recent example occurred in the May 2000 tournament in the Sandanme division: during the bout between Asanokiri and Chiyohōō, Asanokiri’s mawashi came off, resulting in a fujō-make.

67 kg or more

To become a sumo wrestler (rikishi), there are several requirements. Basically, you must have completed compulsory education, be at least 167 cm tall and 67 kg in weight, and be a male under 23 years old at the time of the new apprentice examination. However, those who have achieved excellent results in student or amateur sumo are exempt from the physique requirements, and the age limit is extended to under 25.

To purify the sumo ring

The custom of sumo wrestlers sprinkling salt is to purify the ring. In the past, sumo was performed as a Shinto ritual to pray for a good harvest, and the ring was considered sacred. For that reason, wrestlers began scattering purifying salt to cleanse the ring and pray for safety and victory. This tradition continues today and remains one of the important formalities of sumo.

1 person

Each sumo stable is allowed to have at most one foreign wrestler. In the past, the total number of foreign wrestlers was capped at 40, with a limit of two per stable. However, since 2002, the overall cap has been removed and the rule was changed to allow only one foreign wrestler per stable.