Yesterday I was in Nagoya and got to see the official sumo wrestling matches in the Grand Sumo Tournament. I also got to see a bunch of the wrestlers warm up beforehand in a stable somewhere in town, with former yokozuna (top wrestler) Mumashimaru there for moral support. It was very interesting seeing them warm up in the morning, as you got to see how strong these fat guys really are. After they warm up, they then eat a lot, sleep, and then get ready to wrestle in the afternoon in the tournament. We went around 3pm to sit in a tiny little cushion for three hours to see the big whigs go after each other, ending with the most important match -- the current yokozuna Asashoryu defeating his rival Kyokutenho. The match before that was actually more interesting because both wrestlers (really huge guys) tumbled out of the ring and fell into the audience FOUR ROWS BACK!! Ouch!!
Anyway, here are some photos from my day:
The stable in town (secret location) where the wrestlers warm up.
Two sumo wrestlers sparring in a warm-up match.
Posing with former yokozuna Musashimaru. He's a big guy!
Musashimaru.
This is in the tournament. This is the exact moment the match begins, when the opponent places his fist at the starting line. Then the two wrestlers try to make the opponent either step outside the ring or touch the ground inside the ring with other than the sole of his feet.
I liked this guy. We called him "Sideburns".
Action from the match. The guy on the left is about to fall out of the ring.
Another match. Another guy about to step out of the ring.
Here is one guy that fell into the audience. Look at the expressions of the audence members on the side.
Current yokozuna Asashoryu.
The decisive moment in the big match. Asashoryu pushes Kyokutenho outside the ring. Right after this, both wrestlers fall outside the ring but Asashoryu is the winner because his opponent stepped out first.