Sumo

I went to a Sumo Wrestling Tournament way back on November 28th, in Fukuoka, Japan. The trip was set up by the Hiroshima JETS, so I got to make some new friends. :) It was a great experience albeit, one that is fine as a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I mean, I would go again, but only if it was a cheap overall, and I could again sneak drinks inside.

"According to Japanese legend the very origin of the Japanese race depended on the outcome of a sumo match. The supremacy of the Japanese people on the islands of Japan was supposedly established when the god, Takemikazuchi, won a sumo bout with the leader of a rival tribe. Apart from legend, however, sumo is an ancient sport dating back some 1500 years." -Nihon-Sumo-Kyokai (Sumo handbook).

The one thing about it that makes me okay with not seeing it again, is that it goes so fast. There is all this buildup, and most of the matches last less than 5 seconds.~! The video that I posted on the bottom was one of the more exciting matches, because it wasn't immediately over. :) Sorry that the video isn't clear. We got the cheapest seats there were, at about 22 bucks.

What was more exciting to me was what came before the actual match. When the contestants first enter the "dohyo", they first must purify their fighting area. So they ceremoniously grab some salt and throw it into the ring. But during this part of the competition, they can she their colorful side. Some of the wrestlers just threw the salt, no big deal. And some made a show out of it, stomping around, trying to intimidate their contender, and trying to get cheers from the audience... all during the salt throwing.

There were a lot of people there. Apparently the competition I went to was a big deal. Too bad I wasn't the best person around to appreciate it all. All I wanted to do was take pictures with the card-board cutouts of the hot wrestlers. hehe.

One upsetting thing to my American sensibilities--they only get one chance. I mean, these wrestlers train train train train train. They put their lives into this one competition. And like I said. 5 seconds. 90% of the matches were 5 seconds long. And once you are out, you are out. No rematch. No taking on another wrestler. Their time in the competition is done.

I can't imagine a baseball players life all revolving around hitting one pitch.