They're Not Fat, They're Muscular!

Today, I went to the 2007 Grand Sumo Tournament with Sarah and Jenny. I had won three tickets through Shirokiya's 2007 Grand Sumo Tournament Coloring Contest. Let me first say that I had no interest in sumo, really. It was the $50 Shirokiya Gift Certificate that caught my eye (think of all the free food!) I entered the contest even though I did not expect to win. It was just for fun. But I won, so I'm very happy. =)

At first, I did not know what to do with the tickets I received. At the time, I knew nothing of sumo except that they have many crazy fans in Japan. Yes, apparently they do have their share of fangirls (think fangirls with their favorite popstars). I did not understand their obsession because wrestling wasn't my thing. My reasoning was that I should give the tickets away to someone who truly loves sumo and who deserves them...alas, I found no such person. Now I can honestly say I'm very glad I did not give them away. =)


Spotted two!

Before the tournament began, Jenny, Sarah, and I were scavengering outside the Blaisdell Center, looking for something to eat and drink. The food and drinks were way overpriced ($2.50 for a water bottle!)...but we were hungry. Jenny had a chili hotdog for $4.50 and I had three small pieces of inari sushi for $2. While we were waiting for Sarah as she stood in line to get a drink, we spotted two sumos! They were putting mustard and ketchup on their hotdogs. Sumos eating hotdogs instead of chanko-nabe! How exciting! Of course I had to bust out my camera before they could get away!


We're finally here!

Uwahhh...I was so excited. The sumos came out to do a few warm-up stretches before starting.


Betcha can't do this.

Whoa...dude...everyone started clapping right away. =D


Introducing all the sumos...

They're all coming out. I don't know who's who, but whatever. The robes are pretty.

After introducing all the sumos, the host announced that it was time for some, "comic sumo" - things that the sumo wrestlers cannot do. I am sorry I couldn't catch any pictures during this event, but it was very entertaining to see. There were two sumos (a really skinny one and a really big one) that demonstrated what went against the rules. They did all sorts of funny things to make the audience laugh.


Push, push, push...!

After the comic sumo, a bunch of young'uns came out to strut their stuff. =3 Everyone seemed baffled but delighted by these little guys. The host announced over the speaker that they were the keiki (children) of Hawaii...so they're locals, not sumos-in-training like I originally thought. xD When they first put up the smallest little guy up on stage, he tripped backward. He was obviously scared. It was funny to see them all go up one by one, trying to challenge the bigger guys. There was one particular boy that was really aggressive and he pushed and pushed, struggling to get one win. The sumo was eventually "pushed" out of the ring so the little guy won. The above picture shows one kid who pushed and pushed, but failed to make the sumo budge. Many of them were also twirled in the air by the sumo. xD It looked fun but scary at the same time.


Charging all at once.

After all going up one by one (some with repeated tries), they were allowed to charge at the rikishi (big guys) all at once. What a sight to see!

The preliminary round and the first round began after a short intermission.The preliminary round consisted of six matches and the first round sixteen matches. I fell in love with sumo after watching a few matches. The experience was not what I expected.

I thought that sumo was just a bunch of fat guys goin' at each other...it is so much more than that. In fact, the matches hardly seems to last more than a few seconds. Sumo is a very old and unique sport that managed to maintain its formal rituals and etiquette from the past. It was all these rituals that took longer than the actual matches! They would crouch in the dohyo (the ring), clap to dispel the evil, and of course, wave a sea of salt across the dohyo. Not to mention, I find it funny how they sometimes seem to be throwing the salt in the gyoji (referee's) face. Then sometimes they'd glare at each other some more (thus, exciting the crowd) and grab some more salt to throw at each other purify the dohyo. And then the match would begin. It took a long time. xD


Takamisakari.
A sumo that I can remember in particular was Takamisakari because he was the crazy, riled up one. Before a match would begin, he would always go crazy, shaking his head and his body angrily, glaring at his opponent, and throwing salt aggressively across the dohyo. Takamisakari was remembered because he always made a scene. Frankly, I didn't know what his problem was. Perhaps he just wanted to excite the crowd (he did this succesfully). He seemed very boastful and cocky so I was glad when Ryuo, my second favorite sumo, defeated him in the second round.

Another formidable sumo wrestler was Kotooshu from Bulgaria. By far, he was the tallest (at 203 cm!!!) and one of the strongest sumos that went on stage that night. To sum it up in one word, this guy was scary.

Wakanosato was remembered for being the sumo wrestler with his own group of cheerleaders. Whenever he came up, they would start chanting his name and clapping in rhythm.

During the first round, the match that impressed me the most (aka the most memorable one) was the fourth match, between Ama (peaceful horse) and Chiyotaikai. Ama was smaller, but he managed to outwit his opponent, snatching victory before anyone could blink. As the tournament went on, I found myself cheering for this guy. He had technique and he was agile. Despite his obvious talent and skill, I felt a little scared for him because his opponents were always bigger than him. But he would come through every time. I loved watching his matches the most because he always made the most impressive wins. One of the more exciting matches was when he went against Kotooshu, the biggest sumo in the tournament. Ama managed to defeat him, proving technique over power. Ama slowly passed through the second round, third round, the semi-finals...and finally onto the final round to compete against the yokozuna, the highest title holder!

The current yokozuna (highest sumo rank) was Hakuho and get this: He's my sister's age (22)!!! I had no idea sumo wrestlers could be so young. XD Throughout the entire tournament, I've been watching him. For some reason, I get the feeling that he is the most clear headed one. He never seems overly aggressive nor boastful. He remains calm. The matches with Hakuho were also suspenseful because he never wins right away. During his matches, he always wins at last minute. Whenever he'd seem to lose, he would turn things around. For example, there was one time when he was pushed to the edge of the ring. It seemed like the end for him until we saw him lift his opponent off the floor and slam him down on the floor. Not only is Hakuho intelligent, he is also very strong.

I had always liked watching Ama. I was very proud and happy to see that he was able to make it to the final round. During the finals, the two sumos left were Hakuho and Ama. Both of these rikishis were very admirable. You can just feel the tension rising. Who would win???


Ama vs. Hakuho.

Hakuho won. I liked them both so I was happy whatever the outcome may be. =)

After watching the rikishis for five long hours, my whole perspective changed. They didn't even look fat to me anymore. The amazing strength and power they demonstrated throughout this event just proved to me that it was all muscles and nothing else. I am a step closer to understanding those crazy fangirls who think of their favorite sumo wrestler as the most eligible bachelor in Japan. I can understand why people love sumo. =D I came as a clueless spectator, but now I truly appreciate sumo. This amazing experience really opened my eyes to the beauty of this 1,500 year-old traditional Japanese sport.