Celibacy, Calories, and Culture: Inside the Fascinating World of Sumo Wrestling
It isn’t every day you get to consume the food of giants while they stand before you, grunting and shoving each other. On one fine Friday afternoon in Tokyo, I had the rare chance to have lunch and a private meet-and-greet with retired sumo wrestlers. As I munched on a hearty meal of fried pork cutlets, rice, and veggies, the men shared some enlightening details about the sport, including retirement after a number of losses, when sumo wrestlers can marry, their daily calorie intake when active, and the post-sumo careers many follow after the lights dim and the fanfare subsides.
Part comedy show, part cultural crash course, this experience took place at Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka in the Sumida ward of Tokyo, and it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my whistle-stop adventure in Japan courtesy of boutique group travel company Flash Pack. During the 12-day trip, I had gotten to don a kimono to partake in a traditional tea ceremony and slice into a $5,000 chunk of hours-fresh tuna with a razor-sharp handmade knife during a sushi-making class. I was serenaded by the same maiko (trainee geisha) who appeared on the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil. Now it was time to get up close and personal with the scantily-clad heroes of Japan’s national sport, along with ten new travel buddies.
Jo and Matsu were both hilarious and extremely personable as they recounted their glory days. As retirees, it was clear that they were previously girthier back when they regularly consumed copious amounts of calorific sumo cuisine. I was able to ask them all my burning questions and was enthralled by their every word with translations courtesy of our trusted local Flash Pack guide, Naoki. On a day out that included a fake sumo suit and a towering wrestler pretending to fall on and crush one of my travel companions during a demonstration, here’s some of what I learned.
What Goes on in the Dohyo
Sumo is a sport as well as a Shinto ritual that takes place in a mounted ring called a dohyo. The ring measures 4.55 meters wide, and there is a six-ton roof suspended above it, which harks back to the days when sumo matches were held at shrines to please the gods. A new dohyo is built before each grand tournament by the ring announcers (yobidashi), and the day before each tournament, the ring is purified during a ceremony known as dohyo matsuri when auspicious symbols are buried in the center, and a sake offering is made. Every gesture in the ring has significance. Salt is also spread for purity, and plenty of foot-stomping (shiko) helps calm the evil spirits in the ground.
82 Recognized Ways to Win
Sumo wrestlers are known as rikishi, which means “men of strength.” A sumo match is won by the fighter with superior grip and strength who is able to force his opponent to exit the ring or touch the ground with anything besides the soles of his feet. The requirements to follow this career are grit, discipline, and “a brave heart,” according to Jo, who holds the record for the most consecutive sumo wins and the fastest rise to the top of his division. He explained that there are 82 techniques to win a match, including the Uwatenage overarm throw and Yorikiri (“frontal force-out”), which is pushing the opponent out by grabbing his loincloth or belt. During a comical faux showdown, now-retired Jo and Matsu playfully demonstrated some prohibited techniques like eye gouging and kicking above the belt.
Getting ready to fight: Matsu on the left in black, Jo on the right in whiteCourtesy of Rosie Bell
A Legendary Loincloth
Made from durable heavy cotton or silk, the mawashi is the traditional loincloth of sumo wrestlers. This combat belt is designed to endure the grueling demands of the sport, and the color and material serve as indicators of rank. According to Jo and Matsu’s teachings, this long strip of cloth is approximately 30 feet long and 24 inches wide and secured with intricate folds and knots after being wrapped around the wrestler’s waist. Functionally, it provides a grip for opponents during grappling and throwing techniques and sometimes sumo wrestlers will put lucky charms inside theirs. I was amazed to discover that the mawashi is never washed. It is only doused with an alcohol-based spray or laid out in the sun to dry.
Living in Shared Houses
The sumo wrestler’s lifestyle is rather militaristic and quasi-monastic. The rikishi live in communal training stables called heya (also used interchangeably with beya), where tradition dictates their highly regimented sleeping and eating rituals. They dedicate their lives to the sport, practicing for hours on a near-daily basis, often from a young age. Both Jo and Matsu got their start as young boys. Matsu was just seven years old when he started training. Each sumo belongs to a heya and is required to live there until they reach a certain position.
Sumo is divided into six divisions: Jonokuchi, Jonidan, Sandanme, Makushita, Juryo, and the highest is Maakuchi. Jo and Matsu shared that wrestlers may only live independently once they reach Juryo, which is when they are paid to fight.
To Marry or Not to Marry?
Eating, living, and breathing sumo leaves little time for leisure pursuits. Sumo wrestlers in the top two divisions (Juryo and Maakuchi) are known as sekitori and they enjoy the most freedoms, including the right to move out on their own and get married. Generally speaking, men in the lower leagues can’t have girlfriends or own cellphones, though sumo houses have varying rules and levels of leniency. Sumo is a thoroughly male-dominated sport, and women are banned from entering the ring.
New friend Katie in the ring pushing Matsu while wearing a sumo suitCourtesy of Rosie Bell
Extreme Calorie Counting
“Our eating routine was more challenging than the training,” said retired wrestler Jo, who weighed 375 pounds in his heyday. Back then, the men consumed roughly 10,000 calories a day, around the equivalent of 10 bento boxes. Being bigger was advantageous for offense and for handling powerful attacks. Sumo wrestlers skip breakfast, train, consume a hefty meal, and then nap straight away so their food transforms into bulk.
Eating is part of the job, and the sumo wrestler’s main dish is chanko nabe, a hot pot stew that helps them build muscle. They eat this along with tonkatsu, a fried, juicy-on-the-inside pork cutlet with a crunchy exterior. Supposedly, the reason that many Japanese athletes, including sumo wrestlers, favor tonkatsu is that it contains the word “katsu,” which means “to win.”
As we tucked into this moreish cuisine prepared by the showmen before us, they informed us of the absence of weight classes in sumo. Wrestlers of all sizes compete against one another, making it entirely possible to witness a David versus Goliath battle during which a 200-pound athlete triumphs over an opponent twice his weight through superior technique. This demonstrates how, in sumo, skill, strategy, and a formidable mind hold as much value as size.
The Ancient Topknot
In the world of sumo, wrestlers grow their hair long to create a traditional topknot known as a chonmage. This hairstyle is a vestige of the historical and cultural legacy of sumo wrestling, tracing its origins to the samurai for whom the topknot was a symbol of status and distinction. Maintained with meticulous care, the chonmage is vital to the sumo wrestler’s identity and presence. If a sumo wrestler’s hair is too thick, they will get nakazori, whereby a specialist hairdresser (tokoyama) completely shaves the middle of the head. Upon retirement, a topknot-cutting ceremony (dampatsu-shiki) marks the man’s return to ordinary life. On that day, former rivals, friends, and family members are able to snip bits of hair off with gold-plated scissors.
Post-Retirement Careers
Jo retired at 35 in 2022, while Matsu had his topknot shorn 15 years ago when he was 24 years old. Sumo wrestlers might give up their mawashi for good due to injury, a desire for a discipline-free life, or because they simply aren’t winning enough. “Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo and Yokozuna are expected to retire if they start losing more matches than they win over time,” Matsu stated.
After retirement, many sumo wrestlers reinvent themselves as professionals in the restaurant industry. This isn’t too surprising given that so much of their lives revolve around food when competing. Jo now enjoys cooking chanko nabe meals at Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka and hosting chuckle-inducing sessions that educate foreigners and locals about sumo culture, which helps keep the sport alive.
Writer Rosie Bell with retired sumo wrestlers Matsu and JoCourtesy of Rosie Bell
Participating in Sumo
The culmination of our afternoon at Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka was an invitation to challenge Jo and Matsu in a mock fight in the dohyo, putting what we’d learned into practice. Since the “no ladies in the ring” rule didn’t apply at this themed restaurant, I strongly considered giving myself a ring name (shikona) and heading into the dohyo for the once-in-a-blue moon opportunity of sparring with sumo greats of yesteryear. However, I remained a spectator and watched my fellow Flash Packer Katie, who I had formed a fast friendship with, put on a deflated “sumo suit” and a false plastic topknot for the “battle” which the gentlemen gracefully let her win.
If you’re in Japan and wish to see a live sumo match, six events take place every year in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. In Tokyo, tournaments are held in January, May, and September. Giant hot pot and travel buddies are not included.
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