With its origins in religious ceremonies from the 8th century, sumo is a pillar of Japanese culture and the second most popular sport in the country (at the spectator level, practicing it is something else) after baseball. But the fact that the vast majority of the last yokozunas (great masters) are foreigners, especially Mongolians, is a cause of national consternation, and a phenomenon the subject of sociological research.
Traditionally it was a way to escape poverty in rural society, in a similar way to how before in Spain children from the towns were sent to the seminary. At the age of fifteen, as soon as they finished primary school, they entered sumo schools (currently there are 43), organized in a hierarchical manner, so that newcomers do not have the right to carry mobile phones and are at the service of the more advanced, for those who make the food, accompany the bath and even scratch the back.
The career of a rikishi (professional sumo wrestler) usually lasts, if he is very good, until he is 33 or 34 years old, and he does not earn much money (maximum about $25,000 per year in the case of a champion). The rest have to make do with food, lodging and travel expenses when they participate in tournaments. When they retire, it is common for them to find themselves displaced, without a place in society. They don’t know how to do anything else. Some set up restaurants specializing in the type of food they eat, others become masseuses, go to castings for advertisements, or dedicate themselves to caring for the elderly (they have no problem moving weight), just as they did with veterans when they were young.
The status of yokozuna is granted by the Japan Sumo Association according to the results obtained in six major tournaments held each year, without categories based on weight as in boxing, so it is advisable to have size to be able to throw out the rival. of the dohyo (the 4.55 meter diameter circle in which one fights), one of the ways to win, along with making the enemy touch the ground with some other part of the body than the sole of the foot. Key to the sport’s popularity is its simplicity. You can head butt – many fights are elucidated in the initial charge – but you cannot poke your finger in the eye, pull your hair or punch (yes, slaps).
Experts attribute the absence of great Japanese champions to economic progress, and to the fact that few people now send their children to sumo schools. Mongolians, Bulgarians, Estonians and Hawaiians (the first foreign yokozana was Chad Rowan, a legend), in addition to having the necessary physical conditions, are on the other hand very motivated and have developed an excellent technique, with lateral movements that are not part of the tradition. Japanese, very effective.
Of the around six hundred rikishi, only 47 are foreigners, since the authorities first limited the quota to two per gym or school, and later to one. Of them, more than half are Mongolians, including the reigning grandmaster (there may be several simultaneously), who goes by the sporting name of Terunofuji, 32 years old and badly hit by injuries. A professional since 2011, he reached the rank of ozeki (the second highest) four years later, but diabetes and knee problems caused him to plummet. In 2020, when he seemed finished, he rose from the ashes and was elevated to yokozuna. At the moment there is no clear candidate to succeed him on the throne, with the country’s hopes placed on Takakeisho and his 165 kilo weight.
