I post this press release as a service and because Sumo wrestling is interesting.
THE JAPAN CENTER MALLS AND JAPANTOWN MERCHANT’S ASSOCIATION
JOIN FORCES TO PRESENT BIG ENTERTAINMENT TO SAN FRANCISCO
FREE Sumo Champions Exhibition
Scheduled for September 8, 12pm to 3:30pm
San Francisco, August 9, 2012 – On Saturday, September 8, the three-time World Sumo Champion, three-time US Sumo Champion and a multi-tournament medalist will all descend on San Francisco to compete in a Sumo Champions Exhibition in Japantown’s Peace Plaza. The event is FREE and open to the public.
All three wrestlers have been invited to compete by The Japan Center Malls and the Japantown Merchant’s Association, and in partnership with SF Weekly, the Center for Asian American Media and USA Sumo:
· Byamba: 6’1″, 370 lbs, Mongolian, three-time World Sumo Champion
· Kelly: 6’0″, 430 lbs, three-time US Sumo Champion and Guinness World Record holder as the heaviest human ever to run a marathon (he completed in the Los Angeles Marathon in 2008 and 2011).
· Big Joe: 6’1″, 350 lbs, Tongan, multi-time medalist at many US Sumo Open and other tournaments
Different from other Bay Area sporting events – or the Olympics, for that matter – anyone who has an interest in the sport, or just happens to be curious about the physical size of these modern-day warriors can actually meet them face-to-face. In addition to the live matches, two meet and greet sessions have been scheduled with one specifically geared toward children:
Schedule of Events
10am-10:45am: Free Kids Meet and Greet
12pm- 3:30pm: Live Sumo Matches
4:30pm: Public Meet and Greet
According to Wikipedia, Sumo is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring (dohyō) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally.Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from the days when sumo was used in the Shinto religion.
This Sumo Exhibition is an event is organized and sponsored by The Japan Center Malls and the Japantown Merchants Assocation, and it’s part of a series of events designed to educate and entertain the public with traditional Japanese and Asian cultural activities. For more information on the Sumo Exhibition, or to discover other events, visit japancentersf.com.
Streetglide
Thanks Lowell-san! As the English-language Sumo announcer on NHK television in Tokyo for almost 10 years, anything about Sumo is most interesting. But first, a few small points:
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Sumo rikishi (translation: big tough bastards) hate the term “wrestler.” The average body fat percentage in the top ranks is about 27 percent – the rest is an immense amount of muscle. Most of the Japanese rikishi lose 100lbs or so when they retire, end up looking like old rugby players. Typical size is six foot and 380lbs.
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These guys are immensely strong; they have weight rooms at the stables and work out daily. Why are they fat? First, to get their center of gravity down. second, it is their own padding – -sumo is done on a dohyo — a circle @ 14 feet across made of hard-packed clay with a topping of dry sand so the contestants feet don’t stick. Try doing that all day every day. These guys are great dancers and very nimble on their feet. Their sense of balance is extraordinary.
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The rules are simple: knock the guy down or out of the dohyo. Can’t punch, pull hair or hit someone in the sack. You can slap – it’s called harite and it will knock you out. There are something like 58 different techniques to win – if you have quick eyes it is wonderful to watch the great ones. Think of it as a battle between an OL tackle and his counterpart on the defensive side – in their skivvies. There are no weight classes. Most guys retire in their mid-thirties. There are about 1000 rikishi in the pro ranks but only those in the top two divisions actually make more than room and board.
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There are six 15-day tourneys a year — three in Tokyo at the Kokogikan, easily the cleanest and best sports arena in the world. Rikishi all have beautiful wives and girlfriends. These days there are guys from all over the world competing and especially Mongolia, which has its own form of Sumo. Sumo is ancient, the first martial art. It is highly addictive and great fun. Rikishi love beer and having fun when they can. In a fair fight, if they get a hold of you, you are dead — literally. Yakuza gangsters often keep a retired lower-ranked rikishi as their closest body guard — guys can take an extraordinary amount of pain.
Last, in 1998, the Rams contacted me in Tokyo looking for guys who might want to be nose tackles. I passed their phone number on to the Sumo chief. How about a 23-year-old 400lb nose tackle that has trained all his life to know the guy down in front of him? Think about it…
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This thing at the Japan Center will be like watching Little League but what the hey. It’s all good, pass the squid snacks, I’m ready!
September 4th, 2012 10:02 am
Streetglide
“Knock the guy down in front of him…” Sorry for the typo, it’s Monday. -L-
September 4th, 2012 10:04 am
Albert Park
Thanks for the tip, Lowell. I went to the Japan Center exhibition and it was a real hoot! After the matches the announcer invited all the little kids in the audience to come into the ring and try to knock the wrestlers over. The big guys played along with the gag; everyone had a great time. The wrestlers were good-natured gentle giants.
September 9th, 2012 10:53 pm