The sport of Sumo Wrestling, which originates from within Japanese culture, is governed by The Japan Sumo Association. As a sumo wrestler there are various enforcements indicated by the association that regulates things like clothing, the food wrestlers eat, and of course rules of wrestling.
The Japanese Sumo Association strongly values tradition and formality and being that the sport is hands on and most of the players are above the average weight class, there are many injuries that wrestlers can obtain, especially because there is no specific weight class. The issue of participants has also begun to arise. A lot less people in today's Japanese society are wanting to sumo wrestle than the years before. According to The Japan News, published by Yomiuri Shimbun, expressed that many more high school and early level college students are choosing to finish their studies first before following tradition, which was a lot less likely in previous generations.
The sport of sumo wrestling embodies discipline, respect, and harmony, which ties back to the religion of Shinto, where the tradition was as a ritual to entertain their gods. As time progressed it was then transformed into a professional sport, but the values remained the same.
The sport of sumo is actually quite involved with the government. At one point in time sumo wrestling was used as a hierarchal measure before it then became used for mainly sport. The higher the rank of a wrestler, the better ranking they'd have within their society, even having the opportunity to be named the Yokozuna, or grand champion. The public also supports in means in attending wrestling matches and even dressing up like the wrestlers to play sumo.
During a sumo match a ritual is performed before the match begins. Each wrestler mounts the dohyo. or fighting platform and takes some time to get ready for their match. After a bow to one another, each wrestler does foot stomps (also known as shiko) and are then granted chikara mizu (power water) and chikara gami (power paper). These are handed into the ring by previous match winners; those who lose aren't granted this opportunity. Then, after grabbing a handful of salt the two wrestlers or rikishi enter their squatting positions and begin their movements (chiri-chozu). Once all is done a winner is announced and they perform tegatana, a celebratory three strike air motion, before accepting any prizes from the referee or the wrestlers gunbai (war fan).
Sumo wrestling is heavily placed within the media. From major event coverage to daily television broadcasting, the media pays a lot of attention to the sport of sumo.
Sumo wrestling has a unique blend of formal and informal norms enforced by either the Japanese Sumo Association (JSA) or social customs.
Formal Norms:
Match Rules: Sumo wrestling matches are very fast paced and have a required time limit of 1 minute. Sumo wrestlers are only allowed to perform open-hand thrusts and slaps, but are carefully watched by Gyoji (referees) to make sure they don’t perform any illegal moves such as: Punching, eye-gouging, hair-pulling, or kicking.
Ranking System: Sumo wrestlers are placed in an extremely strict banzuke (ranking list), from Jonokuchi (lowest) to Yokozuna (highest). The only way Sumo wrestlers are allowed to be promoted is through official tournament performances.
Lifestyle and Conduct: Sumo wrestlers have a strict lifestyle which prohibits them from drinking in public, having excessive public behavior, and wearing regular attire outside. If a sumo wrestler commits any scandals, violence, or is defiant, they will be punished for their misconduct by the Japanese Sumo Association (JSA).
Informal Norms:
Respect: Sumo wrestlers are required to bow and pay respects to referees and sumo elders because of traditions and unspoken rules. While lower-ranked wrestlers are expected to take care of and serve higher ranked wrestlers because of the ranking list, although they are not required to do so, it is out of respect and unspoken rules that they must serve higher ranked wrestlers.
Codes of Honor: Respect is a principle sumo wrestlers live by, for this reason sumo wrestlers are expected to stay humble after winning a match, they are expected to be calm and collected even if a referee made a incorrect call, and sumo wrestlers are expected to fight with everything they got since it would be disrespectful to take it easy on your opponent.
Fan/Media Expectations: Sumo wrestlers are expected to be role models to the people around them, they must carry themselves with dignity and respect, and should never create scandals that affect the sport and the people around them.
Sumo wrestling is one of the most exclusive sports because of its deep-rooted traditions, and strict rules/regulations created by the Japan Sumo Association (JSA).
Strict Gender Rule: Due to sumos deep roots in ancient Shinto rituals, the Dohyo (sumo ring) is considered a sacred and pure place in which only men are able to enter and participate in.
Certain age and physicality: According to official JSA requirements, sumo wrestlers must be under 23 years old, must meet a minimum height of 5’7 and weight of 143. The sumo wrestling regiment and lifestyle is very grueling to the normal population, so it’s highly recommended that individuals do not become sumo wrestlers at the age of 24+.
Sumo wrestling is a deeply rooted tradition to the people of Japan, so even though the core values and rituals have remained unchanged, innovations have changed the way sumo is broadcasted, trained, and experienced by fans worldwide.
Sumo wrestling remains a minimalist sport, with wrestlers still wearing the traditional clothing and competing barefoot in a Dohyo ring. But thanks to new discoveries and innovations sumo wrestling training and lifestyles has improved with the introduction of slow-motion video which allows coaches to sturdy wrestlers footwork and balance. The introduction of dietitians and nutritional science has helped optimize wrestlers meal plans. The introduction of physical therapy, weightlifting, and recovery techniques has improved sumo wrestlers training and recovery time for the better. Most importantly, thanks to international broadcasting, live streaming, and social media, sumo has gained millions of new fans that can watch through almost any platform which gives more exposure and views to the sport.
Sumo still performs the same religious rituals and traditions, but now it has evolved as a professional sport rather than a religious Shinto event. There have also been some modern adjustments to sumo wrestlers lifestyle, wrestlers are now allowed to have structured rest periods, better health care, and a family life with sumo. Sumo wrestling has also started to include more foreign born wrestlers, in the past only japanese wrestlers were allowed to compete in tournaments but thanks to the popularity and influence of sumo, there have been a surge of more foreign born wrestlers than ever before.
Sumo was historically confined in Japan, but in the late 20th century the JSA has begun hosting tournaments in France, U.S.A, and Mongolia, which has greatly grown their fan bases. Since its international tournaments had gained so much popularity over the years, more foreign-born sumo wrestlers have entered the professional sport, but due to fear of having foreign wrestlers dominate the sport the JSA has implemented a “one-foreign-per-stable” rule which limits the amount of foreign wrestlers entering a stable/tournament. Sumo has always been a historically exclusive sport, limiting accessibility for women and foreign competitors, hopefully in the future the JSA will get rid of these limitations so female competitors have the ability to join sumo competitions and so that more foreign born wrestlers have an equal chance to compete like their Japanese counterparts.
Environmental changes in Japan have forced the sport to adapt in training by upgrading cooling/ventilation systems inside sumo venues and infrastructure to make sure wrestlers and spectators are protected by natural disasters, dehydration, and heat illnesses. Due to urbanization, sumo stables have decreased around Japan because of the high costs of living and lack of spacious area for sumo wrestlers to train, for this reason many sumo stables have been forced to relocate or close. Traditional sumo diets rely on chanko-nabe, a soup with many vegetables and meats, but due to overfishing and agricultural changes, the availability of high quality produce and meat has decreased causing sumo wrestlers to adapt their diets and find alternative meals that still offer enough proteins, nutrients, and fibers.