fact, at the end of a sumo match, an official will actually announce which kimarite was used to win the match.
Sumo’s techniques were developed more than a thousand years ago. From the early Edo period (AD 1603–1867) there are lists that describe throws that still mirror many of the kimarite used today. The history of the kimarite goes back to the medieval Japanese era when there were the traditional forty-eight kimarite or shijuuhatte (forty-eight hands). However, in 1960 the Japan Sumo Association recognized a total of seventy kimarite. In the last three decades sumo has been internationalized in that a large percentage of rikishi in the top professional divisions are non-Japanese. The influx of foreign rikishi has influenced the techniques of sumo. Among the top influences are the following:
The holds of folkstyle and Greco-Roman wrestlingThe charge of American footballThe techniques of Korean wrestling (ssireum)Since the late 1990s, Mongolian grappling (the greatest influence)
Moves such as leg picks and rear throws out of the ring could not be explained by traditional kimarite. In response, the sumo elders studied the ancient records searching for new techniques to add to the kimarite list. In 2001, twelve new kimarite were added to make a total of eighty-two kimarite. Some of the new kimarite include rear lift out (okuritsuridashi) and underarm-forward body drop (tsutaezori), which is performed by ducking under the opponent’s armpit. Stablemaster Oyama, a walking encyclopedia of sumo, said, “Kimarite is part of sumo culture. We think of them as our treasure.”11
Sumo techniques.
(Photo © Sahua, Dreamstime.)
In this chapter, we saw that there are solid arguments for thinking sumo is the root of jujitsu. We also considered some well-known martial artists who include sumo in their martial arts training. Then we introduced the history and practice of sumo, and finally we looked at the evolution of sumo’s winning moves (kimarite). The chapter “Sumo Wrestling Case Studies” will uncover the techniques and tactics of sumo in depth; “Sumo and MMA” will expose the technical connections sumo has within MMA; and the final chapter will illustrate sumo’s winning moves from an MMA perspective in detailed photos.
Two sumo wrestlers are performing shiko, which is executed ritually to drive away bad spirits from the dohyo before each bout. Shiko, foot stomping, is a signature sumo exercise where each leg is lifted as straight and as high as possible to the side while maintaining good posture, and then brought down to stomp on the ground with tremendous force. In training at the sumostable, shiko may be repeated hundreds of times in a row. This is amazing conditioning, especially because the rikishi are greatly known for their monstrous power and explosiveness, not their flexibility.
(Photo courtesy of Yves Picq, Wikimedia Commons.)
Two sumo wrestlers making the initial charge (tachi-ai) at each other at the beginning of a match. The initial collision of two rikishi can generate an incredible one ton or more of force.
(Photo courtesy of Gusjer, Flikr.)
CHAPTER 2 Sumo Wrestling Case Studies Introduction
In this chapter, we will study a specially selected group of professional rikishi for their wrestling style. As you will see, some wrestlers’ body types and fighting styles can vary dramatically, and their bouts can be quite interesting when they get together in the ring. When it comes to fighting styles in sumo, there are basically two types: traditional belt-grabbing sumo wrestling and pushing sumo wrestling. Undoubtedly, there are many rikishi who are proficient in both styles of sumo wrestling, but usually a rikishi focuses on either a pushing style or a belt-grabbing style. Techniques and tactics are presented in detail so readers might add some of these sumo moves to their own martial arts repertoire.
Case Study 1: Mainoumi—“Department Store of Techniques”
In sumo, size certainly matters, but technique matters as well. A case study in size versus technique naturally leads to the popular Japanese rikishi Mainoumi. He was five feet seven and a half inches in height and only 220 pounds, a very small person by sumo standards. Mainoumi used up to thirty-three kinds of kimarite in his wrestling days. Because of his broad use of kimarite, he was nicknamed “Department Store of Techniques” (Waza no Depaato). Mainoumi has said, “The eighty-two kimarite enhance the value of sumo.”12 Mainoumi rose to the komusubi rank, the fourth level from the top, an incredible achievement for a small rikishi in a field of giants.
Mainoumi was one of the most popular rikishi in the 1990s as his great fighting spirit and broad use of kimarite made him stand apart from the other much larger rikishi he was wrestling. For a smaller rikishi, Mainoumi’s strong judo background combined with his remarkable physical strength and agility made him a very formidable opponent. It was not uncommon for Mainoumi to win against rikishi who outweighed him by two to almost three times. A solid push from a larger rikishi would launch him in the air. He would also lose if a larger rikishi achieved a dominating hold on him. Because of this, Mainoumi would at the start of the bout feint a forward charge and then quickly jump off the line of attack. Frequently, the larger rikishi’s forward momentum was committed enough that he would fall to the ground. If that didn’t work, Mainoumi was prepared to get beside or behind his opponent and push him out of the ring or down to the ground.
Opponents started to catch on to Mainoumi’s tactics and wouldn’t commit themselves to a full-on charge at the start of the bout. The match would be downgraded to a noncommitted pushing contest. This was a contest Mainoumi couldn’t win, so he would slip or jump to his opponent’s side or back. He had plenty of strength and leg techniques to throw opponents once he was in a dominant position. Mainoumi was most vulnerable when squared up in front of his opponent. This occurred often when facing other smaller, fast rikishi like him.
Mainoumi, at the initial charge, would commonly employ quick and cunning moves, shocking both the opponent and the audience. For instance, he would use an unconventional sumo wrestling technique called “deceiving the cat” (nekodamashi). At the start of the bout, a rikishi abruptly claps his hands together just in front of his opponent’s face without touching it. The objective of this technique is to cause the opponent to close his eyes for a moment and distract him briefly, giving an advantage to the hand-clapping rikishi. This technique can be risky as, if it fails, it exposes the rikishi to his opponent’s onslaught. The hand clapping is not that difficult. The hard part is how the opponent’s brief distraction is instantly leveraged to gain the advantage. However, this trick will probably work only once on a particular opponent, as he will be expecting it the next time.
The mawashi is the belt worn by the rikishi. “The law of the ring” is that the one who dominates his opponent’s mawashi with a controlling grip will almost certainly win the match. Mainoumi considered his opponent’s mawashi his “lifeline”: if he did not grip it, he would lose. Mainoumi has said that where you grab the mawashi determines how you can turn or throw your opponent. The mawashi grip gives the rikishi the greatest leverage.
According
