The Haru-basho, sumo tournament in spring

2019年 03月18日


Every year in Japan, Honbasho is held, a major sumo tournament that takes place in six games, one every two months. The March championship, the haru-basho (spring tournament) is happening in Osaka this year from March 10 to 24. This is the second official tournament of the year. The arena is the prefectural gymnasium of Osaka, which can accommodate up to 8000 spectators.
This is a sport that is still very popular in Japan and many spectators watch the Honbasho unfold.

Sumo is a native sport, which seems to have always existed in Japan. The first written traces found back to the Kojiki (chronicles of the old facts), written that dates from the 8th century: according to the chronicle, the gods themselves engaged in the practice of this sport!
The sovereignty of Japan would have even been disputed in time immemorial by a sumo fight between the gods Takeminakata and Takemikazuchi, who won and established the imperial lineage which is de facto of divine origin.

The principle of sumo wrestling is as follows: the wrestlers, called rikishi, standby behinds the line on the dohyo (the arena), in the center of a circle which they must not cross. The wrestlers are dressed in a mawashi, a band of cloth worn at the waist which is the only solid grip allowed on the opponent during the fight.

Sumo has always been closely linked to the Shinto religion (for example, it was an important part of prayer in order to obtain good harvests), which is why the ritual aspect of sumo fighting is of paramount importance.

Purify the dohyo by throwing salt

Chase evil spirits by doing shiko: the wrestlers hit the ground after raising very high leg. The goal was to hunt evil spirits and wake up the earth in the spring to get good crops.

The Rikishis' daily diet is chanko, a very nutritious stew served three to five times a day. It is a very caloric dish that helps gain weight at the same time remaining balanced.
If you want to try, know that many restaurants are specialized in this dish! They are located in the district of Ryogoku in Tokyo, in the district of Sumida which hosts Kokugikan: the sports center where the Tokyo sumo tournaments are held.

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