that is contested between two wrestlers known as Rikishi (no, not this kind of Rikishi)

and takes place in a clay ring known as a Dohyo.

The ring itself is roughly 4.5m in diameter.

The object of the game is to either force your opponent out of the ring, or make him

touch the floor with anything other than the soles of his feet.

If you manage to do either of these things, the referee will point to your side of the

Dohyo and you win the match.

Once both Sumo wrestlers touch the ground with their fists, the match begins.

You are allowed to push your opponent, slap your opponent,

grab their Mawashi or Loin Cloth, lock their limbs,

redirect them out of the ring, trip them up,

throw them out of the ring … or really throw them!

There’s also things you cannot do, which will result in your instant disqualification.

You cannot punch your opponent, poke them in any sensitive area, grab around the crotch

area, and if your Mawashi comes off, you are disqualified immediately.

There is no time limit and matches can last from anything from 4 seconds to 4 minutes.

Come on Ninh, these are just fat dudes wearing diapers.

This is a joke, right?

Unfortunately this is no laughing matter.

Sumo is Japan’s national sport and Rikishi devote their entire lives to training, gaining

weight and learning the art of Sumo.

They may be tubby around the mid-section, but they are strongmen, with fast reflexes

and incredible balance.

The heaviest professional can top 287kg or 633 lbs, so imagine trying to push that out

of the ring.

It’s not easy and Sumo Wrestling is an incredibly difficult sport to master.

Whilst the Rules of Sumo are easy to understand, everything else around it is not.

There’s a few other things you’ll need to know before playing or watching Sumo.

For example: Pre-Match Ritual

Without going into too much detail, the process to start a Sumo wrestling match is a religious

ceremony that includes, cleansing their mouths, throwing salt to purify the ring, stamping

out evil spirits, showing their opponent that they want to fight fair and have no weapons,

and psyching each other out.

Mono-ii If there is a dispute as to who won the bout,

5 judges dressed in black will step into the ring to discuss the match.

This is known as ‘mono-ii’ and they will decide to either agree with the referee, overturn

the referee’s decision, or if they still cannot decide, order a rematch and make both

Rikishi wrestle again.

Gyoji The referee in a sumo match is known as the

Gyoji.

He is dressed in colourful robes and holds a wooden fan in his right hand, which he uses

to signal the winner.

Gyoji are ranked for superiority with the highest ranked Gyoji wearing extravagant silks

and purple robe decorations – which is the colour of Japanese nobility.

Prize Money Before some Sumo Matches, you might see these

colourful banners being paraded around the ring.

These are sponsor banners and the fee that sponsors pay acts as the prize money.

The winning Rikishi is awarded the prize in envelopes from the Gyoji.

More sponsors equals more prize money.

Tournament Sumo matches usually take place in tournaments.

Each Rikishi contests in one match every day for 15 straight days in the top division,

or 7 straight days in lower divisions.

The Rikishi with the most wins in any one tournament is proclaimed the winner.

If two Rikishi have the same record, they must fight each other to be crowned the tournament

champion.

Ranking These are the 10 ranks of Professional Sumo,

and based on your wins and losses, you could be promoted or demoted a rank based on your

performance.

If you are in the top 5 ranks, this is known as Makuuchi or the Top Division, where your

matches are televised and your starting salary is significantly higher than the bottom 5

ranks.

Yokozuna The goal of every Sumo Wrestler is to reach

the rank of Yokozuna (no, not this kind of Yokozuna), but the rank of Grand Champion.

The criteria is strict, but in short, you have to be at least an Ozeki who has won 2

straight tournaments (or an equivalent performance) and have the unanimous vote of the Yokozuna

Deliberation Council of the Japan Sumo Association to be crowned a Yokozuna or Grand Champion.

You can tell who he is, as he’s the one that wears this white rope during ceremonies

and there can be more than one Yokozuna at a time.

Yokozuna are treated like Gods in Japan, and they earn significant money, fame and honour

as the top sumo wrestler in the world.

If you have found this video helpful, be sure to like share and subscribe.

It takes me ages to make one of these things and good karma is very much appreciated.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter also and share this video on Reddit, but in the meantime,

Enjoy Sumo Wrestling.

Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK