Complete Guide to Sumo Wrestling Rules from A to Z

Sumo wrestling is a traditional Japanese kind of sport, in which two athletes try to push each other outside the circle or to make each one try the ground with any part of their body except for the soles. Apart from a sporting constituent, sumo wrestling combines elements of tradition and entertainment. The given article is going to present the main sumo wrestling rules and peculiarities.

General Rules

A sumo wrestling bout lasts for 3-5 minutes. If it is impossible to determine a winner after this time, an extra bout or rematch (torinaoshi) is awarded. Every bout starts with the corresponding command of the referee (gyoji) after the corresponding spiritualties are exercised. The referee may stop a bout once or even more times because of injuries, problems with a uniform or any other reason that is beyond the wrestlers’ wishes and powers. A bout is said to be over when the referee determines its outcome and gives the appropriate command. With this, he points to the side, either East or West, from which a winner started the bout.

A sumo wrestler can lose by the decision of the referee in the following cases if he:

• fails to keep wrestling because of an injury;
• uses illegal movements;
• makes an own decision to end a bout;
• intentionally fails to rise from the referee’s position;
• ignores the commands of the referee;
• fails to appear in the waiting sector after the second official calling;
• when the wrestler’s uniform unties and falls during a bout.

The following list represents the actions that are banned in sumo wrestling:

• hitting an opponent with hands or dabbing with fingers;
• kicking an opponent in the chest or stomach;
• grabbing the opponent’s hair;
• grabbing the opponent’s throat;
• grabbing the vertical parts of the opponent’s uniform;
• wringing the opponent’s fingers;
• biting;
• performing direct hits and kicks in the head.

Court

Sumo wrestling competitions take place on the special square court with the sides of 7.27 meters. This court is called a dohyo. There are two kinds of these courts:

1. Mori-dohyo – a clay or ground trapeze-like mound of 34-60 cm high;
2. Hira-dohyo – a flat dohyo used for training and competitions if the mori-dohyo is absent.

The wrestling arena itself is limited by the strap made of rice straw; it is the circle of 4.55 meters in diameter. In its center, 70 cm from each other, there are 2 lines (the shikiri-sen). These lines are 80 cm long. Wrestlers position themselves behind these lines at the start of a bout.

Equipment

Sumo wrestlers have a minimum set of equipment. To tell the truth, it is represented by a single loincloth (mawashi). It should be 40 cm wide; its length should be enough to wrap the wrestlers’ body 4 or 5 times. The wrestlers wear white cotton mawashis for training and colored silk ones for official competitions.

Sumo wrestlers may not have any objects that could injure opponents. It refers to rings, bracelets, chains, and others. The wrestler’s body should be clean and dry; his nails both on fingers and on toes should be shortly cut.

Referees

Every official sumo wrestling bout should be served by a team of officials including the following:

• referee;
• referee assistant;
• chief scorer;
• judges;
• informers.

The referee is responsible for meeting all the requirements concerning the general refereeing rules including the appointment of the judging panels. Such a panel consists of the umpire (shimpan), the referee (gyoji), and four side referees.

History

Archeological findings tell that sumo wrestling was popular in Japan in the 3rh-6th centuries, while the first written records of the given kind of sport date back to the 7th-8th centuries. These records come from the book telling ancient Japanese legends. The word “sumo” appeared from the Japanese verb “sumafu” directly meaning “to compare powers”. It was this verb that created the noun “sumahi”. The noun then transferred into “sumai” and then into “sumo”.