The Wider Image: Getting to grips with sumo
The sound of bodies slapping against each other rocks the stifling sumo "stable" in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, as 11 gigantic wrestlers wearing only loincloths take turns throwing each other out of a ring of sand. The wrestlers, or 'rikishi', at the prestigious Tomozuna stable spend more than three hours each morning practising holds in Japan's 15-century-old national sport, with defeat facing the first to fall or be forced out of the ring. With rare permission granted by sumo's governing body, Reuters was able to observe the stable's wrestlers training at their temporary Buddhist temple base for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament that kicked off last week, gaining insight into the intricacies of sumo. Entering the world of sumo is to eat, live, and breathe Japanese - from the samurai-style topknots to the rigid hierarchy. But the tough training and tradition-bound ways have put off many local youth from the sport, leaving sumo to be dominated by foreign Ð mainly Mongolian Ð wrestlers, who face a gruelling path to assimilation. "Language was the biggest source of stress," said Tomozuna Oyakata, better known by his fighting name Kyokutenho, the first Mongolian-born wrestler to lead a sumo stable. "I couldn't understand anything when I was being scolded, or even when I was being praised," said the master, one of the first six Mongolians to be inducted into the sport in 1992. REUTERS/Issei Kato SEARCH "KATO SUMO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: JAPAN-SUMO/
