Interesting facts about the fighters in the "greasy ring"

Sumo is a unique martial art found only in Japan. The world of sumo wrestlers is actually much more interesting than what one might imagine a "fat ring" to be.

The Origins and World of Sumo

Sumo is a traditional Japanese martial art and sport. What distinguishes Sumo from many other martial arts is that its wrestlers are easily recognizable: they are often overweight, flabby, and wear a distinctive loincloth whenever they enter the ring. However, few people know the full story behind this seemingly simple yet extremely demanding sport.

Sumo has a long history in Japanese culture. Photo: Wiki.

Originating before the 16th century, Sumo has undergone many changes throughout Japan's history. Today, Sumo is no longer a popular martial art. Currently, there are approximately 42 Sumo stables across Japan with 660 wrestlers. These wrestlers train and compete in professionally organized tournaments.

Sumo is considered a demanding sport because, in addition to rigorous training, income is a crucial factor. Specifically, in the Makuuchi league – the highest-ranked league – sumo wrestlers can earn a considerable salary, ranging from $14,000 to $30,000 per month. Sumo wrestlers in the Jurio league – the second-tier league – earn around $10,000 per month. However, in lower leagues, wrestlers receive meager incomes, a stark contrast to the top-tier leagues. Therefore, the sole objective for those participating in sumo is to climb the ranks and reach the highest levels.

What is a typical day like for a sumo wrestler?

Sumo wrestlers don't eat breakfast. As soon as they wake up at 5 a.m., they go straight to the dojo and begin training immediately. Experts in the field believe that when the stomach is empty, metabolism slows down, making it more difficult to burn calories. Sumo wrestlers must maintain sufficient body fat to gain weight, but also have enough muscle mass to perform their signature moves.

Sumo has many incredibly sophisticated techniques. Photo: AAO

Unlike the common perception of Sumo as a "brutal" sport where two "heavyweights" charge at each other like mountains and victory is decided solely by strength, Sumo is actually much more refined and skillful. Like other martial arts, Sumo training is diverse, encompassing: stances (involving footwork and lower body positioning), footwork (movement and balance), and finally, offensive techniques.

Specifically regarding attack techniques, Sumo has a specialized term for these moves: kimarite. Currently, there are 82 kimarite techniques recognized by the Japan Sumo Federation, but in practice, only about 12 are commonly used. The 82 kimarite techniques are combinations ranging from simple to complex, based on fundamental moves such as: locks, pushes, slaps, throws, leg kicks, takedowns, and special techniques.

Around 11 a.m., sumo wrestlers finish their morning training and begin their first meal of the day. A single meal for these wrestlers contains approximately 10,000 calories, about ten times the amount consumed by a healthy young man (this will be discussed in more detail later). After eating, sumo wrestlers rest for a considerable amount of time to allow the body to absorb all the calories they have eaten and convert them into fat.

Train, eat, sleep, eat - that's a typical day for a sumo wrestler. Photo: Hasfit

Around 6 PM, Sumo wrestlers have their second meal – of similar size to the first, and their last meal of the day. They have some private time in the evening before going to bed to prepare for another day with the same routine.

How grueling is a sumo wrestler's meal?

This is a question many people wonder about. To ensure Sumo wrestlers maintain their weight and energy levels, their meals are very large and high in calories. Although they only eat two meals a day, Sumo wrestlers consume around 20,000 calories per day, which is 10 times the amount consumed by a healthy young man.

A sumo wrestler's meal, called chankonabe, is a stew that's almost like a mini hot pot, primarily consisting of vegetables, tofu, fish, and various meats cooked together in broth and sake/beer. This "sumo hot pot" is so famous that many restaurants in Japan specialize in serving it to diners, of course with some variations and adjustments to suit the average person's appetite.

A typical pot of chankonabe. Photo: Sakura

Besides chankonabe, Sumo wrestlers naturally also eat rice, noodles, and various kinds of hamburgers. A former Sumo wrestler once claimed that some wrestlers could eat up to 5 kg of meat and 10 bowls of rice a day. If you want to learn more about Sumo wrestlers' meals, please refer to this article.

It's no surprise that with such enormous quantities of food, even eating becomes a grueling exercise for sumo wrestlers, as not everyone is born with a muscular physique and a huge stomach. Young sumo wrestlers are often force-fed until they can't be fed any more, and this process is repeated despite the "victims" often vomiting uncontrollably. Successful sumo wrestlers often describe the process of learning to eat, rather than their martial arts training, as the most arduous experience of their training lives.

Can you eat an entire pot of this? Photo: Tofugu

As mentioned above, after each meal, Sumo wrestlers are required to rest so that the nutrients can be converted into fat to build up their bodies. This sounds quite contradictory, as they must both ensure that fat isn't burned while also scientifically increasing muscle strength. How do Sumo wrestlers balance these conflicting elements?

The answer is revealed: training. Training with extreme intensity and in many different ways. But exactly what that training entails to balance absorption and movement to create a fighter weighing several hundred kilograms yet moving with lightning speed, standing still like Mount Fuji but striking with the force of thunder – that, perhaps, remains a secret known only to those in the know.

According to Depplus/MASK