The beginner's guide of sumo. Chapter 2. Rules of Sumo
This is sumo's rule corner
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Dohyo
Rule
Tournament
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Dohyo
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T he sumo ring is called the dohyo
and takes its name from the straw rice bag which mark out its different parts. The greater portion of each bale is firmly buried in the earth.
The dohyo is 18 feet square and 2 feet high and is constructed of a special kind of clay. The hard
surface is covered with a thin layer of sand. The bout is confined to an inner circle a little over 15 feet in diameter. Over the dohyo
suspended from the ceiling by cables is a roof resembling a Shinto shrine with four giant tassels hanging from each corner to signify the seasons of the year.
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Tsuriyane
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Rule
A bout is won by forcing the opponent
out of the inner circle or throwing him in the dohyo.
To lose the match it is not necessary to fall in the circle or to be pushed completely
out. The rikishi
who touches the ground with any part of his body, his knee or even the tip of
his finger or his top-knot, loses the match. Or he need only put one toe or his
heel over the straw bales marking the circle. Striking with fists, hair pulling,
eye gouging, choking and kicking in the stomach or chest are prohibited. It is
also against the rules to sieze the part of the band covering the vital organs.
As there are no weight limits as in boxing or western wrestling it is possible
for a rikishi
to find himself pitted against an opponent twice his own weight. |
Tournament
T here are six Grand Tournaments a year, three are held in Tokyo,
one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days, each rikishi
fighting once every day with a different opponent. The winner of the tournament,
in other words the rikishi
with the best record of wins over losses, is awarded the Emperor's Cup on the
final day after the last match. There are three additional prizes, the shukunsho
awarded to the rikishi
who upset the most yokozuna(grand
champions)and ozeki(champions),
the kantosho
for fighting spirit and the ginosho
for technique. To be eligible for any of these prizes, the rikishi
must also have won at least eight of his fifteen matches. |
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| The Sumo Record Book
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