Sumo Wrestling Today
Ancient sumo wrestling competitions were a no-holds-barred, anything-goes affair. Competitors can punch, elbow, knee and even head butt their opponents. The stakes were also higher. The loser's in today's sumo wrestling competitions often walked away with a bruised ego. But in the past, the loser's either walk away bearing fatal injuries or are killed right in the arena. However, sumo wrestling today is a world renowned sport. Sumotori or sumo wrestlers are no longer perceived as heroes or warriors, but as professional athletes and sports celebrities.
No eye gouging, elbowing and groin kneeing occurs in sumo wrestling arenas anymore. Modern sumo wrestling follows a list of acceptable sumo moves that wrestlers can use to push, slap or throw his opponent out of the sumo ring. A sumotori who uses a kinijite or illegal technique automatically loses. There are around forty approved moves that sumo wrestlers can use in sumo wrestling bouts today.
Until today, traditional sumo wrestling competitions are still annually held by the Imperial court. These involve a lot of ceremonies that precede the actual sumo matches. The sumo wrestlers are first introduced and paraded to the audience, with the Yokozuna or grand champion sumo wrestlers entering first, followed by lesser ranking sumo wrestlers. A Shinto priest also blesses the sumo arena called the dohyo. A dohyo is a mound of clay and sand topped by a roof that resembles the roof of a Shinto temple.
There are other traditional ceremonies that are still present in sumo wrestling today. The throwing of salt on the dohyo for purification is a popular sumo ceremony. Many sumo wrestlers continue to perform a symbolic rinsing of the mouth even until today. This is supposedly to summon protection from any physical harm.
Sumo wrestling today is now a very commercial enterprise. At least six annual sumo competitions are held in Japan, in venues specifically made solely for sumo wrestling competitions. Millions of fans from all over the world flock these events to cheer for their favorite sumo wrestlers. Even sumo wrestlers themselves earn a great deal of money. A Yokozuna can earn as much as three million yen monthly.
Modern sumo wrestling is an organized sport. Even if it is only in Japan that a person can be a professional sumo wrestler, there are now many sumo wrestlers of different nationalities. A Sumo Federation and a Sumo Association exists in Japan and are in charge of almost anything that is related to sumo, from organizing and overseeing annual sumo competitions, prescribing professional sumo behavior, and managing sumo homes and schools.
What's more, sumo wrestling today is not limited to professional sumotori. There are also sumo wrestling tournaments and clubs for grade school, high school, college and amateur sumo wrestlers. However these tournaments normally skip the ceremonies and go right into the matches.
Today, sumo wrestling is considered as Japan's national sport. This culturally distinct sport that combines religious beliefs with athletic fervor will definitely exist even beyond today.