The Sumoa sport, a way of thinking. The Japanese one, which in terms of culture and tradition has so much to teach the world. The national sport
of Japanwhich is not simply a struggle, but a praise for an ancient activity that is an integral part of a people's history, rediscovering the essence of the Empire of the 'Rising Sun', has been in decline for some time.
The fault of a society that is increasingly forward-looking, perhaps, and that wants athletes in a certain shape, which does not come close to that of the traditional Sumo wrestler.
More 'televised', however, again in the East, is baseball. A very popular discipline among young people, who would not seem inclined to leave school at 15 to attend a boarding school for future Sumo wrestlers. A 'school' where everything is regulated, from diet to haircuts.
Because the Sumo is yes one sports but above all a ancient discipline. Sumo keeps the rules codified over the centuries alive: the fact that it only takes place in the months
odd, to be practised exclusively by men, the use of mawashi (loincloths made from a long ribbon) and oicho, the hairstyle of wrestlers.
Then again there is the dohyo, the thatched ring raised from the ground, and the rank system in the preparation of wrestlers (irikishi), among which the Yokozuna, to which the best wrestler belongs.
And related to Sumo there is a whole series of rituals and strict etiquette, as fascinating as it is ancient. It is no coincidence that the best wrestler is not allowed to demote, but rather, should he feel he is no longer able to fight, to retire, giving way to other aspirants rikishi.
The combatants follow a special ritual of presentation to the public, called Makuuchi dohyohiriThey climb onto the dohyo, dressed in an apron - the kenshomawashi - with the colours and symbols representing them, and they perform a ceremonial with very particular arm movements, reproducing superstitious gestures. After positioning on the dohyofighting starts, but only after the entrance of the Yokozuna and the performance of the propitiatory ritual with the throwing of salt.
Also fascinating is the Shikoi.e. the movement performed by the wrestlers with the leg that is first lifted and then brought to the ground, slamming the foot, also
this stems from an ancient superstitious rite that served to drive evil spirits away from the dohyo. Finally, the ogre dance, at the end of the competition, performed by a young rikishi, symbolising victory and strength. If the data describing the crisis of such a complex and tradition-bound sport is still uncertain, it is also true that Sumo no longer enjoys the splendour it once did.
Yet one only has to observe the gestures of the rikishi, dwell on the determination of their eyes and imagine oneself in that 'straw circle' to understand how this fight, born centuries ago, carries with it an ancient breath, a dignified history of an extraordinary people, an identity that thanks to the sports can and must be preserved.
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