Thursday, January 28, 2010

Japan: The Future of Sumo Wrestling

Retired Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Takanohana is trying to keep sumo alive in Japan, but is running into interference from the sumo establishment.

I used to watch sumo on ESPN several years ago, every 3 months they featured a show called Sumo Digest that summarized the quarterly tournaments of the highest Japanese professional sumo league. With the majority of the pre-match rituals removed and only the actual wrestling shown, the bulk of the tournament could be shown in a one-hour tv show. Takanohana was the last Japanese Yokozuna; the current Yokozunas are both from Mongolia.

Here's a pic of Takanohana during a tournament ritual dance:


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