Modern sumo originates from the Edo period (after 1603). At the beginning of the 17th century, peace was established in Japan, exhausted by long internecine wars. Favorable conditions for trade were created, and the class of merchants grew stronger. A powerful new class was looking for new entertainment. Sumo wrestling became a favorite pastime. It was in the Edo era that about 70 canonical techniques (throws, trips, sweeps, grabs, pushes, etc.) finally took shape, the ritual was established, the competition rules were improved, which have survived almost unchanged to this day. In order to win in sumo, it is enough to push the opponent out of the circle or force him to touch the surface of the circle with any part of the body other than the feet. Due to the small size of the ring, the slightest mistake made by a wrestler leads to defeat. Therefore, in sumo, an athlete must constantly monitor his balance, have an instant reaction, be able to use the opponent’s strength and movements to his advantage, feel his center of gravity and support area.
There are three components of victory in sumo: fighting spirit, technique and mass.
And in that exact order. The mass of the athlete is only in third place. It is interesting to see how the weight of sumo wrestlers has changed. From ancient times until 1910, people who weighed at least 52 kg were allowed to compete in sumo wrestling. There were no growth requirements. This was due to the fact that the Japanese ate mainly plant foods (Buddhism forbade eating meat, and flour products had not yet been brought from Europe) and were equally short.
Sumo is well known for its strict hierarchy system. The wrestlers are in a "room" (heya) run by an oyakata who is a coach and mentor. The younger wrestlers have to cook and serve the more experienced wrestlers every day. In sumo clubs, students are accepted at the age of 10-15 years. Although preference is given to boys of strong build and tall, none of them, of course, even remotely resembles the famous giants of the ring. The formation of the wrestler's body occurs exclusively in the process of training, due to muscle growth and weight gain.
SUMOTORI
Having met sumotori in the city, you will be able to isolate him from the crowd of undersized Japanese in size and characteristic hairstyle, knowledgeable person without much difficulty will determine its rank. An examination to determine his status should be carried out from the bottom up: wooden slippers (geta) worn on a bare foot mean that you are dealing with wrestlers in the two lower divisions. If a wrestler wears a traditional home dressing gown (yukata) at the same time, then he is, without a doubt, from the lower division (jonokutchi), and if a kimono, then from the next one - jonidan.
If a rikishi (professional sumo wrestler) put on setta (leather-soled sandals) on his bare feet, and in addition he is dressed in national ceremonial clothes (haori, hakama), then he is from the fourth division - sandamme.
The presence of socks (tabi) in addition to setta and a cape coat in addition to (haori, hakama) means belonging to the third division of makushita.
Body culture in sumo is extremely developed. Interestingly, after retiring, many rikishi manage to return to normal weight within one or two years by means of a special diet, turning into an “ordinary” person. In addition to nutrition, an important role is played by massage, water procedures, sophisticated daily flexibility and stretching exercises, which allow an obese wrestler to easily perform a gymnastic bridge, "twine" and similar complex figures. Emphasized attention to the body and constant concern for its very peculiar beauty are an integral part of the life of a rikishi. 
Also, much attention is paid to colorful hairstyles, to which the wrestlers attach no less importance than the medieval geisha attached to their intricate coifurs.
The hair collected in a knot on the crown of the head makes it possible to unmistakably distinguish a sumo wrestler in the crowd these days. When in 1871 Emperor Meiji issued a decree on cutting hair, only rikishi, thanks to the patronage of high-ranking government officials, escaped the common fate. A high hairstyle, according to sumo wrestlers, not only serves as an attribute of traditional decor, but also absorbs the impact of a fall. The current famous rikishi, like their predecessors in the Tokugawa era, proudly wear an oi-chumage, a magnificent knot in the shape of a gingko tree leaf, on their heads. Their brothers, who have not yet reached the rank of master, are content with a more modest hairstyle - ten-mage. Throughout Japan, there are a little over thirty real connoisseurs of sumo hairstyles, first-class tokoyama barbers. Most clubs make do with apprentices.
A sumo day is usually built according to a schedule. Getting up with the first rays of the sun, morning toilet, then from about six in the morning on an empty stomach, training begins, which lasts four to five hours, requiring full dedication of strength and maximum concentration. There is a big break at eleven. Wrestlers take a hot bath (furo) and have breakfast. By this time, they work up a good appetite and eat without any restrictions, as much as the soul asks. It has been found that the average rikishi eats five to six normal servings. What kind of food do giants prefer?
Breakfast (chanko-nabe) of a heavyweight always consists of chanko - a high-calorie and quite tasty meat dish like a stew with vegetable seasonings, sometimes with a rice side dish. Chanko is prepared in a cauldron over low heat, and every sumo wrestler should know the secret of its preparation, since the club has special kitchen attendants who cook a meal for the whole team in turn. The Japanese claim that the word chanko itself is borrowed from the Nagasaki dialect, where it means "Chinese stew".
After breakfast, two to three hours of sleep follows, which is necessary for the assimilation of food and the restoration of expended energy. Then a short workout and a light dinner. It is curious that rikishi, unlike other athletes, do not limit themselves to alcohol. At dinner, they are allowed to drink a good share of beer or sake.
Although giants eat only twice a day, their diet, combined with the regimen, contributes to the rapid build-up of muscle and body fat. It has been noticed that the most active sumo wrestler gets fat before reaching the title of master (juryo), and then stabilizes and only maintains weight, which is very important in wrestling without weight categories.
After each championship, new ozeki appear, but the highest rank of yokozuna is rarely awarded, once every few years.
BANZUKE - TABLE OF RANKS IN OZUMO
Professional sumo (ozumo) has a strict hierarchical structure. It is divided into 6 divisions. In the top division (makuuchi), wrestlers have ranks like sports categories, the highest of which - yokozuna - is given for life, the rest - ozeki, sekivake, komusubi and maegashira - are won and confirmed by wrestlers during tournaments. The ranks of the wrestlers of the lower divisions - dzyure, makushita, sandamme, dzhonidan, dzhonokuchi - are also referred to as the name of the division with the addition of a number corresponding to the position in the rating.
The hierarchical structure of ozumo, the ranking of rikishi, the status of judges, and so on, in general, everything that determines the position of members of the Association is reflected in a unique rating list called banzuke and also has a long history. 
Bandzuke is primarily a sumotori rating list published on the Monday 13 days before the start of each of the six bashos. The only exception is the banzuke published before the January Hatsu Basho, since it is released before the New Year holidays, about 16 days before the tournament.
The banzuke tradition dates back to the late 17th century, when the first rating list was made, which was a wooden plaque with the names of rikishi.
This document is still created manually by a high-class gyōji, who enters the names of all active sumotori into it, using a special way of writing hieroglyphs - sumomoji.
At the all-Japan championships from the late Middle Ages to the present day, all participants were distributed by geographical affiliation between the teams "East" and "West". The first included representatives of the eastern and northeastern provinces of Japan with a center in the capital of the shogunate - Edo. In the second - representatives of the western and southwestern provinces with a center in the rich and merchant city of Osaka.
In tournaments, the rikishi of the three lower divisions wear cotton mawashi.
Rikishi receive both salary and other rewards in accordance with their position in the ranking table. So, sumotori, who play in the four lower divisions, receive money only for participating in tournaments - respectively 700, 750, 850, and 1200 dollars, and for winning the tournament in their division 1000, 2000, 3000 and 5000 dollars. (of course in yen). True, they live on everything ready.
The gap between the four lower and two top divisions is enormous. The rikishi of the top two divisions are referred to as sekitori, and they already receive regular monthly salaries. In other words, sekitori are professionals of the highest rank.
In tournaments, they wear silk mawashi with laces of the same color (sagari), which are attached to the mawashi in front and removed after the fight. Richer and more varied are the rituals in sekitori fights. They have the right to scatter salt before the fight and drink "water that gives strength" (chikara-mizu), and also participate in the solemn exit to the dohyo (dohyo-iri), wearing a ceremonial apron - keso-mawashi.
The life of a sekitori is attractive, but, as evidenced by long-term statistics, only one in 10 rikishi reaches this status.
They have the right to a separate room, get up later than others, are exempted from any household work (cooking, shopping, washing, etc.), they tie a white mawashi for training, take a bath first and sit down at the table. To maintain discipline and educate negligent youth, they are allowed to use a bamboo cane. They have the right to orderlies (tsukebito), who serve them in every possible way, and when they enter the city, they are also their bodyguards. In addition, sekitori get the right to give autographs in the form of a print of their hand (tagata), have their own fan club (koenkai), use an umbrella (representatives of the junior divisions get wet in the rain), do their hair oicho, and also carry their things in a special bamboo suitcase - akeni .
The salary of the sekitori is $8,700, and the reward for winning the tournament is $20,000.
They go out into the world wearing tabi and setta and dressed in a special cut of haori and hakama, and they are distinguished from the representatives of makushita, first of all, by their hairstyle and all the other paraphernalia mentioned - akeni, umbrella, tsukebito.
The sekitori who compete in the top division are makuuchi, and there are only 40 of them, can have one of 5 ranks: maegashira, komusubi, sekivake, ozeki and yokozuna. Three ranks - komusubi, sekivake and ozeki have one generalized name - sanyaku. Salary in makuuchi ranges from $11,000 for the lowest rank to $20,000 for the highest. In addition, there is a different number of bonuses and bonuses.
ANNUAL SUMO CHAMPIONSHIPS 
Now in Japan, six big sumo championships are held annually: three in Tokyo and one each in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. Competitors are traditionally divided into two teams - "East" and "West". The championship lasts 15 days. Each participant fights once a day with different opponents. The winner on the day of the end of the competition is awarded the imperial cup. In addition, three more awards have been established: for the master who performed most successfully in a fight with the champion, for fighting spirit and for technical excellence. To earn any of the awards, a wrestler must win at least eight fights out of the fifteen offered to him.
Tournaments - bass - are held in a special arena - doha. It is made of clay (moreover, it is mined in strictly defined places, which only "initiates" know about), and a thin layer of sand is poured on top. Doha can be built in any hall. It takes 72 hours, no more and no less. Exactly 42 yobidashi are engaged in the construction of the arena: they are the builders, and in the future - the leaders of the tournament. When building a doha, they necessarily perform a sacred ritual: in the center they bury a chestnut, the fruit of the Chinese miscanth, dried cuttlefish, seaweed, washed rice and salt. Before the start of the tournament, all this is poured with consecrated sake. Women are strictly forbidden to step on doha. However, the audience does not see these ritual mysteries.
But they become witnesses of the grandiose ceremony that opens the tournament - doheiri (entry of the tournament participants to the platform): dressed in special attire - kese-mawashi (these are hand-sewn silk belts embroidered with gold and silver threads, intended only for the opening ceremony), to the rhythmic sounds sumo wrestlers come out with wooden sticks on doha. Everyone must clap their hands, which symbolizes the deliverance from evil spirits. Then comes the most solemn moment: a yokozuna, a wrestler who has reached the highest title in the wrestling hierarchy, enters the platform. He is accompanied by two squires. Yokozuna claps his hands, attracting the attention of the gods, then stretches his arms palms up, showing that he is unarmed, and finally, raising his legs high, stomps, expelling evil spirits from the doha. The solemn ceremony concludes with the appearance on the platform of judges - geji, dressed in ancient kimonos. In the hand of each geji is a fan, with which he will indicate the winner of the duel. At the end of the ceremony, the actual competition begins. The tournament also ends with an impressive ceremony: the winner performs a dance with a bow (the ritual has been preserved for a long time when the winner received a bow as a reward).
Sumo championship schedule for 2016:
Sumo championship schedule for 2017:
It is impossible to look at the appearance of sumo wrestlers and think that they are fat, small and clumsy Japanese guys.
These are really fat guys, but by no means small and clumsy, but big, powerful, very agile, flexible and with excellent reaction. Many of them even sit on the twine and make a bridge.
But let's start the story of this magnificent fight from afar.
The exact date of the origin of sumo is unknown. But the tradition is hundreds of years old. And they remain virtually unchanged. This struggle is a whole philosophy or, if you like, a religion. Those athletes who dare to connect their lives with sumo remain in it forever.
Yes, and not everyone will be taken there. It must be earned.
Sumo schools have a very strict discipline and hierarchy. Wrestlers get up very early and train for five hours. Then they rest and eat a lot. During the day they must eat at least a kilogram of chanku (the traditional food of sumo wrestlers), which is prepared in each school according to its own recipe. But it always includes several types of meat and seafood. Don't neglect beer either. All this is done in order to gain weight and gain fat. Fat protects wrestlers from serious injuries; both when falling, and even more so from a dohyo (this is a sumo ring, up to 60 centimeters high), and when colliding with an opponent. For the same purpose, a special hairstyle on the head serves.
Wrestlers of a higher rank are served by wrestlers of a lower rank.
There are six hierarchical categories in sumo: Jonokuchi is the sixth, initial category; then comes the fifth, the Jonidan; the fourth is Sandamme; the third is Makushita.
The first two need special attention. This is sumo elite. It includes only seventy wrestlers. And this number does not change. If a wrestler has not confirmed his skills at the next tournament, and has not confirmed his right to remain in his own or start playing in a higher league, then he will be demoted.
In the first category - Makuuchi 42 wrestlers (rikishi) compete against each other. Here they have their titles.
The highest level is occupied by the Great Champions (yokozuna).
The third stage, the same sekivake. This title can only be worn by two wrestlers.
And also two wrestlers can occupy the fourth step - komusubi.
All other levels are maegashira titles. They are worn by the rest of the rikishi. Numeric values are assigned here. Starting from the first maegashira of the east and west, and ending with the 16th maegashira of the west.
The title of yokozuna is awarded for life. All others must be confirmed at each tournament, which takes place six times a year. And depending on the result, the wrestlers are lowered or raised in rank (bandzuke). The fight is for the emperor's cup.
All wrestlers are paid salaries and are very popular in Japan.
I would like to pay special attention to the Great Champions. Although sumo is many hundreds of years old, the historical record is from the beginning of the Edo period, from about the end of the 17th to the beginning of the 18th centuries.
The first yokozuna is called Akashi Shiganosuke. He is considered a legendary figure. But almost nothing is known about him.
The second was Ayakawa Goroji. Only the year of his birth is known - 1704.
More detailed list of yokozuna can
To date, only 71 rikishi have been awarded the title of yokozuna (and this is more than 300 years). So far, three have taken part in tournaments:
69 Grand Champion - Hakuko Sho, who won the Emperor's Cup 32 times. Height 192 cm, weight 155 kg.
70 Great champion - Haramafuji, who took the cup 6 times. Height 186 centimeters, weight 133 kg.
71 Grand Champion - Kakuryu, won 1 time so far. Height 186, weight 151 kg.
Nowadays, this wrestling is gaining more and more popularity outside of Japan. For example, all three current Grand Champions are natives of Mongolia.
And the Europeans left their mark on Doha. And in major league.
This is a Czech, outwardly not like a sumo wrestler Pavel Boyar (wrestling pseudonym Takanoyama) b.-187cm., w-98kg..
Estonian Kaido Xyovelson(Baruto) b.-198 cm., w.-189 kg., and the Bulgarian Kaloyan Stefanov Maklyanov (Kotoosyu) b.-203 cm., w.-150 kg., reached the high rank of ozeki. But, unfortunately, they have already retired. And Kotoosyu, even won once the highest award- Emperor's cup Such achievements can mainly boast of the Great Champions.
Two Georgians reached, and may well be achieved, great heights in this struggle: Teimuraz Dzhugeli (Gagamaru) b.-185 cm., w.-200 kg., and Levan Gorgadze (Totinosin) R.-191 cm, V.-159 kg..
Not so long ago, the Russian wrestler Alan Gabaraev (Aran) left his career as a rikishi b.-187cm., w.-152 kg..
The Russian rikishi Nikolai Ivanov (Amur) continues his ascent to the top of the hierarchy, b.-192 cm, w.-130 kg.
By the way, the first record holder, in terms of the number of victories in tournaments for the Emperor's Cup, is Taiho Koki (Ivan Markinyanovich Baryshko) R. -187 cm, w. -153 kg (years of life 1940-2013). He was 48 yokozuna and won the cup 32 times. His father, as you understand, was a Russian citizen, and his mother is Japanese.
Very interesting, colorful and spectacular performances of wrestlers on doha.
Especially the exits of the Grand Champions.
All these are centuries-old traditions of the Japanese people. They love and revere sumo wrestlers very much.
In the tournament held in November 2014, the yokozuna Hakuko won the emperor's cup. He won 14 victories in 15 fights. This is his 32 cup. And he equaled victories with the great Taiho Koki.
The Russian wrestler Amur made his debut in the top division at this tournament, but unfortunately he did not win enough victories to stay in it. In January, at the next tournament, he will fight in Dzyure, in the rank of the first wrestler. March will again play in the top division Makuuchi.
First tournament of 2015 won the yokozuna Haku-ko. He did not suffer a single defeat. This is his 33rd win and new record in sumo.
at the March tournament , the Grand Champion of Haku-ko excelled again. He won 14 victories and won the Emperor's Cup 34 times.
Amur returned to "Makuti" and won 7 bouts and will continue to fight in the top division in May.
In May, the Emperor's Cup , won the sekivake Terunofuji, winning in 12 fights.
This young wrestler hails from Mongolia. At the last tournament, he won 13 victories in 15 fights. Given these achievements, the board of directors of the Japan Sumo Association awarded the wrestler the title of ozeki.
The 69th and 70th Grand Champions had 11 wins each. The 71st champion did not take part in the tournament due to a left shoulder injury.
The Russian sumotori Amur won 9 victories and got a little foothold in the top division of Makuuchi.
July Tournament 2015 Haku-ko Grand Champion won. This is his 35 cup. Truly, we are witnessing the rise of a great sumo wrestler. His record is unlikely to be beaten in the coming decades. In this tournament, he won 14 victories and suffered 1 defeat.
70 The great champion Haramafuji, was forced to withdraw from the tournament, as he injured his recently operated elbow.
71 Kakuryu champions, won 13 victories.
Russian sumotor Amur won 8 fights and will be promoted.
September Tournament missed Haramafuji due to an elbow injury. Hakuko withdrew from the tournament on the third day, after losing twice to the rank and file maegashira. Therefore, the 71 great Kakuryu champions had a better chance of winning the Emperor's Cup. And he took advantage of it. Although with difficulty.
Our wrestler Amur, so far, is going stably. He won 8 victories out of 15 possible. This is a good result and
He's up for a promotion.
The last November tournament of this year has come to an end. It was won by 70 Yokozuna Haramafuji.
Our wrestler Amur won 4 victories. He will be severely demoted, but will remain in the big leagues.
First in 2016, January tournament was not devoid of staginess and intrigue, which persisted until the last day of the tournament.69 great champion At first, he left no doubts about his victory. But in last days something happened to him and he suffered 2 incomprehensible defeats, and one was earlier.
As a result, the cup was won by ōzeki Kotosegiku. Over the past 10 years, the Japanese again won the cup This is his first victory in the tournament (14 wins, 1 loss).
The first and so far the only Russian rikishi Amur won 7 victories and suffered 8 defeats. He will be demoted, but will remain in the big leagues.
In March, Haku-ko won the Emperor's Cup. He did not behave very well in the tournament, in the sense of discipline befitting a great champion. But this is his 36th victory. Amur won 7 victories, and will again be slightly demoted in rank.
May 2016. The Emperor's Cup was won by 69 great champions. He did not suffer a single defeat. Russian wrestler Amur was injured on the first day of the competition. Missed 5 fights and went to doha. But the injury is serious and the sumo gods did not support our wrestler. He won a few victories, but not enough to stay in the big leagues. Unfortunately, Amur is relegated to the second elite dzyure league. But let's hope that in July, he will prove himself and win a ticket back to makuti. We wish him good luck!
July 2016. 70 great champion Haramafuji won 13 victories and won the emperor's cup 8 times. 71 Yokozuna Kakuryu withdrew from the tournament due to injury. Everyone hoped for the popeds of Ozaki Kisenasato, who at this tournament had the unofficial title of "tsunatori", that is, a contender for the title of yokozuna. But after the treacherous "tatiakenko" (avoidance of the fight), from his fellow tribesman Shohodzan, the wrestler lost his temper and won only 12 victories. The unofficial status of "tsunatori" will be extended to him until the September tournament.
Our wrestler Amur won 9 victories and took the position of the 3rd wrestler of the West in the dzyure.
September 2016 . For the first time in the history of sumo, an ozeki, who was in a kadoban, won the Emperor's Cup and achieved the perfect result of zen-sho ("only wins"). Goeydo has become the winner, and if he wins the November tournament, he will receive the title of yokozuna. Kisenasato lost the title of "tsunatori". Hakuko did not take part in the tournament. Yokozuna Harumafuji won twelve bouts, Yokozuna Kakuryu won ten.
Yokozuna Hakuho did not take part in the Autumn Tournament. On September 12, the 37-time winner of the Emperor's Cup underwent surgery. surgeons removed from thumb the right leg of the White Phoenix is a fragment of a bone broken in July in the city of Nagoya.Ozeki Kotosegiku exited the kadoban with nine white balls.Sekivake Takayasu won ten victories.Sekivake Takarafuji, komusubi Kaisei and Tochiozan were unable to achieve katikosi (predominance of victories at the end of basho). They will descend from sanyaku to hiramaku (become private maegashira).The post sekivake will rise in the new banzuke (official ranking) Okinoumi.And komusubi will produce Mitakeumi and Tamawashi or Aoyama. Amur suffered 9 defeats and remains in the dzyure.
November 2016. For the third time, the yokozuna Kakuryu won the Emperor's Cup.
Won the first tournament in 2017 (14 wins, 1 loss) Zeki Kisenosato. He will also become the 72nd Grand Champion. He went to this for a long time and received a well-deserved reward. Amur, unfortunately, suffered 10 defeats andlost the elite status of sekitori.
March 2017 . 72 Yokozuna confirmed his title by winning another cup in a row. And although on the 13th day of the competition he received a serious shoulder injury, and on the 14th day Ozeki Terunofuji applied toKisenosato is a move not revered in this fight (namely, tachiokenko "that is, simply avoided the fight, thereby exposing the opponent to his own strength", but this move is not prohibited in sumo. And many wrestlers can resist it). And despite this, on the 15th day of the tournament, a super duel was held, and the Great Champion proved that he is one.
May 2017.Yokozuna Hakuho quenched the thirst for victory that tormented the sixty-ninth great champion for an unbearably long time. The white phoenix won the Emperor's Cup for the thirty-eighth time, twelve months after the thirty-seventh yusho. The Russian hero Amur, who has not yet recovered from a shoulder injury, has suffered six defeats and will be promoted.
July 2017. Hakuko won 39 cups. The great champions Kakuryu and Kisenasato withdrew early from the tournament. In this tournament, 69 the Grand Champion broke another record previously held by ozeki Kayo.White Phoenix brought the number of his victories in professional doha to 1050. But despite the absence of two main rivals, Hakuko again used techniques that did not correspond to his status.Several members of Yokoshin delicately pointed out that slapping harite and avoiding a forceful kickoff (tachiai hanka) did not add to the glory of the greatest champion.
Yokozuna Kisenosato, in turn, received a recommendation to improve his health and not force the return to the rikishi line at any cost.
Yokozuna Kakuryu, who has withdrawn from three out of four tournaments this year, has received a hint that his results will be seriously discussed if he fails to perform well at the next basho.
The 33-year-old Russian hero Amur, who is gradually recovering from a shoulder injury, scored the minimum katikosi (4-3). But he fights in the 3rd (non-elite league), and so far, he does not claim to return to the sumatori rank.
September 2017. This time Haramafuji won the cup. It was not an easy win for the champion, although many of the top wrestlers, including the 69, 71 and 72 Grand Champions, were unable to compete due to injury. He won 11 victories, as well as the Ozeki Gueydo. The fate of the cup was determined in an additional duel between these wrestlers.
It doesn’t matter how things are with the Russian hero Amur. He suffered 5 defeats in 7 fights.
The pioneer of Russian professional sumo Aurora, he wrestles in the 5th league (jōnidan) fixed the minimum makekoshi (3-4). Aurora (Aurora) made his professional sumo debut in March 2000. A native of the Buryat village of Zaigraevo, Aurora is now famous as the heaviest rikishi in the history of professional sumo. At a medical examination before the Autumn tournament, the 34-year-old Russian outweighed Konishiki's record, Anatoly Mikhakhanov registered 288.8 kilograms. professional career- the title of the 43rd wrestler of the third division (makushita).
November 2017. Yokozuna Hakuho won the Emperor's Cup for the 40th time. The sixty-ninth great champion won fourteen victories at the last classic tournament of 2017, held at the Fukuoka International City Center on the island of Kyushu. 32-year-old Munkhbatyn Davaazhargal overshadowed his anniversary triumph with a stern reprimand. On the eleventh day, Basho Hakuho grossly violated etiquette. Not wanting to admit defeat, the White Phoenix began to put pressure on the judges and refused to bow to the opponent. In an interview in hot pursuit during the awards ceremony, Hakuho apologized on behalf of all rikishi to the fans for the scandal caused by the incident that occurred at the end of October in Tottori Prefecture, and promised “do everything possible so that Harumafuji-zeki and Takanoiwa-zeki enter dohyo again.” The first maegashira of Tamawashi East, the first maegashira of Takakeisho West, the third maegashira of Hokutofuji West and the twelfth maegashira of Okinoumi East, who “shared second place”, were three behind Hakuho victories. The seventy-first yokozuna Kakuryu came to Kyushu, but did not enter the tournament. The seventieth yokozuna Harumafudzi withdrew from the competition after the second failure, the seventy-second yokozuna Kisenosato after the fifth.
34-year-old Russian hero Amur won five victories.
January 2018. Win the first cup this year third maegashira of the West Tochinoshin (14 victories). This is rare in sumo. True, of the 4 great champions, only one reached the end - Kakuryu (11 victories). But this does not mean that the sumo wrestler from Georgia got the cup easily.
So: 70 The great champion - Haramafuji was forced to retire due to the fact that he hit the junior on the rank of a sumo wrestler. And Hakuko and Kisenosato withdrew from the tournament in the early days due to injuries.
The 34-year-old Russian hero Amur was content with the minimum makekosi (3:4).
Anatoly Mikhakhanov weighs almost 300 kilograms, so each of his fights was very spectacular. In Japan, he was given the nickname Northern Lights, he was recognized on the street, he had an army of fans. But what about in Russia? What will he do? Is he going to lose weight?
There should be a lot of good sumotori. Record combat 288 kilograms. Not a single wrestler weighed so much in more than a thousand-year history of the Japanese sport.
A major achievement belongs not to someone who was born in the country of samurai, but to Russian Anatoly Mikhakhanov. division into weight categories not in sumo. The rival of the Siberian hero is almost two centners lighter than him. The fight didn't last long.
Clear victory. One of the last on the account of the Russian. Known in Japan as Aurora, or northern lights, Anatoly returned to his homeland.
In the Zaigraevsky district of Buryatia, a mawashi who changed his bandage for a sumotori suit is greeted with bread and salt, according to the Buryat tradition, with milk, and they are presented with a blue hadak scarf.
“So many years have passed, I came to my homeland - not to rest, but returned forever, we will look first, get used to it, well, I think everything will be fine,” says Anatoly Mikhakhanov.
From the airport home by minibus. The car becomes noticeably higher when the Buryat heavyweight comes out of it. According to his mother, Tolik was always bigger than his peers. The future Aurora Satoshi never looked like a toddler. And at the age of 16, he already weighed 190. To find out, I had to go to the store where the largest scales were.
“I was not born with too much weight, but grew by leaps and bounds. In Rodov we had a very large man, he weighed 320 kilograms, his name was Zagsha in Irkutsk region, and he surprised everyone, because he could not ride a horse, he rode a buffalo,” says Dulsan Mikhakhanova.
At school, the descendant of the Buryat giant could not fit at the desk. I sat at the teacher's table on two chairs at once. The skill later came in handy in Japanese aircraft. That's how he flew from one Japanese island to another for 18 years. Most Popular Star martial art The Land of the Rising Sun on his Instagram page told how sumotori live. Tens of thousands of subscribers liked his photo with teammates. We watched Orora-san train.
Here, the fans saw the end ritual sports career. Tokoyama, a hairdresser, cut Anatoly's temmague, a pigtail that protects his head when he falls.
Sumo Anatoly started training at 16. He left Buryatia for St. Petersburg. There, the famous yokozuna, Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, saw him and invited him to train in Tokyo. To agree meant to get up every day at four in the morning, practice twice a day and live a reclusive life along with other novices of the sumo cult. Many just can't take it.
“I was born in Siberia, Buryatia is considered Siberia, plus I’m Buryat in my soul, if I can’t stand what they say at home, the newcomer came, I couldn’t stand it, how could I not stand it, although, of course, it was hard when I was alone” - says Anatoly Mikhakhanov.
During his career, Anatoly took part in 111 tournaments. He won 376 victories in them. But the losses were about the same.
When two sumotori rush towards each other, the impact force in a collision can be more than a ton. But weight isn't everything. Orora-san also lost to smaller opponents. And in general, he was far from becoming a champion. But the fans loved him.
“Every sumo fan knew who the Aurora Borealis was. And it was nice. I didn’t achieve heights, but they knew .. The main thing is not what kind of fighter you are, but what kind of person you will remain in life, ”says Anatoly Mikhakhanov.
Aurora Satoshi ended his career at 35 and immediately returned home. Now in his Instagram there are not sushi, but Buryat buuzas. Sumotori is not very willing to talk about plans for the future. And his mother shares a secret: after returning home, Anatoly dreams of losing weight.
It is expected that the great champions of sumo or "yokozuna", despite the recent scandals, will demonstrate superior sumo strength and technique.
Great Mongolian Champion Hakuho won the last sumo tournament on Saturday when Japan's national sport was still receiving media attention after another famous wrestler was suspected by police of attacking a sumo wrestler. Thus, Hakuho won the Emperor's Cup for the fortieth time.
The 69th Grand Champion scored 14 victories in the last Classic of 2017, held in Fukuoka, Kyushu.
“I am relieved to have achieved (the 40th victory),” Hakuho told reporters without commenting on the scandal.
The ARD previously reported that the yokozuna Harumafuji suspected of assaulting his compatriot wrestler. According to Japanese media reports, Harumafuji was angered by the fact that during a conversation with him Takanoiwa was busy with his smartphone. Harumafuji perceived this behavior as disrespectful towards a senior wrestler.
But the great champion Hakuho, who was also at the party, had his own version of what happened.
Harumafuji "didn't hit him with a beer bottle," Hakuho said Thursday at the Kyushu Grand Sumo tournament in Fukuoka.
Harumafuji, 33, may have to step back from his position if he is charged.
Note that Hakuho himself is involved in another scandal. On the eleventh day of the basho, not wanting to admit defeat, he began to put pressure on the judges. The white phoenix refused to bow to the opponent.
Oyakata Isegahama, Acting Chairman of the Committee of Judges, issued a severe reprimand to the great champion Hakuho on November 23rd.
The white phoenix apologized for his behavior after the duel with sekivake Yoshikaze. Still, without the Mongols, sumo is boring.
By the way, the 33-year-old native of Inner Mongolia Sokokurai won the championship title in dzyure.