Sumo is a Japanese form of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It
originated in ancient times as religious performances to the Shinto
gods. Nowadays, still many rituals are followed.

The basic rules of sumo are simple: The wrestler who either first
touches the floor with something else than his sole or leaves the
ring before his opponent, loses. The fights themselves usually last
only a few seconds and in rare cases up to one minute or more.



Kokugikan, the sumo stadium in Tokyo Ryogoku
Six tournaments are held every year. Each one lasts 15 days. Three
of the tournaments are held in Tokyo, and one each in Fukuoka, Osaka
and Nagoya.

At the top of the sumo wrestlers' hierarchy stands the yokozuna. At
the moment, there is only one yokozuna, Asashoryu from Mongolia.
Once a wrestler reached the rank of yokozuna, he cannot lose it
anymore. However, he is expected to retire as soon as his results
are starting to worsen.

Most elite wrestlers are highly trained athletes and between about
20 to 35 years old. Besides working out, the wrestlers are eating
large amounts of food and go to bed right after eating in order to
gain mass. The wrestlers are living in special sumo stables where
the rules are very strict, especially for beginners.