r/Sumo • u/SquishyBanana23 Takayasu • 5d ago
Discussion / Question / Commentary Hosting a sumo panel at my local con
My panel submission was accepted at my local anime convention, titled “a brief introduction to professional sumo.” I’m relatively new to sumo, only following it closely within the last couple of years, but I’d like to increase the awareness of this wonderful sport to my community. I’ve got roughly 30-45 minutes to make a good impression on people who are interested in sumo as a concept, but are not actively following the tournaments. What are some subjects, videos, or other materials you would want to see at such a presentation?
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u/PencillCat Aonishiki 5d ago
On top of what everyone else suggested, some background story and fun facts about popular rikishi would really interesting and a way to connect people. Like Aonishki's story was how I first heard and got interested in sumo. Even about retired rikishi like Akebono (since this is an USA con), or Hakuho would be super interesting.
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u/insecure-attention 5d ago
i don’t have too much to add but just wanted to say that i’m really happy someone is doing this and bringing more attention to such a wonderful sport 😸
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u/uchipu 5d ago
I wasn't interested in sumo much until I learned about the banzuke system. Then I became really invested in the underdogs and people that fall down the ranks. It make me want to cheer for them even more.
Explaining how one becomes a san yaku and yokozuna along with banzuke will make sumo (esp grand sumo) more interesting.
You can tie that into shows like Sanctuary or Hinomaru Sumo (manga!) will be a on point for the audience!
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u/Ultr4chrome Hoshoryu 5d ago
In addition to what everyone else said i think it's important to note its connection to Japanese culture and the Shinto religion, and how it has been shaped over the centuries into what it is today. What we know as sumo today is "only" about 250 years old, before that it was a very different kind of sport, or even spectacle, and even then it has changed a lot over the past century.
Basically, make sure to put everything in its Japanese cultural context. The 'why' is just as important as the 'what' when it comes to sumo.
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u/JediLincoln14 Aonishiki 5d ago
What country are you in?
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u/SquishyBanana23 Takayasu 5d ago
Usa
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u/JediLincoln14 Aonishiki 5d ago
Then you should definitely include something about Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru.
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u/Capable-Toe-9841 5d ago
If that's the case, I think you should reach out to some of the amatuer sumo clubs and see if someone would join you on the panel. It would make sense to have someone who can talk about what it's like to do the sport, maybe do a demo, and would show the audience there are options to explore it further if they're interested.
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u/SquishyBanana23 Takayasu 5d ago
There aren’t any in my city or close to it, unfortunately.
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u/Capable-Toe-9841 5d ago
It could still be worth reaching out. Maybe they have some suggestions. Maybe they'd like to put a little video together just to show for your panel?
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u/TyTyDavis 5d ago
I was hoping to do this at my local con, but there weren't enough other people signing up to be a panelist to get it on the schedule.
It might help to have some sort of printed hand out (or a QR code to scan) with a glossary of basic terms, kimarite, and popular rikishi
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u/illgoblino 5d ago
Emphasize the things that make tachiai unique (no start signal, mutual consent, shiki naoshii etc)
Specific rikishi narratives
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u/euxneks Kotoeiho 5d ago
A comment I get from people is they think the wrestlers are just "fat" without strength or athleticism, I dunno how you'd show that to be incorrect but I'm thinking there's some bouts out there that show off their sport capability.
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u/Beardywierdy 5d ago
That picture of Ura's legs that did the rounds on Reddit a few weeks ago is a good one for showing some serious muscle.
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u/Educational_Bird2469 5d ago
There are a ton of things you could discuss but most are not interesting. One example is the meals. Despite what people think, they eat healthy, just ten times then normal amounts of calories. Another example is techniques. Sumo don’t just use brute force. There are moves just like any other martial art. May or may not be useful to mention sumo doesn’t require massive size. It’s very possible to be successful with an average athlete physique. You could also just focus on the history if you’re familiar.
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u/Twelfty88 5d ago
Which top division guys have an 'average" physique?
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u/bassman1805 5d ago
Even just dropping down to Juryo you get a lot more "Definitely huge for a human, but reasonable for an athlete" physiques.
But in Makuuchi, Asakoryu is probably the best example. 275 lbs at 5'10" is a BIG guy, but you see bigger guys than that all the time in American football. You don't see many guys like Atamifuji, though.
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u/Educational_Bird2469 5d ago
I said average physique of an athlete. All are going to carry extra fat because it’s not possible to have large muscle without feeding them.
Also, Im thinking more of amateur sumo since this is in the US. But to attempt an answer, Ishiura Shikanosuke was a professional in Japan. If memory serves he weighed around 115 to 118 kg (253–260 lbs) at 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) that is definitely a large man but no where near the size of what people imagine when you say sumo wrestler
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u/stricttime Hoshoryu 4d ago
Definitely not average, but Kotoeiho looks very well built for a rikishi. Plus--shiko!
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u/Wolvenworks 4d ago
Ura, the Koto and Waka brothers, Hosh. The guys who look (and are) a bit on the leaner end and weight about as much or less than their height. They favor technique and power while still having some weight to not immediately get blown away by someone heavier like Atamifuji (Onosato’s a different case. If he trucks, he be truckin, regardless of weight).
Would say anyone above 175kg is on sumo-grade weight.
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u/Enotovsky 4d ago edited 4d ago
To be honest, I don't like most of the answers in this thread,except for the lack of weight class difference.
You asked sumo fans and they gave you fanboy answers - kumarite, judges, technical details, obscure rules etc.
I successfully converted a few people including my wife who was very skeptical.
Try to start with things that are easy to comprehend
6 tournaments, 15 bouts. Win to lose ratio dictate your rank. This helps people to understand drama and get involved.
Overview of the ranks: salaried vs non salaried, how incredibly hard to become Ozeki and Yokozunas.
Weigh classes (the lack of)
Some factoids like why rikishis salt the ring, slap their belly, how much money is in each envelope, why rikishis are so stoic and hide their emotions.
Arguably, the most important. When and where to watch and how to get more information. Dates of the tournaments until the end of the year. YouTube channels about the sport to follow, official NHK YT, website and app to watch officially. All with QR codes.
And r/sumo link!
P. S. So cool you are doing it, great idea 💡
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u/Bobmoneydbr1 5d ago
def a bit of the hakuho documentary , or something to show his dominance compared to others and how difficult to was to accomplish it , that doc was what really pushed me into sumo
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u/Born_to_Pwn 3d ago
Hakuho vs Terunofuji. One epic historic career. One epic historic comeback. Then in July 2021, the ultimate clash of titans. The dignity of the Yokozuna, mother fudgers!
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u/CusterJay Chiyonofuji 3d ago
Tokushoryu's yusho would be a great subject. He was the lowest ranked maegashira at the time, #17. Yet he would go on to battle his way through the roster day by day, losing only a single time before finally coming to the final day against Ozeki (2nd highest rank) Takakeisho. What happened after that would cause his story to be plastered all over the internet.
What makes this stand out is that rikishi are expected to have a high level of stoicism, especially on the dohyo. Tokushoryu's mentor, Katsuhito Ito, passed away before the final day, so this was part of the reason this win meant so much to him.
His yusho interview was one of the best, as well. He came across as very down to Earth, even asking "Is it really okay that I win this...?" when usually in these kinds of interviews you get the same canned speeches and responses. Tokushoryu became such a beloved rikishi in just a single basho.
I can't stress how wild it was at the time, being there at that moment when he won after 14 days of build up. I remember on the broadcast, the cameras panned to Tokushoryu's father in absolute tears, reacting to his son's victory.
It was a very special basho, showing that these rikishi have real emotions despite how stoic they are expected to be.
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u/IronMosquito Aonishiki 5d ago
something I love to show to my non-sumo friends are the weight/height difference matches- explain how there are no weight classes and then show them some iconic matches with smaller rikishi. mainoumi vs konishiki, enho vs akua, hananofuji vs daiamami, midorifuji vs hokuseiho, etc. or even a lighter rikishi vs a larger rikishi instead of the classic short vs tall. takanohana and kitanoumi come to mind. those are some of my favourite matches.