ONE GREAT THING about the fully developed sumo wrestler of Japan is his size. The very least of them usually tips the scale at well over 200 pounds, and unless one weighs at least 250 pounds he is apt to be considered something of a shrimp by the heftier members of his profession.
    One recently active sumo reached a height of six feet, eight inches, for example, but weighed only 264 pounds. He was, therefore, considered a comparatively light man among trade circles. The grand champion of the January, 1951, tournament weighed 350 pounds, and for being the grand champ received the Emperor's Trophy.
 

    How does the sumo get the way he is? It is not due to overactive glands. Most of them simply eat their way to weight and the fame that goes with it. It is true, however, that even to begin with, most of the individuals making a profession of the ungentle art of sumo are endowed by nature with considerably more physical bulk and height than the average Japanese man.
    Indeed, to be a sumo at all, a man must be enormous. Weight and bulk are fundamental requirements of the sumo trade. The bigger they come the harder they fall and the better the customers like them. Also, the bigger a sumo, the better his chances of winning and the "bigger the gate receipts.
    Winning consists of forcing some part of the opponent's body to the floor or out of the 15-foot ring, be it so little as a finger or a knee. While the action might be over in less than a minute, there are many preliminaries and formalities in a sumo contest that lend color and zest to an exhibition. These "atmospheric" conditions are as much, a part of the show as the kleig lights of a Hollywood premiere. The bizarre costumes of the wrestlers, their giant sizes and uncommon figures, as well as the centuries-old tradition behind sumo, all serve as magnetic attraction to the customers and remind them they are watching men from a world apart. Everything about the sumo is different from the average citizen; his height and tremendous bulk, which is clad only in a breechclout; the way he wears his hair long and braided in a topknot, it is cut only on retirement.
    Of ancient origin, the earliest chronological record of sumo is dated 73 B.C. At that time Nomi-no-Sukune and Taema-no-Keyaya, described as two stalwart aborigines, wrestled before the Emperor Suinin.
    Slightly more than 100 years ago, the art, which had always been extremely popular with the people, was inaugurated as a regular event at the Eko-in Temple in Tokyo. The sporting event was sanctioned with a religious ceremony and to this day, as a matter of tradition, the religious influence has been preserved. Thus, there is a temple-like roof over the sumo ring itself, and salt is scattered around the ring as a purifying agent.
    Following the ritualistic introductory formalities, including much-bowing, the bout is ready to begin, but not necessarily immediately. It is customary for each sumo to "size up" his opponent until he feels the precise psychological moment has come for an assault. It used to take as long as ten minutes for one or the other of the wrestlers to feel the moment had come for an advance, during which interval they squatted glaring at each other or once in a while shifted weight or picked up a handful of salt to toss around the ring.
    Apparently the public got tired of these long delays because the Japan Sumo Association passed a ruling that the time period until the men come out of their crouch must be limited to three, five, or seven minutes only, depending on the ranks of the participants. It is up to the referee to see the rules are enforced as well as make decisions. Elegantly robed, the referee indicates decisions by a flick of his fan.
    Once the action does start, the two men grasp at each other with pachy-derm-like ponderosity and try to secure one of the 48 different holds peculiar to the game. There is a defense for each of these holds. Eye-gouging, hair pulling, or kicking the opponent in the groin is considered unethical and something no gentleman sumo would be guilty of. The match continues until one is forced partially or entirely to the floor or out of the ring.
    Much of the sumo's strength, according to the experts, is in his stomach and the girth thereabouts. The stronger and larger a man's stomach, the harder it is for him to be shoved off balance and therefore he can bide his time until finding a favorable opening for himself.
    A single sumo match does not end an exhibition. A big meet might continue for hours as the great and near great of the wrestling world meet to try their strength in a long series of bouts.
    In officially listed rankings, the average sumo lasts about ten years. Long before becoming a regular sumo, however, he must serve a period of apprenticeship. This starts at the age of 16 or 17 years. During his training period the apprentice works as a servant for the professionally established sumo who has assumed responsibility for his up-bringing. During these training years he observes what goes on in and around the sumo ring and undergoes rigid training.
    If the applicant shows sufficient skill and ability and develops the required size, eventually he may break into the magic circle of the established sumo. Thereafter, he wrestles, as long as he can take it and win.
    Usually, 30 years is the average retirement age, although Futabayama, who came to be known as the "golden boy" of the game, kept on until he reached the age of 34 in 1946. After retiring from the ring some sumo start groups of their own, training followers in their footsteps. It is not unusual for a retired, sumo to open a small restaurant or tea shop.
    Long considered the national sport of Japan, since the end of the war sumo's popularity has been superseded by that of baseball which has steadily increased to first place. Sumo is preserved, however, as the oldest traditional sport of Japan, numerous admirers and supporters. It might be considered to be to the sporting world what kabuki, the classical Japanese drama, is to the theatrical world of Japan.
    In the good old days tickets for a sumo meet were not only expensive but hard to get. As reserve seats were limited, fans used to camp outside the entrance for as long as 12 or 15 hours ahead of time to be sure of getting seats.
    Grand tournaments, held two or three times yearly for the past 300 years, in Tokyo take place at the Kokugikan at Kuramae, in Asakusa.