The Portsmouth Times, Thursday 28th July 1955 (Page
20)
But Not As Phony
Sumo Loses Ground To U.S. Wrestling
TOKYO (NANA) - The ancient Japanese sport of sumo
is slowly buckling under the influence of modern American arena wrestling.
Enmeshed in tradition, sumo rules and customs change
slowly. The 48 recognized sumo holds remain the same, with victory going
to the "man with superior balance. It looks faster this season because
the giants in their loincloths are doing more open-handed slapping
and less close-body throwing.
To satisfy the restless crowds the time limit per
match has been cut to four minutes. Years ago when, there was no time limit,
matches would start at 3 p.m. and last till sundown during the 15-day tournaments.
Sumo, rules of gentlemaniness indicate the Japanese
have still much to learn from American wrestling.
Sumo Not As Phony
American visitors frequently ask if sumo is as phony
as American wrestling. It is not. But former wrestlers admit they practice
the Tokyo equivalent of shoving points
Toward the end of a tournament matches are thrown
if it helps the winner retain his category standing without lowering that
of the loser. Perhaps 10 percent of the matches are thus fixed. Since sumo
is not a betting sport, locker room politicking serves as a sort of social
insurance for the wrestlers.
American-style wrestling here is more honest, but
only in degree. Eighty per cent is wrestling, and 20 per cent is dramatics.
Too many puff-puff punches, and the fans walk out. An occasional judo throw
or karate punch does hurt but never enough to put a wrestler out of competition.
A sumo's earnings depend on his tournament standings.
Despite two decades of inflation the wrestlers basic wage is star countable
in cents. But that's for tax purposes. It is difficult to establish what
cash outlays are involved under the feudalistic relationship that exists
between wrestlers, managers of their association, patrons and other interested
parties. Winnings and gifts total about $3,000 a year for a grand champion,
progressively less for men of lower rank.
Switch Paid Off
One who found the sumo pickings too slim and who switched
to Madison Square Garden style of wrestling is Rikidozan. He drives around
in a yellow convertible which he could never have done he had remained
a sumo.
Rikidozan dropped 30 pounds from his sumo weight
of 280 pounds and trimmed his stomach line from 52 inches to 36. Where
he once leveled down rice and beer to swell his frame he now diets on meat
and cheese.
Rikidozan found training for wrestling, much harder
than getting in shape for sumo matches. For sumo he didn't have to lift
barbells or dumbbells. He didn't have to exercise or strengthen the various
muscles of his body. As a sumo man his main effort had been to strengthen
his legs, push a heavy pole with his hands, gain weight and learn how to
throw his weight.
Wrestling is a democratic sport compared to sumo.
When Rikidozan and his partner wrestled the Sharpe brothers from the West
Coast 75,000 Tokyoites bought tickets in five nights to yell and heckle
as Japanese fans rarely do.
Sumo Captive Sport
Sumo, on the other hand, is a captive sport. All the
ground-floor boxes are held by old families, tea houses and restaurants
who have supported and controlled the sport for years. Only the benches
under the rafters are open to the general public.
Attending a sumo match is like going to a picnic.
A male servant brings a pot of hot green tea or cold beer; there are rice
cakes, pieces of skewered chicken, dried cuttlefish, and other Japanese
delicacies. Female attendance is growing. Geishas and well-to-do ladies
show off their kimonos, much like the social set does at Belmont or Auteuil.
Nothing underlines the feudalistic tradition of
sumo better than the third man in the ring. He wears the same silk costumes
his ancestors wore before him. References are chosen from families who
have handed down their skills and privileges for generations. To them falls
the dity of shouting in their high-pitched voices "hakkayoi" (let's have
some action) or to encourage the weaker man with "nokotta" (you still have
some ground, get going).
What effects competition from Gorgeous George or
the 20th century demands of a television advertiser, will have on sumo
are yet to be seen.