Sumo Wrestling

A few days ago, Dylan forwarded an email from the oVo team offering some tickets to a Sumo tournament.  Since he had to work, and I didn't think Kaylee would enjoy it (or the interruption to our schedule, as the afternoon tournament would really screw up nap time), I set the idea aside and thought, "Maybe some day when Dylan's not working, we can try..." even though I know it's not exactly an every week thing.

Then, we were all on site for Sunday Brunch, when a friend, whose plans to go were disrupted, convinced me to go with her, and bring Kaylee along ("we'll put games on our iPhones for her!  we'll bring lots of snacks!  we'll leave early!  it'll be fine!").  The Sunday Brunch sugar rush must have gone to my head, because I found myself saying, despite our colds, and the looming nap time, "sure!"

Awhile later (have you ever tried to get people organized when there's yummy brunch, birthday cake, and toddlers involved? by no stretch of the imagination - for mothers - our plan to leave in "15 minutes" became an hour), we were headed off with the oVo school, another mom & kid, and the company manager (big boss man).

The trip involved several trains/subways, and lots of fun and joking with the kids.  Much fun was had even before arriving at the sumo hall.

The sumo hall was awesome, you get a definite feel of the immensity of history and tradition involved.

We arrived during the "ring entering ceremony" (dohyō-iri) where they all come out in their ornate costumes (keshō-mawashi). 

I didn't really catch much of the "ceremony," as were busy trying to get situated in our "box seats."  Our "box" was about 5'x5', a carpeted space with a low railing around it and four cushions to sit on inside it.

The "box seats" in the rows in front of us

After the ring entering ceremony, there was some sweeping:

Each match was a lot of ceremony and a little action.  They'd enter the ring, bow, squat, stomp (to scare away evil), leave the ring to grab a handful of salt that they'd then throw over the ring, and repeat twice.

The bouts themselves were fun to watch.  And the commentary from the friends we were there with was even better.  It's hard not to come up with fun (and inappropriate) commentary when really big guys are lifting their scantily clad legs up over their head to bring them down and stomp on the ground.

We watched a few matches that just ended with a foot outside the ring, and a few that ended with these HUGE guys being thrown off the ring into the judges and teammates sitting alongside.

Huh, looking at the photos now, I'm realizing that there were different referees for different matches.  I remember the guy in the red robe, he was loud.  I didn't notice (at the time) that there had also been guys in blue and green robes.

Kaylee had a great time watching the "show."