Dohyo: 15 feet diameter ring consists of straw rice bag
Cultural News, October 2007
The sumo ring is called the dohyo.
The sumo ring is called the dohyo and take its name from the straw rice bag which marks out its different parts. The greater portion of each bale is firmly buried in the earth. The dohyo is 18 feet square and 2 feet high and is constructed of a special kind of clay.
The bout is confined to an inner circle a little over 15 feet in diameter.
A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or throwing him in the dohyo. To lose the match, it is not necessary to fall in the circle or to be pushed completely out.
Sumo wrestlers are called rikishi. The rikishi who touches the ground with any part of his body, his knee or even the tip of his finger or his topknot, loses the match.
Or he need only put one toe or his heel over the straw bales marking the circle. Striking with fists, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking and kicking in the stomach or chest are prohibited.
It is also against the rules to seize the part of the band covering the vital organs. As there are no weight limits as in boxing or western wrestling, it is possible for a rikishi to find himself pitted against an opponent twice his own weight.
There are at present about 800 rikishi in professional sumo from the lowly trainee to the yokozuna at the top. After each Grand Tournament, the banzuke ranking list are revised rikishi being either promoted or demoted depending on their performance during the fifteen days.
A new banzuke official ranking list is issued by Nihon Sumo Kyokai printed in an ancient, stylized calligraphy.
The rikishi are first arbitrarily divided into east and west teams although they do not compete as teams nor is a rikishi from one team necessarily matched against one of the other.
Los Angeles Grand Sumo Tournament will take place on June 7 and 8, 2008 at Los Angeles Sports Arena. For more information, check the website: www.sumotour.com.