Who are the Sumo wrestlers in Japan?

Question

They are such big people yet Japanese seem to be, generally, about average size. Are they actually Japanese? Maybe some Mongolian ancestry?

Answer 1

They are Japanese. They are trained and fed from birth. They eat a lot more food than the majority of the population to obtain that size. Big men are also matched up with big women in order to produce BIG children. Same thing goes on in China... and then you get Yao Ming.

Answer 2

Sumo (相撲 Sumō), is a competition contact sport where two wrestlers or rikishi face off in a circular area. The sport is of Japanese origin and is surrounded by ceremony and ritual. The Japanese consider Sumo a gendai budō: a modern Japanese martial art, even though the sport has a history spanning many centuries.

The Sumo tradition is very ancient, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt for purification, from the days Sumo was used in the Shinto religion.

Answer 3

When I first started living there (in '99) there were two or three non-Japanese guys in the highest sumo division ... but now, there are several. A few from Mongolia, and even some from Russia and eastern Europe.

When I was there, there were three Hawaiians -- Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru -- who were absolutely HUGE. They were each at least 500 pounds! All three of them are retired now.

Akebono and Musashimaru both reached the rank of yokozuna -- sumo's highest rank. I believe Akebono was the first non-Japanese to reach that rank.

But most of the Japanese wrestlers are awfully big too. Generally they slim down dramatically soon after retiring.

Answer 4

Originally all Sumo were Japanese, but that's not the case now. As a previous answer said, there are many from Mongolia and Eastern Europe! Most are still Japanese though! ; )

Sumo didn't used to be so fat - yes, they used to be bigger than 'ordinary' Japanese, but not like THAT!! They do NOT eat a lot of fat, either! So whoever wrote that in their journalism class didn't bother researching thoroughly!! People who eat a LOT of fat are NOT strong or agile - I'm sure you'll know what I mean, there are probably a few extremely obese people around you wherever you are, and can you imagine them in a battle that wasn't just about weight, but also about skill, technique, and manipulation??

Actually, most ex-Sumo lose a lot of weight. Almost 'normal' for their race and family heredity - almost!! The only one who didn't actually lose any weight is Konishiki - he's Hawaiian, and he comes from a very large family, so it's not surprising that he's still very large despite having been retired for more than 10 years!!!

Answer 5

They are mostly Japanese, some Hawaiian, and few other foreigners.

They used to be more skillful. Fun part was to see the smaller guy throw the large guy. Like Judo. Since the super size wrestler showed up, there tends to be rather larger wrestlers to compensate their skill. Similar to Football player in the states.

They hit with palm. Then throw each other, somewhat like Judo. No kick, no fist punch.

I am poewr lifter and used to work out with amature sumo wrestler when I still lived in Japan. He wanted to do squat with me but I couldn't because he loaded 500lb on the bar for his full squat. His bench was clsoe to 400lb. And, he was 5 feet 10 and 222lb. He told me he was smallest in his sumo team. His body fat was, I think, 15%. He will be considered to be rather large person in Japan, but again he is the smallest in him amature team.

One time, when I was student and broke, my Hawaiian friend took me out for drink when her Hawaiian friend was visiting her. The friend turns out to be a professnal Sumo wrestler, bottom of the rank, but still. He was 6'8". I don't know his weight. He was tall but not large. He was wearling hooded sweat jacket in the middle of summer. We asked why he was doing that. His answer was that his team did not allow him to go out in public unless he wears traditional cloths (kimono or yukata). He wasn't and therefore it was his attempt to hide. Problem was that his head was popped out among the million Japanese passengers at Osaka station.

Answer 6

At the moment,
many Japanese,
many Mongolians (They are very competitive ),
some Russians,
some Europeans,
and etc.

Pls check up date information from the links following

Answer 7

Sumos are really not so big. Some are but many are very short. I went to a sumo party last summer and many of them were large but looked taller because they were wearing Geta shoes.

Answer 8

well with the sumo wrestlers they are only given fat to eat that is why they are soo big, but it is sad that they only end up being 40 something and pass away because they are soo heavy and eat tons of fat.. i wrote a story like this in my journalism class in college that is why i knew this

Answer 9

All are asian and it is great entertainment. They get fatter so they have a better chance of winning. Although gravity has a harsh effect on them.

Answer 10

most are from japan,some are mongolian,and a few from eastern europe